Welcome to issue No. 25! It won't be long before the temperatures start to fall and the snow begins to fly. I'll readily admit that fall is my favorite time of year and I never truly look forward to the long winter months. However, that's a great time to get caught up on your reading. In this issue, we're covering a huge range of topics, as longtime readers would fully expect of us. Inside, you'll find information on cooking outdoors in the winter, as well as dealing with the almost inevitable slips and falls that come with icy conditions. We have a great interview with actor Josh Duhamel, in which he talks about the homestead he's built from the ground up. We're also covering how to forage for food during this time of year, finding uses for pumpkins, pickling your fall harvest-and starting to plan for next year's garden. Remember, we have the easy job with presenting you with all of this great information. It's up to you to put it to actual use in your life. That's where the real fun begi
Letter From the Editor
OUTDOORS • HEAD OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN EXPLORING ALL THAT MOTHER NATURE HAS TO OFFER.
THE OUTDOOR RHYTHM • OUR BODIES TEND TO BE IN SYNC WITH THE RISING AND SETTING OF THE SUN. IN MANY WAYS, OUR LIVES ARE DRIVEN BY IT. THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT ALSO HAVE A PROFOUND EFFECT ON US LIKE WEATHER, TEMPERATURE, HUNGER AND SOLITUDE IN NATURE.
STRANDED! • WINTER WEATHER CAN BRING MANY FUN AND ENJOYABLE THINGS, SUCH AS SNOWBALL FIGHTS, SKIING, SLEDDING AND WALKS WITH A HOT CHOCOLATE IN HAND. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE STUCK OR LOST IN THE FRIGID COLD AND ENDLESS SNOW-COVERED TERRAIN, IT CAN BRING FROSTBITE, HYPOTHERMIA—AND EVEN DEATH.
WHOOPS! • MANY INJURIES ARE CAUSED BY SLIPS AND FALLS ON ICY GROUND. EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES AS SIMPLE AS WALKING OUT YOUR FRONT DOOR OR STEPPING OUT OF YOUR CAR CAN EASILY BECOME DANGEROUS. WHETHER YOU'RE ON A WILDERNESS TRAIL OR IN YOUR OWN BATHROOM, A FALL CAN LEAD TO ORTHOPEDIC TRAUMA, BLEEDING, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND MORE.
WINTER FORAGING • ALMOST THREE DECADES AGO, IN THE HEART OF JANUARY, I VENTURED INTO THE WOODS ARMED WITH NOTHING MORE THAN THE CLOTHES I WORE AND A KNIFE. MY GOAL WAS TO SURVIVE 30 DAYS, WITHOUT ASSISTANCE, WHILE LIVING OFF THE LAND. SINCE YOU'RE READING THIS, IT’S EVIDENT I SUCCEEDED.
OUTDOOR COOKING • FEW THINGS CAN KEEP AN AVID CAMPER INDOORS WHEN THE MERCURY DROPS. ONE OF MY GREATEST MOTIVATIONS TO GET OUTDOORS IS TO COOK. IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE LONGER TO GET THE AMOUNT OF FIREWOOD YOU NEED AND GET THAT FIRE GOING RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. BUT DON'T LET THIS DETER YOU. USE THESE TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT SUCCESSFUL CAMP COOKOUT AND REMEMBER: EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER OUTDOORS.
HOMESTEADING • SELF-RELIANCE CAN BE A LOT OF WORK, BUT THE REWARDS MAKE IT WORTH ALL OF THE EFFORT.
BUILDING SOMETHING FROM NOTHING • MANY OF US DREAM OF BEING ABLE TO START OUR OWN HOMESTEAD. I KNOW I CHECK REAL ESTATE WEBSITES ALMOST DAILY, HOPING OUR DREAM PROPERTY WILL FINALLY CROP UP. SO FAR, NO LUCK, AND PROPERTY ISN'T GETTING ANY CHEAPER, THAT’S FOR SURE.
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN! • AN IRISH LEGEND TELLS OF A MAN NAMED STINGY JACK WHO HOPED TO EVADE DEATH BY TRICKING THE DEVIL. THE TWO WERE HAVING A DRINK AT THE LOCAL TAVERN WHEN JACK CONVINCED THE DEVIL TO CHANGE INTO A COIN. JACK PUT THE COIN INTO HIS POCKET, TRAPPING OLD SCRATCH.
PICKLING • KEEPING GARDEN PRODUCE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT CAN BE STORED FOR FUTURE USE IS CRITICAL TO THE HOMESTEAD. THERE ARE MANY APPROACHES TO THIS. JUST AS WITH SO MANY OTHER THINGS IN LIFE, THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION.
MAKE A PLAN • IN 1835, BRITISH POET ALFRED TENNYSON WROTE: ''IN THE SPRING A YOUNG MAN’S FANCY LIGHTLY TURNS TO THOUGHTS OF LOVE.'' THAT MAY VERY WELL BE TRUE. BUT FOR HOMESTEADERS AND PREPPERS, SPRING BRINGS THOUGHTS OF SEEDS AND...