Natural Bushcraft - The True Spirit of Bushcraft

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1 Woodland, 1 Fat Bloke, 1 Month

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ramsonsOur friend Pete aka 'The Joker' on the forum has set himself a very courageous challenge of living off the land for one whole month! He is doing this to raise money for an great cause, all the money that he raises will be going to the Shooting Star Chase Childrens Hospice.

the-shooting-star-hospice-logoPete named his challenge "One Woodland, One Fat Bloke, One Month" as he is intending to loose a few pounds whilst he's living wild and at the same time raise many pounds for charity.

Let's hope he knows his daisys from his dandelions & survives the month! We wish him all the best and hopes he raises lots of money toward this good cause. We will keep you posted on his progress.

If you would like to support his cause then please donate on his webpage here.

You can read the forum discussion about this challenge here.

 

A Coastal Survival Tip for Water Collection

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Ashley Cawley of NaturalBushcraft shows us a handy survival tip for collecting fresh drinking water. Often fresh water can be found dripping of flowing over cliff-faces, however it can sometimes be awkward to effectively collect it. The process can be made simple by just using a few bits of debris found washed up on shores all around the world.
 

Smoking Fish - Coastal Survival

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By Fraser Christian
 
The Art of curing and smoking fish is a valuable most useful skill in times when fish are abundant and plentiful, allowing them to be conveniently stored for leaner times through the long and often stormy conditions that make both coastal fishing and foraging almost impossible. Not only does smoking help the fishes potential to be stored for much longer periods of time, compared with fresh fish. Smoking allows for a wonderful an unmistakable aromatic flavour to develop. These days smoked fish is most commonly seen in gold foil backed packets in shops and supermarkets, Kippers and salmon being the first ones that spring to mind. They will not come close to the taste of your home smoked fresh fish.

mackerel smoking fish

The smoking process lends its self well to ‘oily’ fish such as Herrings, Mackerel, Salmon and Trout, as oily fish are rich in sources of protein and thus degrade at a faster rate than a ‘white’ fish. This is not to say that only oily fish are suitable for smoking. Any fish that is acquired, if fresh will lend its self well to being smoked if cured correctly. The moisture content or proportion of water in the tissue structure is usually greater with white fish and requires curing for longer. Extracting more of the water content helps the process, because smoke finds it hard to penetrate water.
 

The processes of smoking.

There are two types of smoking ‘Hot’ and ‘cold’, both use different techniques but the principals are basically the same, in the fact that smoke is generated from a combustible of non toxic material such as wood chipping, shaving or saw dust, and that the smoke is allowed to slowly pass over the fish. The differences are that with cold smoking, the smoke is generated out side of the main chamber containing the fish, here by allowing the smoke to cool before passing over the fish curing it slowly. Alternatively with hot smoking the smoke is generated inside the main smoking chamber and the fish cooks as it smokes. The most suitable woods for smoking materials are from the trees that bear a fruit. The most common being the Oak, different mixes and blends are used by discerning smoke houses to create unique and delicate flavours. I would recommend any of the following woods. Oak, Apple, Cherry, Ash, Beach or Hazel. Try your own combinations and taste the difference. Dry seasoned wood should be used where possible, standing self seasoned timber is ideal. Small dead twigs, sticks and leaves will work just as well. (as will dried sea weed).

 

Note: never use treated or painted timber as Toxic fumes may be created when burnt or heated.

 

Never use saw dust from an unknown source or from the process of mechanical machinery such as a Chain Saws. The lubricants used on the blade may taint the food, possibly leaving residual residues.
 

Making a smoker.

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Natural Bushcraft is a personal project aiming to provide a free bushcraft resource available to everyone.

Sharing Bushcraft Skills and Knowledge Freely regardless of age or status is important to me.

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'The True Spirit of Bushcraft'

Best wishes
Ashley Cawley.

Bushcraft Search

March UK Wild Food

  • plant-icon-64pxDandelion
  • Nettle
  • Daisy leaf
  • Gorse flower
  • Primrose
  • Daffodil Flower (the rest of the plant is poisonous)
  • Greater Plantain
  • Ribwort Plantain
  • Buck's Horn Plantain (coastal)
  • Scurvy Grass
  • Hogweed
  • Chickweed
  • Sea beet
  • Sea Radish
  • Pennywort
  • hawkbit
  • Watercress
  • Alexanders
  • Chirvil (Careful as Hemlock Water-Dropwort is starting to sprout now and looks very similar, but is deadly poisonous!)
  • Cleavers / Goosegrass
  • Sea Purslane
  • Rock Samphire
  • Common Sorrel
  • Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
  • Yarrow
  • Rose Hips
  • Common Sorrel
  • Jack by the Hedge
  • Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
  • Wood sorrel
  • Three-cornered leek
  • Seaweeds

  • This is not a comprehensive list of the wild foods available. Please be absolutely sure you are competent with identifying an edible before consuming and you do so at your own risk.

The Hedge Combers

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A beautiful blog by my friend Janie sharing tips on self-sufficiency, homemade recipes, growing fruit, veg & rearing animals for meat & eggs.

Woodland Valley

 
woodland-valley
Woodland Valley an Organic Farm in the centre of Cornwall.
A Bushcraft Friendly Campsite with Ancient Woodland and Group Accommodation  available.

Ravenlore-150px-wide
Another Bushcraft & Wilderness Skills website that I love, by a friend & superb Photographer Gary Waidson.

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