The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

My garden is doing pretty good all things considered.

The area I chose to develop into a garden late last fall is 12 feet x 15 feet and the only area which receives more than 8 hours of sunshine per day because of the deep forest which surrounds the homestead.

Previously a jeep had been parked there. That was sold for scrap a couple years ago, giving me a vacant flat spot which I defined by laying down logs.

As I dug into the soil-clay-rock I realized we would face serious challenges in aeration and root development. So, leaves, compost pile, saved coffee grounds, and excavated soil from the driveway embankment were layered and encouraged to rot.

In March I turned the new soil, raked it as much as possible and began planting seeds. The short video of its humble beginnings is posted at

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03 entitle Mountain Garden.

Bear prints were seen later that month, and I sorta blame those bears for eating some seeds, or at least rearranging them. I put up a scarecrow, placed moth balls under a nearby board, and never saw evidence of bear again.

Onions did very well, and next year I'll get more onion sets. I worked in Zion National Park for 3 months so my partner looked after the young plants. Mostly, things were allowed to flourish as "green manure" , a way to build soil and nitrogen by composting directly the vegetation grown in it.

When I returned home last month, summer squash and zucchini were producing, a few beans had dried on the vines and recycled into second generation plants shown here in the video. Beans are great soil builders.

We harvested just two small butternut squash. Excellent eating. Next years should be bigger. Simply peel, slice and saute in a frying pan with some onions, salt and black pepper for a delicious side dish.

The marigolds, used as natural pest deterrents, are flourishing.

All told, I'm quite happy with the progress. I plan to keep the seeds from the squash and use them next spring.

I broadcast lime pellets when blossom end rot kept appearing in Septembers crop of squashes. Hopefully, in time to prevent the tomatoes from that fate.

Thru hiker and best friend, Rainmaker always told me its not the gear that takes you to Kahtadin, you take the gear.

The best gear in the world doesn't make a through hiker, but a through hiker can make it with just about anything. Its the passion, an almost crazy obsession with finishing the complete trail in one calendar year, be it the 2, 178 mile Appalachian Trail, the 470 mile Colorado Trail, or the 2658 mile Pacific Crest Trail. A person has to want it so much they will endure the pain and loneliness a long distance hiker will inevitable face, especially if they are solo.

A thru hiker, or through hiker of the Appalachian Trail can sleep in shelters the entire distance and not even require a shelter. Tarps, hammocks, double wall dome tents are all found in successful long distance hiker's packs. Granny Gatewood hiked the AT using just a shower curtain for her shelter and tennis shoes. Ram bunny had a sun dress on last time I met her in Maine. Most of my gear was home made, second hand or Wal Mart .

I find simplicity and minimalism aid a long hike. Its not lack of expensive gear, or having all brand name gear that makes or breaks a long distance hike. Its passion, maintaining a basic level of health, and ability to withstand pain.

Its really interesting to see what people are carrying, what they're cooking on and with. Food as simple as oatmeal or as complicated as prepackaged. The debate over synthetic or down, sleeping bags or sleeping quilts, an inflatable pad, or closed cell, full length or shorty will probably never be over.

With all that in mind, the Alternative Gear page was written and will be updated periodically. The Gear Reviews listed on this blog site are more about designs and options than actually recommending a given item. The features incorporated into a piece of gear show how well a company understands its clients.

Check out the pages, and write me if me have anything to add or have suggestions. My gear lists and trail journals can be found on my homepage at
http://www.trailquest.net/BRindex.html

I love these wonderful fleece pants. They have zippered hand pockets using a nylon lining which keeps them from being bulky. Pockets are just great for trail and sleepwear, allowing you to put tissues, gloves, or a LED light in easily accessible place.

I love the length on these pants as well. Nothing scrimpy about them. The ankles stay toasty even when you're sitting cross legged at the fire. The pant leg narrows to the ankle making an elastic cuff unnecessary.

They are a little bulky for packability, but sleeping warm is worth it.
100% Polyester Fleece is an excellent fabric for both warmth and staying dry. It will not hold water, so that even if they get wet, body heat will cause it to evaporate quite readily.

Weight is 12.5 ounces. I am able to use a lighter sleeping bag when I bring these fleece to sleep in.

This is my plastic "soup" or stew kettle after an overnight backpacking trip. Plastic is found in areas you least expect, along beaches, wilderness trails where hunters have been, and washed up on lake shores.

If a person needed to use a plastic jug as a cooking vessel, they could make one such as this by cutting the neck off, and then making two side holes for suspending the pot with cordage from an overhead branch above the cook fire. The cordage in the photo above was made with plastic as well: walmart grocery bags (see previous post ).
I made the holes in the pot pictured above by using a lit kitchen match. A flaming twig would also work.
Hold the flame near the place you want the hole. As the plastic begins to melt, gently push the match through the plastic. The melting plastic will seal around the hole and strengthen it so it won't crack when weight is placed in the vessel.

I used this pot for 16 hours and although it lost its original shape, it didn't leak. I was able to process my acorns and remove the tannin from them by repeatedly boiling water, draining it and then removing the shells.

Yesterday's post talks about it as well.
After we returned home, I sauteed the sliced acorn meat in a pan with canola oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder until crispy. These were used to garnish fresh garden salad. Wow. I was amazed how deliciously similar to almonds they tasted. We'll definitely do this again.

After supper, I sliced the remaining boiled acorn meat, added salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and sugar and placed them on a sheet pan in the oven. Our oven has a pilot light, and the drying process will seal the spices onto the acorns.
This morning they tasted great, but need more time drying.

We don't use any sugar or honey at our house, so I used an artificial sugar. You could use brown sugar for additional flavor and calories.