Category Archives: In the Woods

In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Impromptu shelters

By Charles Sanders

Emergencies happen. Whether you are camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, or just traveling, there may come the time when you are thrust into a real survival situation. As a self-reliant type of person, you probably realize that there are times when we can not depend upon getting help exactly when we need it and must rely upon our own wits and skill.

As a part of the Survival Basics program that I present occasionally, I stress the importance of remembering the Rule of Threes.… Read the rest

In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Bike foraging

 By Setanta O’Ceillaigh

When times are hard it pays to ride a bike. Bikes can travel at a reasonable speed, carry a reasonable cargo, and there is very little that can break. They are light enough to carry over rough terrain, and they are very good on gas — they don’t use any. But a bike is more than a means of hauling cargo or getting from place to place; it is also a very valuable foraging tool if you know how to use it.… Read the rest

In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

7 plants to forage in summer

By Karen M. House

In the middle of summertime, plants are producing. Berry plants produce berries, and flowering plants produce blossoms. The God-given purpose for the plants in producing the colorful display of fruit and flowers in the summer is to perpetuate itself — to produce young plants. The benefit to us humans is that the plants produce far more than they need for simple reproduction, and a lot of what they produce is beneficial to us.… Read the rest

In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Catching and cooking crayfish

By John Murray

In North America, there are more than 300 different species of crayfish. This crayfish is known by many different names, mostly depending on the geographical location of the country. Among the common names are crayfish, crawdads, crawfish, and mudbugs. Classified as a crustacean, the crayfish is a cousin of the lobster. Crayfish require clean water to survive, and can be found in ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams, where they live as bottom dwellers among the rocks.… Read the rest

In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Harvesting wild blackberries

By Karen M. House

It was late spring, and there were bushes along the sides of the road sporting tiny white blossoms. I knew, as I had known for decades, that this was a precursor to berry cobblers and jelly. The blackberries were in bloom, and from the abundance of blossoms and the mild weather at the time, I knew it was shaping up to be a really good blackberry year!

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In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Dangerous snakes of the backwoods

By John Murray

All people who spend time in the backwoods will have an encounter with a species of snake at some point in time. Most are harmless to humans, but there are several species of snakes that must be given a wide berth due to their potentially dangerous disposition. A bad encounter with a dangerous snake will result in a life-threatening situation, especially for people that are not aware of the consequences.

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In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

Harvesting wild plants for food and medicinal purposes

By Karen M. House

There is much talk these days about preparing for hard times. Survivalism has gone mainstream. But one of the most important facets of preparing for the worst is knowing what lies at your feet.
Not long ago, my husband and I were living in a large Southern city, and we were discussing what might happen if some “simple” catastrophe happened, such as the electricity goes off and stays off.

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In the Woods, Self-Reliant Living

The many uses of the slippery elm tree

By Rev. J. D. Hooker

 All three of my grandkids went to see their first ball game and wound up so hoarse from screaming and shouting, they could barely speak at all the next morning. Yet with a just a few tablespoons of tea brewed from the inner bark of the slippery elm tree, their throats cleared up in minutes. When they were infants, their mothers had rubbed this same simple remedy on their gums to ease teething pains, just as their mothers had once done for them.… Read the rest