Wild Brew Part Two!

Blackberry Spice Bush Mead

It was finally time. A month had gone by and it was time to bottle my Spice Bush Amber Ale and my Blackberry Spice Bush Mead. The Wild Blackberry Wine was still bubbling pretty steadily, so it gets to ferment a while longer. These are the intoxicants my daughter and I learned to make at Tim MacWelch's Wild Brew 101 class last month.

I broke out the plastic tubing and siphoned off the ale and added the priming sugar. Yes Tim, I was very careful to add exactly the amount you said so I didn't make beer bombs instead of beer. (Wouldn't  blowing up that fantastic ale be a terrible case of alcohol abuse?) In about a week, I'll chill them and try not to drink them all before my daughter gets a chance to visit and drink hers. I am fairly certain drinking her share is wrong.

The mead was next up for bottling. I did taste a little bit as I was bottling and it was very good. It will be even better after aging a while. It also looks lovely in the bottles.

In the spirit of wild brewing, I decided to build on Tim's class and also started a batch of peach wine today. It is currently in a five gallon bucket starting stage one of fermentation. I think it is going to turn out well. The must is mostly white peaches with a few yellow peaches to add a little variety to the flavor. One of the great things about making my own wine is that I can leave out the sulfites by pasteurizing the fruit to kill the wild yeast.

By the way, it takes a long time to pit and chop up 13 pounds of peaches for five gallons of wine, but I am fairly certain this is a very valuable survival skill!

Can I drink NOW?

Summer Wild Edibles and Wild Brew! Woohoo!

After a break to accommodate real life and my addictions to pick-your-own farms and canning, I finally made it back to one of Tim MacWelch's (@timmacwelch) wild edibles classes and a wild brewing class. This time I dragged my daughter along as well. (Okay, getting a 22-year-old to a brewing class didn't require much dragging.)

Dried Sassafras Leaves

Of the edibles classes so far, the summer class was one of the best and I have to credit the blackberries. I love summer fruits and I'd have been perfectly happy if all we did was park in front of the blackberry bramble to graze.

It was a large class, but we were still able to cover a lot of ground. I know. I have the step count on my pedometer to prove it. I learned a few new plants and was able to identify a few that changed their appearance for summer.

I also got to bring home some sassafras from the Wild Brew class and I dried the leaves and will go into some stew or gumbo this fall. The roots will most likely end up in a soda or an ale. I haven't decided yet.

The ale brewing
over the campfire.

Mallory adding
the spice bush
to the ale.

Wild brewing was a blast and not just because Tim brought samples.  We started off the morning with a maple wine toast to the day, then jumped into brewing basics and beer brewing. It took some discussion, but the group finally decided on a Spice Bush Amber Ale. The students set off to find the spice bush from the previous day's class. Thankfully, we had a ringer who knew the property. A friend of Tim's was there to chaperon or I'd have been lost for sure. (I can get lost in my own small condo!) Mallory got to add the spice bush and pitch the yeast for the ale.

Moving on to the wine, we knew we'd be doing blackberries and all of us (except Tim - he's a sly one) braved the blackberry brambles, ticks, and sun to acquire our three pounds of wine in waiting. This wine will be amazing considering the blood, sweat, and tears we all shed for it.

Blackberry Spice Bush Mead
in the making.

Tim's hibiscus flower mead  rounded out our afternoon break and set the mood for the final project - mead!

The flavorings for the mead were a source of great discussion. We considered a great many things, even wild carrot, but finally settled on blackberry and spice bush. We had enough leftover from bottling that we all got a taste of the unfermented juice. It tasted fantastic. It is going to be a fantastic mead.

Mallory had enough fun in the class, she's all set to start brewing at home too. She's scouted out the local brewing store and priced out the basic supplies on Amazon already. She's got a steady supply of bottles courtesy of her also 22-year-old friends.

The class was also great fodder for things you don't normally hear in conversation:

• "Kiddo, please get the blackberry branch off my butt."
• "Burn that sum'bitch. Burn him. Burn him." (about a tick found on someone's pants)
• "A tick will turn a die-hard pacifist into cold-blooded killer."
• "This stick smells like french fries." (About the oak stick we stirred the ale with.)

Ale, Wine, Mead

Prepping and Preserving!

After a few weeks of mostly pleasant distractions (Kiddo's graduation yay, vacation yay, the flu BOO!), I am finally settling back into my routine. I'm back at walking, surviving, and prepping. This weekend was all about strawberries. Finding them, picking them, preserving them.

Hollins Farm Strawberry Patch

On Saturday, I found a wonderful pick-your-own fruits and veggies farm not too far out of town, Hollins Farm. It's right next to Sky Meadows State Park, so next time I go out, I think I will do a hike at the park first, then go picking. The drive is really pretty too.

The weather was perfect. Not too hot, and just enough clouds to keep the sun from really beating down on you. It was almost as perfect as the strawberries, which were amazing. 

I picked a whole flat. Took about an hour, which my legs are now telling me is a lot like doing squats for an hour. That's dangerously close to exercise! I got out there in the afternoon, so by the time I got home it was a little late to start jam making, so I put up all the fruit and the spring greens I picked.

Sunday, it was time to make the jam. Strawberry jam is one of my favorites and I made a few variations on the classic. All total, I ended up with 27 1/2-pint jars. All 27 sealed perfectly. I love listening to the lids pop as the pressure seals the jar. It is such a satisfying sound.

Strawberry balsamic jam adds in a little balsamic vinegar instead of some of the lemon juice normally in the jam. You don't  taste the vinegar, but it really amplifies the strawberry flavor. 

For a summery twist, I made lemony strawberry jam adds some lemon zest to the jam and adds a lemony zing to the jam.Most jam has some sort of citrus juice to get the acid balance right for canning, but you don't usually taste it.

Peppered strawberry jam adds just a half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to the jam right before putting it in the jars. It give the jam just a little bit of kick and black pepper and strawberries go surprisingly well together.

Canning is one of my favorite cooking pastimes. Besides being fun, it is also nice to start restocking my prepping shelves. The gals at Hollins said that sour cherries might be ready next weekend! Sour cherry conserves, anyone?

Some adorable mutant strawberries I found.

Happy Times Round Up!

The last two weeks have been busy. I watched my daughter graduate with honors from Kent State University. That is the proudest moment of my life. After that, Kiddo and I went to Universal Studios Orlando for a few days vacation.

It was tough on vacation. I had to endure a luxury hotel, theme parks, rides, great food, drinks by the pool, and great weather. I'm not quite sure how we did it. It was a completely foreign experience to be on vacation and not chaperoning 200+ band, orchestra, and choir kids. I wasn't quite sure what to do.

Gringott's

I have to give kudos to Universal Studios. They did an amazing job recreating Harry Potter's Diagon Alley from the movies. The details were fantastic. The Escape From Gringott's ride was a lot of fun as well. My daughter and I, both big Harry Potter nerds, had more fun than should be allowed exploring both Hogsmeade (Universal Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (Universal Studios).

The performers and the staff did a fantastic job bringing it to life. We enjoyed the Frog Choir, Tri-Wizard Pep Rally, and Celestina Warbeck. The singer who portrays Celestina has an incredible voice. I wish she'd performed more than three songs, but in the Orlando heat, I understand why the performances are short. The kids are out there in full Hogwards uniforms - shirts, sweaters, pants, and robes. Ick! I was hot in shorts and a t-shirt!

The Frog Choir

Krusty Burger

Based upon Facebook likes from family and friends, Universal did a great job on the Simpsons section of the theme park as well. We have a dear friend who loves the Simpsons, so we made sure to get plenty of photos there.  We even picked up a couple of things at the Kwik E Mart.

Kiddo rode more rides than I did because I am kind of a scaredy cat. I have somewhat more than a mild fear of heights, so the big roller coasters kind of freak me out. I love watching people though, so I had plenty of entertainment while she was on the roller coasters.

The Beach Pool

Every evening, we struggled. It was brutal being forced to sit by the beach pool while kind waiters brought us drinks. It has been a very long time since I have been that relaxed. It was amazing to just sit back and not worry about anything. I'm not used to that, but I could suffer through it. I'd probably need to practice it over and over.

Vacation!

Just a quick update to say that posts will be sparse for a couple of weeks while I'm off to see my daughter graduate from college and take a short vacation.

I'm very proud of my daughter, who is graduating with honors from university with a degree in public health. She's still looking for a job, but I have faith in her.

After graduation, we're off to spend a few days in the sun - and yes, I am packing sunscreen! I'll practice my survival skills. We'll see how I survive by the pool with a mojito in my hand. It will be rough, but I will do my best.

Expect updates when I return!

Prepping for when the SHTF and a Good Meal!

Lemon balm drying in the oven.

I tried my hand and oven-drying some of my herbs today. I know it's pretty quick after planting, but that is the advantage of starting with some slightly larger plants.

Lemon balm, basil, and the mojito mint dried today. They have a bit more moisture in the leaves than some of my other herbs, so I didn't want to leave them to air dry. Also, lemon balm retains more of its flavor when dried quicker. I used this website as my primary reference: Garden Herbs. Almost all of them had virtually identical instructions.

Basil in the oven;
mojito mint on deck

I set my oven as low as it would go (170F) and made sure to prop the door open. My oven does have a door that stays about 6" open when broiling, but that was a bit more than I wanted, so I used a wooden spoon to keep the oven vented. Since I am only doing small batches for me, it only took about an hour to dry each herb.

I think they turned out quite well. They smell great and the color is good. Most ended up nice and dark green. Some of the larger lemon balm leaves turned a little brown, but the smaller leaves stayed nice and green.

The condo smells great now too!

Top to bottom:
Lemon Balm, Basil, Mojito Mint

May's Friday Five to Follow, Especially if You're Hungry!

I must have been hungry when I chose this month's five to follow on Twitter - hungry and outdoorsy. Neither of those is unusual. It's inevitable that eventually it will show in my Twitter recommendations. Here are five that I actively look for in my feed. You should as well.

Michelle (@browneyedbaker) has a great recipe blog you should read! While I tend to get stuck in the cupcake section, she has everything from appetizers to main dishes to vegetarian dishes to cookies. And cupcakes. I love her cupcake recipes and so do my co-workers. She even has dog treat recipes. I've tried a few of them and now Michelle is a go-to for "what do I want to eat" days or when I need something for a work potluck! This snack recipe would make a great take-along for a camping trip or day hike.

Primitive Cafe (@primitive_cafe) is a great resource for wild food foragers. Run by Hue, he'll help get those edible plants from your yard to the plate in fantastic fashion. From wild bruschetta to coconut red curry soup, you'll find great recipes as well as events to attend. There are plenty of edible "weeds" out there that could easily grace your table. All you need is to learn how to identify them and prepare them. Primitive Cafe will help you do that.

The Bushcraft Journal (@TBCRAFTJOURNAL) is a great new online bushcraft magazine available by subscription. Some of the foremost experts on bushcraftt skills and outdoor survival contribute to the magazine and it is published quarterly. The publisher's goal is great and doesn't need me to re-word it: "is to cover all you need to enhance your journey in the natural world so you will be able to immerse yourself safely and comfortably in it for longer periods of time, regardless of your age or skill level or global location." Check it out!

Chris Swanda (@ChrisSwanda) is one of the cast members of one of my favorite shows, Dude, You're Screwed. He's an outdoor survivalist, knife knut, and a techie geek too. You don't often find that package, so following him will satisfy the outdoors enthusiast and the technophile in anyone. As an added bonus, he loves bacon. (FYI, never trust anyone who doesn't love bacon.) He does have a strange aversion to shoes - he did most of his episode barefoot. 

Ultimate Survival Tech (@UST_Survival) makes survival gear of all types. Firestarters, lights, cutting tools, lights, etc. are all available. I have a few of their products. I am particularly fond of their 3" ParaKnife. Mine is magenta. The sheath fits well on a woman's figure and the handle is a nice size for smaller hands. I also have a couple of their MagBar Firestarters. Well, I had a couple. My daughter absconded with one of them. I'll have to replace that. I like to have a spare.

My Twitter: @cmstevens06

Herbs Abounding!

My herb garden got planted this weekend! I also managed to split and re-pot  some of my African violets (I went from six to nine - anyone need one?), and soak my orchids. I am excited because one of my orchids is about to start blooming again!

I'd posted earlier about planning for the herb garden. As usual, planning was good, but execution went a bit overboard. The staples all made it. The newbies got shaken up a bit.

Clockwise from top left: Sage, parsley, marjoram,
thyme, chamomile, oregano, and yarrow.

The Staples

Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Parsley
Basil

The Newbies

Lemon Balm
Spearmint
Arugula (Rocket)
Bay laurel
Mojito Mint*
Yarrow*
Chamomile*
Marjoram*
Parsley*
Lavender*
Dill*

*These were not planned!

I couldn't find the spearmint or arugula. I suppose I made up for that by getting seven additional plants. The dill might not make it. When I got home, it wasn't as robust a plant as I'd thought, but I gave it a special pot and a nice sunny spot in the kitchen window. Hopefully, I can nurse it back to health.

In short order, I should be able to start plucking a leaf here and there for salads. I'm looking forward to drying the herbs and making some new remedies and teas with them. Blending my own teas will be awesome since I drink so much of it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Hiking with Your Dog - Prep for Them Too!

Sasha loves a rainy walk
on the Mount Vernon Trail.

A lot of people take their dogs along on walks, hikes, and camping trips. They are great companions. I like my dog better than most people I know. Sasha accompanies me on all my day hikes. She's a miniature Schnauzer and not terribly helpful, but she is cute and she keeps me company. She also serves as a way to slow me down when I get into "walking is also exercise" mode.

When you take your dog out on hikes and trips, you need to prepare and protect them as much as you do yourself. Are you taking water for yourself? Don't forget your dog too. They are as susceptible to giardia and other water-borne illnesses as you are. Make sure you have potable water for puppy too.

Did you pack your lunch and some extra food just in case? Pack lunch and extra food for the doggie as well. You might consider a treat or two also. Why? Because they love you. That's why.

Because hiking and bushcraft is a recently renewed interest for me, I asked my vet if there are any additional steps I should take to protect my dog. Here are a few things she recommended:

First and foremost, keep them up to date on their vaccines and flea/tick medicine. All the standards, especially rabies, are a must. You should also make sure your dog is vaccinated for Lyme disease and leptosporosis as well. Leptosporosis is a bacterial infection that is transmitted in the urine of wild animals and infected water, soil, or mud. It is most common in tropical, sub-tropical, and wet environments. It loves places with stagnant water and wild animals. It is increasingly common in the US and Canada. Remember how I said the DC area used to be a swamp?

Sasha doesn't love
closed trails.

Every time your dog rolls in that foul and enticing smell on the ground puts them - and you - at risk. That's right. You too. Leptosporosis is zoonotic. It can be transmitted to humans as well as animals. Getting your dog vaccinated protects you both and frankly, the symptoms of this disease suck.

There is some debate over this vaccine, but talk to your vet. There can be side effects, as with any medication. My dog has never had issues with it and I always get the pets with  issues.

Dogs can also contract Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, Be sure to give them their flea an tick medicine on time. There's even a chewable treat version out now that you only have to give your dog every three months. It also costs less than the equivalent number of doses of the smelly stuff you put on their skin. Ask your vet about it.

Also, if you use a retractable leash, consider using a normal, non-retractable leash instead. (I know some of you let your dog off lead, but in my area, dogs are required to be on leashes at all times.) Retractable leashes are nice. I have one for when Sasha and I walk the neighborhood. In the woods, they get tangled on branches and dogs tend to run off a bit more, then hit the end of the lead and they can get hurt when their necks get yanked back.

Hiking and camping are great fun. They are even better with your canine best bud. Just be sure you take all the safety precautions you'd take for yourself for them too.

The Next Bite - Spring Wild Edibles

Redbuds are pretty and taste good!

I got to take the next bite of wild edibles this past weekend at Tim MacWelch's Spring Wild Edibles class (Advanced Survival Training). I was excited for this one not only because the weather was (a lot) better than it was for the winter class in January, but also because I was really hoping to identify a few things on my own as well. (I did!)

We found several of the plants we were introduced to in the last class -  the common plantain, the seaside plantain, wild onions, and my favorite, the yarrow.

I learned that the weeds growing in between the pavers of my patio are Pennsylvania Bittercress, which I quite enjoy. I'd pull them up and put them in my salad if I didn't know what pesticides our homeowner's association sprayed on them. That, and the neighbor's dog pees on my patio to torment my dog. I'll find a safer place to forage.

The Pennsylvania Bittercress's cousin, Wintercress, I didn't enjoy so much. It was tasty at first, then the bitterness sneaked up on me and smacked me in the head. I'll eat it in a survival situation , but I don't think I'll be making it part of my everyday diet.

Spring Beauty
aka
The Fairy Potato

The actual Fairy Potato

My favorite of this class was the Spring Beauty, or as it was billed, the "elusive Fairy Potato". The flower is beautiful and incredibly delicate and if you dig it up, you get a tiny little potato. I was surprised how delicate the plant was.

I brought home two of the tiny potatoes and made itty bitty Fairy Potato Chips. It was a lot of work for a few tiny chips, but they were very good. I think if I cook with them again, I'll just cut them in half and drop them in a cup of soup or something.

We did find a small patch of wild strawberries. They'll be ready in June. Sadly, I won't be there for those, but maybe someone will get lucky and get a strawberry before the wild animals do.

One of the other bonuses of this class? We scoped out all the blackberries and other summer goodies are for the Summer Wild Edibles class and the Wild Brewing class - mostly the Wild Brewing class. That reminds me... I am off to empty three wine bottles for the Wild Brewing class so that we can refill them! (Don't worry. I won't empty them all at once.)

Salt and Pepper Fairy Potato Chips

Walking for Wishes Amid the Cherry Blossoms

If you are in DC and can see
the Washington Monument, you
are not lost.

Most of my walks are for me. It's a tad selfish, but hiking is what I do for me. This weekend, my walk was for sick children. I participated in the Mid-Atlantic Walk for Wishes. They raise money to grant wishes and make dreams come true for terminally ill children. My office has fielded a team for two years now. You can still support Walk for Wishes by visiting my page.

It's a great cause and a great walk. It coincides with cherry blossom season in Washington, DC. Normally, it would be right at the end of the season, but once again, the blooms are late because of a extra-long winter and late snows.

The day was gorgeous. Upper 60s Fahrenheit and sunny. The team had a lot of fun. I did get goosed by an overly friendly chocolate Lab. I sure hope it was the Lab and not her owner. We also ran into Miss Teen Washington DC, a rather impressive young lady who will compete for Miss Teen USA this fall. My co-worker's two-year-old daughter thought she was a princess. At least she wasn't singing "Let it Go"!

Here are some photos from the day.

The Enid A. Haupt Garden and Smithsonian Castle

Magnolias at the Enid A. Haupt Garden

Cherry blossoms near the Washington Monument

Cherry Blossoms

Blossoms and the crowds

Surviving DC - Tips for Tourists

It's springtime in Washington, DC. The cherry blossoms and the tourists are in bloom. I'm allergic to at least one of them.

Repairs were completed recently on the
Washington Monument after the DC earthquake.
The scaffolding was still up in this photo.

This is a gorgeous time of year to visit DC. Unfortunately, that means it is insanely crowded as well, so I thought I'd offer a few hints for visitors - some more serious than others.

Those people on the Metro reading the newspaper or staring glumly at their cup of coffee that they aren't allowed to drink? They're commuters going to work. They don't want to be there, but they have no choice and are insufficiently caffeinated. Don't poke or otherwise harass them. It's not nice to torment the animals and they bite.

Consider taking the metro after 9 a.m. on the way in and after 6:00 p.m. on the way out. It will save you some money since metro jacks up the prices during rush hour as much as $1.50 each way and it will be less busy. Commuters don't have choice when they ride. You do. Besides, early dinners are easy in DC because worker bees are leaving the city.

Walk left, stand right on Metro escalators lest you get run over. Seriously.

DC is loaded with great photo opportunities. All of them can be taken without standing in the middle of the street. It's a bad idea. The buses will take you out. (VERY serious. Buses have huge blind spots and you're not bigger than them.) I will never understand this one. Do you stand in the middle of busy streets at home?

The pond around Constitution Gardens

Visit the Mall and all the popular monuments. Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, MLK... They are all beautiful, but consider consider visiting the Roosevelt Memorial and other lesser known monuments. The Ford Theater is fascinating. Buy tickets online ahead of time. I also like the Constitution Gardens.

Spend lots of money. DC needs all the revenue it can get.

If you ask which way to the Smithsonian, don't be surprised if the person you asked sighs. There are 19 Smithsonian museums, including two Air and Space museums. (One is on the Mall and one is near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.) You should know which Smithsonian you want to go to.

Most of all, enjoy your visit!

Nature in the Neighborhood - I Almost Forgot it was There

I'm not a fan of living in the suburbs, but I try to remember that it can be pretty and not totally devoid of nature. All I have to do is remember to look.

Sasha and I wandered the neighborhood today, stopped to smell the flowers (the roses aren't in bloom yet), and meet all the other neighbors out doing the same thing. We met quite a few other dogs along the way and they all happily sniffed and ran. I was reminded why of all the neighborhoods I could have picked to live, I picked this one. It really is quite pretty, especially in the springtime. 

Spring is a little late here thanks to a harsh winter, but it is finally starting to peek through. The daffodils and hyacinth are just starting to bloom. The magnolias are just now budding out. A few are starting to open, but only the ones that get plenty of sunshine. The trees on the shady streets are still quite a bit behind. Most noticeably, we still have no cherry blossoms - not even in DC. Maybe by Monday there will be a few there.

Every once in a while, you should take the time to remind yourself that there is something beautiful to inspire wonder no matter where you are.

Sasha was sad that part of our path was
closed due to construction.

Our woods still haven't really greened up. Normally, everything would be
bright and springy by now.

April's Five to Follow - No Fooling!

It's the start of another month and allegedly it is spring time. It also means I should probably write my monthly post about some of my favorite Twitter people. (I refuse to uses the term "tweeps" because it sounds stupid and I don't follow stupid people.) April's Five to Follow  for #FF are smart, punny, and loaded with great photography.

Tristan Gooley (@NaturalNav) is the author of The Natural Navigator: The Rediscovered Art of Letting Nature Be Your Guide. I am pretty sure you could drop him anywhere on the planet and he'd be able to tell you the way home in no time. What is more impressive is that he can explain it in a way that makes sense even to me and I get turned around in my own home! (I'm still going to have to read his book twice. No one is THAT good.) His Twitter feed is full of great tips, beautiful photos, and interesting nature articles.

George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) is one of the punniest men on the internet, and I love a good pun. There are few things more entertaining - and harder to pull off - than a well-crafted word game. Of course, he is also one of the best characters EVER on Star Trek and I am a long-time Trekker. On a serious note, his quest to ensure this country doesn't forget its dark past and the internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans during WWII is near to my heart. Anyone who strives to keep our history alive is a hero to me.

Dude You're Booked (@DudeYoureBooked) is a Twitter book club started by three fans of the TV show Dude, You're Screwed. The stars (Terry Schappert, John Hudson, Jake Zweig, Chris Swanda, Casey Anderson, and Tim Smith) recommend so many good books via their Twitter feeds that we couldn't keep up, so we created an Amazon wishlist to accompany the Dude, You're Booked feed. Matt Graham doesn't do social media, but his book due out this summer is on the list. The face of the club changes every month and the Dudes keep us supplied with new book suggestions.

Survival Sherpa (@SurvivalSherpa) is a bushcraft and survivalist guru. (What? You thought I'd have a Five to Follow without a survival guy?) His blog is a wealth of information and and his Twitter feed is loaded with useful links to other resources as well. You'll learn about making primitive pottery, lashing (posts, not people), making a "plumber's stove on steroids", and so much more. His blog has DIY projects, wood craft ideas and so much more! Plus, he's a tad cheeky. You gotta love that!

Yonder App (@YonderApp) is the Twitter feed for a mobile app for the outdoorsy types. My favorite Crazy Goat Farmer told me about this one. (Truthfully, I'm surprised he found it!)  It's a photos-only feed of people out exploring Mother Nature. You can follow others just like any other social media. The difference is you don't have to filter out subjects you don't really care about. It is just an endless feed of incredible scenery and ideas for your travel bucket list.

My Twitter: @cmstevens06

Are You Prepared for Anything? No? Then Get this Book!

It was a busy - and tiring - weekend with two college-aged girls visiting. My daughter and her girlfriend spent half of their spring break with me this weekend. Since my daughter spend the first half of her spring break camping in Georgia, she was more interested in free laundry facilities than activities. Of course, this distraction left me at a loss for a post this week. Or at least at a loss for a post not about endless loads of stinky, college, camping laundry. Then I remembered that I'd just finished Tim MacWelch's book, Prepare for Anything Survival Manual.

I picked up the book after taking one of Tim's classes (Winter Wild Edibles) and put it in my to-read pile. It's a rather large stack and I didn't get to it right away. When I did, I was happily surprised. It is a fun read and Tim's sense of humor definitely comes through in his writing. (On canning food, "Drop Some Acid". Tip #179) This is not your gloom and doom end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it survival manual. I don't do gloom and doom. I try to take as little as possible too seriously.

It isn't even a manual I would consider just a survival scenario guide. It's useful every day. Who knew that vodka could de-stink your clothes or get rid of mold in your bathroom? Tim did, obviously. (I should have sprayed my daughter's laundry down with the stuff. It was bad!)

I love the sections on canning and drying foods since those are easy ones for me to replicate living in a condominium. I've considered planting a large garden or building a bunker, but the homeowners' association got a little testy when I suggested digging up the golf course. I guess I will make do with my indoor herb garden. Also on tap, home brewing!

There are a few tips I won't be trying voluntarily. There will be no jumping off buildings or treating bullet wounds unless I absolutely have to do so. Also, the first person who tries to puree animal brains in my blender to tan a hide will be buying me a new blender!

On a serious note, there is a lot of sage advice in this book: Get your finances in order, be responsible for your own wellness, secure your home, be prepared for emergencies. This isn't rocket science, but I'm always surprised at how many people can't put a bandage on a skinned knee, let alone splint a broken arm until they get to a doctor.

If you're interested in prepping or survival, this is a great book. If you want a fun read and to learn a little about being self-sufficient in the process, this is still a great book. If you want tips on how to survive a weekend with an invading horde of smelly college students, this book can't help, but I can. Drink. A lot.