Foraging for Food by John
Many people want to live off the land or learn to be more self sufficient. In other words they want to be prosumers. As I have mentioned in my other writings very few can survive off the land and those who can don’t want to. They know it is very hard work just to maintain a subsistent level of living.
It’s fairly easy to pick out those people who have very little “survival” or self reliant skills. I know. I was one of them. They want to head for the wilderness and “live off the land”. Ha! Most of these people would starve if I dropped a dead deer at their feet. They would have no idea how to butcher or preserve it.(I learned this skill one very rainy cold night by lamp light with the how to book in my hand and a knife in the other). Vegetarians would have to wait for spring to eat.
No offense to vegetarians as when situations permitted I have gone vegetarian for years. But you can’t be a vegetarian in snow country without depending on Wal-Mart and diesel guzzling trucks to bring your fresh produce from down south. Not exactly my idea of a self reliant life style!
Because I am better than average on collecting wild food I know I can’t live free and abundantly just on that. So where do I forage for my food? In the woods, peoples yards, grocery stores, farmers markets, etc.
Here's how I foraged at a sausage company outlet store: For some reason the company had lots of turkey brats that were close to outdated and were selling for $4 for a 12 pound box. That’s 33 cents a pound. I can’t even process free venison for that price. The bags and freezer paper cost more than that. We’ve enjoyed countless turkey brat meals with friends who happen to drop by. Along with a pot of rice you can feed 5 people for the less than the price of a big mac.
So what do you do when the freezer fills and you still have 20 pounds of turkey brats left? Think like a Frugal Prosumer. Slice them up or take them out of their casing and run them through a jerky press (or cooky press) and dehydrate them. These got eaten so fast we didn’t even have to store them.
It’s fairly easy to pick out those people who have very little “survival” or self reliant skills. I know. I was one of them. They want to head for the wilderness and “live off the land”. Ha! Most of these people would starve if I dropped a dead deer at their feet. They would have no idea how to butcher or preserve it.(I learned this skill one very rainy cold night by lamp light with the how to book in my hand and a knife in the other). Vegetarians would have to wait for spring to eat.
No offense to vegetarians as when situations permitted I have gone vegetarian for years. But you can’t be a vegetarian in snow country without depending on Wal-Mart and diesel guzzling trucks to bring your fresh produce from down south. Not exactly my idea of a self reliant life style!
Because I am better than average on collecting wild food I know I can’t live free and abundantly just on that. So where do I forage for my food? In the woods, peoples yards, grocery stores, farmers markets, etc.
Here's how I foraged at a sausage company outlet store: For some reason the company had lots of turkey brats that were close to outdated and were selling for $4 for a 12 pound box. That’s 33 cents a pound. I can’t even process free venison for that price. The bags and freezer paper cost more than that. We’ve enjoyed countless turkey brat meals with friends who happen to drop by. Along with a pot of rice you can feed 5 people for the less than the price of a big mac.
So what do you do when the freezer fills and you still have 20 pounds of turkey brats left? Think like a Frugal Prosumer. Slice them up or take them out of their casing and run them through a jerky press (or cooky press) and dehydrate them. These got eaten so fast we didn’t even have to store them.
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