Discover the essential survival skills with our comprehensive guide that encourages early outdoor learning for kids and teaches the fundamentals of foraging for food and maintaining hygiene. Dive into innovative topics like home dairy production, cultivating escargot, and maximizing your garden harvest, ensuring you're prepared for any outdoor adventure. Equip yourself with practical tips to overcome common challenges like pests and improve your self-sufficiency in the great outdoors!
Letter From the Editor
OUTDOORS • HEAD OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN EXPLORING ALL THAT MOTHER NATURE HAS TO OFFER.
START THEM YOUNG The key to passing on essential skills • FOR WELL OVER A DECADE AND A HALF, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS TO SEVERAL GROUPS, INCLUDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, FORMER AND CURRENT MILITARY PERSONNEL, PARK RANGERS, SCOUT DADS, AND EVERYDAY JOES WORLDWIDE.
SURVIVE IN THE WILD
FROM FOREST TO TABLE The beginner’s guide to foraging • ARE YOU READY TO DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF FORAGING FOR WILD FOOD? THAT’S RIGHT: FORAGING, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH FORGING. THERE’S NO FURNACE, OR HAMMERING OUT HOT METAL HERE. FORAGING IS AN EXCITING JOURNEY THAT CONNECTS US WITH NATURE AND OFFERS A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF NOURISHMENT.
EASY FRIENDLY FUNGI
KEEP IT CLEAN Using what Mother Nature provides • PEOPLE OF THE PAST USED PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TOILET ARTICLES THAT WE USE TODAY IN MODERN SOCIETY. HOWEVER, THE ITEMS OF THE PAST LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY'RE PRODUCTS THAT CAME DIRECTLY FROM NATURE.
INSECT REPELLENT
KEEPING BUGS AT BAY Repellent strategies • SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST THINGS CAUSE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS, AND THIS IS NEVER MORE TRUE THAN WHEN INSECTS ARE FEASTING ON YOUR TENDER FLESH. THEY COME TO ATTACK IN A VARIETY OF FORMS, INCLUDING DISEASE-CARRYING TICKS, BITING FLIES AND, OF COURSE, THE RELENTLESS MOSQUITO.
AFTER THE BITE
HOMESTEADING • SELF-RELIANCE CAN BE A LOT OF WORK, BUT THE REWARDS MAKE IT WORTH ALL OF THE EFFORT.
DANCING THE DAIRY DILEMMA Choosing the right milk animal • MILK IS NATURE’S ORIGINAL PERFECT FOOD. IT IS MADE TO CATER TO THE NUTRITION NEEDS OF GROWING BABIES AND BEYOND. IT CAN BE THE BACKBONE OF A HOME AND HOMESTEAD.
THE ALPHABET GAME OF A1 VS. A2
HOMEGROWN ESCARGOT Turning pests into food • IN MY EARLIEST DAYS OF LEARNING ABOUT THE WILD FOODS THAT NATURE PRODUCES, I STARTED THINKING ABOUT ALL THE SNAILS IN MY MOTHER’S GARDEN THAT SHE CONSTANTLY BATTLED. DON'T THEY EAT SNAILS IN FRANCE? I ONCE ASKED.
RECIPE ESCARGOTS A LA BOURGUIGNON
MAXIMIZE YOUR HARVEST How the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map can help your homestead • HOMESTEADERS GROW A VARIETY OF PLANTS, AND A GARDEN’S SUCCESS DEPENDS ON PLANTS BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE. CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLANTS IS KEY AND THIS IS WHERE THE USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAPS, AKA THE GROWING ZONE MAPS, COME IN HANDY.
PLANT HARDINESS ZONES IN THE UNITED STATES
MICROCLIMATES
PO-TAY-TO, PO-TAY-TO Everyone’s favorite starch • WHAT FOOD IS INEXPENSIVE, GLUTEN-FREE, FAT-FREE, CHOLESTEROL-FREE, SODIUM-FREE, LOW IN CALORIES AND IS ALL ABOARD THE POPULAR PLANT-BASED EXPRESS? THE POTATO!
RECIPE DRIED POTATO SOUP IN A JAR • This mix also stores well on the shelf.
DIY PROJECTS • WITH SOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND A BIT OF ELBOW GREASE, YOU CAN DO ALMOST ANYTHING.
MEAT IN THE PANTRY How to can shelf-stable protein • EVEN IF YOU AREN'T THE APRON-WEARING, BREAD-BAKING OR HOMESTEADING SORT, THERE ARE PLENTY OF ADVANTAGES TO CANNING. CANNING MEAT FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE OFFERS MYRIAD BENEFITS THAT EXTEND BEYOND MERE PRESERVATION.
NATURE’S PHARMACY Using natural topical disinfectants • THERE ARE NUMEROUS REASONS TO GO THE NATURAL ROUTE FOR TREATMENT OF MINOR WOUNDS. YOU...