Bushcraft and self reliance

[caloosa bug 0]

Lol. It was just a shock when excalibur came out of the tackle bag.

 

It would be an experience to try and live off of the land. It wouldn't be too hard to find food where we camp on Fisheating creek. Fish, soft shell turtles, turkey, gator, frogs, deer, crawfish, and numerous other animals frequent the area. Plenty of swamp cabbage, (heart of palm) around also.

 

But I think we eat better camping than we would at home. Ribs, chicken, steak, sausage, oysters, fish and grits frequent the menu. Plus eggs and bacon every morning. Everything tastes better creek side too. I'd think I'd rather bring my groceries in than try and find it.

 

Our excursions consist of loading everything in the boat and return to the truck 3-4 days later. The creek is usually only navigable during the wet season, which is also summer in south Florida. A fan plugged into an inverter is enough to cool the tent at night and the 70 deg. creek water cools you during the day. Funny story....I had a buddy a couple years ago that would bring a generator and a window unit for the tent. I can't say that I complained though.

 

Zip, I commend y'all for roughing it, and I'm sure it is a humbling experience.. but, like I said, I'll be bringing groceries if I can.

[Mike West 0]

I did a ton of backpacking back it my late teens and early 20s in the high Sierras...mostly minimal type stuff..took GORP,Top Ramen alot of beer and other reality altering recreational substances. 4-10 days at time, never went hungry. Fly rods,spin rods, Slingshot and a break down .22

 

Did 3 years search & rescure traning in my home town.

 

At 19 my best friend and I took a donkey and loaded him up with beer and all the other comforts of home you cant carry in backpack and did 30 days from the backside of Yosemite to Donor Pass...the only food we took was Top Ramen...had fishing equipment,Slingshot and a Savage over/under 22/20 gauge.

To this day one of the fondest memories of my life.

[fshng2 0]

Cattails (Cat O’ Nine Tails)

It is said that if a lost person has found cattails, they have four of the five things they need to survive: Water, food, shelter and a source of fuel for heat—the dry old stalks.

The one item missing is companionship.

 

The lower parts of the leaves can be used in a salad; the young stems can be eaten raw or boiled; the young flowers (cattails) can be roasted.

Yellow pollen (appears mid-summer) of the cattail can be added to pancakes for added nutrients.

Shake the pollen into a paper bag and use it as a thickener in soups and stews or mix it with flour for some great tasting bread.

The root can be dried and pounded to make nutritious flour.

Young shoots can be prepared like asparagus but requires longer cooking time to make them tender.

Added to soup towards the end of cooking, they retain a refreshing crunchiness.

They're superb in stir-fry dishes and excellent in virtually any context.

Corns or next year roots can be eaten raw or cooked like potato.

 

http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2013/06/wild-things-in-june-cattails.html

http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2010/06/wild-about-cattail-flowers.html

http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2010/06/wild-about-cattail-pollen.html

http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/wild-about-cattail-shoots.html

 

No green plant produces more edible starch per acre than the Cat O’ Nine Tails; not potatoes, rice, taros or yams.

Plans were underway to feed American soldiers with that starch when WWII stopped.

One acre of cattails can produce 6,475 pounds of flour per year on average (Harrington 1972).

[mikechell 0]

I have never heard "Cattails" ... the plant ... referred to as "cat o' nine tails".

 

The "Cat o' nine tails" is a whip, specifically designed to inflict maximum pain.

[Poopdeck 0]

If a caveman had a choice between a Bic lighter or rubbing two sticks together he would choose the Bic. Me to.

[mikechell 0]

Agreed, Poopdeck ... but he didn't have that choice.

Anyone still alive after the next (near) extinction level event will have Bic lighters for a few months, maybe.

More likely, your Bic lighter won't work after you get lost in the attempt to find that "magic" stretch of water ... What then?

 

It's always a good idea to know how to survive.

 

But, having that knowledge and using it every time I want to start up the barbecue ... well, ain't happening.

[fshng2 0]

I have never heard "Cattails" ... the plant ... referred to as "cat o' nine tails".

 

The "Cat o' nine tails" is a whip, specifically designed to inflict maximum pain.

 

Whip: http://www.understandingslavery.com/index.php-option=com_content&view=article&id=532_cat-onine-tails&catid=145&Itemid=255.html

 

I remember growing up and calling the plant Cat o nine tail or Cattail.

My guess is that the plant is similar to the whip with nine knotted lashes.

The top is like the handle and the multiple strap like leaves are similar to the lashes.

 

Cat o Nine Tail References:

https://www.coldstreamfarm.net/cattail.html

http://www.eattheweeds.com/cattails-a-survival-dinner/

 

Some other english names: bulrush, reedmace, punks, corn dog grass, water sausage, rushes, cossack asparagus, and flags.

Euell Gibbons called cattail the supermarket of the swamp

[tjm 0]

Trouble with bulrushes and survival is that every where I've seen them there was a nearby convenience store. Wild hyacinth might be more generally available in wild places, but I'm not sure of it's range.

[j8000 0]

Yes Zip, I enjoy practicing those skills from time to time as well.

 

Jeff

[zip 0]

I enjoy the primitive stuff more than anything.I taught myself how to Knapp flint into arrow heads which,in turn,got me wondering how to make a bow from a chunk of hickory.

And while the caveman would have probably picked a bic...his buddy would have pocketed that thing real quick!

[vicente 0]

young cattail flowers are excellent eating I haven't had them in a while though.