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BHM Newsletter
April 21, 2006
You have to have lived in the Pacific Northwest through our rainiest winter in a decade to long for summer the way the staff of Backwoods Home Magazine is longing for summer. Will it ever stop raining? We did just have a few days break with some sun, but rain is in the forecast again tonight. I’m going to rush home today, before the new storm breaks, and weedwack the foot-tall grass in my meadow before mosquitoes have a chance to set up shop in the wet roots. But our subscribers are happy, judging from the enormous response to our new lowest-in-15-years $17.90 subscription price, and thanks to our $99.95 Encyclopedia of Self-reliance special. It’s nice to get a huge response from readers like we’ve gotten from those two items. I can’t think of anything else we can offer to help celebrate our 100th issue coming up with the next issue. The low subscription price and encyclopedia special sort of pulled out all the stops already. Speaking of next issue, it’s a Special Health Issue, and I took a gander at all the articles I have lined up for it and realize I can’t fit them all into a single issue. So we’ll see what we’ll do. John Silveira has a terrific historical piece scheduled for the issue, and Richard Blunt has a healthy-heart recipe article. Both are fairly long pieces. David Lee wrote a piece on solving indoor air pollution problems. Habeeb Salloum has a couple of articles on healthy vegetables. There’s another article on eating healthy seeds, one on healthy drinks, one on protecting your drinking water as it comes into the house, on and on. I’m even going to do something on health, as is my wife, Lenie. And that doesn’t include the articles by Jackie Clay, Massad Ayoob, Claire Wolfe, Dorothy Ainsworth, Roy Martin, and others. What am I to do? Speaking of health, my doctor told me to eat a lot of salmon to maintain a healthy heart, so I’m buying a 24-foot boat with a 200-HP jet to catch the salmon. The jet is necessary so I can navigate up the quick rivers around here and draft only a couple of inches of water through the many shallows. Good health! That’s what it’s all about! Anything for health! --Dave
1. Use each tool only for the job it was designed to do. 2. Discard damaged or abused tools promptly. 3. Buy several versions or sizes of the same tool.
4. Inspect for distortion, cracks, chips, wear or mushrooming. 5. Keep all tools clean and in working order. 6. Be sure handles are fixed firmly to a tool's working end. 7. Be sure tools and work mate properly to avoid slippage. 8. Handles are made for the tool; never use extensions. 9. Confine impact forces to striking and struck tools. 10. Hold work in a clamp or vise, not in your hand. 11. Start off slowly when engaging the tool and the work. 12. Shut current off before using a tool near electricity. 13. Make sure the handle sits securely in your hand. 14. Keep moving parts lightly lubed; avoid lube leakage. 15. Wear approved safety goggles when using hand tools. 16. Keep hands away from sharp edges. 17. Pull, don't push, a wrench handle for more leverage. 18. Position your body securely while working with the tool. 19. Keep jaw teeth, cutters and blades sharp for better results. 20. Keep tool's moving parts properly cleaned and tightened 21. Use steady pressure on jaws and cutters; don't rock the tool. 22. Support long, overhanging work in a vise at the far end. 23. Use pads in the jaws to protect soft or crushable work. 24. Use a tool close to the vise or clamp. 25. Hold work in a clamp or vise with sufficient pressure. 26. Keep clamped assemblies away from vibration and bumping. 27. Discard a tool instead of repairing it by welding or brazing. 28. Keep tools from excessive heat. 29. For continuous work, use comfort grips or gloves. 30. Follow instructions on the tool and/or package. Source: Hand Tools Institute
Classic Caesar Salad 2 cups olive oil
Place the egg yolks, mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco, garlic and anchovies in a food processor, and season well with fresh cracked black pepper. Start the machine running so that the ingredients begin to blend. Blend for 5 to 10 seconds, and then start drizzling in the olive oil in a very thin, slow, steady stream. If at any point the dressing separates while you're blending in the oil, place two more egg yolks and an equal volume of dijon mustard in a mixing bowl. Whisk it by hand for 2 to 3 minutes, and then slowly whisk in the separated dressing in a thin, slow, steady stream. It should come back together. Stop the machine when 1 cup oil has been incorporated. Scrape down the sides, add the vinegars and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Start the machine again, blend in another 1/3 or 1/2 cups oil, and then stop the machine. Taste the dressing. The anchovy flavor won't be pronounced yet, but you're looking for a balance between creaminess and the tart, tangy flavor from the vinegars and lemon juice. If the dressing tastes too creamy, stir in some more lemon juice. If it's too tart, blend in the remaining oil. Chill the dressing until ready to use, but don't store overnight. Because of the raw egg yolks, it's best to use it the day you make it. The anchovy flavor will become more prominent as the dressing sits. To assemble the salad, discard the outer leaves from the romaine. Chop, wash and dry the remaining leaves. Leave the smaller leaves in the heart whole. Toss the romaine with some of the dressing and half the croutons. Caesar is usually enjoyed with a fairly large amount of dressing. Divide the salad between serving plates, and top each one with some of the cheese, a generous twist of fresh cracked black pepper and the remaining croutons. Additional garnishes can include whole anchovy fillets and shaved sheets of Parmesan. Cajun Potato Salad 2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and quartered
In a medium saucepan, cook potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan and dice. Place in a medium bowl and add tomatoes green onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl combine vinegar, mustard and cayenne pepper. Add oil in a thin stream, heating constantly. Stir in parsley. Add dressing and bacon to potatoes and toss gently. Allow potatoes to absorb dressing at least 15 minutes before serving. Catalina Mexican Salad 1 can red kidney beans, drained
Combine kidney and garbanzo beans, red onion, and dressing in a bolw and marinate at least two hours. In a large salad bowl, layer remaining ingredients. Begin with tomatoes on the bottom, then avocado, lettuce, black olives, green onions and cucumbers. Spread marinade mixture on top. Sprinkle cheese, then crushed chips. Toss when ready to serve. If you are making recipe ahead of time, wait to put chips on when you are ready to serve it. Goes well with enchiladas or barbecue. Creamy Mandarin Rice Salad 3 cups cooked rice, cooled
Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Chill. Serve on salad greens and sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. Crisp Apple and Turkey Salad 2-1/4 cups chopped turkey, cubed
In a large bowl combine turkey, celery, apples and raisins. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, yogurt, nutmeg and cinnamon; fold into turkey mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Marinated Provolone Salad 2/3 cup olive oil
Blend together oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano and salt. Cut each provolone slice into 6 wedges. Arrange cheese, mushrooms and asparagus in glass baking dish. Pour dressing over cheese and vegetables. Cover and chill in refrigerator 4 hours or overnight, spooning marinade over cheese and vegetables occasionally. Drain, reserving marinade. Arrange on serving platter. Serve with reserved marinade. Rice Salad Acadian One 15-ounce can green beans
Drain green beans, reserving 1/3 bean liquid in a small mixing bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, place drained beans, rice, tomatoes, green onions, drained black-eyed peas, oregano and thyme. Mix gently. To bean liquid in small bowl, add cayenne pepper, red wine vinegar and mustard. Whisk in ingredients together. Pour over salad and gently mix. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Toss again before serving.
Only in America ...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. ...are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
....do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. ...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke. ...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters. ...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage. ...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place. ...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight. ...do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'. ...do we have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering. Have you ever wondered... ...why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? ...why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed? ...why you never see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"? ...why "abbreviated" is such a long word? ...why doctors call what they do "practice"? ...why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on "Start"? ...why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons? ...why the man who invests all your money is called a broker? ...why the time of day with the slowest traffic is called rush hour? ...why there isn't mouse-flavored cat food? ...who tested the new, better tasting dog food? ...why didn't Noah just swat those two mosquitoes? ...why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections? ...why sheep don't shrink when it rains? ...why they are called apartments when they are all stuck together? While trying to escape through Pakistan, Osama Bin Laden found a bottle on a beach and picked it up. Suddenly, a female genie rose from the bottle and with a smile said "Master, may I grant you one wish?" "You ignorant unworthy daughter-of-a-dog! Don't you know who I am? I don't need any common woman giving me anything" barked Bin Laden. The shocked genie said "Please, I must grant you a wish or I will be returned to that bottle forever." Osama thought a moment. Then grumbled about the impertinence of the woman, and said "Very well, I want to awaken with three white women in my bed in the morning, so just do it and be off with you !" The annoyed genie said, "So be it !" and disappeared. The next morning Bin Laden woke up in bed with Lorena Bobbitt, Tonya Harding, and Hillary Clinton. His manhood was gone, his knees were broken, and he had no health insurance. God is good
Better barter—A unique method to satisfy real needs
A workable method of barter can be of great benefit to homesteaders. It enables them to exchange whatever they have in abundance for those goods and services they are unable or unwilling to provide for themselves. Unfortunately, truly workable barter systems are far and few between. For many people, the word barter conjures ancient images of sailing vessels off-loading silks and spices at primitive quay while taking on containers of olives and wine. Other folks may picture a trapper clad in buckskins, trading furs for flour and salt, while others might see a present-day image of gardeners exchanging precious heirloom seeds for some rare bulbs or shrubs. While many barter methods and their variations exist, most contemporary participants find them unsuitable to their needs. Those who seek to avoid government scrutiny or losses due to excessive taxation find that today’s computerized, cleverly formalized barter systems have even more liabilities than does a simple exchange of cash. Some folks find their attempts at non-monetary exchange to be clumsy, and feel insecure about whether they are getting fair return in a trade. It’s amazing how many people can’t fathom that the three hours Bill spent pruning Bob’s fruit trees are worth a couple cases of apples at harvest time. We’ve been so programmed by the media and the marketplace that we’ve lost the ability to sense the intrinsic worth of a product, service, knowledge, or skill. The sad fact is that few people today can measure worth without relying upon a monetary system created by centralized, monopolistic profiteers who have only their own interests at stake. Greed itself is one of the major stumbling blocks that impedes modern barter. An equally significant shortcoming of today’s attempts at non-monetary exchange is the failure to pass the test of longevity. Homesteaders and others who try to live “back-to-the-basics” lifestyles need a system of barter that works for them on a regular basis. People who live in tune with annual cycles such as planting and harvest must be relatively sure that the extra crops they invest time and energy into in May, or the extra craft products they make over the winter will be of use when it is time to exchange them for something else. Jane and Joe aren’t likely to put out the effort it takes to net, clean, and smoke a few dozen extra salmon fillets unless they know that they can trade that excess for a few hundredweight of spuds and carrots from Marty and Mary in late September. Time and labor are even more important than money in a homestead or backwoods environment, and if a system of exchange fails to fit the need to plan ahead, it is unlikely to survive longer than the first few exchanges. It is hard to say exactly when I found a barter system that transcended these problems, but it began to evolve when I was farming in Oregon in the 1980s. During harvest season, I had lots of extra fruit and vegetables but very little time for doing my own canning. Through my local food co-op I found several families who lacked sufficient garden space to grow their own produce. We agreed that I would supply them with as much as they wanted in return for one jar of preserved food from each load they processed. They were all quite experienced with pressure cookers and canners, so the quality of what they produced for me was excellent, and I was able to sample dozens of heirloom recipes for pickles, jams, chutneys and other preserves. The deal worked well. They obtained the necessary organic produce to store away for winter and I received the safe, organic canned goods I needed for my own food security. With slight variations, the system included other produce for their root cellars, and I sometimes took other goods or services as recompense. A problem with my truck was solved by a friend who had better mechanical skills than I, and I figured that was a good exchange for the peaches I dropped off that day. I noticed that the nature of the participants themselves quickly affected the way we bartered. While these friends were rather frugal, they were also quite generous, especially to people they had found good to work with. Nearly all of them added extras to the food they gave me, and that inspired me to be generous to them in turn. As time went on, this method of trading goods and services began to involve other people, sometimes without me being directly “in the loop.” People would use canned goods, some originating from me and some not, to trade with folks who had not been initially involved. Most likely some of this barter existed before I started my exchange, but I believe that in this case, one person’s abundance and his willingness to promote the idea of bartering was a way of unlocking people’s natural enthusiasm, skills, and other resources, for the benefit of everyone. The system also passed the test of longevity. All those involved knew they could count on everyone else at the same time each year. The exchange even endured the loss of its original supplier. When folks found that I was moving to Alaska, they sought out other sources of organic produce, and came up with ways to offer things in exchange that were needed by the new producers. The last I heard, the system is thriving, and without any form of overt organization other than an informal phone tree that alerts folks to when certain things will be available for canning or other processing. When I came North in 1989, I wondered if some similar method of exchange was or could be used in my new environs. The only existing barter arrangements I discovered were those limited to simple trades between two individuals at a time, most often involving goods such as the fish and game found in abundance here, or the labor necessary for building and maintaining boats and cabins. I looked to see how my own skills might fit in, and discovered that my ability to grow good food, especially spuds and carrots, constituted a barterable asset. Food is expensive in Alaska, primarily due to the cost of shipping, and freshness suffers from the several days spent on a barge and in warehouses before it reaches consumers. While wages here can be good when the economy is booming, they are often seasonal, and insufficient to keep up with the cost of imported goods. Folks need to cut costs as much as they can, and barter eliminates several middlemen who take a big chunk of the pie when we rely on store-bought. Once I realized that my farm skills and products were in demand, I looked for ways to exchange them for what I needed. I had no boat or gear, and at the time was quite uninformed on how fish were gathered when they are the major source of animal protein in one’s diet. In exchange for my produce, I wanted to receive fish, but I especially wanted to gain the knowledge of how to gather and process the quantity of fish I needed for myself, my cats, and my dogs. What I was learning was that most Alaskans are quite independent, and prize their daily freedom. Unfortunately in some cases that picture of freedom meant that what I thought was a firm barter agreement might not be such in someone else’s eyes, or at least not at the time and place or in the manner in which I thought. It was not simply a matter of learning who to deal with. It also involved my learning about what suited other people and their needs as much as my own. I often found that someone initially difficult for me to barter with became a great associate when conditions were correct for maximizing the worth of what each of us had to offer. In Alaska’s rural environs, it boils down to the fact that while we are independent and quite willing to go-it-alone if need be, we also realize the great value of cooperating with well-chosen associates, benefiting from the often unique expertise held by many of those who come North not for the illusion of big money, but simply to live well utilizing the abundant resources of Nature. A needed skill for successful newcomers, or Cheechakos as they are called in Alaska, is the willingness to recognize and appreciate the wisdom of those who have been here for awhile. This affects the barter system by adding informal apprenticeships to the mix. Nearly all newcomers find folks willing to share the knowledge of how to obtain food and shelter, in exchange for a bit of labor alongside those who know the ropes. Such new arrivals get the hands-on experience needed for surviving in an unforgiving land where preparation for winter is a life-or-death matter, but they also find themselves rewarded with tangibles as well, such as part of the harvest. At the end of my first day at a subsistence net and cleaning table, I was amazed by the quantity of salmon that was my share. I had more fish than I had ever seen. I made a number of useful barter contacts at a local natural foods store, but the people who really influenced the evolution of this barter method encountered me entirely by accident. Softball is rather popular in the North, and as I sat in the dugout one day, waiting my turn to bat, the conversation turned to my potato crop. The woman who played second base for us mentioned that she was too busy working for the city to have time for gardening, and her boyfriend’s summer hours were occupied on his commercial fishing boat. I offered to trade spuds for fish, and when her boyfriend showed up to watch the last couple of innings, we talked over the possibilities. Due to that chance encounter, I had no need to do any subsistence fishing that year. I started giving them vegetables for home use and for weekly fishing trips, and soon I had as much fish as I could use. King, tanner, and dungeness crab, steamer, razor, and cockle clams, several species of salmon, and loads of halibut soon graced my table and filled my freezer. I felt I was getting way more than I was giving in return, so I tried to keep track of the value so I could make it even with a load of spuds and root crops for them at the end of the season. But, try as I might, a funny thing happened to that idea. Every time I mentioned the imbalance to my barter associates, and said I wanted to make sure they were getting their fair share, they cheerfully brushed my suggestion aside, saying things like, “Oh, don’t worry about it. We’ve got plenty. It will all even out one of these days.” After what seemed like dozen attempts, I finally caught onto what they were saying. This northern land and its oceans offer food in such abundance to those willing to work their butts off during the summer, and if we allow ourselves to really be part of that abundance, there is so much extra to go around that keeping track of who got what is a waste of time. Once I got the hang of the concept, I really got into the spirit of abundance. I found myself supplying them with eggs, pork, homemade hams and bacon, home-brew, a turkey for Thanksgiving and another at Christmas, lamb, root crops for their cellar, and whatever summer greens they could use in season. On the last halibut trip of the year, they stopped off and took several deer which they shared with me. When they went hunting for black bear, I supplied the pork fat for making sausage, and was rewarded generously with some of the finished product. Soon the enthusiasm spread, and other friends were bringing me caribou, moose, clams, fireweed honey, beeswax, and candles. One day I exchanged a fleece from one of my sheep for a home-knit cap, and once I came home and found a bag with about forty pounds of King crab hanging on my doorknob. We didn’t keep track anymore, and yet we all had enough, even during a couple of poor fishing seasons and a bad year for potatoes. Once again, folks found out that they each had something that other people thought was worth trading for, and the less we tabulated the value of the bartered goods and services, the more individual creativity and effort blossomed. One of my favorite families to barter with back in Oregon eventually moved to the Kenai themselves, and we immediately renewed our cooperation. I found them their first Alaskan place to reside, and soon they were helping me butcher my pigs in exchange for some of the meat. Their participation evolved along with the new circumstances and conditions they found here. Eventually I left the Kenai Peninsula and moved to the Southeast Panhandle region of the state, but what I had learned in Homer came with me. In the bays and among the islands of this misty coastline I’ve found many more folks who have abundance with which to barter, and I’ve continued to produce vegetables and fruit as my own contribution. The idea seems to catch on wherever it’s tried, but some communities and areas seem more suited for this form of barter. The success is dependent upon several factors, not the least of which is access to abundant resources for small-scale harvesters who use gear that is affordable. That’s true whether someone is gathering fish, berries, or timber for adding to the barter system. If a region’s economy or political climate is such that only big outfits can operate, folks who live on a smaller scale will lack the expensive equipment and the legal access to the resources. There is constant pressure based on an illusion of economy of scale that promotes large-scale resource harvesting instead of making things available in amounts useable by small-holders. The nature of the resources themselves is another determining factor in whether such a barter system will work in a particular area. In Alaska, there are so many things that can be gathered that are directly useable by the majority of people in the area, such as salmon, cedar, venison, produce and wildcrafted foods and goods. If the majority of products of a region are suitable only for export or mass-marketing, or are useable only after a lot of energy-intensive hi-tech processing, then they aren’t really appropriate for bartering to the people who lead simpler lives. If it’s edible, used for shelter, or can be made into tools and clothing with low-technology methods then an item is appropriate to our evolving homestead barter system. The nature of the people here is also conducive to an informal system of exchange. Most folks are willing to give other people a chance to find or develop their own niche in a barter economy, and sometimes will help them towards that end. I don’t know if it’s simply due to living a simpler life in closer contact with what really matters, or if it’s a matter of the seriousness of survival in a harsher climate and more rugged terrain. All I know is that this northern land seems to be perfect for the further evolution of a simple system of barter that began for me over a decade ago, thousands of miles away. Whatever the basis for its development is, I am grateful, because I can now participate in a highly flexible, enduring, and efficient method of exchange that is free from taxation and government scrutiny and interference. It is a system that supplies much of what I need but cannot produce myself, and it fosters a sense of community self-reliance while encouraging each of us to offer that community the products of our own inventiveness and hard work.
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