The TenYurt eBook details a very simple DIY prefab structure that can serve a number of needs. It can be used for simple storage or basic shelter. Why the name TenYurt? Well it is called a TenYurt simply because it has ten sides and looks a bit like a yurt.

The basic design can also be enhanced in a number of ways to make it as complete as your needs and budget allow. The eBook about the TenYurt contains 37 pages of detailed design and construction information. There is a list of tool suggestions and each part describes which tool is best for each operation. Included are complete dimensions for all the parts and a complete parts list for both the sub-component parts as well as for the whole project.

There is also detailed information about alternative materials and suggestions  on ways that the TenYurt can be enhanced. The TenYurt has been carefully designed to maximize the use of materials in such a way that there is almost no wastage. It has also been designed to allow prefabrication at a location that is remote to where you would like to install it. All of the pieces will fit into a pickup truck for transportation and nothing is larger than 4′ x 8′.

The component parts are light enough to be easily handled and installation should be a fairly simple and quick task for two people. Depending on material choices and level of enhancements it should be possible to build a TenYurt for as little as perhaps $300 or $400. Enhancements will of course cost more. The following snapshots show the full content of the book to give you an idea of the number of illustrations and the level of detail included.

Original Article

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Tyler:  Bees and beekeepers are simply amazing. I’m very happy to see them and their enthusiasts flourishing in urban spaces.

We’ve already seen studies that suggest that big city bees may be healthier than their rural counterparts. And that’s something Bryon Waibel—proprietor of America’s only urban beekeeping store Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper—would agree with. Having seen his own urban bees thrive while his Dad’s bees in the countryside of Minnesota have struggled, Waibel is convinced that the city may be the home of the future for honeybees.

Of course the space for large-scale apiaries is somewhat limited in the city, but the very existence of an urban beekeeping supply store suggests more-and-more hobbyists are getting started and keeping a hive here and a hive there. Given what we know about diversity versus monocultures, and the resilience of distributed systems as opposed to centralized ones, that can only be a good thing.

Fair Companies/Video screen capture

Given recent attempts to redesign the beehive for an urban environment, not to mention the revival in interest of Warré and Top-Bar hives, it’s interesting to note that Waibel stocks primarily mainstream, traditional Langstroth hives which continue to be the beehive of choice for most beekeepers in the States.

Fair Companies/Video screen capture

When I suggested that a beautiful artist’s houseboat was the American Dream redefined, I mentioned I was having a hard time keeping up with Fair Companies’ awesome video output. And then they go and do it again with another great story. Keep up the good work guys.

Via Tree Hugger

Belts are boring, but essential tools. Outside of holding up pants their utility tends to be fairly limited. I own the previously reviewed 686 Tool Belt, and find it useful from time to time, but decided I wanted something simpler for traveling. After reading about the benefits of nylon webbing, I picked up one of Patagonia’s Travel Belts.

The Travel Belt, like the previously reviewed Tech Web Belt, is made up of nylon webbing that can be cut down to size and sealed with an open flame. Unlike standard webbing belts, the Travel Belt has a long 19″ x 1.5″ zippered pocket sewn on the inside that can easily stash a folded copy of a passport, folded currency, and keys. The pocket is surprisingly lengthy and capacious that when filled is never uncomfortable or ungainly.

I’m not a paranoid traveller, but I do recognize that it’s possible to lose a wallet, or have a bag whisked away at an inopportune moment. The Travel Belt makes it very unlikely that I’ll lose everything. On a recent trip to Bangladesh, I kept a folded copy of my partner’s and my passport, $20 in local currency, and an apartment key in the hidden pocket. Luckily, we never had need of the belt’s contents, but the security of knowing we wouldn’t be without bus fare home was comforting.

Original Article

Six cucumber hills will provide all the cucumbers a family of five people could want, assuming three are destined for pickle making and the other three are for fresh eating and cooking. If there are only one or two people at your house, two cucumber mounds is still a prudent bet. If one of your plants dies or under-produces you only have one you are out of luck. If not, you have some extras to share with friends, family and neighbors.

A 40 inch by 40 inch bed can yield approximately 32 pounds of cucumber. A trellis is highly recommended as it saves garden space and keeps the vines drier and that in turn prevents most diseases.

Getting Started, House Cucumbers

Cucumbers are really easy to start in the house. If you want a jump on the growing season, you can start your cucumbers in the house. The plants grow really fast so start your cucumbers no more than 3 weeks before your last frost date. To start your seeds you will need some sterile potting soil and some biodegradable pots. “Peat Pots” found in almost any garden or nursery store excel at this function. A frugal alternative is newspaper pots.

Cucumbers are picky about having their roots disturbed. The cucumbers like a four inch pot. Plant 4 seeds per pot and leave the plants together. When you plant the cucumbers outside, plant the pot and all and leave the 4 plants together, this is called a hill. Grow your cucumbers in a sunny window until it is time to plant them out. Once the plants have four leaves, it is time to start feeding them with half strength liquid fertilizer or some compost tea.

Before you plant your cucumbers outside, harden them off. What does this mean? The plants like people who have been in the house are sensitive to the sun and can sun or wind burn easily. Expose your cucumbers to the sun a little at time to get them use to being outside. It will take 4 to 7 days to get your plants ready to live outdoors permanently. Start hardening the plants a week before it is time to plant them out. Hardening off also applies to the plants that you pick up at the local nursery if they have been in a greenhouse. Below is an ideal hardening off schedule. Follow it the best you can or modify it to fit your needs.

Day 1: Set the plants out in an area that is free of wind, warm above 60F and will only get a few hours of sun. The plants can stay out as long as it is warm, wind free and little sun. Be sure to check the soil moisture frequently, the plants have a tendency to dry out fast when they are set outside.

Day 2: Set the plants out for 3 hours in the sun and a slight breeze, be sure that the temperature is warm. Check soil moisture.

Day 3: Set the plants out in the sun for 4 hours in a breeze, and still in the warmth of the day. Check soil moisture.

Day 4: Set the plants out for 5 hours in the sun and breeze, but not windy. Set them out earlier in the day to get some cool air. Check soil moisture.

Day 5: Leave the plants out all day in the breeze and in the sun. Be sure to check the soil moisture. The plants may need to be watered more than once on a warm day. I put my plants in a shallow dish of water and let them wick up all the water they want.

Day 6: Leave the plants out all day and all night if it is above freezing. They should be fairly tough by now. Check soil moisture.

Day 7: Plant the plants in the garden. If a frost is predicted during the next 7 days, cover your plants. Water well.

Garden Start

If you start your cucumbers in the garden, plant 4 seeds in one spot called a hill. Water well and keep moist until the seedlings emerge. Once the seeds are up, they will not need wind or sun protection but a frost will kill them. Black plastic on the ground can help to warm the soil and help the cucumbers to grow faster.

What Kind of Cucumbers Should I Plant?

Cucumbers growers won’t suffer for lack of variety; there are many shapes and sizes to choose from. Let’s explore the different types. There are hybrid cucumber seeds (seeds that are cross bred to enhance a feature) and there are non-hybrid seeds or “Heritage” seeds (the kind traditionally grown every year, saving the seeds from each harvest). The later is growing in popularity because it allows growers to save their own seeds and eliminate the cost of buying new seeds every year. In some areas, hybrids can be useful in resisting weather, disease and pest cucumbers can’t normally cope with.

Burpless These cucumbers have less “burp” in them. They are milder on your stomach, if you have trouble eating regular cucumbers because they make you burp then the burpless variety might be for you.

Armenian (65 days) Armenian is the mildest of all cucumbers. It is actually in the squash family, but taste like a cucumber. These cucumbers can get up to 3 feet long. They are light green and ribbed. Harvest can start when the cucumber is 10 inches long. They like really warm weather and will not do anything until the weather warms up. They like to grow on a trellis. These are great cucumbers and once you try them, you will want to grow them every year. This cucumber is a non-hybrid and you can save the seeds to grow a new crop.

Muncher (65 days) This is a great burpless cucumber. It is a heavy producer. Pick the cucumbers small for the best flavor. This is also a non-hybrid and you can save the seeds off of it to grow a new crop. Other burpless cucumbers that are hybrid but are not reliable for seed saving are: Tasty Green Hybrid, Tasty King Hybrid, Sweet Slice Hybrid, Burpless Orient Express

European Cucumbers

European Cucumbers are typically grown inside a greenhouse. Sometimes you can find them in the supermarket in shrink wrapped plastic. They taste great and require no peeling. The seeds are extremely expensive but they will grow outdoors if you really want to grow them.

Hybrids varieties include: Aria, Tyria, and Sweet Alphee.

Funny Cucumbers

It is sometimes fun to grow a novelty cucumber. Lemon (64 days) cucumbers are right at the top of the list. These are 3 inch round yellow cucumbers. They look like lemons but taste like cucumbers. They are a fun novelty and look great in salads, they taste good too! If you want a square cucumber, place a small cucumber (while it still hangs on the vine) in a square container and let it grow to the shape of the container. If the container had a face on the inside, the cucumber would mold to the shape of the face.

Problems

Once in a while you will run into a problem with your cucumber plants. Many growers are inclined to pull up the plants if they show advanced signs of diseases or are heavily infested with pests. If they are not to bad, however, you may want to try to save the plants. Here are some hints.

Pests of Disease?

Cucumber beetles can attack your cucumber plant. This beetle can carry a bacteria wilt. This wilt can take down a cucumber plant really fast. It will wilt and die. There is no cure so pulling up the plant a throw it away or burning it, may be your only option, especially when attempting to prevent spread to your other cucumber plants.

Aphids are soft, pear-shaped bodied insects that suck the juice out of your plants. Some aphids have wings. Most aphids are green but they also come in red, yellow, gray and black. Aphids are about 1/8 inch long, have 6 legs and are born pregnant (seriously). Female aphids can give live birth to pregnant females, occurring for several generations. In the fall, the female aphids mate with a male to produce eggs that winter over.

Aphids secrete a sticky honeydew substance from their rear. Ants will carry the aphids around and harvest the honeydew from the aphids. In the fall ants will carry aphid eggs into their nest and take care of the eggs until spring. In the spring the ants will return the aphid eggs to the plants. If you have an ant invasion, look for aphids as well. To eliminate aphids there are several methods:

1. Wash the aphids off the plants with a strong spray of water.
2. Tobacco spray: Soak tobacco leaves in water for 24 hours. Dilute solution until it looks like weak tea. Then spray on plants. Be sure to hit the bug with the spray. Aphids tend to hide on the underside of leaves and on the main stems.
3. Rhubarb spray: Boil one pound of rhubarb leaves in 1 quart of water. Next take two cups of water and mix in one tablespoon of dish soap. When the rhubarb has cooled pour off the liquid and add it to the soapy water. Spray on aphids.
4. Safer Soap™: Safer Soap™ is a product you can purchase at most local nurseries. It works well on aphids if you can get it on the body. It kills by suffocation. Aphids breathe through their pores. Safer Soap™ clogs their pores and they can’t breathe.
5. Neem oil: Neem oil is a byproduct of the Neem tree seed. It is considered a natural way of killing aphids. Local nurseries will often carry Neem oil.
6. Diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth is ground up fossilized sea shells. Diatomaceous earth will puncture soft bodied insects and they will dehydrate and die. Local nurseries should carry diatomaceous earth.
7. Home-made soft bodied bug spray: Mix three tablespoons of dish soap and one gallon of water. Spray on the aphids every other day for two weeks. Test plants first to see if the soap will burn the leaves.
8. Non-fat for aphids: To control aphids apply non-fat dried milk, mixed according to the instructions on box. Spray the leaves of your plants with the milk. The aphids get stuck in the milky residue and perish.
9. Repellant spray: This can be used to repel aphids and whiteflies, slugs and cut worms. Reapply after rains or once a week. Mix one minced bulb of garlic, one small minced onion, one tablespoon cayenne pepper, one quart water. Let steep for three hours. Next add one tablespoon liquid soap. Strain and put in sprayer. Spray on plants.
10. Garlic oil spray: Use for control over aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and whiteflies. Mince one bulb garlic and soak in two teaspoons mineral oil for 24 hours. Next, mix one pint of water with one tablespoon liquid soap then add garlic mix to water and soap. Mix thoroughly. Strain out garlic and place into a jar for storage. Use one to two tablespoons garlic oil mix to two cups water. Spray plants covering all leaf surfaces.
11. Alcohol sprays: Use for aphids, mealy bugs, scale, thrips and whitefly control. Mix ½ cup isopropyl alcohol (70%) with one cup water and spray on leaves and pests. Alcohol can burn the leaves of certain plants. African violets and apple trees are sensitive to alcohol sprays. Test a few leaves on your plant before you spray the whole plant.
12. Yellow sticky traps: To catch whiteflies, gnats and aphids use STP™ motor oil treatment or honey. Smear motor oil treatment or honey onto bright yellow plastic and place it amongst your plants with bugs. When the plastic gets full of bugs, wipe it off and reapply STP™ motor oil treatment or honey and set the trap out again.
13. Pyrethrins: Pyrethrins are extracts from a chrysanthemum. Dust or sprays are available from local nurseries.
14. Rotenone: Rotenone is a product derived from the root of two different legumes (the bean family). Rotenone has been used as a pesticide since 1649 in Europe. Dust or sprays are available from local nurseries.

Bitter Cucumbers

If you are experiencing bitter cucumbers, then you are letting the cucumbers get to large before you are eating them. Keep the watering even, this will help the cucumbers to stay bitter free.

Additional Research:

Fruit Sources

Prime candidates for fruit leather include fruits on sale at your grocers, inexpensive local & seasonal fruit and canned fruits that you might need to rotate out of your food storage plan. Another good source, if abundant in your area are foraged fruits. Once you mastered the basic process, don’t be afraid to try some fruit combinations and additives like spices, seeds or nuts.

Prepping the Fruit

First prepare your fruit by washing thoroughly if fresh. Frozen fruits should be thawed completely and any excess moisture drained. Similarly, canned fruits should be drained, but save the liquid from the can in case you need to sweeten or thin your mix later.

Prepping the Fruit Paste

The next step is pureeing. This step reduces the fruit to a smooth consistent paste. This will help create a regular texture and all moisture to evaporate evenly in later stages. The consistency you are going for is that of very thick applesauce. If your mixture is to dry, add TINY amounts of water, mix thoroughly and test the consistency again. Vegetable pectin can be found in most grocery stores and can help thicken up thinner mixtures as can the simmering stage.

This is also a good point to introduce spices and sweeteners (sugar is fine, honey is better but introduces moisture). Remember that warm flavors tend to be more intense but also that the dehydrated final product will be very concentrated. Personally, I find most ripe fruit plenty sweet on its own, but tarter fruits and those lower in natural sugar may call for a little help.

As with homemade jams, adding some lemon juice can improve the results and longevity. I find that about one tablespoon per two cups of fruit does the trick for me.

I’m fond of using the jam setting on my bread maker after the puree stage as it simultaneously reduces, mixes and sterilizes my fruit leather paste without fuss or mess. You can achieve the same results on your stove top though. Using a heavy saucepan, bring to boil while stirring and slowly add any sugar (optional). Reduce the heat after the initial boil and skim any foam from the top. Simmer over low-medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened suitably. Allow to cool to a safe temperature while preparing your drying surface.

Preparing Your Drying Surface

Next prepare a drying surface for your “fruit paste”. I recommend wax paper or parchment paper on a large baking sheet. If you have a food dehydrator lining its trays with wax or parchment paper is an option but be sure to leave enough space to allow air to circulate. Some folks prefer plastic wrap, but if you go this route use the heavy gauge, temperature safe type, not your standard cling wrap. Your fruit layer should be solid, not transparent, no more than 1/4″ thick. Expect this to reduce by about half during the drying process.

Drying Times & Temperatures

A standard oven can be used for drying fruit leather. Set your oven for about 150 degrees for about 6-10 hours. If your oven has an internal fan, consider running it regularly to circulate the moisture laden air out. Otherwise, leaving the oven door slightly ajar periodically will achieve the same result.

Food dehydrators run about the same time to try fruit leather, though generally, no special measures need to be taken to circulate air (after all, that’s what a food dehydrator is suppose to do).

I’ve never tried dehydrating by sunlight, but I suspect that measures will need to be taken to deter pests and a strong, steady supply of sunlight will be necessary. This method may not be practical in areas with high humidity though.

Allow dried leather to cool. Cut dried fruit leather in strips with a pizza cutter or kitchen shears (right through the paper or plastic wrap). Do not remove the paper or plastic. Roll up and store in the refrigerator (short term) or freezer (long term).

Fruit Leather Recipes

Christmas Fruit Leather

• 2 quarts bottled applesauce
• 6 ounces frozen cranberry juice concentrate
• 3-4 tablespoons sunflower seeds or chopped nuts (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of pectin (optional)

Prepare as above, but do not add nuts/seed until after applying your fruit paste to the drying trays.

Blueberry Peach Fruit Leather

• 4 peaches peeled and sliced
• 2 heaping cups blueberries
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup of sugar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon of pectin (optional)

Peach Fruit Leather

• 8 peaches peeled and sliced
• 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon of pectin (optional)
• 1/2 cup of sugar (optional)

Additional Research:

Selecting Binoculars

Buying binoculars can be a baffling business. There are a great many models to choose from and in many price ranges. Binoculars with seemingly similar features can vary hundred dollars in price. And then there is the question of magnification and the diameter of the objective lens. Almost everyone knows that binoculars designated as 7X35 or 10X50 means that the binoculars rated as 7X will magnify seven times, while those rated at 10X will magnify ten times. The figures thirty-five and fifty are the diameters of the objective lenses in millimeters.

The best all-around binoculars for the outdoors are 7X35. Such a glass is easy to hold without undue hand tremor. It has good light-gathering abilities for forest use on dark days. It is an excellent choice for bird watching, hunting, and even for spectator sports.

Another good choice is 8X30. It offers a bit more magnification. but less light-gathering ability. It is suitable for big-game hunting and bird watching. Another popular glass is 9X35. This is a binocular for open country mountains and plains. It is not as easy to hold steady as a 7X35 and is best used when the viewer can sit down and brace his elbows against his upright knees to steady his hands.

Binoculars such as 10X50 are for long-range viewing, but they are too bulky and heavy if you have other gear to carry as well. For night use and for navigation, 7X50 are the best bet. These binoculars are also bulky and heavy, but they have tremendous light-gathering ability.

On the other hand, binoculars such as 6X25 are a little too small for general use. However, because of their small size and lightness they can be shoved into the pocket of a jacket and taken along when bulkier and heavier binoculars would be left behind.

Features & Factors of Binoculars

Magnification

The magnification is one of the principal considerations in selecting binoculars. There is a tendency among inexperienced outdoorsmen to select binoculars with high magnification. The theory is that if it is higher in power, it has to be better. This is wrong. Binoculars of high power are difficult to hold steady; the tremors of your hand are magnified in proportion to the magnification of the binoculars. Binoculars of a moderate power – 7X or 8X – are the best all around choice. Although binoculars can be had with 16X or 20X magnification, these require tripods for satisfactory use. About the highest practical magnification for an outdoorsman is 10X.

Brightness

The relative brightness or the “ability to gather light” is another important feature to consider in binoculars. Although magnification plays a part in this, a bigger role is played by the diameter of the objective lens. Generally speaking, the wider the objective lens, the greater the relative brightness. However, magnification can negate the relative brightness. For example, binoculars of the specifications 10X50 and 7X50 have the same diameter-objective lens, but the 7X50 have higher relative brightness. Binoculars with very wide objective lenses are generally bulky and heavy and should not be selected where compactness and weight are important factors.

Field of View

The field of view is the width or diameter of the circular view that you see through the binoculars. It is always measured at a thousand yards. A wider field of view allows the viewer to take in more territory without moving the glasses. A wide field of view is an asset, particularly when viewing fast moving objects at close range. Again, the higher the magnification, the lower the field of view. There are binoculars on the market with extra-wide fields of view. These sell at higher prices than the same binoculars with standard fields of view.

Focusing

There are two different focusing systems in binoculars – central focusing and individual focusing. In binoculars with individual focusing, each eyepiece is focused individually according to a calibrated scale on it. With central focusing, both eyepieces are focused simultaneously by turning a knurled knob between the barrels. On most such binoculars, the right eyepiece has a scale for adjusting the visual difference between your two eyes. Very few people have the same vision in both eyes. The advantage of centrally focused binoculars is the ease and convenience of focusing. Most high quality binoculars manufactured today have central focusing. Individual-focus binoculars are fine if only one person is using them because the focus will not be changed. They are somewhat simpler in construction, hence they are less expensive.

Coating

On high quality binoculars, the lenses are always coated with magnesium fluoride on the air-to-glass surface. This coating eliminates reflections and glare and allows greater light transmission. Reflected light bounces off the prisms in the binoculars, reaching the eye as haze and making the image less sharp.

Alignment

The barrels of binoculars must be in perfect alignment, or your eyes won’t be able to make one image out of two. You can safely assume that any new pair of binoculars, when purchased, will be in perfect alignment. However, with cheap and flimsy binoculars, the alignment can change with use. When a change in alignment is only slight, your eyes can compensate for it, but using non-aligned binoculars will cause you eyestrain and headaches. The best protection against non-alignment lies in the reputation of the manufacturer and his guarantee. All high quality binoculars are sold with a guarantee of anywhere from five years to a lifetime.

Definition

The definition, the clarity and sharpness, of binoculars changes from the center to the edge of the viewing field. No binoculars have perfect center-to-edge definition. However, in binoculars with good optics, the edge definition has deteriorated to such a low point that it is almost unnoticeable. When purchasing binoculars, compare the edge definition in binoculars of different price brackets by focusing on a flat surface such as a wall.

Coloring

High quality binoculars are always corrected for colors most noticeable to the eyes. Look through binoculars at a dark object against a bright sky to see if you get rainbows or strong color fringes. These color fringes impair good definition.

Other Features

When purchasing good binoculars examine their general appearance. Make sure that the binoculars are well finished. See that the focusing mechanism and the hinges work smoothly. Look at the external covering on the barrels to ascertain that it is attached well. If you can afford only low-priced binoculars, shake them to see if any screws or prisms are loose inside. Look at the external parts to see how well they are cemented together. Give the objective lens a tap with your knuckle to make sure that it is mounted solidly. Going to be using them on lake or ocean? Consider bouyant versions or adding a floater. Read the manufacturer’s guarantee and compare it with the guarantees of competitive brands.

Binocular Brands & Manufacturers

Most high quality binoculars today are made in the United States, West Germany, and Japan. The only American manufacturer (nominally) is Bausch and Lomb. Their binoculars are expensive, but of outstanding quality. The 9X35 Bausch and Lomb binoculars are the choice of many knowledgeable mountain hunters. One can hardly go wrong in choosing binoculars by Bausch and Lomb.

Three outstanding German makes are Zeiss, Leitz, and Hensoldt. Zeiss lenses are world renowned and their binoculars are excellent. Zeiss makes a very fine 8X30 binocular crated entirely in rubber for maximum water resistance and protection against non-alignment if the binoculars are accidentally dropped. The rubber absorbs most of the shock.

Leitz, the manufacturers of Leica cameras, make several models of roof prismatic binoculars. These Leitz Trinovid binoculars have their prisms arranged in a different way which makes them very slim and light. Indeed, Leitz binoculars are one-third to one-half lighter and one-quarter to one-third less bulky than binoculars with comparable magnification and objective lenses of the conventional Potro prism design. The Trinovids are made in 7X35, 8X32, and 10X40. The 10X40′s are smaller and lighter than conventional 7X35′s. The only hang up with these Leitz binoculars is their price – over several hundred dollars for their top of the line models. The other powers are a little less expensive.

Excellent binoculars are made in Japan. Indeed, the Japanese have captured most of the low and medium priced binocular market. Such camera manufacturers as Pentax and Nikon both make good, medium priced binoculars. But perhaps the best known brand is Bushnell.

Bushnell glasses are excellent, and are made in many styles ranging from low to medium in price. I have used Bushnell binoculars in 7X35 and 6X25 with great satisfaction. Other Japanese manufacturers are Tasco and Swift. Low-priced Japanese-made binoculars can be had for fifty dollars, while the medium priced binoculars range from about one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars.

Additional Research:

The following are some common types of Disaster Stress Reactions, categorized by type:

Psychological/Emotion

• Anxiety
• Irritability, restlessness, over excitability
• Depression, moodiness, crying
• Anger, blaming
• Feelings of apathy, diminished interest in usual activities
• Feelings of isolation, detachment, estrangement
• Feelings of guilt about surviving
• Denial or constriction of feelings
• Flashbacks or unwelcome memories of the disaster
• An exaggerated reaction to being startled
• Recurrent nightmares about the disaster or about other traumatic events
• Inability to fall or stay asleep
• Sleeping excessively

Mental/Thought

• Poor concentration
• Mental confusion
• Slowness of thought
• Inability to express yourself verbally or in writing
• Forgetfulness
• Inability to make judgments and decisions
• Loss of ability to think of alternatives or prioritize tasks

Behavioral/Social

• Hyperactivity
• Outbursts of anger or frequent arguments
• Loss of objectivity
• Withdrawal, social isolation, distancing yourself from others
• Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
• Avoidance of activities or places that remind you of the disaster
• Family problems

If any of these symptoms affect your ability to function, seek medical attention from your doctor or a mental health provider familiar with the effects of disasters. Some people may never have a reaction.

Others may have delayed reactions that can show up days, weeks, or even months after the disaster happens. Not everyone has reactions right away. These symptoms may go and then come back again when something makes you think about the disaster.

After a disaster, be sure to talk to someone about how you are feeling: a member of the clergy, a counselor, or someone in the Employee Assistance Program provided by your employer. Also, the Red Cross has disaster mental health professionals who can help you deal with the stress related to your disaster experience.

Remember that service animals may also suffer emotional trauma. Get their daily routine back to normal as soon as possible. This will make it easier for them to serve you as before.

Know how a disaster may affect your independence

You are used to being in a certain environment. However, a disaster can change your ability to deal with this environment. It is important that you anticipate for your lowest level of functioning for your personal disaster plan. Your condition may become worse because of physical or emotional reactions to stress. For example, people who do not need the aid of devices on a daily basis may need a wheelchair after a disaster.

After a disaster, you may need to ask for help to do things you usually would have done independently. Understandably, this may make you feel especially vulnerable. You may need help putting your home back in order, filling out forms, or providing documentation and information to disaster relief agencies. This can add to the stress you may be feeling.

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When using domestic meats like beef and pork, one has some assurances that the animal was probably fed no strongly flavored foods, was force fattened, grown to minimal maturity, and even limited in exercise. Venison offers none of these promises. On the other hand the practices of industrial feed lots such as overcrowding, pollution/waste material and inbreeding are not typically a factor with wild harvest venison.

If cared for like domestic meat after the kill, however, venison is an excellent culinary experience. In fact, it has begun to show up as fine cuisine in otherwise, isolated urban restaurants.

Understanding the differences between domestic and a game meat, will be an important factor in your successes or failures as a chef.

The effect of a different lifestyle on the meat of big game must be considered when substituting it in your favorite recipes. Here are some helpful hints on how to prepare it properly.

If your family enjoys the natural flavor of venison, your only cooking problem is making the meat tender. If your animal has a stronger flavor or the folks at home do not prefer the natural venison taste, you may increase their enjoyment of these meats in three ways:

• Compliment the flavor with spices, herbs, or seasonings. Recipes with barbecue sauces, soy sauce, and marinades often help narrower palates with the rich flavor of game meats. Consider the difference between roast duck and poultry house chicken fingers. ;-)
• Dilute the flavor by mixing venison with other meats and vegetables in stews, soups, and hamburger dishes.

General Rules for Successful Venison Preparation

1. Don’t overcook. Venison, especially deer, has short fibers that toughen quickly. Overcooking or using very high temperature leads to tough meat. Serve venison about medium-well; never rare but not very well done either.
2. Most venison has little fat and in this way only corresponds to very lean cuts of beef. Take this into consideration when cooking. Tender cuts like loin or tenderloin can be broiled or cooked on the charcoal grill. Less tender cuts like round are best cooked with moist heat—i.e., stewing or pot-roasting.
3. With little fat, venison is a dry meat. Efforts must be made to preserve moisture. Wrapping in foil, using a cooking bag, or covering with bacon strips will help.
4. Remove any venison fat before cooking. This seems like a contradiction since the meat is normally low in fat, but any game flavor will be most pronounced in the fat. Substitute beef or pork fat if needed.
5. Use acidic tenderizers. Vinegar, tomato sauce, and French dressing sauces are good possibilities. Crushed papaya fruit also will do a suitable job of tenderizing. Meat should be marinated in the chosen sauce at least 24 hours. Venison treated this way may be broiled or charcoaled.
6. Venison is generally “sweeter” than domestic meats. Reduce sugar by one-fourth in sauce recipes originally developed for beef or pork.

Preparing Cuts of Venison

Successful cooking may need to start several steps sooner for best results. Those who truly relish good venison invariably cut their own by boning it out. This removes much of the tough connective tissues, leaving straight-grained muscle for steaks and roasts. Alternatively, in some areas professional butchers are available seasonally near hunting areas that will process your catch while you wait.

The following recipes are based on boned-out meat. If someone else cut the meat, it is a simple task to remove any bone before trying one of these old favorites.

Pan Fried Venison

One of the oldest and probably still the best ways to serve venison is quick frying of thin steaks. Cut thin steaks from the loin, sirloin, or round ¼ or 3/8-inch thick. Flour or bread lightly.

Quick fry in a sizzling hot skillet not over 1½ minutes per side. Season with salt and serve hot. Use cooking oil, butter, bacon grease, or beef suet for shortening. Frying time is critical. Meat should be brown outside and gray or just a hint of pink in the middle. If steak is dry or tough, it was overcooked. Leavings in the skillet make good pan gravy.

Venison Roast

Another method that preserves moisture is cooking in foil. Lay out a thawed roast on a sheet of foil large enough for double wrapping. Sprinkle with one package of dehydrated vegetable soup mix. Roll the roast in the mix until as much of the dry soup as possible is coating the roast’s surface.

Wrap tightly in the foil and place in the oven preheated to 350 degrees. Depending on how well done you like your venison, cook the average 2 to 3-pound roast 1½ to 2½ hours. The dry soup mix provides salt and seasoning; the meat will come out moist and juicy.

Crock Pot Venison

Cut steak-sized portions ½ to 3/4-inch thick. Brown approximately 1½ pounds of these in a skillet and place in the bottom of the average 3 to 4-quart crock pot. Cover with a can of cream of mushroom soup thinned with up to ½ cup milk. Top with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Peel or scrub 6 small to medium potatoes and place them on top of the meat and soup. Finish filling the crock pot with uncooked chunks of squash or similar form of vegetable. Set on low and forget for 8 to 10 hours. If you do this after breakfast in the morning, supper will be ready and waiting with no further effort. The meat will be tender and the soup will have formed a delicious gravy for the potatoes.

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As the petals fade, a green hip, or hypanthium, begins to swell at each blossom’s base. They are fully red and ripe, and before frost tinges their foliage. Unlike their popular fruiting cousins, rose hips don’t have much flesh beneath their skins. Instead, they are filled with tiny seeds covered with silky hairs. The skin of the hip, often tasting like an apple, is where most of the food value and nutrition lies.

Nutritional Value of Rose Hips

All parts of the rose, and especially the hips, are storehouses of Vitamin C and other important nutrients. Comparing the nutritional content of oranges to rose hips and you will find that rose hips contain 25 percent more iron, 20 to 40 percent more Vitamin C (depending upon variety), 25 times the Vitamin A, and 28 percent more calcium. In addition, rose hips are a rich source of bioflavanoids, pectin, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese, and the B-complex vitamins. Rose hips also contain trace amounts of magnesium, potassium, sulfur and silicon.

Finding and Gathering Rose Hips

Wild roses grow throughout the world. There are literally thousands of varieties worldwide and most have been part of the human diet. In fact, it is difficult to find an area of the world or a temperature zone—barring parts of the Antarctic and the Sahara Desert—where wild roses don’t grow.

Although domestic roses also produce hips if they aren’t trimmed, the most abundant source of Vitamin C-rich rose hips is from wild hedgerows and thickets. Here hips can be gathered in vast quantities for cooking and storing. You’d have to grow a vast number of garden-variety roses to get a sufficient quantity of hips for use all year long. As most roses have thorns, gloves are helpful although not essential when gathering hips.

Not every hip becomes ripe at the same time, so return visits will provide new ripe hips ready for harvest. The color of rose hips also varies, but in general, orange hips are not quite ripe, and deep red hips are overripe. Overripe hips are sweet, but have lost much of their vitamin C. They should be soft but not mushy. Break the stems off as you pick them. Rose hips will have the most nutritional value when used immediately after harvesting.

Preparing Rose Hips

Once you locate your rose hip source there still remains the question of turning them into something we deem not only edible, but tasty too.
For general processing of rose hip, spread the washed hips out and allow them to partially dry, where you can still remove the seeds, but they are no longer pulpy inside. When the skins begin to feel shriveled, you need to separate the seeds from the fruit. Cut the hip in half and scrape away the seeds. You may want to use something such as a chopstick or other blunt ended tool to help do this. After removing the seeds, allow the hips to dry completely before storing. Keep them in small, sealed plastic bags. They will keep indefinitely in the freezer or for several months in the refrigerator.

Rose hips prepared in the manner above can be used immediately to make tea.

Rose hips used for jellies don’t need to be seeded or scraped.

Uses For Rose Hips

Rose hips can be made into a variety of appetizing, healthy dishes. Turned into jelly, syrup, and wine, they make delightful gifts.

Rose Hip Tea

Crush 1 cup of dried rose hips and place into a covered container. Add one tsp. to 1 cup of boiling water. Brew for 3-5 minutes. Sweeten as desired.

You can also use 3-4 fresh rose hips that have been chopped. Add the boiling water and brew as usual. Some people like a very strong tea-you can brew up to 30 minutes and reheat the tea if necessary before sweetening.

Rose Hip Jam

1 pound prepared rose hips (about 4 quarts)
1 cup of water
Sugar

In a large pan, add the rose hips and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until very soft–about 20 minutes (add more water if necessary). Press or strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any seeds and to reduce large chunks of hips. Add one pound of sugar (about 3 1/2 cups) to one pound of pulp and simmer. Check the taste and add more sugar if desired. Cook until the mixture has thickened to jam-like consistency. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. This is good to eat when you have a sore throat.

Rose Hip Eye Treatment

Steep a cup of strong rose hip tea. You can make the tea with your own with rose hips or use store-bought. Do make sure it’s strong. Soak 2 cotton balls in the tea or use 2 tea bags, lie down and place over your eyes.

Rose Hip Marmalade

Use a glass or enamel pan for this recipe. Clean rose hips as described above for tea, and soak in cold water for two hours. Simmer in water for two hours. Strain and reserve liquid for jellies or other recipes. Measure the mash, and add 1 cup of brown sugar for each cup of mash. Boil down to a thick consistency. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Rose Hip Syrup

Syrup for pancakes, waffles, and vanilla ice cream is best made from freshly gathered rose hips. Rinse and pat dry the hips and place them in a saucepan. Barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and strain the mixture, pressing the liquid off the hips gently with the back of a spoon, being careful not to break them open and release the seeds. If this happens, merely strain the seeds out. The resulting liquid may be frozen in batches for future use in soup or jelly, or turned into tasty syrup. The solids left over from straining can be fed to chickens or tossed onto the compost pile.

To make rose hip syrup, add one part honey to two parts of the heated, strained liquid. Stir to dissolve the honey and refrigerate. After refrigeration, the syrup will thicken slightly. Rose hip syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Reheat the syrup for use on pancakes and waffles. Use it warm or cold to top vanilla ice cream.

Heated syrup may be canned by pouring it into hot, sterile jars and processing in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Rose Hip Tonic

For a refreshing spring tonic punch, simmer rhubarb in rose hip syrup until soft. Strain and adjust sweetening as needed. Chill, and pour over ice for a refreshing, healthful libation to clear out the winter cobwebs. Add a sprig of fresh spearmint or lemon balm as garnish. Rose hip syrup may be used to sweeten and flavor herbal or black teas, as well.

Rose Hip Soup

A favorite dish of the Swedish is rose hip soup. They literally consume rose hips by the tons each year. To make approximately four servings you’ll need:

3 cups of freshly made or thawed unsweetened rose hip liquid
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. corn starch
4 Tbsp. sour cream or yogurt as a garnish minced mint

In a saucepan, heat the liquid and add the honey and lemon juice. Remove ½ cup of the heated mixture. Into this, whisk the cornstarch until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture back into the pan and bring to a high simmer, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt to each serving, topping with minced fresh mint, if desired.

Rose Hip Wine

If you make your own wine, the following recipe for rose hip wine is one of the healthiest and most lovely in color. You’ll need:

4 pounds of fresh rose hips
3 pounds of sugar
1 gallon boiling water
1 tsp. black tea
1 tsp. baker’s or wine yeast

Rinse and drain the hips. Place them in a primary fermenting vessel such as a clean food-grade plastic bucket that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in one gallon of boiling water. Add the teaspoon of tea and all the sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture sit tightly covered for 24 hours. Add one teaspoon of baker’s or wine yeast and let the mixture ferment for seven days, covered, stirring once per day with a clean spoon.

Strain off the rose hips and pour the liquid into a one-gallon glass jug (an old wine jug works great) and fit with a fermentation lock or balloon. If you use a balloon, be sure to release the gases occasionally or it will burst. Place the jug in a warm spot until fermentation ceases. Siphon (rack) the liquid off of the yeast solids into a clean glass jug and refit with the fermentation lock or balloon.

Racking will usually reactivate fermentation for a short time. When fermentation ceases completely for several weeks, siphon the wine into clean wine bottles. Cork the bottles securely or use wine bottles with screw-on tops and store in a cool spot for six months or longer. There will usually be a glass or two of wine left after bottling. This you can enjoy right away.

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