Alaskan's Journal

[HomesteaderWife]

I read over it and am very grateful! Give me just a bit to reply as I got busy!

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@Alaskan - Firstly, thank you for taking the time to explain things so well and really give your input. I am super appreciative for this! I have definitely taken down the book suggestions.

We actually did request some info from fish/game awhile back, including a PDF of their game cookbook and a video they sent over on processing game. We also got copies of their most recent regulations to look over.

I am extremely interested in proper meat handling, and use of local wild berries. Blueberries especially! I hear a lot of sourdough starter and using it for cooking- any tips on making the starter or cooking with it? I have been looking into smokehouse construction for fish. Squirrels are definitely around here too- I'll skin and tan them anytime we get one. I hear the tails are great for fly-fishing lures.

I appreciate the advice on clothing, and where to look for it. Since you moved from the South, I'm sure you know cotton is the dominant clothing material. As for basic repairs, I've done work on 4-wheelers in the past and my husband is vehicle/tractor savvy. I'd have print manuals on hand for whatever vehicle(s) we had. No computerized fancy vehicle that requires a shop to just get the transmission fluid changed.

As for building, we're getting into that already. Our first cabin was lumber we milled ourselves, but this one is logs and hand tools/chainsaw. These were bigger logs, but we have in mind side projects for sheds/coops/etc using smaller logs to continue learning. I love our chicken coop he notched up awhile back. I've got a good recipe for chinking I use with wood ash, salt, clay, and water.

I also appreciate the info on gardening - I can't imagine the difference from our land of corn down here. A greenhouse is on the list of something to construct for sure.

Other than that, I am also very interested in skinning and tanning up that way. I do it any chance I get here, even as small as rabbit and squirrel. Expect to have plenty of wood ash to de-hair if need be (thinking of rawhide for lashing, snow shoes, etc). Alum would probably be too expensive, especially for larger hides, so brain-tanning it is. Plan to invest in a much better skinning set and possibly learn to take scrap metal and forge for a flesher. I've also got a few ideas on making scrapers/fleshers from larger leg and scapula bones (moose, caribou...deer here are too small). All this being said, I really want to learn how Natives have made their clothing and tools over time there and do the same. Would like to respectfully get to the cultural museums and find books on their history for this purpose.

 

[Alaskan]

I am extremely interested in proper meat handling, and use of local wild berries. Blueberries especially!

Well... some proper meat handling will be in the fish and game hunting guide.

Other than that... depends on what you want to do with the meat (dry, freeze, can, etc.)

Berries like cranberries are great just put in a paper bag and frozen, since that makes them sweeter.

All other berries, dry them or make jelly or make wine. You can freeze them too, but they will get mushy.

Blueberries like specific habitats... so it depends on where you are as to if that can be a primary berry for you. For example South East Alaska has oodles of Salmon berries, but not as many blueberries.

I hear a lot of sourdough starter and using it for cooking- any tips on making the starter or cooking with it?

Sourdough is usually the kind of thing you get from a neighbor. People who have sourdough are always happy to give out starts. It takes some time to get used to "feeding it" and that sort of thing. We used to have Alaskan Sourdough that we got from someone or other.... but turns out one of our kids is celiac... so we haven't done that for years now.

Sourdough is really just a way to always have yeast on hand... since shipping stuff used to be so problematic. You just used the Sourdough in whatever recipe called for yeast. It does work slower than regular store bought yeast...but that makes the bread chewer (which I like), and gives the bread a tang.

Each strain of Sourdough has slightly different qualities, which is fun. (Like stronger taste...or whatever)

I have been looking into smokehouse construction for fish.

Dang All! I just googled about... can't find a picture of the coolest smoke house I ever did see, nothing even similar.

Anyway, it was 4 posts holding up a roof, maybe an 8x8. Two walls open.

South wall had the top half plastic whatever to block wind but provide light, and an easy to clean work counter.

West wall was half work counter and half ground to pretty high up smoker. (So smoke box was an elevated maybe 4 feet wide by 5 feet tall). Fire could be put below or to north side of smoke box (depending on how much heat you wanted...hot or cold smoke). Lots of racks were in the smoker box. It was a nice big size, lots of space.

A greenhouse is on the list of something to construct for sure.

Make sure you make it so you can easily take it apart in the winter....or it is strong enough to withstand lots of snow and wind. I am strongly opposed to shoveling roofs.

Also, I have my chicken coop set up so that the chickens can access the greenhouse in the winter time. I highly recommend a similar setup.

I've also got a few ideas on making scrapers/fleshers from larger leg and scapula bones (moose, caribou...deer here are too small).

Caribou are only in some areas of Alaska. Moose regulations are pretty tight, can't usually get many (or any depending on your luck). You can be asked to be put on the road kill list. When a moose is killed by a car, the troopers call the list of numbers they have, first one to answer the phone and promise to run right out and get the moose, gets the moose.

The areas of Alaska that have deer usually have better/more generous hunting regs for those. So, 6 deer, of any kind, per year was the regulation for Cordova this past year. Much easier to find meat with such easy regulations..... but there are only a few areas with deer.

Which is why... if you are subsisting on hunting you usually focus on rabbit, squirrel and salmon. Unless of course you happen to live in the middle of a deer or caribou area.

 

[Alaskan]

Oh... and if you are in the right spot... then birds can be good hunting too.

 

[Alaskan]

So... decided the kids looked mangy..

Told them today their hair would be cut.

Kid 5 said he wanted kid 3 to cut, I said great... went well.



I then told kid 3 it was his turn. I would cut his hair, or kid 4 or 5 could cut it.

Kid 3 said "but my hair is my head, if you cut it off, I will die"


I told him I would cut off his hair, if he died, I would apologize.


I also pointed out that kid 5 did not die from the hair cut.. no blood even.

Kid 3 said he was different. Cutting his hair was just like cutting off his head. I repeated... let's try and see. He said fine, but for a real experiment, I should first cut off his head...see if that killed him.

At that point... I texted spouse(I was hoping for backup).... Spouse responded with a gif... the one with Thor asking to not get his hair cut off. And added that kid 3's argument was quite logical.

Kid 3 didn't get a hair cut

 

[Mike CHS]

Thank you for the laugh.

 

[Bruce]

So Kid 3 thinks he is Sampson?

And did kid 5 get his hair glued back on?

 

[Alaskan]

Yes, yes, Sampson was brought up.

But kid 5 did not try to glue his hair back on.

Both kid 4 and 5 got haircuts... and kid 3 is still fluffy headed.

Silly boys.

 

[Alaskan]

Talking of silly... besides half of my dining room table being covered in tools, and a mound of snow machine parts between the living and dining areas of the great room, and the router in the middle of my livingroom...

My parking area now looks like this:

It is mostly the fault of kid 3. I think it is great, and funny. Spouse thinks at some point snow machine parts should not be in the main room of the house.

I think we now have 2 4-wheelers and maybe 7 snowmachines... hard to keep track on the snowmachines.

 

[Bruce]

I think you need some plows for the snow machines.

I do have to agree about snow machine parts strewn through the house. Maybe kid 3 can build himself a heated snow machine workshop.