- Thread starter
- #831
Alaskan
Herd Master
Ha!
Then they would be a great pair!
Then they would be a great pair!
Alaskan's Journal
- Thread starter Alaskan
- Start date
Bruce
Herd Master
Did Baby Bug get REAL maple syrup with her pancakes?
- Thread starter
- #833
Alaskan
Herd Master
Of course not! 
The kids know her food has to be way low in salt and sugar. So she had her pancakes plain!
The kids know her food has to be way low in salt and sugar. So she had her pancakes plain!
Bruce
Herd Master
Poor bug.
HomesteaderWife
Herd Master
@Alaskan - Our dreams for moving that way one day still stand firm. For the time being, I really would love any suggestions you have for good books on wildlife, heritage, building/living, and just general non-fiction books about Alaska if you have any please. I am a fan of books in the hand to learn by. Even some good cookbooks if you know of any?
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- Thread starter
- #836
Alaskan
Herd Master
Huh.
Ponder.
Well... there are lots of books out there....
Depends on what you want, sadly I don't have a good list for you......
This one:
Homesteader Handbook: The Alaska Book of Knowledge by Tricia Brown
Looks good, haven't read it though.
For practical wildlife tips, I really like the stuff the Alaska Department of Fish and Game put out.
Most of their info is on their website, so not books...
As an example, here is a link to their bear safety page: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/?adfg=livingwithbears.bearcountry
They also have moose info, and in their hunting guide they go over meat safety. So for example both lynx and bear in Alaska can carry Trichinosis which means cook it well, no jerky. I think they have a basic canning guide too... anyway, great resource.
There are some great mushrooms in Alaska, a good BEGINNING is this book:
Alaska Mushrooms: a practical guide
But you also need a more detailed book on mushrooms, and I really didn't get going on mushrooms until I went to a local hands on class. Just there is lots that you need to learn with mushrooms. But if you learn about the ones in your local area, maybe find a class there to attend, that would be a great boost. I have a couple different full mushroom guides... eh... I don't recommend one over the other... just get a detailed one that covers North America or North Western US.... there is no super good detailed Alaska only mushroom book that I know of... but I haven't looked for awhile.
Alaska is the land of berries... and for berries all you need is this:
Alaska's Wild Berries and Berry Like Fruit Book by Verna Pratt
Love that book... sized for a big pocket, easy to find stuff in the book, it covers everything. I love it. Perfect book.
Other homestead stuff:
Learn to can and put stuff by. And find a book on everything in the world that you can do with salmon. Can, smoke, jerk salmon. Salmon... the food of everyone, but especially the poor. There are LOTS of Alaska cook books and Alaska salmon books... don't know which to recommend though.
Get good at butchering everything... lots of squirrels up here...
Other than that...
General knowhow is great. Basic car and motor repair, knowledge of snow machines, 4-wheelers, and tractors sure is helpful.
Learn how to start a fire in a cruddy stove, split and stack wood so it dries well
Remember that COTTON KILLS. You need plastic of whatever kind, or silk or wool. Layers. Layers... lots of layers. The fancier Longjohns adjust pretty well from warm house to cold outside. If you want to be happy, learn to love hats, tight wind proof hats are great. Remember when they rate boots that is the temp you are happy at when active. So if you are standing around at 0F, you probably need boots rated for -30F. Best place to buy good cold weather stuff is at an Alaskan thrift store, or Sierra Trading Post, especially with a coupon in addition to their clearance section.
Shuffle when you walk whenever there is a chance of ice.
And people drive differently up here too.. slow gentle turns, never brake right before a turn (right before a turn is often where the ice is). Careful with the breaks, and memorize where the shoulders are, the ditches are, and the lines on the roads and the parking lots are... because it will all be hidden for 3 to 9 months each year, but you still need to know where they are.
A basic idea of how to build is great... but I am sure any building how to book would help.
Most of the dumps in Alaska are pro-scrounging and have a designated construction trash area. Great resource for free building materials.
Any boat gear place or harbor will probably have free fish net to use for fencing, trellises, or chicken run tops.
Any boat harbor will probably have a trash box just for fish guts and heads if you want to grab some for free... local rivers during the salmon seasons are also a good place for free heads and guts. Heads are for soup, guts are for the garden... but bury the guts deep or have a bear proof garden.
Facebook groups in Alaska are HUGE and are THE way people up here communicate to sell stuff, local happenings, swap, etc.
Craigslist is used, and there are still some Bush lines... but Facebook is the main communication.
As to gardening... huge difference depending on where you are.. where I am I get close to zero summer heat... so without a greenhouse or high tunnel all I can grow is super fast cool season plants.
carrots, cabbage, peas, potatoes, all leafy greens. Make sure you pick FAST carrots and potatoes... but those are our main staples. Grow as much as you can, they store well. Nothing grows as sweet an an Alaskan carrot... must be the soil.
When picking which seeds for greens you want stuff that says it will not bolt (go to seed). With all of our sun, everything wants to bolt. Some of the hot area lettuces have been bred for slow bolting and do great here in our cold weather... as long as they grow FAST. Another way to combat bolting is to just harvest it young and replant new seeds every week... or whatever.Best gardening advice:
1. when the snow starts to melt put a thin dust of ash over the beds to make the snow melt faster
2. As soon as you see dirt in the beds put clear plastic, fogged windows... something similar over the beds to get the soil to heat up
3. As soon as all the weed seeds sprout, hoe them, or toss in the chickens
4. (Remove chickens) Plant the seeds, recover with plastic, remove plastic once they sprout up tall enough (you don't want them touching the plastic)
- Thread starter
- #837
Alaskan
Herd Master
Oops.
Well, I wrote you a book didn't I?
Well, I wrote you a book didn't I?
- Thread starter
- #838
Alaskan
Herd Master
Any specific questions on that book that I wrote?
RollingAcres
Herd Master
