Preparing Burdock Root for Pickling

Pickling starts with properly preparing your burdock root. Often, burdock roots break off in the ground due to their deep taproot. So, don’t worry if you can’t extract the entire root; it’s completely fine to use what you can dig out. If you plan to store the roots for a bit before pickling, make sure to remove the leaves. This step is crucial because the leaves can drain energy from the root, making it less fresh.

Cleaning the Roots

Burdock roots can be quite dirty and covered in dried mud. You can clean them under a faucet, with a hose, or in a bowl using a vegetable brush. It’s a bit time-consuming but worth the effort. While thorough cleaning is ideal, don’t stress about getting every speck of dirt off. Soil contains good microorganisms that are beneficial for your gut health.

Making the Pickles

After cleaning, chop the burdock root into sticks, similar to carrot sticks or french fries. If the roots are large, consider peeling the skin, as it can be thick and hard. Small roots can be left unpeeled. Burdock pairs well with other roots like Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion, and chicory. These roots are great for liver health and contain prebiotics that feed the probiotics in our gut.

Adding the Roots to the Jar

Place the burdock sticks in a jar, arranging them like carrot sticks. Cover them with apple cider vinegar, which is preferred for its taste and ease of access. Sometimes, Abby makes her own apple cider vinegar, which adds a personal touch to the pickling process.

Seasoning Your Pickles

Season your pickles with your favorite spices. Bee balm salt and peppercorns are great choices. Lightly grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle for better flavor extraction. You can also add spicebush berries and bay leaves for extra zest. Juniper berries are another excellent addition.

Final Steps

To prevent the vinegar from rusting the lid, place a layer of parchment paper between the jar and the lid. Cut a piece larger than the mouth of the jar, fold it over, and put on the lid. Shake the jar gently to mix the contents. Label your jar with the ingredients and date, then let it sit for a week or more. Store these in the refrigerator to make refrigerator pickles.

Reusing Your Brine

A handy tip: you can reuse your brine. After finishing your pickles, refill the jar with new vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, or more wild roots like chicory, dandelion, or Jerusalem artichoke. These roots are rich in inulin, a prebiotic that feeds the probiotics in our gut.

Consumption Tips

When consuming these pickled roots, start with small quantities, as their high nutrient content can have a detox effect. Enjoy the health benefits of these prebiotic-rich roots, but remember to go slow to avoid any discomfort.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, pickling burdock roots is a simple and rewarding way to add a flavorful twist to your meals while taking advantage of their nutritious benefits. This easy process allows you to enjoy the health perks of prebiotics and the satisfaction of creating your own pickles. However, start with small quantities to avoid any potential detox effects. And don’t forget, you can reuse your brine for future pickling projects, making it a sustainable and economical practice.

If you want to learn more about foraging and pickling, sign up for our 26-part mini-course with Abby Artemisia. You’ll gain insights into safe and ethical foraging practices and how to turn wild plants into delicious kitchen staples. Sign up today!

The post How to Make Dandelion and Burdock Root Pickles appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Understanding Wood Nettle

Wood nettle, often mistaken for its cousin, the stinging nettle, is a valuable wild edible known for its sharp sting but nutritious leaves. These leaves are packed with vitamins and can be harvested to make a healthy addition to your diet. When foraging wood nettle, wear gloves to avoid the stinging hairs and use pruners to snip the leaves or whole stems. Whether you’re making a soup or drying the leaves for tea, wood nettle offers a hearty, spinach-like flavor that enhances many dishes.

Exploring Bee Balm

Bee balm, or wild oregano, is a standout plant in the mint family, famous for its aromatic leaves and its appeal to pollinators like hummingbirds. With its powerful, oregano-like flavor, bee balm can be used to spice up dishes or brewed into a soothing herbal tea. It thrives in gardens and wild patches alike, and harvesting it is as simple as snipping the top leaves or cutting back to a pair of lower leaves to encourage regrowth. Just be sure to keep an eye out for healthy leaves and avoid any with signs of mildew.

Benefits of White Pine

White pine isn’t just a beautiful tree – it’s also a source of Vitamin C. The needles of the white pine can be harvested to make a refreshing tea or ground into spices, providing a zesty flavor and a boost to your immune system. When collecting white pine needles, always ensure that you leave enough on the tree to maintain its health. This sustainable approach helps preserve the natural ecosystem while allowing you to enjoy the nutritional benefits of this evergreen.

Identifying Hemlock

Not to be confused with the poisonous plant of the same name, the hemlock tree is a safe and valuable evergreen that can be used in the kitchen. Knowing how to correctly identify this tree is crucial, especially to distinguish it from other similar species. Look for its fine needles and check for the health of the tree before harvesting. Hemlock needles can be used to create a variety of spices and are particularly good when mixed with other evergreens for a unique flavor blend.

Responsible Foraging Practices

Foraging isn’t just about gathering wild food; it’s about doing so thoughtfully and sustainably. Engaging in this practice requires understanding and respecting the natural environment. Here are some key guidelines to ensure responsible foraging:

• Positive Identification: Always confirm the identity of any plant before consuming it to avoid ingesting harmful substances.
• Moderate Harvesting: Collect plants in moderation to avoid depleting resources. This helps maintain the ecosystem’s balance and ensures plants can regenerate.
• Respect for Habitats: Be mindful of the impact your foraging has on the environment. Avoid damaging the areas where these plants grow to preserve them for future generations.

Final Thoughts on Wild Foraging

Ultimately, exploring the world of wild edibles opens up a new dimension to cooking and interacting with nature. With the expert guidance of Abby Artemisia, you can safely and sustainably gather plants like wood nettle, bee balm, white pine, and hemlock, enriching your diet with flavors from your local environment. For those interested in learning even more about foraging and wild plants, consider exploring more courses offered by Abby, where you can learn to harness the full potential of nature’s bounty.

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Unlocking the Benefits of Stinging Nettles

Despite their prickly reputation, stinging nettles, most notably the wood nettles (Laportea canadensis) and the common nettle (Urtica dioica), hide a treasure trove of benefits beneath their barbed exterior. 

Sure, their hair-like structures are designed to inject formic acid, giving an unwelcome sting similar to bee bites. But don’t be deterred! With careful harvesting (arm yourself with garden gloves), these nettles offer an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals. Beyond nutrition, they’re also celebrated for their therapeutic properties, especially in providing relief from arthritis symptoms.

Bee Balm: Nature’s Flavorful Substitute for Oregano

Venture deeper into the wild, and you’ll stumble upon Bee Balm (Monarda didyma). Its captivating red blooms not only draw in hummingbirds but also conceal a secret flavor reminiscent of spices you already know. 

When crushed or tasted, this wild plant hints strongly at oregano, though with a heightened intensity. However, the aromatic experience is not unique to this variety alone; its cousin, the Monarda fistulosa or Wild Bergamot, shares this robust oregano-like profile. 

But Bee Balm isn’t just about taste; it’s woven into history. It was once transformed into the cherished Oswego Tea by the Oswego Native American tribe and stepped in as an alternative to black tea during periods of trade disturbances.

White Pine: The Evergreen Marvel of Eastern U.S.

The White Pine is a distinguishing feature in the eastern U.S., notable for its tall stature and evergreen nature. A fun trick to identify this tree is to count the needles in each cluster. If you find five needles – matching the number of letters in “white” – you’ve found a White Pine. 

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these needles can be used as a unique and aromatic spice, especially when combined with other evergreens like firs, spruces, and the Hemlock tree. Additionally, the needles are rich in vitamin C, making them a beneficial source of this vitamin throughout the year.

Hemlock: An Evergreen with a Cautionary Tale

The Hemlock tree stands tall among the evergreens, proud yet facing challenges. While a beautiful addition to the forest, it is under threat from the invasive Woolly adelgid, identified by tiny white spots on its needles. 

Hence, if you’re considering foraging, it’s crucial to be mindful of this tree’s vulnerable state and to prioritize ethical foraging. More importantly, proper identification is essential, as confusing it with the toxic yew tree can be dangerous.

Wrapping Up: Tapping into Nature’s Richness

The bottom line is that the wilderness around us is brimming with untapped culinary potential. As Abby Artemisia demonstrates, with a keen eye and a bit of knowledge, the environment transforms into a treasure trove of flavors. Happy foraging, and remember, always ensure 100% positive identification before consuming any wild plant!

For those looking to further fine-tune their approach, Abby Artemisia’s Foraging Wild Spices Mini-Course teaches how to get started foraging, specifically for wild spices. Check it out today, and happy foraging!

The post Exploring Wild Spices with Abby Artemisia: Wood Nettle, Bee Balm, White Pine, Hemlock appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

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1. The Baitfish Book of All Baitfish Books

Kevin Feenstra’s latest book, Matching Baitfish: Patterns and Techniques for Great Lakes Steelhead and Lake Run Browns should be a mandatory read for all anglers. Whether the person in your life is a fly or spin fisher, this book is an absolute game-changer.

2. Patagonia Tough Puff Pants

Patagonia makes these incredible pants for both men and women. Specifically designed for under-wader insulation, they’re also the perfect pant to wear around the house or run errands in town. You’ll wonder how you ever fished the cooler months without them.

3. Krinkle Mirror Flash

The fly fishing industry has seen all sorts of materials come and go over the years. This, however, is one material that will last the test of time. Krinkle Mirror Flash is arguably the most vibrant flash on the market. An assortment of colours and sizes is guaranteed to make the fly tier in your life smile. Can you say stocking stuffer!?

4. Headlamp 

Whether it’s for walking the dog in the early morning hours or hiking out of a fishing spot in the dark, a quality headlamp always comes in handy. There are a lot of excellent models on the market, it just depends on what you’re looking for. There are lightweight ones for the backcountry, as well as rechargeable versions. When looking at the price tag, some considerations are the brightness and how long it lasts.

5. Reusable Food Bags

Outdoor adventures are best enjoyed with snacks. Reusable Ziploc-style bags are great for packing snacks while being mindful of the environmental impact of trash. There are several styles of bags including beeswax paper, silicone and nylon bags.

6. Gift a Masterclass or Membership

Give the gift of education. Help someone in your life learn a new trade or expand on their skills. The Anchored Outdoors Masterclasses are taught by the foremost experts on the subject. If you can’t decide on one, purchase the All-Inclusive Membership which gives you access to ALL the classes.

7. Portable Battery Charger 

In today’s technology-driven world, portable chargers are essential. All kinds of recreationists rely on technology to explore the outdoors. But the battery life on cellphones, headlamps and satellite communication devices don’t last forever. Portable battery charges give a boost when things get low. Some models can even be charged by solar panels. 

8. Travel Mugs and Reusable Water Bottles  

Reusable coffee cups and water bottles are always needed. Not only do these work well on adventures, but they’re also great for everyday use like commuting to work or hitting the gym. 

9. Babysitting Services  

Sometimes the best gift isn’t one you can open. It’s hard to find time to get outside when you have kids. Offer family or friends the opportunity to spend a day on the river while you watch the little ones. This can be a win-win for everyone. Parents can pursue their passion while little ones get a fun day. 

10. Mini Waders

For many families, a day on the water is as simple as having the right gear. If your little one is weighing heavy on your back, perhaps it’s time to get them their own waders? These are a wonderful gift, not only for the kids in your life, but for the parents who have been sacrificing time on the water for fear of wet feet.

11. Thermal “Night” Vision

If you have a larger budget, the Flir Thermal Monocular ticks all the boxes: fun, functional… even life-saving! Use it to look out for wildlife around camp at night, but also keep it handy on the boat, just in case someone falls overboard and needs spotting.

12. Flies

Anglers can never have too many flies. Check out the Anchored Outdoors Fly Outpost for a variety of assortments. We have flies grouped by season, style and more. They are all professionally curated and make a great stocking stuffer.

13. Neck Gaiter

Neck gaiters became a statement during the pandemic, but hunters and anglers have been using them for years. Hunters use camouflage neck gaiters to hide their faces. They’re also great for keeping sun and wind away. Neck gaiters come in various types of fabrics and patterns. They come in UPF to protect against the sun. They are found in Merino wool and fleece for colder weather. Some even have built-in bug repellants.

14. The SEVENTY2 Survival System

This survival kit is made by Uncharted Supply Co. The 72 Pro gives outdoorsmen and women the confidence and reassurance to take their off-road adventures one step further. Whether on foot or 4×4, this kit offers safety precautions for the unexpected. What’s more, the easy-to-understand instructions ensure that even the most inexperienced outdoors-people will have guidance should something unfortunate happen.

15. Wool Socks

Socks are a super lame gift to receive if you’re a kid. As an adult, unwrapping a pair of socks is a different story. Especially if they’re quality wool socks. Hunters and anglers love Merino wool socks for many reasons. Not only are they warm, but wool also absorbs moisture and keeps feet dry. This prevents blisters and icky odors. Wool socks can even be a very personal gift because they come in many different colors and unique patterns.

16. Finger Dubbing Brush

There’s nothing worse than an over-dressed fly, and this is just the tool to ensure you steer clear from making that common error. Hareline’s Finger Dubbing Brush is an excellent way to keep the bulking where it belongs: in your belly after a hearty turkey dinner.

Happy shopping!

The post Affordable Gifts for the Outdoor-Enthusiasts in Your Life  appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Sign up for Jim’s upcoming Living and Writing the Outdoor Life Workshop!

I frequently tell people that one learns to write by writing and by reading, and that some of what you read should be about writing. So, step one, read a book. This book: On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. It covers all the important stuff and is written so well that you’ll enjoy reading it while you’re underlining and folding pages. (I don’t know how you do that with the ebook version, but knock yourself out.)

One of the things frequently mentioned about writing (perhaps mostly by non-writers) is “writer’s block.” I’ve never experienced it and you don’t have to either. The solution to not knowing what to write initially is to lower your standards temporarily. Don’t worry about writing something that’s brilliant, or even good. Just start writing something, anything that’s somewhat related to your topic. It doesn’t have to come out great, it just has to come out. You’ll make it great later, which is the real work. Writing is about 20% writing and 80% revising and re-writing. And unless you already have a lead (the opening sentence or paragraph) in mind, don’t worry about writing it first. At some point you might find it hiding further into the piece, in which case you’ve written the lead without trying to. Perfect.

Perhaps the best thing you can do once a draft is done is to get the broom out and remove the clutter. Any word that doesn’t do a job has to go. For example, you might write something like this: “I’ve come to believe that for me fishing is really a lot of fun.” Here are the unnecessary words: come, to, that, for, me, really. Ditch them and the sentence becomes “I believe that fishing is a lot of fun.” It’s shorter and better. You could cut even further and come up with “Fishing is a lot of fun.” It’s obviously your opinion and you believe it, so you don’t have to tell the reader that.

Once you’ve worked through a draft, cutting unnecessary words, making everything as clear as possible, and coming up with a good beginning and a good ending, the final steps are to use a dictionary and a thesaurus. Check the dictionary for any words you might possibly have used incorrectly. I’m surprised how often a word means something a little different from what I’ve assumed my whole life.

Then use the thesaurus – probably the one on your computer – to find the best words, especially descriptive words like adjectives. This will also accomplish another important objective which is to avoid cliches. If you’ve described the evening sky as beautiful, awesome, or ominous, you can do better. How about arresting, sublime or portentous? Just don’t overdo it. If you’re like me you know that your vocabulary isn’t as strong as you’d like it to be and even if you know the right word, you might not be able to call it up from memory when you need it. Use the thesaurus to find the word choices and then to find the perfect (or consummate or quintessential) word.

It’s important to read your own work critically. You can be proud of it later. The most important step in making a passage right is recognizing that you don’t have it right yet. It’s sometimes helpful to read your work aloud, for the ears absorb it differently than the eyes. I do this when I think I’m done, and quite often find a section that makes me slow down as if I’m approaching a stretch of rough road in my truck. If this happens every time I read this passage it’s a sure sign that something is wrong. As much as I want to be finished, I’m not. If this happens to you, check for unnecessary words and find the clearest phrasing you can come up with. If nothing you try helps, consider removing the passage altogether. If you can do that without losing any meaning or emotion, get rid of it.

One final thought is to accept the fact that that every time you read something you’ve written, you’ll want to change it – to remove or add a comma, change a word, add a quote. This never stops. You must realize that you never get finished, you just get stopped – sometimes by a deadline, sometimes simply by weariness.

Sign up for Jim’s upcoming Living and Writing the Outdoor Life Workshop!

The post Improving Your Writing – Jim McLennan appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

As anglers, hunters and passionate outdoors-people, there are times when we become lost or misplaced. Renowned survivalist and instructor, Tom Brown III, teaches how to navigate the first 72 hours of a wilderness survival situation. In this chapter, Tom takes a look at how to achieve water clarity in case of emergency.

Purchase Tom’s Survival Masterclass here.

If you’re a Founding or Premium+Masterclass member, you’ll find this class in your Masterclass dashboard. 
If you’re a Premium member, shoot us an email and we’ll tell you how to access it.

Tom covers:
– Pre-Trip Planning and Clothing
– Gear to Pack
– Gear To Pack In Your Vehicle
– S.P.E.A.R
– The Sacred Order: Shelter
– The Sacred Order: Shelter (Hypothermia)
– The Sacred Order: Water
– The Sacred Order: Fire
– Principles of Survival
– Mental State
– The Sacred Order Revisited
– Shelter
– Scarecrow
– How To Start Fire In Inclement Weather
– Water Purity
– Water Catch
– Finding Shelter
– Shelter Considerations
– Making A Bed
– Building A Roof
– Shelter: Finishing Touches
– Keeping Warm With Fire

The post Wilderness Survival: Water Filtration and Purity – Tom Brown III appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

In this 26 part mini-course, professional botanist, herbalist and forager Abby Artemisia teaches how to get started foraging, specifically for wild spices. She teaches safe and ethical foraging practises, as well as how to identify and harvest over a dozen popular plants. She then brings them into the kitchen to process as spices, marinades and more.

Purchase Abby’s Foraging Wild Spices Course here.

If you’re a Founding or Premium+Masterclass member, you’ll find this class in your Masterclass dashboard. 
If you’re a Premium member, shoot us an email and we’ll tell you how to access it. 

The post Foraging Wild Spices with Abby Artemisia appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Renowned photographer Bryan Gregson teaches how to capture some of the most special moments of our lives. This class is suited to aspiring and novice photographers, and is packed with tricks from one of the world’s best. Bryan covers camera modes, exposure triangle, composition, colour, aperture, shutter speed, natural lighting, gear, packing and more.

Purchase Bryan’s Photography Masterclass here.

If you’re a Founding or Premium+Masterclass member, you’ll find this class in your Masterclass dashboard. 
If you’re a Premium member, shoot us an email and we’ll tell you how to access it.

The post Outdoor Photography Masterclass – Meet Bryan Gregson appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Every year thousands of people get lost in the wilderness. Some make it out unscathed, others are never seen again. Many of these incidents could be easily avoidable with a little bit of knowledge and preparation before heading
out into the woods.

During this webinar, Tom Brown III will talk about some of the concepts and principles needed to survive, should you ever find yourself lost or stranded in the wilderness. He will discuss everything from the mental state needed to survive, to a few simple pieces of gear you should always have with you when heading into the great outdoors.
Purchase Tom’s Survival Masterclass here.

The post Live with Tom Brown III: Introduction to Wilderness Survival appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Survival Skills and Preparedness

Here at Anchored Outdoors, we strive to bring you useful content to get the most out of your outdoor experiences. As the homesteading and foraging coordinator, and a life-long practitioner of wilderness survival and ancient living skills, one of my goals is to provide you with the skills and principles you need to make it through a wilderness survival situation. 

Breaking Free from Dependency

Learning any self-reliance skill allows you to slowly break free of the systems that we all rely on to provide us with the necessities to maintain our life force. Electricity, automobiles, technology and grocery stores allow us to exist inside bubbles of safety, security and comfort. We fool ourselves into thinking these bubbles are impervious, when in fact, they are quite fragile. 

Dependency on Grocery Stores

Grocery stores give us access to a wide variety of food from around the globe 24 hours a day. I live in what most would call a very rural setting, but even I can hop in my truck and within 30 minutes visit 10 grocery stores or grab takeout from hundreds of different restaurants. Our homes are temperature controlled. We also have unlimited access to clean, drinkable water. Instant access to water is something that we especially take for granted. In the United States, we use more water in one flush of a toilet than many people worldwide use in an entire day for all their cooking, cleaning and drinking needs. 

Reevaluating Freedom

People, especially in the “Western” world, speak of freedom, yet we are far from free. We are bound tightly to the systems that provide the things needed to maintain our lives. Across the globe, there are many people who, by our definition, live in “poverty” who are, in fact, far freer than we are because they know how to take care of themselves without relying on so many systems. I find it funny that the metric we use to determine poverty is how much money someone has. 

Lessons from the Pandemic

For many of us, the current pandemic has been the first real taste of what things could be like when these systems start to fail, even though the status quo has remained relatively intact. Even though our travel plans have been interrupted, we can’t go out and sit down at a restaurant and there was also that brief toilet paper shortage. However, we can still get gas for our vehicles, groceries from the store and the electricity continues to flow into our homes.

Take a moment to imagine what life would be like if grocery stores are shuttered, gasoline isn’t available and electricity is cut off. Most people are so woefully unprepared for a scenario like this that it would lead to a complete and utter meltdown of society’s fabric. What if something as simple as our cellphones stopped working? People are so addicted to the devices we carry that I believe that alone would cause a significant issue. I once heard someone say something that always stuck with me, “Modern society is three missed meals away from complete chaos.” We are so used to having all our needs met that a scenario like the one I just mentioned would lead to mass panic. 

Wilderness Survival and Panic

Switching gears to wilderness survival, I can tell you that 90% of people panic when they realize they’re lost in the woods. Panic will kill you quicker than lack of shelter, water or food. For example, panicked people drop their backpacks full of clothes and food because they think they’re slowing them down. My father once tracked a missing hunter who walked right across a four-lane highway without noticing because of panic. 

Now imagine panic on a mass scale, in an urban or suburban setting. Ideally, a situation that adversely affects a large group of people would cause them to work together to get through it, but most likely, the opposite would happen. In the event of a mass crisis, you should avoid cities and areas of high population. But what if you live in an urban or suburban area? How can we make sure that we can take care of ourselves and those close to us? 

Prioritizing Survival Needs

Firstly, you must understand that the rules of wilderness survival and urban/suburban survival are the same. Rule number 1 is always the same, DO NOT PANIC! After taking a deep breath and getting our mind under control, it’s time to consider what we need to stay alive. Generally, in order of importance, we need: 1. Shelter 2.Water 3. Fire 4. Food. 

The Importance of Mental and Physical Health

When we panic, we are at risk of making bad choices. We’ve all heard the saying “survival of the fittest.” While this applies to evolution, strength or fitness, it has nothing to do with whether you will make it through a survival situation. We are what we think. Having and maintaining a positive mental attitude is of the utmost importance. That’s not saying being physically fit is not important. Now more than ever, you should also be thinking about your physical health and well-being. I find it sad that in all the news we get surrounding the current pandemic, nobody is talking about how being physically fit, eating good food, reducing alcohol consumption and being as healthy as possible is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. 

I hope that you listened to the interview that April Vokey did with Keith McCafferty. I loved the interview because Vokey asked McCafferty at one point the most essential survival item people should carry with them into the wilderness. I was expecting him to say something like a knife or hatchet. Instead, I was surprised when he said, “Carry a picture of your family.” That way, any time you think about giving up, you can look at that photo and realize that you have something to live for! 

We can mentally prepare for survival situations, either in the wilderness or city, by continually asking ourselves the “What if’s?” and mentally planning for them. What if the power goes out for two weeks? What if grocery stores shut down? What if the water stops flowing from our taps? What if my house catches fire?

Urban Survival Considerations

If you find yourself in an urban setting when “the shit hits the fan,” what next? How you proceed depends on the situation. I suggest that everyone, no matter where you live, take some time to make a list of things that could potentially upend your life and thrust you into a survival situation. Start with natural disasters. Here in Oregon, we have a few concerns. Wildfires are an ever-present threat in the summer. I also thinking about earthquakes and I live close to Mt. Hood, an active volcano. When I lived on the East Coast, hurricanes were my main concern. In the Midwest, you need to think about tornados. 

After natural disasters, move on to identifying other threats. How close are you to the nearest nuclear power plant? Many threats could affect you no matter where you live. Some of those are disease, terror attacks, civil unrest, even a solar flare knocking out the power grid. Spend some time thinking of every possible “What if?” scenario you can think of and develop a plan for dealing with each scenario. When you have a minute, look up The Carrington Event. It happened Sept. 1-2, 1859. It knocked out much of the telegraph system at the time. If that same event were to happen today, it would severely damage our power grid, causing massive blackouts and frying many electronic devices. Many people don’t know this, but in 2012 a solar flare equal to the Carrington Event missed the Earth by nine days.

Once you’ve identified potential threats, make a plan with your family for each one. You need to ask yourself some important questions when planning, like is it better to shelter in place or leave your home and head to a different location? Regardless of where you live, you should have some supplies set aside in case of an emergency like a fully stocked first aid kit and a decent supply of water. The 5-gallon plastic jugs of water will last a long time because they’re sealed. Be sure to have some shelf-stable food set aside. You can buy canned food, or you can learn how to can and preserve your food. These are skills we’ll be sharing as Anchored Outdoors continues to grow. How much to set aside depends on how many people are in your home. It would be best to have at least two weeks’ worth of food and water for each person. If the power goes out, eat all of your perishable food first before digging into your shelf-stable foods.

Think about additional items you need to shelter in place without power and water. You should have some method to cook food like a small gas stove and fuel. Have candles or lanterns for nighttime, and headlamps, flashlights and extra batteries. You should also have a battery-powered emergency band radio. I like ones made by Eton as they have a hand crank you can use to charge them. That way, you can stay up to date on whatever situation may be unfolding around you. Don’t rely on cell phones alone. In an emergency, the network will be so strained it may be impossible to make calls or access the internet. 

Depending on the situation, leaving your home in a populated area may be the best choice. You should sit down with your family and plan several routes out of your area, ideally one route for each cardinal direction. Rendezvous points should be established along each route in case you get separated from family members or in case a family member isn’t home when it’s “go-time.” 

Your first inclination may be to use your vehicle. Depending on the situation, this might not be the best choice. Remember what it’s like when you’re stuck in traffic? Now imagine every person in your city trying to get out at once. There will be accidents, vehicles breaking down and those running out of gas, which will all cause bad traffic jams. If you plan to take a vehicle, carry enough extra fuel to completely refill your tank. Also, carry a tool kit suited to your level of experience with repairing vehicles. It’s a good idea to have a tire repair kit and portable air compressor to refill tires should the need arise. 

But sometimes the best choice is to leave on foot. No matter which method of evacuation you choose, every member of your household should have a “go-bag.” What you have in the go-bag depends on many factors. Everything in the bag increases its weight, so you don’t want to carry anything extra. If you’re forced from your home, you don’t want to spend excess time gathering things and packing. The go-bag needs to be ready to go. Other than the essentials, I mention below, and important paperwork (birth certificates, passports, social security cards), leave everything non-essential, no matter how hard that may be. Ask yourself what’s more important, your wedding photos or your life? Only things that are an absolute necessity should be taken. 

Prepare for the Unpredictable

These days the idea of “prepping” is trendy, you can visit any number of websites and buy pre-packaged kits. Some of the pre-made go-bags are great, while some are filled with items you’ll probably never use. Every member of your household should have a go-bag packed with items fitting to their age and experience. For example, for small children I recommend, they carry a few changes of clothes, some kid-friendly foods, a full water bottle and their favorite toy. 

If you choose a pre-made or DIY version, here’s what to include in your to-go bag: 

• A change of weather-appropriate clothing and extra socks 
• Knife 
• Multitool 
• First-aid kit
• Walkie-talkie for each family member and extra batteries (I’ve tried many brands in my life and found that the BaoFeng BF-88a are the best, their range is incredible and you can’t beat the price)
• Shelf-stable food 
• Full stainless steel water bottle 
• BIC lighters
• Water purification system 
• Lightweight sleeping bag and pad 
• Soap
• Gloves
• Small sewing kit
• 50′ of 550 para-cord 
• Survival blanket
• Lightweight camping tarp (tents are also an option but can add weight)
• Hand-warmer packets (can be put in a sleeping bag for extra warmth)
• Small fishing kit including hooks, split shot, small spoons or jigs, and mono fishing line

This part is hard to talk about because we always want to think the best of our fellow humans. During an event that causes a mass evacuation from an urban or suburban area, there will be people seeking to prey on others. To prevent this from happening to you, it’s best to “blend in” as much as possible. If you’re on foot, leaving your home dressed in the latest tactical gear and wearing a high-end backpack will make you a target. The best thing you can do is use some camouflage of sorts, but I don’t mean camo like you use for hunting. You should be wearing plain, simple clothing. The key is not to stand out. 

Every place/situation has a baseline. No matter if I am in nature or the city, I want to make sure that my movement or activity does not go above that baseline. For more on this topic, I suggest you check out my article on concentric rings. In situations where you’re in a large group of people, you need to have your awareness cranked up to maximum level. Keep your head on a swivel and always be looking around. Understand that in the blink of an eye, a group of people can go from being calm to utter chaos. I suggest avoiding being in the middle of a large group. Stick to the edges. Pay close attention to the ebb and flow of what’s going on around you. Always have an exit strategy.

I have purposely chosen not to address firearms in this article for several reasons. The only thing I will mention on the subject is that proper training is of the utmost importance if you do have guns. PLEASE spend the time and money getting training from a qualified instructor. Nothing is more dangerous than a panicking, untrained human with a firearm.

We like to think that life will always be perfect, and nothing terrible will happen. Hopefully, it will be. It seems like as far as the current pandemic goes, we are close to having a vaccine and that by summertime, life may return to normal. If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s how quickly things can change. If we take some time to plan and prepare physically and mentally, we will be that much better equipped to deal with whatever comes next. Having these conversations with your family and friends can be difficult, but trust me in saying that it is worth it. As they say, “Proper planning prevents poor performance.”

If you want to learn more about urban/suburban survival, I recommend my father’s book “Tom Brown’s Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival.”

In the meantime, stay healthy and happy, and be thankful that you are alive!

The post Survival Skills and Preparedness: Navigating Urban and Wilderness Challenges appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Essential oils are concentrated, natural aromatic plant essence. They’re usually distilled, extracted by solvents, or pressed. They’re also volatile oil. They differ from fragrance oils, like perfumes, which only mimic the scent of the plant without having the medicinal benefits. Essential oils are used in a wide variety of consumer goods, like soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, detergents, pharmaceuticals, soft drinks, distilled ethanol beverages and more. It can take more than 200 pounds of a flower to make a single pound of essential oil.

The official definition of aromatherapy defines it as “the therapeutic application or the medicinal use of aromatic substances (essential oils) for holistic healing.” In 1997, the International Standards Organization determined that essential oils are a “product obtained from vegetable raw material, either by distillation with water and steam or from the epicarp of citrus fruit of a mechanical process, or by dry distillation.” Essential oils have been found to have various degrees of antimicrobial activity and are believed to also have antiviral, nematocidal, antifungal, insecticidal and antioxidant properties.

NOTE: Ingesting or swallowing essential oils is NOT RECOMMENDED as this concentrated form can damage your liver and kidneys

Distillation

Distillation is the process in which a liquid is vaporized and turned into steam, then re-condensed and turned back into a liquid and collected in a container. It’s a separation technique that can be used to either increase the concentration of a particular compound in a mixture or to obtain almost pure concentrations from the mixture. The process of distillation exploits the differences in the boiling points of the components in the liquid mixture by forcing one (or more) of them into the gaseous state. 

This is not a chemical reaction but a physical separation process. The industry is mostly focused on the three types of steam distillation which include water, water and steam and direct steam, which is the most efficient method.

Types of Stills

There are several effective still designs, with the most common being the pot still or short path stills.

• Pot Still
• Reflux Still
• Short Path Still
• Retort Still

These can be operated as open-loop or closed-loop systems. For the homesteader, an open loop pot still is typically what is used, both for the distillation of essential oils in addition to ethanol production. Some stills can serve multiple functions (i.e., pot still/reflux still). 

Distillation methods are better for some types of fragrant flowers such as rose petals. Solvent methods are more suitable for expensive, delicate and thermally unstable plant matter like jasmine and hyacinth. Water distillation is the most common method for citronella oil extraction. Tinctures extend useful shelf life for up to 10 years. 

As steam vapor travels up the column, the essential oil vapors and the floral water vapors rise to the highest point and then are run through the condenser and cooled down. This drop in temperature converts the vapor back into liquid form and the hydrosol/floral waters are collected and then decanted (separated). In direct steam distillation, the herbs are suspended in the vapor (steam) path in a botanical basket, which is commonly referred to as a “Gin Basket.” The floral waters are collected (decanted) from the bottom outlet and the essential oils are decanted from the upper outlet.

When using any of the distillation methods, the liquid coming off the condenser is a combination of these two distinct parts consisting of the essential oils and the hydrosol or floral waters.

Simple Crock Pot Water Distillation Recipe

• Crock pot with lid
• Pure water
• Enough fresh plant material to fill the crock pot about half full (about 3-4 cups)
• Mason jars with lids (you will need at least two of these)
• Small dark-colored bottle (for storage)

Instructions

1. Chop up and place the plant material in the crock pot and cover with water. Have the water fill no more than 3/4 of the column of the crock pot, it needs some air space at the top. 

2. Put the lid on upside down. The concave structure will allow any steam that forms to condense and fall back into the pot. Sometimes, you can substitute an inverted plate to accomplish the same as the crock pot’s lid.

3. After the plant material has cooked on low for at least four hours, or up to 24 to 26 hours if you wish for a better extraction rate, turn it off and let it cool down. After it has cooled, place it inside a refrigerator and leave overnight, or for a day or two.

4. Remove the pot from the refrigerator and you’ll notice that there is a thin film of oil on the top and should be hard after cooling. This is your essential oil! 

5. Quickly and carefully, lift the oil off of the water, and place it in a small, dark-colored glass jar. There may be a small amount of water-based liquid on the bottom after it melts which can be removed by simmering overheat for a short time. Don’t heat the oil for too long as it will lose some potency if it’s left too long. You can also leave the lid off for a while, letting some of the water evaporate.

From this recipe, you will only get a teaspoon or 2 of essential oil from the 3 to 4 cups of plant materials.

As an alternative, you can do this above procedure on your stovetop using a large pot with a lid. Place the plant material in a mesh bag and simmer for at least 24 hours, adding more water if needed. Repeat the above instructions for separating the essential oil. Make sure the lid is inverted so the steam vapors can condense and drip back into the pot. 

Freezing Extraction Recipe

This method uses ethanol as the solvent to first make a tincture, and then the ethanol is removed by freezing, leaving behind just the plant’s essence as an essential oil. When using ethanol to extract the medicinal properties from the plant material, you first macerate the herbs for three to six weeks. Then the mixture is frozen.

You will be left with a frozen layer of essential oils and plant material, and a layer of ethanol that doesn’t freeze when it is greater than 80 proof at normal freezer temperatures. Remove the jar from the freezer and skim off the top of anything that is floating and quickly strain off the liquid ethanol into a receiving container or jar for reuse. This needs to be done quickly, as the frozen mixture starts to warm up it will carry some of the essential oils off.

• 1-plus cup dried flowers and/or plant parts
• 80-120 proof ethanol (vodka, rum, etc.)
• Mason jars with lids (you will need at least two of these)
• Cheesecloth
• Small glass or stainless steel bowls (you will need at least two of these)
• Spoon
• Medicine eyedropper, pipette, turkey baster or a drinking straw
• Small dark-colored bottle (for storage)

1. Dry out the plant material that you intend to use. If using flowers, dry them out until they look like they are starting to wilt.

2. Fill jar with the dried herbal material.

3. Pour the ethanol into the jar until the plant material is completely submerged, and leave about 1/2 inch to 1 inch of air space on top.

4. Replace the cover securely, then give the jar a good shake and store it in a dark place, like the corner of a cabinet or a closet.

5. Shake the jars at least one time a day and let this tincture age up to six weeks.

6. Strain off the plant material through the cheesecloth, which you can place in a strainer to support it and make it easier to press out the remaining liquid with a wooden spoon. Avoid spilling any, as this is what now contains the plant’s essence. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get the last drops out. You can also use a fruit press to squeeze out the remaining amount of ethanol.

7. If you wish for a stronger and more potent final product, you can repeat this process several times using new and/or different herbs with the same ethanol increasing the final amount of essential oils extracted.

8. Once you have completed the soaking/straining process, strain it off one final time into a clean quart Mason jar. Replace the cover tightly and store again in a dark spot for two to five days undisturbed. You’ll notice the ethanol will start to separate from the essential oils and other plant matter. 

9. Place this jar into the freezer and wait until you are left with a frozen layer of essential oils and plant material and a layer of ethanol, which doesn’t freeze when it is above 80 proof.

10. Now you will need an additional bowl, a second Mason jar, a stainless steel spoon, the medicine eye dropper and a small dark-colored glass to store the essential oils.

11. Remove the jar from the freezer, uncover and skim off anything floating on top and place on the cheesecloth that is laying on the bottom of the first bowl.

12. Secure a piece of cheesecloth to the top of the Mason jar. You can use the Mason jar’s screw-on outer ring to hold in its place.

13. Quickly pour off the ethanol that didn’t freeze through another piece of cheesecloth into another Mason jar. 

14. Pick out any frozen bits and place them into the small, colored glass bottle. These are the essential oils and at room temperature will return to their liquid state.

NOTE: If you cannot get access to an eyedropper, pipette or turkey baster, you can use a common household drinking straw. Place one end of the straw into the essential oil layer and then placed your thumb on the other end of the straw, lift and place in the receiving container. Let go with your thumb and the essential oils will drop into the collecting container.

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