gOSH THANKs. I learned this year: more about biology and vaxxinations than I wanted, and learned that our Department of Defense (DOD) is literally trying to kill us, they made and own the deadly injections. I learned that I have a limit to the amount of sadness and rejection and cogdis I can take before I blow my stack, and that blowing my stack is an appropriate, if not desirable, response when someone is literally trying to kill me.
This year? I hope to learn how to walk away from all this clicking, and return to some of my former skill base in rough and fine woodworking, making pipes (that look like branches still with bark) and getting better at bushcamping by bushcamping....these English folks are helpful and have fun vids
Nice, I'll check out TA Outdoors. I think I came across one of their videos some time ago (this one is great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8ba5tt6Sqo ) but I haven't watched anything of theirs in a long time. Winter's a good time to catch up.
They do a wood pipe making demonstration at our county fair each year, and there's a family that's been doing it for generations that sets up with their tools. I guess they used to bring water miles down the mountain that way, in logs drilled out with these long borer tools. It was amazing to watch them work.
So apprec. yes winter is for thinkin and readin and maybe inside makin. That vid you sent is the first one of theirs i watched too...viking house or such. I am more inclined to the rounded hut shape, the roundhouse they call it. The idea that one can make a dwelling in a day or a week, keep it for some months, and maybe move on or rebuild it next year..roaming seasonally....how very different that is to the way we build houses that stand for 100 or more years...i think the old way was healthier for sure. Portland is a river valley and the natives who were here before knew better than to live here all the time, the dampness is not so healthy for permanant residence. Some lessons are looooong lessons. best Ashley
This is a little different. We are over 70 and getting a bit creaky. Its getting harder to grow the crops and tend the chickens. Any advice on making things easier? We have over 50 different fruit trees and try to grow as many vegetables as we can. Thanks Ashley!
Oh my goodness Paula, you're already way ahead of me. If I'm tending 50 different fruit trees at 70 (which I hope to be) I'd call that an incredible accomplishment!
I don't have any specific advice, as I'm 36 and in a very different stage of life, wondering if my kids will ever let me get a full nights sleep...It's hard for me to see beyond that!
Best of luck to you, and you're doing amazing work...I can only hope to be doing the same at 70.
I don't know who will be busier, you helping us learn or me trying to learn as much as possible as we build our retirement home in the mountains. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I would really like something like 52 weeks to go from zreo to hero. As in a list of priorities on how to live more simply and self sufficiently. And then how to do it. For total newbies and those starting, how to prioritize what should be done first and then how to do it. Very simple steps along the way.
Ashley, your compiled list is AMAZING! Everything looks fantastic. I especially love the sections Hunting, Fishing & Survival Skills and Preparedness.
I’m looking to learn hide tanning this year (both methods of keeping fur on and then a standard process of deer hide) as a step in my hunters journey. Without chemicals and either using brain tanning method or egg yolks (or another similar way I have not yet heard of).
And anything animal fat-related!
Harvesting, storing, rendering, consuming, and applying. All the things 😁
I would love to learn how to make tallow- based body care products /herbal tallow balms and soaps from it. I’ve attempted my own tallow and jojoba face cream but I just smell like tallow 😆
I aspire to be you like you,Ashley! You are a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank you for the beautiful road to follow you’ve been carving out ♥️
In 2022, my husband and I learned how to make sauerkraut and blueberry jam without pectin. My husband learned herbalism and I researched what foods to grow that will give us the most nutrition. In 2023 I would really like to learn how to grow a LOT of food in a small space, how to make our own medicines and make a successful batch of vinegar. 😁 We are really focused on growing as much food and herbs as we can to sustain ourselves.
He goes through a lot of unconventional methods to getting more space from places you wouldn't think of, and using them really efficiently.
Good luck with vinegar making, that one's fun. I'd suggest starting with fruit vinegar or apple cider vinegar (rather than wine vinegar). Many wines have additives that keep them from going to vinegar, so it can be hard to get that one to work...but if you can get a nice preservative free cider or juice you shouldn't have trouble. Enjoy!
I put up some new foods this year - like sauerkraut! Also made my first goat cheese!
2023 will be the year I learn bread making. The challenge will be reducing gluten, though. Most of my bread books suggest high gluten flours. Maybe I need to embrace acorn flour, bean “flours”, etc??? I’ll take any and all of your bread tips! I’ll be revisiting all your past posts very soon.
Gluten free breads are really a challenge, as gluten is what gives bread it's structure. I used to run a bakery, and so many people came in asking for gluten free things that I started making them...and they sold better than the gluten stuff. That was 10 years ago, when everyone was going gluten free, but still, it provided a good opportunity to work with unconventional methods.
I did great on cakes and muffins and the like, things that can be heavily enriched, but actual bread without gluten never came out well for me. If you're really trying to cut out gluten, it might mean not having sliced bread too, and switching to things like banana bread to get that carb/grain fix.
Good luck!
(Also, great job on making your first sauerkraut and goat cheese! Those both can be tricky!)
I appreciate the time you and your family take to spread good information. I just recently began following this and have enjoyed it. I gathered beauty berries and spiderwort and just look at my "weeds" in a whole different way now. Im not sure if you have already covered this but im curious how to make flour or the base items of things
I like a lot of the stuff on your lists. I know some already. I want to learn more. The most important thing I need to learn is not to fear failure. I am not going to produce perfect the first try. But, I do not need to fear failure. What I want to learn this year is more mental than anything else.
That is an unbelievably hard one Burt, and I'm right there with you.
I don't tend to post my failures (which are many), only when something goes right...often on the 10th try, right before I'm about to throw in the towel. You wouldn't believe how much fencing we've put up...only to tear it down when the pasture wasn't big enough, post not set right, or simply the land not right for what we wanted. So many things, done just to be undone, and it drove me mad for quite a while.
Failure, and not wanting to do anything, fearing I'd just do it wrong and have to spend time/money/energy undoing it.
But you know, living is all about doing, it's not necessarily about doing it right...and even failure is a lot better than a life spent lumping in front of the TV. At least that's what I tell myself, as I un-do something I've messed up for the 5th time...
It's amazing you can recognize that in yourself, as being self aware enough to recognize a fear of failure is huge.
I've done a bunch of research on soapmaking. I used to teach class locally through our Park and Rec Dept. You can make lye from wood ash. Potash exactly but it isn't an exact science for sure. The basic concept used in colonial days consisted of a wooden barrel filled with I believe straw to filter the water through. Wood ash would be added to the barrel and water would filter through the ash and straw until you had a liquid potent enough to make soap. If I recall correctly they would float and egg(?) to test the strength. While it was all very interesting using commercial sodium hydroxide mixed with water to create lye is a much more dependable way these days.
In 2022, I learned to can (water bath and pressure) and then to can only things I want to keep eating. I began making gluten free sourdough and buying in bulk and preserving. I rendered my own tallow, kept plants alive at my apartment, and made tallow balm and tinctures, too.
In 2023 I will garden in the earth whether on my own property or in a community garden. I will experiment with cheese making, dehydrating food for preservation, and plan to start regularly making my own broth and stock. My husband and I are planning to take a butchery class and cure our own bacon! We are currently in an apartment while house hunting, so we have to get creative to make things happen in a small shared space.
That sounds amazing! There's so much you can do in a small apartment really, especially in the kitchen. The only things you're missing are a huge garden, but that's really a small part of the whole experience. There's so much you can do/learn before having a house, as you're seeing!
Rendering your own tallow in awesome, and great job putting it to use in creative ways. Making bacon is easier than you'd think, and it's darn delicious. Enjoy!
Hi Ashley, the last year has been a real kickoff for us as we’ve moved back to the country and started growing our own (in a very small way) and dealing with the mildew and bug issues of a sub tropical climate!
Apart from the focus on organically managing our veggies and fruit, I’m hoping we can learn to make jams, chutneys and cheese in 2023! Alongside our renovations and business changes, that should keep us nicely busy!!
What a great posting to start the year with- you've put everything into one spot, this is fantastic!! I feel like I should have said this sooner, but Thank You!! Thank you so very much. Your posts have been not only educational and informative, but inspirational as well. I think I have been following you at least 5, maybe closer to 10 years now, how long have you been doing this? Trying to remember how I found your posts, might have been through a Hank Shaw post, or pinterest? Either way every time I get a new email in my inbox from you, I look forward to taking the time to read and absorb.
Looking back on last year, I feel like I have really come into my own parenting and guiding my boys, educating them on foraging, cooking/canning and survival techniques. So much of that has been thanks to you, you've given me pause and helped me to look beyond the more common foraging plants and techniques. It's been great.
What I would like to accomplish in the next year is making our yard 100% edible/medicinal. I want every plant to have a purpose. This is a little difficult living at 10,200 feet in elevation. Many of the things I planted last year didn't make it due to the short growing season. Praying my sour cherry trees I planted last year survive the winter. Money is tight, so investing in a good greenhouse isn't an option. But I can improvise! I am handy to an extent. Thanks again, I appreciate your guidance/tips, blessings to you and your family! Hoping your year to come is a great one! Cheers!
Making your yard 100% edible/medicinal is a truly amazing goal, and you'll be surprised at how many ornamental are also edible medicinal. Really look into what you have and I bet you'll find that a substantial proportion of what you have growing already is.
This is a great list for me actually. I’m going to print this out check-list style and start right away.
This year my goal is to educate people on how to make medicine for themselves, and supplement that with a modest income of making products to support my goals and dreams and help people become happier, healthier, and more confident in themselves.
gOSH THANKs. I learned this year: more about biology and vaxxinations than I wanted, and learned that our Department of Defense (DOD) is literally trying to kill us, they made and own the deadly injections. I learned that I have a limit to the amount of sadness and rejection and cogdis I can take before I blow my stack, and that blowing my stack is an appropriate, if not desirable, response when someone is literally trying to kill me.
This year? I hope to learn how to walk away from all this clicking, and return to some of my former skill base in rough and fine woodworking, making pipes (that look like branches still with bark) and getting better at bushcamping by bushcamping....these English folks are helpful and have fun vids
https://www.youtube.com/@TAOutdoors
Nice, I'll check out TA Outdoors. I think I came across one of their videos some time ago (this one is great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8ba5tt6Sqo ) but I haven't watched anything of theirs in a long time. Winter's a good time to catch up.
They do a wood pipe making demonstration at our county fair each year, and there's a family that's been doing it for generations that sets up with their tools. I guess they used to bring water miles down the mountain that way, in logs drilled out with these long borer tools. It was amazing to watch them work.
So apprec. yes winter is for thinkin and readin and maybe inside makin. That vid you sent is the first one of theirs i watched too...viking house or such. I am more inclined to the rounded hut shape, the roundhouse they call it. The idea that one can make a dwelling in a day or a week, keep it for some months, and maybe move on or rebuild it next year..roaming seasonally....how very different that is to the way we build houses that stand for 100 or more years...i think the old way was healthier for sure. Portland is a river valley and the natives who were here before knew better than to live here all the time, the dampness is not so healthy for permanant residence. Some lessons are looooong lessons. best Ashley
This is a little different. We are over 70 and getting a bit creaky. Its getting harder to grow the crops and tend the chickens. Any advice on making things easier? We have over 50 different fruit trees and try to grow as many vegetables as we can. Thanks Ashley!
Oh my goodness Paula, you're already way ahead of me. If I'm tending 50 different fruit trees at 70 (which I hope to be) I'd call that an incredible accomplishment!
I don't have any specific advice, as I'm 36 and in a very different stage of life, wondering if my kids will ever let me get a full nights sleep...It's hard for me to see beyond that!
Best of luck to you, and you're doing amazing work...I can only hope to be doing the same at 70.
I don't know who will be busier, you helping us learn or me trying to learn as much as possible as we build our retirement home in the mountains. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
If you're building a home, my goodness, it's you! That's a huge undertaking and I wish you the best of luck.
I would really like something like 52 weeks to go from zreo to hero. As in a list of priorities on how to live more simply and self sufficiently. And then how to do it. For total newbies and those starting, how to prioritize what should be done first and then how to do it. Very simple steps along the way.
That is such a good one! There is something like that, though not exactly, in this book here: https://www.amazon.com/52-Homestead-Skills-Kimberlee-Bastien/dp/1948734044
I'll see what I can come up with for you though! Adding it to the list, I love this topic, thank you!
Ashley, your compiled list is AMAZING! Everything looks fantastic. I especially love the sections Hunting, Fishing & Survival Skills and Preparedness.
I’m looking to learn hide tanning this year (both methods of keeping fur on and then a standard process of deer hide) as a step in my hunters journey. Without chemicals and either using brain tanning method or egg yolks (or another similar way I have not yet heard of).
And anything animal fat-related!
Harvesting, storing, rendering, consuming, and applying. All the things 😁
I would love to learn how to make tallow- based body care products /herbal tallow balms and soaps from it. I’ve attempted my own tallow and jojoba face cream but I just smell like tallow 😆
I aspire to be you like you,Ashley! You are a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank you for the beautiful road to follow you’ve been carving out ♥️
Good timing Jessica! I've got half a chest freezer full of pelts and tallow waiting to be rendered, so those are all coming up =)
In 2022, my husband and I learned how to make sauerkraut and blueberry jam without pectin. My husband learned herbalism and I researched what foods to grow that will give us the most nutrition. In 2023 I would really like to learn how to grow a LOT of food in a small space, how to make our own medicines and make a successful batch of vinegar. 😁 We are really focused on growing as much food and herbs as we can to sustain ourselves.
Great topic!
In terms of growing a lot of food in almost no space, I found this book really helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Food-Small-Spaces-Square-Inch/dp/160358028X/
He goes through a lot of unconventional methods to getting more space from places you wouldn't think of, and using them really efficiently.
Good luck with vinegar making, that one's fun. I'd suggest starting with fruit vinegar or apple cider vinegar (rather than wine vinegar). Many wines have additives that keep them from going to vinegar, so it can be hard to get that one to work...but if you can get a nice preservative free cider or juice you shouldn't have trouble. Enjoy!
I put up some new foods this year - like sauerkraut! Also made my first goat cheese!
2023 will be the year I learn bread making. The challenge will be reducing gluten, though. Most of my bread books suggest high gluten flours. Maybe I need to embrace acorn flour, bean “flours”, etc??? I’ll take any and all of your bread tips! I’ll be revisiting all your past posts very soon.
I look forward to another year with you!
Gluten free breads are really a challenge, as gluten is what gives bread it's structure. I used to run a bakery, and so many people came in asking for gluten free things that I started making them...and they sold better than the gluten stuff. That was 10 years ago, when everyone was going gluten free, but still, it provided a good opportunity to work with unconventional methods.
I did great on cakes and muffins and the like, things that can be heavily enriched, but actual bread without gluten never came out well for me. If you're really trying to cut out gluten, it might mean not having sliced bread too, and switching to things like banana bread to get that carb/grain fix.
Good luck!
(Also, great job on making your first sauerkraut and goat cheese! Those both can be tricky!)
I appreciate the time you and your family take to spread good information. I just recently began following this and have enjoyed it. I gathered beauty berries and spiderwort and just look at my "weeds" in a whole different way now. Im not sure if you have already covered this but im curious how to make flour or the base items of things
Grinding flour is a good one!
Love your information! Thank you!
* I was gifted small restaurant (covid days) greenhouse and would like to learn how to most effectively utilize it.
*Meals in a jar - canned and dehydrated
*Pruning young and old fruit trees
*How to grow elderberries from cuttings
*3D printing for beginners
* computers for beginners
Whew!! Much gratitude for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks Lana!
Canning meals in a jar is here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/canning-meals-in-a-jar/
Elderberries from cuttings is here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/propagating-elderberries/
The others, I've moved up toward the top of my to do list!
Great! Thank you!
I like a lot of the stuff on your lists. I know some already. I want to learn more. The most important thing I need to learn is not to fear failure. I am not going to produce perfect the first try. But, I do not need to fear failure. What I want to learn this year is more mental than anything else.
That is an unbelievably hard one Burt, and I'm right there with you.
I don't tend to post my failures (which are many), only when something goes right...often on the 10th try, right before I'm about to throw in the towel. You wouldn't believe how much fencing we've put up...only to tear it down when the pasture wasn't big enough, post not set right, or simply the land not right for what we wanted. So many things, done just to be undone, and it drove me mad for quite a while.
Failure, and not wanting to do anything, fearing I'd just do it wrong and have to spend time/money/energy undoing it.
But you know, living is all about doing, it's not necessarily about doing it right...and even failure is a lot better than a life spent lumping in front of the TV. At least that's what I tell myself, as I un-do something I've messed up for the 5th time...
It's amazing you can recognize that in yourself, as being self aware enough to recognize a fear of failure is huge.
Best of luck, and know you're not the only one!
Last year I made jams from persimmons and maypops off our property for the first time. This year I want to try root cellaring.
Nice!
1-How to make yeast for bread making.
2-How to make and store lye for soap making.
3-How to store bulk quantities of flour, sugar, dry beans, rice to leep dry and bug free.
Great ideas! Thank you!
I've done a bunch of research on soapmaking. I used to teach class locally through our Park and Rec Dept. You can make lye from wood ash. Potash exactly but it isn't an exact science for sure. The basic concept used in colonial days consisted of a wooden barrel filled with I believe straw to filter the water through. Wood ash would be added to the barrel and water would filter through the ash and straw until you had a liquid potent enough to make soap. If I recall correctly they would float and egg(?) to test the strength. While it was all very interesting using commercial sodium hydroxide mixed with water to create lye is a much more dependable way these days.
In 2022, I learned to can (water bath and pressure) and then to can only things I want to keep eating. I began making gluten free sourdough and buying in bulk and preserving. I rendered my own tallow, kept plants alive at my apartment, and made tallow balm and tinctures, too.
In 2023 I will garden in the earth whether on my own property or in a community garden. I will experiment with cheese making, dehydrating food for preservation, and plan to start regularly making my own broth and stock. My husband and I are planning to take a butchery class and cure our own bacon! We are currently in an apartment while house hunting, so we have to get creative to make things happen in a small shared space.
That sounds amazing! There's so much you can do in a small apartment really, especially in the kitchen. The only things you're missing are a huge garden, but that's really a small part of the whole experience. There's so much you can do/learn before having a house, as you're seeing!
Rendering your own tallow in awesome, and great job putting it to use in creative ways. Making bacon is easier than you'd think, and it's darn delicious. Enjoy!
Hi Ashley, the last year has been a real kickoff for us as we’ve moved back to the country and started growing our own (in a very small way) and dealing with the mildew and bug issues of a sub tropical climate!
Apart from the focus on organically managing our veggies and fruit, I’m hoping we can learn to make jams, chutneys and cheese in 2023! Alongside our renovations and business changes, that should keep us nicely busy!!
Happy New Year from Australia
Wonderful! Jams, Chutney and cheese sure will keep you busy in the kitchen, but they're all delicious!
What a great posting to start the year with- you've put everything into one spot, this is fantastic!! I feel like I should have said this sooner, but Thank You!! Thank you so very much. Your posts have been not only educational and informative, but inspirational as well. I think I have been following you at least 5, maybe closer to 10 years now, how long have you been doing this? Trying to remember how I found your posts, might have been through a Hank Shaw post, or pinterest? Either way every time I get a new email in my inbox from you, I look forward to taking the time to read and absorb.
Looking back on last year, I feel like I have really come into my own parenting and guiding my boys, educating them on foraging, cooking/canning and survival techniques. So much of that has been thanks to you, you've given me pause and helped me to look beyond the more common foraging plants and techniques. It's been great.
What I would like to accomplish in the next year is making our yard 100% edible/medicinal. I want every plant to have a purpose. This is a little difficult living at 10,200 feet in elevation. Many of the things I planted last year didn't make it due to the short growing season. Praying my sour cherry trees I planted last year survive the winter. Money is tight, so investing in a good greenhouse isn't an option. But I can improvise! I am handy to an extent. Thanks again, I appreciate your guidance/tips, blessings to you and your family! Hoping your year to come is a great one! Cheers!
Thank you Traci!
I do love Hank Shaw's work, he's amazing!
Making your yard 100% edible/medicinal is a truly amazing goal, and you'll be surprised at how many ornamental are also edible medicinal. Really look into what you have and I bet you'll find that a substantial proportion of what you have growing already is.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
This is a great list for me actually. I’m going to print this out check-list style and start right away.
This year my goal is to educate people on how to make medicine for themselves, and supplement that with a modest income of making products to support my goals and dreams and help people become happier, healthier, and more confident in themselves.
That's a lovely goal!