Animal Rendering: a Seldom-practiced Skill
I was reorganizing my chest freezer last month to prepare for a delivery of beef from a local farmer. Chest freezers are one of those...
Julia Prinselaar
Soap: an Easily-made Survival Tool
When we think survival, we often turn to the four basic needs we rely upon to sustain ourselves: food, water, fire and shelter. Enough food...
Nature’s Palette: Dyes from Plants and Materials
Here’s a challenge: try going a day without using products that contain synthetic dyes. Or better yet, a few waking hours. I tried and didn’t...
Wild Rice—Delicate Crop, Meticulous Process
On a sunny afternoon in early September, I was paddling down a winding river in northern Minnesota. Flanked with reeds and tall grasses and the...
Preparing for the Compassionate Hunt
Up here in Northwestern Ontario, bow hunting season for white-tailed deer officially opens in most areas on September 1. For many, open season is also...
Cultivating Wild Food Spaces
One of my fondest memories of living on the Canadian west coast is hiking the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet. Cutting along the rugged, rocky...
Yellow-foots and Trumpets: Lesser-known Edibles
When I think of chanterelle mushrooms, I’m often reminded of the golden-coloured, thick-stalked, chanterelle, a choice sought after by market buyers and culinary enthusiasts across...
Cordage: an Ancient Skill with Modern-day Uses
If you’ve ever had to bind, tie or weave materials together, chances are you’ve utilized the product of an ancient survival skill: making cordage. Rope,...