“Not only is it a four-season edible and a decent medicinal plant, it’s one of the few plants that can truly secure all four of your survival priorities. It’s the Wal-Mart of the swamp – providing food, medicine, building material, and fire starter. We’re talking, of course, about Typha latifolia, the Common Cattail.”
Read moreWild Edible Wednesday 2/6 - Eastern Prickly Pear
“As much as it looks like it belongs in an old Clint Eastwood western, this is, in fact, the only cactus species that is widespread in the Eastern Woodlands. And if you’re lucky enough to find one, it makes a reliable and nutritious year-round wild edible and medicinal plant.”
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Instructor Corps Pro Tip 2/5 - Axe Throat Protector
“If you’re new to the bushcraft world, you may wonder why so many people have leather collars around the throats of their axes and hatchets. Is it for decoration? Because they definitely look cool. Is it for better grip? It sure does help. Yes to both, but that’s not their main purpose.”
Read moreStudent Spotlight February 2019 - Robert Gore
“Robert has gone from student to friend to family, and is about to step into his next role with SARCRAFT… Instructor.”
Read moreWild Edible Wednesday 1/30 - Striped Wintergreen (Pipsissewa)
“Striped wintergreen’s primary value lies in being a powerful, reliable, year-round medicinal plant. It is a true lifesaving herb in the dead of winter, with a wide range of uses.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/29 - Reflector Wall
“Regardless of what shelter I set up, one of the first things I would do to try and give myself an edge in the battle against freezing to death would be to build a reflector wall.”
Read moreWild Edible Wednesday 1/23 - Universal Edibility Test
“Today, we’re going to cover one of the most fundamental rules of foraging plants. And really, it’s one of the most useful pieces of wilderness survival knowledge you can have, period.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/22 - The Case for Rest
“While getting proper rest may not seem important, consider the consequences if you don’t. One night probably won’t affect you too much. You won’t be at your best, but you’ll be alright. But more than one night in harsh conditions with little or no sleep, and things start to unravel…”
Read moreWild Edible Wednesday 1/16 - Dandelion
“The idea that dandelions are a weed is an extremely new one in human history. In America, it only began in the post-WWII years when suburbs began to plague the land.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/15 - Carving with a Hatchet
“One very common question we get (usually from those new to the bushcraft world) is, how do you carve with a hatchet? And if you’ve never seen it done, I can see how this wouldn’t make sense.”
Read moreWild Edible Wednesday 1/9 - Leatherleaf Mahonia
“Often overlooked as a bland landscape plant or an semi-invasive shrub, this is, in fact, a valuable medicinal plant with a fascinating backstory that involves plant smuggling and China’s Opium Wars.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/8 - Brown Baggin' Your Carving Projects?
“One of the most maddening things about a finishing up a woodcarving project is the wait for it to cure out. Will it crack? Will it stay intact? Who knows?”
Read moreStudent Spotlight January 2019 - Kerri Gebler
“They say you always remember your firsts… and that couldn’t be more true for us. For our very first Student Spotlight, we want to introduce you to our very first student – Kerri Gebler. “
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/2 - Southern Magnolia
“Magnolias aren’t native to the more hilly and mountainous regions of Southern Appalachia, however, they will naturalize here. What that means for us it that nearly every magnolia you see in our area is descended from a tree someone planted.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/1 - The Overlooked Candle
“…if you’re wondering where I got the one on the right in the photo… I definitely didn’t snatch it from a candlelight Christmas Eve service, if that’s what you think. The Possum Mentality never sleeps.”
Read moreSigning Off for 2018 - Thanks for a Great Year!
“Over the course of 2018, we’ve watched this seed we planted take root and grow into a movement much greater than ourselves.”
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 11/28 - Red Oak
“Tall, strong, and regal, red oaks grow to between 100’ to 150’ tall, with trunk diameters of 3’ to 4’. Historically, oaks symbolize royalty or authority, hence the use of oak leaves in U.S. military officer’s rank insignia to this day.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 11/27 - Bushcraft Knife Sharpener
“But the Achilles heel of any knife is this: It gets dull. It doesn’t matter whether the blade you’re carrying is carbon, stainless, laminated, Gerber mystery metal, or a space-age super steel, it’s going to lose its edge eventually if you use it.”
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 11/21 - Ginkgo
“How tough are ginkgoes? Well, they’re one of the few living things to survive the atomic bomb blast in Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 11/20 - Situational Awareness for Tracking
“Of all the casualties of the smartphone age, three of the most important, and the most tragic, losses are awareness, attention, and focus.”
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