I wondered why they got so pop eyed and screeched a lot. Junkies.Quote:
Originally Posted by gonetropo
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I wondered why they got so pop eyed and screeched a lot. Junkies.Quote:
Originally Posted by gonetropo
I suppose I should try and put some netting over my fig tree like you did Phil. I'd have to buy more though, and it is a fairly big tree. Currently all my netting is in use on my grapes. I used to hang old CD discs in the fruit trees and vines, and I think it helped in the early stages. Now, it seems, when the birds see the discs it is like a visual dinner gong for them. 'Whoo-hoo .... Stephen is telling us the fruit is ready. Bring a friend'.
Got the figs sliced and in the dryer.
https://i.imgur.com/ZiX4XlE.jpg
There is a organic insecticide called Entrust that is very good on caterpillars and Syllids if you want to go that way.
figs are so simple to clone my solution to not getting enough because of birds or nabours is to plant a dozen of their cuttings in places where you want them to grow
Thanks for telling me about Entrust. Never heard of it till now. I was using neem oil and diatomaceous earth powder but I'm unsure how effective these were.
Figs certainly do seem to grow well from cuttings... and sometimes shoots that come from the base of the tree form their own roots. There is a trend down here to plant 'edibles' in parks, and the guy in charge of planting in our local park is really keen on figs. He propagates a lot of them, and the variety he seems to favour is 'Brown Turkey'.
The trays on the dryer are around 38 cm in diameter. I have seven stackable trays, but I could buy more and stack them higher. In the past I've tried drying in a home made 'solar' dryer. I also dried a fair bit of stuff over a home-made wood-fired cookstove back when such things were possible. An electric dryer costs a bit to purchase and to operate, but it is very convenient and not dependent on the weather. We don't have a woodstove in our current home, so that isn't an option at present. I haven't kept records of drying times, but if I run it fairly warm I think a batch of tomato slices will dry overnight. I like to dry apples at a cooler temperature in the hope more nutritional value will be retained... so these might take 24 to 36 hours I suppose depending on how thick I've cut them. But I'm just guessing really. I should pay more attention.
I've occasionally dried strips of venison offcuts for dog tucker just by hanging them from a rope. It is good stuff to have on hand and the dog enjoyed it. I also made a few batches of biltong and I dried these by hanging the meat indoors. I didn't really like the finished product though. It was edible, but damn it got hard unless I was prepared to put it in the fridge or freezer once it got to the right consistency. I prefer fried steak.
Not a tree, but you could plant a row of 'Flannel Leaf' plenty in wet high country areasQuote:
Originally Posted by Max Headroom
Greetings All,
I believe that Rangiora leaves, which have a soft downy underside, were known as bushman's toilet paper in earlier times. Probably best picked as required though with a short use by date if hoarded.
Grandpamac.
Waterblaster.
Greetings All,
I believe that Rangiora leaves, which have a soft downy underside, were known as bushman's toilet paper in earlier times. Probably best picked as required though with a short use by date if hoarded.
Grandpamac.
For headaches and fever Hildreth's book How to Survive suggests a decoction of Mingi mingi leaves and the inner bark of Totara respectively. You will have to Google what a decoction is exactly. I think it is boiling in water and leaving to cool but probably best not to try this at home anyway.
All sorted Max Headroom?
Grandpamac.
I got a copy of Hildreth's book as a gift from my uncle when I was quite young. I think it had a huge influence on me.
Bearing in mind that our lav paper is made here in NZ, it is unlikely that we will ever run out UNLESS OF COURSE Labour gets back in September as a pseudo Government and then as we will all have severe cases of the shits, there may be a nationwide shortage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Headroom
The bark of the Willow plant contains Salicylic acid which is related to acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) and the bark of the Cinchona bush ( not o be found in the Southern Hemisphere, is the original source of the chemicals that were used to make Quinine and Paracetamol. BUT, the Aspirin and Paracetamol we consume are not those actually found in these plants but are chemically derived from the natural plant.
Greetings Coote,
I got a copy about 1965 and carried it around in my pack for years until it disintegrated. Never saw another one until my dearly beloved brought me back a discarded Library copy about 10 years ago. A great little book, delightfully non PC by today's standards, but well worth reading and hanging onto. There is a whole chapter on Living of the Land. Bumblefoot would likely approve.
Grandpamac.
I live 20 mins from Rangiora and have always considered it a bit of a shit hole - so even if it isn't that, it's close by being a dunny roll !Quote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
Good on you Grandpamac
I think I might still have my original copy somewhere, but I found another at the local Founders Book Fair
https://i.imgur.com/lIqIFTi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HXcFxLA.jpg
Greetings Coote,
I see yours is an early copy probably the same as my first copy. After yours was printed there were 5 more reprints before a limited revision in 1978. The revision seems to be limited to the replacement of the section on Mountain and Bush Huts with one on exposure and the addition of one on Helicopters. A little bit of useless information for the Trivia minded.
Regards Grandpamac.
Greetings All,
We all know the tags we use to describe our favored sport ie Armed Tramping, Tea Drinking etc. Perhaps for a more PC version of hunting we could use Armed Social Distancing or Social Distancing and Forest Bathing with a Rifle or some such. What do you think?
Regards Grandpamac.
Greetings Max and Phil,
Iv'e just been up at my Social Distancing Bench Rest behind the house to check the zero on a couple of rifles. Later I may prep some cases at my Self Isolation Loading Bench. I imagine if I leave the door open that would be a Social Distancing Loading Bench. Thanks for your suggestion of Naked Hunter Phil. My distant ancestors used to hunt wearing a couple of metres of tartan cloth, a belt and little of anything else. I suppose that would be a Semi Naked Tartan Wearing Hunter. Our Clan has a rather nice dark green hunting tartan and I always thought about having a kilt made in it for hunting. I don't think I would go as far as my ancestors. As you said social distancing would not have been a problem for them.
Regards Grandpamac.
Greetings All,
Well it has happened. 11:59 PM tonight the drawbridge will be pulled up and the Good Ship New Zealand will bob along by itself in the South Pacific isolated to an extent from the rest of the planet. Based on what I have read on the Forum and especially this thread I think that hunters and outdoor people are in pretty good shape to make the best of it. Meat in the freezer and some vegetables in the garden means we are insulated to an extent from the effects of the numb scull panic buyers. Consuming interest in our sport and hobbies means we are unlikely to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves and we all know what to do with an unexpected day off. As a Government certified old bastard I have seen a few tough periods including being laid off at one time and it always gets better. This one may be the toughest any of us have seen to date but it too will end. Just keep calm and carry on hunting and gardening and making sausages and, well you know the rest.
Regards Grandpamac.
Yep Grandpamac, this too shall pass.
I stopped regularly reading the news and watching the TV many years ago. I may sometimes scan the headlines on the internet, but I find it best not to become immersed in world thought. I firmly believe that our thinking affects/creates the 'reality' that we experience. What we focus on grows in our experience. What we resist, persists.
You seem to have a good sense of humour. That is so important for your own well-being, and for the upliftment and encouragement of those around you.
Keep posting !!!
Still carry mine in the top pocket of my pack, got it as a birthday present in 1966 while living in Nelson (from memory.) and it looks just like the one in your picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coote
Greetings All,
Well here we are, confined to barracks by order of the PM due to being an old codger. Sitting here on our small holding (8 ha) with a rifle cupboard full of unfinished let alone yet to be started projects plenty of components. I am interpreting the 50 km to the Lakes Road car park as not amounting to travel within NZ, week days of course. I think I am looking forward to it. How about you?
Grandpamac.
Went into Lockdown Level 4 Nanna Mode yesterday..... 8 jars of apple/chilli chutney, started 2 more jars of apple cider vinegar and strained off the elderflower, garlic, thyme and peppercorn infused apple cider vinegar I made in December... Fencing and writing today....... Oh; and a sumac seasoned goat leg in the slow cooker....
Lockdown is pretty much just another day for me. Work-wise; I can still do interviews for my articles but they have to be phone or video and I have to ask the farmers to supply the photos.
Attachment 134005
The start of apple cider vinegar
Attachment 134006
Sumac seasoned goat leg in the slow cooker
Attachment 134007
After 4 days the first batch of apple cider vinegar is beginning to ferment :-)
Attachment 134034
This thread will be a god send to some folk on here, in the coming months.
Set forth and bottled the neighbors apple tree, today. ( being sure to keep social distancing rules in force of course.)
So we have 10 kg of fresh apples in the fridge for immediate use and a dozen jars that usually keep us going through the winter, Fejoas are coming along and there is a plethora of recipes out there for chutney's and bottling.
We did have the intention to make apple cider ( me and the neighbor ) but i will have to leave that to him now, hopefully in 3 or 4 weeks there will be a bunch of bottles sitting on my door step.
I must search out my little orange book too!
Good work on the apple cider vinegar i hadnt factored that in, I could make some from the peelings from the preserving today!
I remember hearing on TV; either river Cottage or Jamie Oliver, that 85% of the UK's food is imported. That's an amazing lack of food security..... I've always said that it will only take a ruckus between North Korea and the US, a pandemic or a flare-up in Saudi Arabia to send us into this sort of situation.
I'm no prepper or conspiracy theorist, but have always seen how fragile our society is. Especially so with the amount of debt people need to take on to buy a house. And of course the "I must have the latest and greatest/annual overseas holiday" mentality that prevails......
Bumblefoot... have you ever tried to test how strong your vinegar is? I've made it too, but I haven't been confident about using it for preserving as I don't know how 'acidic' it is compared to shop-bought vinegar. I asked a chemist once about testing vinegar, and he didn't come up with any simple tests that I could readily use.
Litmus paper?
I don't know enough about testing for acid. Litmus paper would show that acid is present, but is the acid percentage enough to penetrate all the food in the jar and be effective at preventing the growth of organisms? We use plenty of store-bought vinegar, but it would be great to experiment with using our own.
We use cheap white vinegar for a lot of the cleaning around the house. I especially like using it 'before and after' to clean the kitchen bench when processing an animal. We keep a spray bottle of undiluted white vinegar for such purposes.
I did a quick bit of research about making cider vinegar, the most discussed facet was not using it for preserving as the level of acidity was hard to gauge.
I now have a jar brewing in the hot water cupboard!
I am not a prepper either, but get great satisfaction from any thing I can DIY .... we were all once a bunch of talented people that could manage most things, it just got easier along the way to "get an expert" and the "I dont have time" excuse isnt valid at the moment.
I use it for cooking, salads and take it 3x a day with lemon juice and water as a tonic. Been doing keto to lose weight etc for the last 2 months but had a craving for bread so today is a cheat day. a new loaf in the oven...... ;)
Greetings All and Especially Johnd and Bumblefoot,
While neither of you are preppers in the US meaning of buying heaps of firearms, shit loads of ammunition and truck loads of canned food that their kids would rather starve to death than eat you are preppers in the wider meaning of building resilience to survive in hard times. I also remember growing up in the 1950's and early 1960's. We had chooks and dad had a stupendous garden and although there was not much money we lived well on eggs, poultry, vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables cheap cuts of meat like hearts, liver and thirty bob ($3.00) sides of blue stripe mutton. There was also the odd leg of venison that my Uncle Hec dropped off This was a bit like how my dads parents had survived the depression with five adults and two children on one small income. My father talked of one meat meal per week and vegetables with left over gravy for the rest. I used to watch the Doomsday Preppers TV programs a bit, best comedy on TV at the time. With a few exceptions they all would have been dead in a fortnight. Preparing by building resilience is however something quite different.
Regards and Keep it Up, Grandpamac.
My life hasn't changed that much. Living out of the freezer and garden. Work-wise it's still a bit up in the air.... I work as a freelance mag writer/photographer so things are still in a state of flux. Most of my work recently has been for Dairy Farmer mag. Dairy Exporter, Farmers Weekly and Countrywide are now classed as essential and we are still waiting for confirmation whether DF will be too. I also work for the other 3 mags. I also work for Lifestyle Block; they have pulled the plug on the next issue and stopped accepting stories so oh well; whatever happens, happens..... Could be worse; could be a Bauer Media staffer.....
This is my latest piece..... https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/...boosts-charity
I like your succinct paragraphs Bumblefoot... and the way you start some sentences with 'But'.
It is interesting Grandpamac. Since I was quite young, I've had an interest in 'survival'. I've killed game with my home-made bows and arrows, I can light a fire without matches etc etc. Even wrote a book on it. Dunno why so many of us seem to have sporadic visits of thoughts related to disaster. Perhaps I picked up on the vibe of my parents and grandparents who lived through wars and the great depression.
While I don't think the current situation is right up there with the worst of the fantasies (fears?) that I may have entertained over the years, I may have once seen this scenario as my cue to grab my gear and head for a remote lair. My younger self would be interested to see that I have chosen to stay in civilisation to weather it out with the majority of the population.... while helping out my elderly Mum etc.
My interest in growing food, hunting and primitive technology have done me no harm though. I've learned a bit and I've had a lot of fun and satisfaction. And maybe some of my enthusiasm has rubbed off on to others.
I believe that people who are interested in these types of things are likely to have a good appreciation for what our planet provides, and thus make good neighbours and citizens.
Bumblefoot,Quote:
Originally Posted by bumblefoot
Given your own experience and what you have observed writing for Lifestyle magazine would you be interested in starting a new thread on how you would approach setting your self up to be significantly self sufficient on a small block?
I like many on this site have or would like to work for another 5-7 years before retirement. At this stage I will be 60-62 years old, and with good health and fitness. While I have saved well for retirement I’d like to not touch to much of it straight up and allow it have 7-10 years to enable one more cycle of increase. I’ve separately put aside some savings to buy a small block or a good deposit on one with this in mind.
I think with the market crash many people due to retire may be thinking this way? It’s how retirees did things when I was younger particularly ex farmers as the scaled down to small blocks on “retiring “.
Perhaps you have covered this in a magazine article?
Greetings to You Bumblefoot, Coote, Dicko, Johnd and Others.
Recent posts on moving to self sufficiency in adversity and transitioning to retirement have struck a chord with me. I thought I should share some of my experiences of working toward retirement for what they may be worth. I've always tended to over think things and as a result have a tendency toward anxiety. Not far short of my 60th birthday I realized that retiring cold turkey on my 65th or any other birthday for that matter was not the best option for me. We had previously bought a small block (8 hectares) in 1992 and moved onto it about 8 years later. There was still much to do and to my mind trading some more days off now for a few worked after my 65th birthday seemed like a good deal. My job as a Property Asset Management Planner for the local Council had no public contact and only long term objectives so after a bit of dithering by my employer I went to a four day week (32 hours) late in 2009 and a 3 day week (24 hours) in about 2013. I retired in 2015 not long after my 66th birthday but continued doing casual property field data collection until 2018 when I finally pulled the pin. I was lucky to have been able to make the transition in this way as it has worked for me. My dearly beloved on the other hand retired cold turkey on her 65th birthday and never looked back. Your needs may be somewhere in the middle.
Regards Grandpamac.
Grandpa Mac,
Yes that is a great way to transition to start getting setup while you have good cash flow and more youth. Also let’s you buy in earlier and that can have benefits.
Heh. I started practicing for retirement when I first started work.
I served my time as a fitter, turner and machinist with the Ministry of Works in Nelson. It was a great job with a good variety, plus they were a good employer. I've worked as a fitter, safety coordinator, purchasing officer, recruitment coordinator, salesperson, customer services officer and security officer.
Back when I was about 53 I married for a second time. My new wife is a glass artist, having worked a lot with stained glass (leadlight windows etc) and more lately with fused glass. She also paints like a genius. It didn't take long before I became her assistant (although I did a few odd jobs for employers here and there after this time). We made jewellery from dichroic glass and our biggest outlet for this was at the Nelson Saturday Market, although we did go to a few other markets and events. Some years we made a really good living at this.
We still make a few jewellery pieces, but we gave up the market. Sales dropped there... possibly because our stuff had lost some of its novelty value, and another factor was all the cheap factory-made jewellery coming in from overseas, which enabled a lot of people to get more bling for their buck.
One day we were asked if we could produce a wall hanging using metal and a certain colour of glass. We did that, and the customer seemed pleased with it. So then we started making wall hangings from stainless steel and glass, and sales of these have provided the bulk of our living for several years. I started getting NZ Super last month, but we still intend to continue with the artwork for now.
We currently live on a fairly small section in a semi-rural area. We grow fruit and vegetables (but generally not things like potatoes and corn). I have owned a larger lifestyle block where we had a pig, a calf, sheep, chickens and rabbits along with fruit and veg. It is a lot of work though, especially if key people in the family like things to be perfectly tidy. I don't want to spend all my time dealing with weeds etc.
I am so blessed to have friends with lifestyle blocks who give me access to their place. It is wandering around in the scrub in my own neighbourhood which gives me the majority of my 'outdoor' pleasure and satisfaction. I am content now to have a smaller, more manageable property and the freedom to hunt and explore elsewhere.
In the interest of continuity to the last few posts.
I have been kind of self isolated for the last 4 months. An injury to the shoulder has seen me on the ACC shelf, So I have been living at 80% income for quite some time. My wife works part time, we have always been low to middle income and as such always strived to stretch as much out of every penny.
Growing up in the '60's we were a single income family typical of the era. Large 1/4 section with a big vege garden, my farther hunted pigs with a passion, being small town he would come home with mutton and beef as well (swapped for wild pork ).
We were always a family of foragers, preserving, blanching, harvesting, storing, the crops of the season.
Blackberry picking and wild mushrooms, tomatoes to be made into sauce. Crab apples, quinces, all made their way into our jars. I can still recall going to the railway goods shed to pick up the delivery of peaches / apples etc by the case.
I learnt at an early age how to break down an animal, and to utilise as much as possible, liver and kidneys was always a big hit, but I never got the handle on tripe? Even now the thought of it makes me shudder, I am not a fussy eater by any stretch of the imagination, and usually go back for seconds on camp oven cooked bulls balls.
Making the most of autumn harvest seems just natural to me, but with the advent of the internet there is so much more at your finger tips. Through the web I have learnt so much so easily. What would have taken many trips to the library can now be so easily gleaned from a few simple googles.
A heart attack and consequent triple bypass in 2012 at the age of 51 has seen me cherish and respect much simpler ideals. It was this event that caused me to start back onto hunting, and harvesting much more.
I sought out low fat meats and reducing salt and sugar intakes saw me googling like mad to come up with suitable alternatives to store shelf products, when I hunt the supermarket I stick to the boundary fence and dont venture into the middle much at all ( thats where all the crap lives ).
Greetings Again All,
I have always been conscious of the need to make the the management of our small block as low input as possible. I was 50 and my wife a couple of years less when we moved out here. I will be 71 next Sunday and we hope to be able to stay here for years yet. Eventually though we both know that we will have to move back into town. I haven't given it much thought (and probably shouldn't given my tendency to over think things) but it did occur to me that my late father had provided me with some guidance. Dad moved into a flat in town in his late 70's. He was finding his house and section too much to handle and scoured the market for a flat with a bit of ground around it nice and close to the Supermarket, Library and Doctors. Eventually he found one, moved in, dug up half the lawn and converted it into raised beds. Planting then began in earnest. In his younger years Dad had gardened to keep us fed, now he gardened to keep himself active and sane. As he got older and ate less supply of vegetables far exceeded supply. My mother had passed away in 1990 and dad was quite deaf, even with a hearing aid, and not a social animal at all, so he came up with a plan. He made it known to the lady in the front flat that he would be putting any surplus produce outside his gate on Tuesday mornings and that she and any one else could help themselves. Worked a treat. After depositing his weekly offerings dad went inside and made a cup of coffee. There was never as much as a leaf left by the time he had finished it. After Dad died in 2011 there was a row of giant leeks ready. My son took some, the Land Agent took some and there were plenty left for the new owner. Something to aspire to.
Regards Grandpamac.
