Update

I know it looks like I have abandoned this blog but I have not. While out filming for some videos my kayak hit a tree stump and knocked my camera off of the tripod. Untill I can afford a new camera do not count on any video updates just text and pictures

Improvised fish hooks (Guest Article)

Today I am going teach you how to make fishing hooks from the stuff around you. Start looking around for suitable thorns to use. In this article I will be using Wild Orange Thorns. The sharpest and sturdiest the better. Be careful not to dull the sharp tip of the thorns because this makes the hook so much more effective. I started by scraping the thin bark layer off my thorns this is not necessary, You can see how the tree has allowed the tip of the thorn to die so that it is harder and sharper. You need to find the strongest thorn branch possible, look for it to be thick at the base (next to the branch) and thin at the tip the thorns should be facing up. you could whittle it at the top for the string to fit and stay in place.

The thorn in the picture is not attached to the wood...but you could stick it to the wood with a very small amount of Pine tree resin or other glue to make binding the thorn less fiddly

Make a length of very thin cordage or you can just use a plain length of some kind of strong fiber or even a shoelace. Put the thorn through a loop knot on the end of the cordage. Hopefully the following pictures explain themselves and show how to bind the thorn to the wood.

 Continue wrapping the string around the stem of the hook and then to finish it off pass the end underneath the last couple of wraps and pull tight

Finished hook... It would have been better to carve the top of the hook so that it is easier to attach the line. Have fun!

Interview

Watch "Average Joe Survival Blog- Dustin Mcphate" on YouTube

Update

Going to the field this week so all projects have been put on hold. Stay tuned for some updates next weekend!

Edible Flowers {Guest Article}

Edible Flowers are everywhere…

When we lived in Hawaii we got to eat lots of different types flowers.. They would put flowers in drinks, salads, and even deep fried (you would have thought being from the south I would have already had this one.).. You might be saying “Yuck” but they actual taste good, many different flavors as well… I have to say that my favorite is deep fried squash blossoms “Yummy”…  FYI, there is a drawback to eating the blossoms you get no squash from the plant, after removing the blossom..

Okay, let me get to the many flowers you might run across while out in the woods..

Clover is sweet, anise-like, licorice. Raw flower heads can be difficult to digest.

Dandelions, Flowers are sweetest when picked young. They have a sweet, honey-like flavor. Mature flowers are bitter. Dandelion buds are tastier than the flowers: best to pick these when they are very close to the ground, tightly bunched in the center, and about the size of a small gumball. You can use them in salads or cooked.. (this is the easiest one to try.. everyone has them in their yard. If you put chemicals on your yard, go to a different location to pick these.)

Citrus blossoms,  Use highly scented waxy petals sparingly. Distilled orange flower water is characteristic of Middle Eastern pastries and beverages.

Sunflower,  The flower is best eaten in the bud stage when it tastes similar to artichokes. Once the flower opens, the petals may be used like chrysanthemums, the flavor is distinctly bittersweet. The unopened flower buds can also be steamed like artichokes.

Honeysuckle, Sweet honey flavor. Only the flowers are edible. NOTE: Berries are highly poisonous - Do not eat them!

Yucca Petals The white Yucca flower is crunchy with a mildly sweet taste (a hint of artichoke). in the spring, they can be used in salads and as a garnish.

 http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm

Cactus Flowers are Edible The fruits of many cactus species are edible. The juicy, purplish-red fruit of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica), for example, is commonly found in grocery stores in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Few realize, however, that cactus flowers also make delicious meals and snacks. The flower buds of the barrel cactus (Ferocactus genus) were boiled and eaten in a similar manner to vegetables such as cabbage by the native inhabitants of Arizona, where these thorny plants proliferate. Barrel cactus flowers manifest in a multitude of festive colors including red, orange and yellow.

Cactus Flowers Used as Medicine

Prickly pear flowers

In addition to making wine, prickly pear cactus flowers have been employed for their purported therapeutic benefits. Author Margaret Joan Roberts, in her book "Edible & Medicinal Flowers," reveals that these warm-colored blooms are used in Mexico as a home remedy for relief from itchy insect bites and other stings and scratches. Prickly pear flowers are astringent. Like their associated fruits, they are also high in vitamin C.

http://www.ehow.com/info_7929131_cactus-flower.html#ixzz1nk7ea0dg

Here in the south you can find Prickly Pear jelly, slices, etc…

As for cattails you can eat every bit of this plant.. The cattail is packed full of protein and other nutrients.. It is considered one of the most important wild foods you can eat… go get some and try them out…

Survival Kit

In this video I go over the basic load out of a grab and go survival kit. This kit at the bare minimum minus the knife and magnesium fire starter cost around 15 dollars to build and will make any emergency night in the woods more comfortable. This is something that should be in a drawer or cupboard that is easy to get to and grab for any emergency or natural disaster. Just throw this bag into your backpack any time you go on a hike go hunting or fishing and if you need to make a emergency night stay you will be set. Any questions just post in the comment section and I will answer them.

550 cord storage.

Parachute cord storage. Probably the best way to have easy tangle free storage and deployment. I am working on a how to for tying this. It will work on other rope as well.