* Mungo Says Bah * Bushcraft Blog

Making Oven Dried Beef Jerky Which Tastes Better Than Anything Ever In The Whole World

I made more beef jerky this weekend.

I bought a piece of beef and cut it into 6 inch strips, and trimmed off the fat pieces. These tiny pieces went into the frying pan and soon turned into little gristly pieces of pure pleasure for Monty who ate them very obediently.

The longer strips were put aside.

Into a bowl I added Tabasco hot sauce, sugar, salt, Worchestershire sauce, Soya sauce, chili powder, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and crushed coriander seeds which I had previously roasted.

Then into this mixture I placed the beef strips and left it all to marinade for 24 hours.

Then I turned the oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. I have learned since my last experience that I can turn my oven on to 150 degrees by selecting the 'warm' option. This is a very significant milestone in my life - figuring this out. It is an electric oven.

I bought a box of flattened toothpicks for 69 cents and inserted one into the top of each strip after I removed the bowl from the fridge (note that I did not marinade this on the kitchen counter for 24 hours).

The toothpicks enabled the strips to be hung from the oven rack with the greatest of care in hopes that St. Nicholas would be there. It was - by this time - 8 PM so I left the strips hanging above an aluminum sheet over night. Monty kept vigil beside the oven for as long as he could.

The next morning (groggy Saturday morning) I removed the stiff, dry, yet still flexible pieces of beefy heaven from the oven. I put them on a plate so that I would have a photogenic layout, and assembled the strips beside photos of potatoes that I dug up from the back garden. These are very small. More in a following post about these potatoes. My focus now is to share the beef jerky with you all.

It tastes better than anything ever in the whole world.

Cheers,

Mungo

How To Build A Wooden Shed

The shed my Dad and I are building in the backyard is almost done. Well, it is about 75% done.

The first step in the project was to figure out a design and then to order the materials from Home Depot - the order was placed on Tuesday and they delivered it last Thursday.

I printed out a large sign and taped it to the front door. It read "Thank you Home Depot for the delivery - please place in front of garage".

The delivery man scrawled an apology on the sign stating that he was only able to leave it in front of the garage and that he was sorry. That was strange.

Four cement blocks with x-shaped grooves on top were placed into the ground on a bed of quarter inch gravel.

Leveled and staked out, the floor beams were nailed into place and covered with half-inch plywood which was carefully screwed down.

The wood beams do not touch the ground, having a few inches of clearance and so do not need to be pressure treated.

Next steps were to frame the walls with two by fours, and ensure that they were level and square.

Then the somewhat elaborate process of building the A-frames for the rafters and roof began.

A birds-throat notch was cut into each two by four and toe-nailed together at the top.

Into the birds-throat notches, a horizontal beam was positioned as a guide to set the angle correctly (it was removed after each of the six frames had been positioned and nailed into place.

Finally, a collar-tie was nailed over the frame to provide more support and to create the rafter.

The 6 frames were stacked in the shed frame.

We nailed a temporary vertical stabilizer to the first of the A-frame assemblies and raised it onto the front of the shed, and nailed it in place with smooth bright nails (as opposed to the spiral galvanized heavy duty nails we were using for the main assembly).

Then, one by one, the rest of the frames were placed on the top of the frames and a temporary strip of wood supported these so that they lined up like a deck of cards.

The next step was to install purlins in the front and the back of the roof.

Purlins allow eaves to extend out from the front and back of the roof - to a large degree these are for aesthetics and to some degree for rain protection over the door.

This was a rather time-intensive part of the build - in order to rebate the wood so taht the joins were flush for the plywood roof, a 3/4 inch groove needed to be cut into the rafters and then into the purlins so that they would fit together.

The circular saw wore away the wood, and a hammer and chisel smoothed out the rebates.

(Please note that I am trying hard to remember the technical terms such as birds-throat notches - which I know are correct - but some of the terminology might not be right.)

Anyway, once the purlins were fitted together, we nailed them in place.

Next steps were to put the half-inch plywood onto the roof, and the textured and grooved plywood sheets onto the walls.

The walls aren't complete yet, and once they are, next steps will be to create the door and the shutters for the window. Instead of a glass window, I am opting for sliding shutters - I might put in coarse canvas curtains.

And then finally, using some 6 by 6 ties, create a ramp course and fill it with soil and gravel so that the lawnmower etc... can be wheeled up the ramp.

Spring kept an eye on things as she worked on the books for the house and business.

More photos as the project proceeds!

Cheers,

Mungo

A Fine Shed, Web Development, and a Bushcraft Course with Mors Kochanski

My Dad is building us a shed - he started a couple of days ago, and the supplies (wood, shingles, tar paper, cinder block supports etc...) were delivered yesterday. He's framing the walls today. Tomorrow and Sunday we will finish the walls, the door and the roof together. This is going to fun! This will allow me to clear out the garage so we can park one of the cars in it over the winter. I will post photos soon.

I am doing a little freelance web development for a construction company currently. Always good to keep my freelance web development skills sharp - I focus on managing them at my day job, not coding them. Bora, a senior web designer at a large media company, and who used to work with me years ago, is doing some subcontracting for me - creating some motion graphics Flash work - which was never my strong point. Looks really good, and I am having such a good time.

I am really excited. In early November, I will be driving down to the mountains and forests of New Hampshire to attend a traditional wilderness skills Bushcraft and Survival course with Mors Kochanski, held by Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service. The curriculum is creating fire by friction and percussion, knots, making cordage and rope, and more. And taught by Mors Kochanski which should be a real treat.

Spring is going to take care of the pooch, and keep the home fires burning until I come home. Thank you Spring!

The location is described on the web site:

"Our location is one of our greatest assets. Located on a dead-end dirt road beside a picturesque New Hampshire Lake, we're less than an hour from the White Mountains and the seacoast and just across the dirt road from a large, wild area with a few old logging roads and skidder paths running through it. Roughly 120 square miles, it offers mountains (most notably Moose Mountain, Copple Crown Mountain, and Jack Mountain), streams, wild lakes and ponds, designated wildlife management areas, and more woods that most people can shake a stick at (although some people are able to shake a stick at the entire thing). It is home to various plant habitats and animals such as black bears, moose, fishers, and others who need large tracts of forest in which to live.

Rust Pond is 1 1/2 miles long and 1/2 a mile wide. The water is crystal clear and the bottom is sandy and rocky. With the limited boat traffic it is the perfect place to learn the skills of canoeing, kayaking, and casting a fly. It's a great fishery for smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and several other species.

Our location offers unparalleled opportunities for studying the various habitats of the northeast. The seacoast is less than an hour away, as are the White Mountains, and the fabled canoe country of Maine and Quebec isn't far either."

Should be lots of fun - when I find out more the curriculum, what I need to bring for supplies, and if we will be sleeping under leaves in the woods etc... I will let y'all know!

Cheers,

Mungo

Woodcraft, Primitive Skills and Bushcraft Blogs

These days my thoughts move to camping more and more. The autumn for me is the best time of year to go camping. The nights are cold, the lakes and backcountry deserted of campers, the leaves are beginning to turn and the bugs have all gone away.

In a few weekends I'll go - have yet to figure out the exact date yet. But until then I will keep busy reading blogs from like-minded folks:

Jim keeps a great blog on the planning and sheer enjoyment of Algonquin Park canoe trips - he has some very detailed trip logs, and sounds like he has a lot of fun while going on adventures.

American Bushman has some great gear reviews, and has some great advice on what to buy, how to keep it in good shape, and has some good trip logs.

Ferrol, a Brit, enjoys poking around the woods and doing everything bushcraft from spoon carving to testing equipment - inspiring product reviews - good photos.

Tim Smith is a guide and a wilderness skills/survival instructor in New Hampshire. I'm hoping to make it down there to attend a Jack Mountain wilderness training course one day.

Pablo is Brit also, and in very interested in tracking and natural observation. His descriptions of his photographs and crafts are wonderful to read, and quite humorous at times too.

A Londoner, the Suburban Bushwacker describes himself as one who loves cooking and eating wild foods and has a great review of a Fallkniven F1 which has inspired me to save up my pennies and buy one for myself.

Torjus Gaaren is a Norwegian who writes and provides detailed tutorials on primitive skills and bushcraft - from stone axes to bone knives, fish traps to containers - great inspiration for crafts in the wild.

Samuel the English Teacher in Poland writes about woodcraft, books and his activities in the bush and forests of Poland. His recent review on the Sámi knife, the Puuko has inspired me to augment my collection from a Buck Vanguard and Mora laminated carbon knife to the Fallkniven F1 plus a nice Finnish Puuko.

Wayland is a freelance Viking (really) and a BCUK member. He runs a 'Living History' business in the UK and has some amazing writing about bushcraft, primitive gear and historical reproductions of gear.

Finally, Michael from North Carolina writes about bushcraft, woodlore and woodcraft projects - he uses a Buck Vanguard too. His blog posts are very interesting and he seems to have really nice countryside in which to explore.

Hope you get a chance to see all of these sites and learn more about this passion of ours!

Cheers,

Mungo

A Trip for Two

It is a holiday today and between tidying around, nailing some pictures and bits and pieces to the walls, and sorting out boxes of papers and forgotten thingies, I thought I would plonk about on a list ready for the next trip into Algonquin Park. Sure, I talk that I do not do, but that I do not do, I would rather talk something than just sit and mope about it. Read that sentence again - it does make sense. Read it twice, it is a pleasure to behold.

Listen: I think I will administer a larger-than-recommended dose of Tylenol Cold & Flu caplets to my lovely wife one evening, and once she is in the appropriate somnolent state, wrap her in a sleeping bag and drive her up to the park - she may awaken from her soporific slumber during the canoe trip into the camp, but by then it will be too late and she is going to have to enjoy a few days of perfect Algonquin solitude, rather than a nice hotel somewhere. Yes, that sounds planned and well considered. Oh, the plotting...

For the kitchen and eating of the trip, we will bring ('we' assuming a reciprocity of agency between my temporarily drugged and complacent wife and myself) the following items:

Cooking Pot - to bubble and boil on the fire
Frying pan - for pancakes and eggs
Nalgene bottle - big/small
2 Mugs - for coffee and drinks
Locust-wood spoon, 1 metal spoon - because I've only really carved one good for a trip
Zip lock bags - to hold the food stuffs and gear and bits and pieces
Powdered creamer - instead of milk
Lemon Drink Crystals - to flavour the lake I store in the Nalgene bottles
Beef jerky - protein, light, tasty, add to stews and pasta
Chili pepper flakes - heat
Instant Mashed Potatoes - comfort and medium-term energy
Pasta side-dishes - deliciousness
Pancake batter - breakfast treat
Salt & Pepper - rap music from the eighties
Coffee & Sugar - tastiness
Pasta & Fettuccine sauce powder - bulky food
Droewors -from the butcher shop where I used to work - a South African dried beef farmers sausage
Olive oil - frying, and adding to foods for energy
Chocolate bars - one each per day
Tortillas - perfect bread, pockets for fried eggs etc...
Marshmallows - for sweet fun

To ensure all the toiletry and beauty regimes are maintained rigorously, here is the kit-bag list:

Alka-Seltzer - in case of sour tummies
Toilet paper - oragami
Tooth brushes - to maintain sparkling teeth and healthy gums
Camping Suds - to wash away the grime
Insect Repellent - the repel the buzzing hordes
Imodium - in case of the body's aversion to lake water
Aspirin/Anti-inflammatory - for the ouchies, the aches and ows
Band-Aids - to hold the blood in and to cushion the blisters
Hair dryer (nope, just seeing if you're paying attention)

Gear must be brought to do the things that must be done:

Compass - lest we get lost in the woods
Fire steel - sparks to start the fires
Garbage Bag - hang upon a tree
Axe - chop down other tree
Sharpener - keep the axe and knife sharp
Headlamp and 1 set of spare AAA batteries - good for reading at night
Rope - to put up the tarp and make a clothes line and tie up unruly bears
Stove & Full Fuel Bottle - for a quick brew
Mora knife - oh the love of my camping life
Folding Bucksaw - to take apart the felled tree
Dry Sacks - keep the gear organized and dry in the rain and canoe
Emergency Blanket - lest it get really cold and an accident transpires
Tarp - for a dry spot if it rains
Mattress & Repair kit - lest the Thermarest pops
Legless Camping Chairs - to keep our backs from cracking
Sleeping Bags - to keep the toes warm at night
Tent - home
Pillow case - to store clothes that comprise the pillow
Books - to keep the semblance of civilization
Digital Camera & 2 batteries - to capture Sasquatch images
Radio with fresh batteries - to listen to CBC in the long hours

And finally, without having to rely on pelts and trapped furs, and plaited primitive grass clothing, these 'habits' should be transported either upon or about the person (she and me):

Jeans, Wool cap - bum and head warm
Socks, Underwear - toes and nether regions warm
T-Shirt, Shirt, Gap Wool Blue Sweater - torso warm
Wool sweater - torso warm
Blanket for Monty - hound dog comfy and warm at night

Thank you for reading - it is now time to do more stuff.

Mungo

Boil Down, Simplify, Reduce, Harmonize, Normalize And Clarify The Complications

Recently I have been in a roller coaster car on the bottom dip of the long rail.

Recently I have found myself at the bottom of a canyon, moving up hard-scrabble ground to make it to a river amongst the trees.

Recently I have been spending time at the bottom of a large hole dug by very large tractors, and eyeing the dirt walls carefully.

That is to say, I have had the blues.

But in the last couple of days I have felt the occasional small upwelling of good feelings. The momentary wonder and pleasure of simple things. My appetites are returning to their normal charges. Music in the car is suddenly fresh and I feel good. I see people on the street and wonder at their lives.

I often spend time thinking about my camping gear, whether or not I have everything I truly need to make a simple trip with a minimum of weight and maximizing the usage of my gear. I guess we all have our obsessions at times. This morning I said to myself that I already have everything I need, and this was a sea-change. My job is to reduce and keep it simple.

“Whatever the tasks, do them slowly
with ease,
in mindfulness,
so not do any tasks with the goal
of getting them over with.
Resolve to each job in a relaxed way,
with all your attention.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

My next solo trip into the backcountry will be simple. The simplest of arrangements. No more gear. Shed the gear I don't need.

So to each of you, casual and dedicated readers alike, I ask that you examine ways to simplify your life. Write down one area of your life in which you can boil down, simplify, reduce, harmonize, normalize and clarify the complications. Once you have done this, write down a handful of specific steps that you can take in the next day to begin this crucial work. Then plan out something as a reward, once you have made the changes - I am certain it will be something you have been not doing because of the complications.

That's all.

Mungo