The Bushcraft Magazine Autumn 2014

A Pan Full of Parasols

Make a scabbard for your knife Walking with Reindeer Slovakia - the other side of the bush

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Volume 10 Number 3 Autumn 2014 The Bushcraft Magazine is published by:

The Bushcraft MagazineTM .

Egerton House Cottage, Egerton, Ashford, KENT TN27 9BD Founder: Huw Woodman Editor: Steve Kirk Advertising: Matthew Selfe Webmaster: Paul Bradley Soup Dragon: Cathy Hill E-mail: info@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk Advertising: mafro@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk

CONTENTS 4 IF THE CAP FITS – EAT IT! Not on your head – in your frying pan, Steve Kirk.

8 HAND CRAFT A KNIFE AT HOME - PART 3 Roger Harrington just about wraps it up.

12 TOOTHACHE RELIEF IN A LEAF Steve Kirk is a willing guinea pig.

14 WALKING WITH REINDEER Kevin Warrington steps out in Sami style.

20 A HOME- MADE HYDROSOL Dawn & Phil Ireland with how to get the best from your herbs.

22 CARPATHIAN AUTUMN Edward O’ Toole sets the scene.

26 ’CRAFTY YOUNG FOXES Steve Kirk.

28 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUSH Edward O’ Toole with a view he found in Slovakia.

30 HOW TO FILLET A CODFISH John Ruffhead with step-by-step fish prep.

33 WILD HARVESTED HAZELNUT SPREAD Carol Hunt cooks wild.

35 THE LAST WORD Lloyd Hooper even has the last letter.

REGULARS 2 COURSES 18 WEATHER LORE 24 STAR LORE

EDITORIAL From time to time people express to me their preferred season. “Autumn is my favourite time of year” or “I like Spring the best”. When I think on it I cannot recall anyone saying that they favoured either Summer or Winter. I wonder why that is?

There is something about the turn of the year, in either direction towards or away from the light, that is exciting, unpredictable, full of anticipation. Spring promises longer days, increasing warmth and new growth but Autumn, despite turning the other way – towards the dark days, actually seems like the pinnacle of the year. A fresh harvest in Spring, a FULL harvest in the Autumn. Most things have run their course, life cycles completed, fruits have come to, well, fruition and things are winding down for a rest.

Perhaps whereas Spring is still relatively austere, by comparison Autumn seems sumptuous? Spring may be bright and tender but Autumn is richly coloured, textured, fleshed. Spring may hold promise but Autumn is full of proof. Spring offers shiny pennies but Autumn offers riches. That does it. I am definitely an Autumn person.

Nothing makes me fizz more than fungi and the landscape is at last heaving with them. We never pass up a chance to talk about them and there is a close look at those edible favourites, Parasols, in this issue.

We encourage you to harvest those last herbs before the frosts arrive; show what to do with them, and even road test their properties for those times of need. In terms of other practical skills we take our home-made knife one step closer to a home, when we show you the first stages of making a suitable scabbard and we teach you ways to tell the time by looking at the stars.

What are you waiting for? Get reading.

Steve Kirk. editor@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk Cover photo by Steve Kirk

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If the cap fits...

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In the British Isles there must be few forms in nature as arresting or as exhilarating to chance upon as some of the more monumental fungi. Who can fail to be impressed by a Giant Puffball, swelling up through the grass? Or perhaps a leghorn-sized, sulphur-hued Chicken of the Woods perched on a tree would make your eyes pop out on stalks?

It‟s not simply size that impresses, of course, it‟s their Jack-in-the-box nature, springing up from concealment to surprise and delight. It is the living architecture of their form, their stately engineering, their baroque upholstery. But the bigness of certain kinds adds an extra thrill – if they are edible – when the harvest of just one is enough for a meal!

Steve Kirk

It is an easy mushroom to learn to identify as the distinguishing features are very strong. It is one of a mere fifty or so native kinds that had a vernacular name before the rest were named by committee, earlier this century. That tells us that we common folk could recognise and call it.

And Parasol is an apposite appellation. Although at first the developing mushroom somewhat resembles a drumstick, the cap soon domes out and eventually flattens but for a small boss in the centre, so that it calls to mind an

The milky brown cap is hard in the middle, otherwise spongy but firm and covered in darker woolly scales that rub off quite easily. Some specimens have pale cap with more contrasting dark scales than others. The gills are large and creamy-white, soft and flexible and attached to the cap only. On the stem is a thick, woolly double ring.

The fact that this was once attached to the rim of the cap all round demonstrates how great an expansion occurs from the early stages. The ring may become loose, at which time it will slide up and down the stem. From a bulbous base, usually set at a shallow depth, the strong stem tapers upwards gradually and to be absolutely sure of species, requires careful examination. There should be a thin crumbly coating that breaks up into irregular bars, as the stem lengthens resembling sand ripples or zebra stripes of a contrasting darker brown. If the stem does not sport this be aware that you may have found something else. Parasols like open woods or woodland edges, but

sometimes they may be found deep under trees or well out in the open, where they can form henge-like rings.

Many times I have seen people assume they have found the Parasol Mushroom, when in fact it has been another species entirely, albeit a close relative. Luckily the large look-alikes are mostly equally edible. I say mostly because the very common Shaggy Parasol, which at a quick glance is easily mistaken for the benign giant, can cause unpleasant reactions in some people, while others are fine (or don‟t notice slight symptoms). Bear in mind that gastric upsets can be signs of an allergic response and a continued build up can lead to extreme complications, as other mushrooms have shown. Always pay close heed to what your body tells you after a meal of wild foraged fungi.

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FORAGE KNOWLEDGE

A side plate or a dinner plate, the cap of a Parasol – Macrolepiota procera, will cover one or the other and it easily makes it into the top ten choicest fungi edibles of every forager I know. It is succulent and sweet-tasting and nigh on unmistakeable to recognise. So why do so many people find them but stay their hand, look but do not touch? Well, natural reserve; uncertainty from lack of experience; caution from not having „permission‟ from Mother Nature to get stuck in. And of course it is the right thing to do. There is nothing about this mushroom that tells you that it is edible; it keeps mum. The fact that it is beautiful offers no clue. In fact, this species runs contrary to the handed-down wisdom for keeping on the straight and narrow whilst mushrooming – it has white gills, it grows under trees! There is a superficial physical resemblance to the Amanita family, which contains some deadly kinds. As a consequence there is not a long folktradition of collecting this species and it is a relative newcomer to popular cuisine. Kate Sergeant‟s One Hundred Mushroom Receipts, from 1899, does contain several suggestions on how to cook Parasols, however.

Recommended reading!

Oriental-style sunshade. The relatively narrow but stiff and woody stem reinforces the illusion and it is easier than most to lift from the ground in its entirety. If you find a large one the temptation to then hold it above your head is irresistible.

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Eat it!

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Recent DNA evidence shows that the Shaggy Parasol isn‟t so closely related to the Parasol, after all, and is, moreover, a complex of several species. The old names have been banished; unfortunately, this information has yet to make it into most field guides and fungi encyclopaedias, including Roger Phillips‟ „Mushrooms‟, despite all the revisions from his first book. The lady who rung the changes, Else Vellinga, helpfully applied her new knowledge to existing published illustrations, mostly American works, but she tells us that in Phillips, Macrolepiota rhacodes var. hortensis should now be called Chlorophyllum brunneum and Macrolepiota rhacodes should become Chlorophyllum olivieri.

However the most important thing here is to recognise that the Shaggy Parasol complex differ physically in their smooth stems and strong orange-brown staining; in habitat choice, preferring nutrient rich and often more disturbed areas and in the irritant effect on our systems, after consumption. So, it is important to differentiate from the Parasol proper (see photos) and exercise choice. Shaggies dark brown fibrous, shaggy scales on cap

darker scurfy scales on grey buff ground

scales may show more contrast

stem up to 30cm

scales often turned up

cap grey-brown/ buff ragged, felty double ring

stem white above ring stem smooth, dark pinky-brown

flesh white staining/ bruising orangebrown or reddish when cut

gills creamy white

lower stem pallid tapering to oblique bulb

stem hollow but stiff

Shaggy Parasol Chlorophyllum olivieri larger, persistent dark pinkish brown scales on cap

small shaggy scales towards margin

bulb sometimes small or absent

red staining on cutting

gills creamy white bruising orange to reddish

large felty double ring white stem, pinkish brown below ring

scales brown against white

stem hollow but stiff

base with stout rounded bulb

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Shaggy Parasol Chlorophyllum rachodes Bushcraft Magazine

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Parasol Macrolepiota procera

young caps rounded

are not exactly „off the menu‟, but these days I choose to consume them only occasionally.

The other big lepiotas are less common.

Macrolepiota konradii is a good edible parasol that differs from the type most obviously in the way the brown cap cuticle splits into fewer, larger scales. Many of these peel off completely, leaving only a prominent star-like patch in the centre and exposing the white, soft, fibrous under layer. The stem is covered with a thin, grey, granular crust that may rub off with handling but which doesn‟t break up with any definition. Although a decent size, this mushroom does not reach the grand proportions of the Parasol proper, but a twelve centimetre diameter cap provides a generous portion per person. It too favours open woods where good numbers can be found scattered here and there, if you are lucky.

Partly unfurled specimens of Macrolepiota mastoidea bear a strong resemblance to a breast, hence the Latin species name (mastoid is an adjective meaning like a nipple or a teat). The overall cap colour is a pinky-brown and the umbo is distinctly nipple-like. As the cap surface breaks up into tiny star-like scales and retreats from the edge in typical fashion, the paler under-skin is revealed. Only around the umbo in the middle does the upper cuticle stay relatively intact, staining around it like the areola. The stem also has a coating that breaks up into fine zigzags or granules as it grows, like the others, but this does not show great contrast like the Parasol stem. A more gracile, whiter form of this mushroom is differentiated as the Slender Parasol – Macrolepiota gracilis by some authors. It is not

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large size; caps to 25cm or more

young caps more conical

large dark brown scales peeling off towards margin

persistent patch around central boss

young caps distinctly breast-shaped

gills creamy white, crowded and free

neat, woolly double ring that slides freely up and down

long , stiff elegant stem

soft, fibrous under layer on cap

felty, two-tone double ring

nipple-like cap centre

cap covered in fine pink-brown scales over whitish background

pale upper stem

felty double ring

stem with pale brown granular stem on light background

grey-brown crumbly layer on stem may rub off

dark ripple pattern against light

Macrolepiota mastoidea

bulbous stem base

may be greyer over all

small bulb

large bulb at base

Macrolepiota konradii dry easily over a wood stove, range or Aga, making use of the natural convection as a by-product, rather than generating additional expense using the oven or a Only the caps of parasols are edible, the stiff stems are dehydrator. The sweet flavour becomes concentrated. much too fibrous and indigestible. Knowing that, there Broken up small and stored in an airtight container, is a tendency among some foragers to lift the heads the pieces will keep well and then come into their own and leave ranks of denuded stalks still standing. in soups and stews where they will re-hydrate.

Somehow this seems disrespectful and looks ugly. At the very least lay them down, or cut them off low so Fresh parasol mushrooms are quite versatile and can that you take some stem to ensure correct identificabe used in a variety of dishes; they stuff and bake and tion. You may decide one day that differentiating from taste good with brie, but the classic way to enjoy them Shaggy Parasols is important to you. If you take the is to coat a whole cap in egg and breadcrumbs and fry whole thing, the easiest method of carrying them in it in butter for a couple of minutes on each side. One your basket is to invert the completely. At this point it final tip. Always make sure you have an extra-large is best to cut off the bulb at the base as it will have skillet on standby – in case you find a Parasol the size rags of leafy debris and soil attached that will sprinkle of your hat! down and collect between the gills. The particles can be difficult to extricate and will add some extra earthy flavours to your meal, or perhaps a bit of a crunch!

Being rather light in construction, parasol caps will

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Only pick and cook or preserve the freshest caps. In the field, place your palm over the boss in the centre of the cap. The mushroom should feel cool to the touch, firm with a hint of moist springiness. If it feels limp, warm, dry or papery then it is in decline and should not be eaten. Any warmth given off comes from unwanted chemical reactions usually caused by decay, often precipitated by the tunnelling of fungus gnat larvae or unfavourable environmental conditions.

This is a useful test to apply to any edible fungi before picking. Once home, remove any last piece of stem from the centre and check for pin-prick holes that indicate the presence of maggots in the cap. Donâ€&#x;t despair if you find some, the little larvae may not have got far and the wounded flesh is easily excised.

Photos by the author

particularly common and I have only ever found it growing singly in grassy places under trees.

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Hand craft a knife at home

Part Three

Making the Leather Scabbard Roger Harrington

The next job for our home made knife is to make the scabbard. The knife we made with basic tools that you may find in most people's sheds.

However, leatherwork is reasonably tool specific and needs the right ones. The good news is that they are relatively inexpensive and readily available, as is the leather.

For this bit of the project you'll need:

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Approx 30cm x 30cm 3mm thick vegetabletanned leather 1 A4 sheet thin card 1 pencil 1 ruler Bushcraft Magazine

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1 pair of harness/saddle makers needles Stanley knife 1 edge bevel tool 1 stitch grooving tool stitch marking wheel or a kitchen fork A diamond awl A small block of beeswax Linen carpet thread Glue (PVA will do it) Oily cloth Smooth, clean cutting surface or mat to work on.

MAKING THE PATTERN Fold your A4 card in half down the longer axis and unfold again. This gives a centre line. Lay the knife on its back,

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TRADITIONAL SKILLS

edge side up, with the tip about 12mm from one end.

Now, carefully holding the tip where it is, allow the knife to roll off to one side and hold it there. What you should have is the tip on the line and the top of the knife about 12mm from the line. Holding a pencil vertical, draw around the knife from the tip to about three-quarters up the handle. You can now move the knife away to somewhere safe for a while.

You should now have the knife pattern for inside the scabbard but not the outside. This you can either draw freehand or use local shapes to draw around.

You need to leave at least 20mm clearance as this is your first scabbard. With experience you can bring this in closer to the knife. Draw around the knife shape to give you the general profile and a line from the outside edge to the centre line to define the front and top of the scabbard. Continue this line across the centre line for about 10mm and draw your belt loop, remember to make it as wide as your belt plus another 2cm for stitching down. Now fold along the centre line in the opposite direction from your original fold and cut around the general profile through both layers of card, you'll have to cut the scabbard top and belt loop with it unfolded.

You now have your pattern ready to try around the knife. Give it a go and see if it looks like it will fit and suits your knife. If not, now is the time to start again, card is cheaper than leather!

MARKING OUT AND CUTTING THE LEATHER

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Lay the pattern on the rough side of the leather with the belt loop at the top and on the left for a right handed scabbard (vice versa for a left hander). Now check that! I have lots of spare left handers cut out, due to not paying attention. Carefully draw around the pattern with a pencil. Using scissors, or the Stanley knife, cut the welt off the pattern. This is the bit defined by the knife outline and scabbard edge on the pattern. Draw around this on the rough side of the leather with your pencil. Note: I don't use a pen as one slip or wrong stroke with the pen is there forever, you have to work quite hard to leave a mark on the rough side with a pencil. Now simply cut

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around the lines carefully with the Stanley knife. Keep it vertical at all times to get a consistently straight edge.

GROOVING AND BEVELLING THE LEATHER As it stands now, you have your scabbard shape ready. There are some extra bits you can do now to make construction easier and give a better finish to the end result.

You'll be using some of the specific leatherwork tools. Look at the pictures in this article to get an idea of how they work and try them out on scraps first.

We can put creases down the inside centre of the scabbard to make it easier to fold using the stitch groover. Simply measure across to find the centre in at least two places and using the ruler to hold the grooving tool against, cut two or three parallel lines down the middle of the scabbard. You can use the same tool to mark out the stitching box on the rough side tip of the belt loop and then on the smooth side go around the whole outline of the scabbard. I tend to set the distance between the cutter and guide post at 6mm for this.

The edge beveller is next, use it to take the corners off of the top smooth side of the scabbard, that is top front edge and belt loop. You can do this when finished but it is far easier to use this tool on flat leather than on a finished scabbard. Do the same on the rough side but leave the last 20mm on the inside front where the welt will go.

WET FORMING Run the main scabbard part under a warm tap until it goes soft, almost like dough. Be careful not to scratch it at this stage, as the scratches will stay in (leatherwork is a short fingernail job!). Wipe your knife over with the oily cloth.

Now, first fold your scabbard in half along the centre line and press flat, then put the knife in where you want it, make sure the point is around 12mm from the end. Using the round end of your fingers push the leather into shape around the knife. Check as you are doing this, that the two edges remain aligned with each other. Fold the belt loop down and shape it to the back of the scabbard and when happy, take out the knife and once again wipe it clean and dry with the oily cloth. I can't stress this enough as the acids that leach from wet leather will corrode a carbon steel blade as you look at it!

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Patience is now the key as you need to put the scabbard somewhere warm to dry. Not hot, warm. An airing cupboard is good. It shouldn't be handled too much as that may distort the shape. It should be dry enough for the next stages in a day or so.

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A thousand years ago the Anglo-Saxons attributed toothache to a tooth-worm burrowing, burrowing away deep within the tooth. If you‟ve ever known that pain, it‟s not difficult to imagine some maggoty thing rustling about in its little cavity, gnawing at the walls. More recently, in the twentieth century, when I was a child, a gruesome animated miner with a pickaxe was shown to be responsible. Whichever little gremlin is in there, a dental infection can be a nightmare, especially if you are out in the wilderness without a dentist and her ample kit for company.

I recently endured a bout of toothache with no prospect of seeing a dentist for ten days, so I took the opportunity to seek some natural deliverance from the suffering. I followed the lead of the old herbalists and time-honoured home healers, by using wild plants to hand. There are many species to choose from, supported by historical and continued use around the world, a few of which are shown here. Of these, I have direct experience of four. A good dentist is one element of modern life I would not like to live without. But neither would I eschew our green friends. You never know when you might need them.

Wild Marjoram Referring to the cleansed green root or green leaves, in 1710, William Salmon, wrote of Yarrow – Achillea millefolium “Being chewed in the mouth, and held against the teeth for some time, it is said to give ease in the tooth-ache”, clearly revealing that, despite being a herbalist, he hadn‟t tried it himself. Yarrow is deservedly a popular herbal and folk-remedy, used in the past by diverse peoples from Slavic peasants to Potawatomi Indians, in places as widespread as Ireland, England, Russia and North America, specifically for treating toothache, amongst many other ailments. Following Salmon‟s method of application (the alternative was to smoke the leaves in a pipe), in time of need, I have used it and was grateful for the gentle relief it afforded. It contains the anti -inflammatory agent azulene and is antiseptic also.

Wild Marjoram – Origanum vulgare grows in abundance on dry, scrubby and stony grassland on chalky or limestone soils and it can also be found in kitchen gardens where it is grown as a potherb. On hot days it can become sticky with the volatile aromatic oil that permeates the plant. It is this oil that is distilled for medicinal purposes (see page 20) and traditionally, a few drops of it on cotton wool or applied directly to the cavity eases toothache. However, in an emergency, a piece of the plant can be chewed and held against the tooth to afford relief, and I can vouch for its efficacy in this form. The undiluted oil is so strong as to be potentially caustic, so if it touches your tongue for any length of time it will cause it to tingle and go numb, as I discovered from experience. It seems to have a mild anaesthetic effect on the tooth, too. Phenolic compounds in the oil are anti-inflammatory and have antimicrobial properties against a range of different bacteria and so, literally, get to the root of the problem. Marjoram has persistent woody stems that can sprout fresh green leaves through most of the year until the hardest frosts arrive.

Judas’ Ear on Elder

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In Benjamin Thorpe‟s great 19th century work on Northern Mythology, the following is collected as a folk-remedy for toothache – Take an elder-twig, first put it in your mouth, then stick it in the wall, saying, “Depart, thou evil spirit”. If only it were that simple! Still, if any tree is powerful enough to banish that miserable pain, it is the Elder – Sambucus nigra and it has a long and widespread tradition of use as a tooth remedy. An ointment made from the leaves are used in Italy and Russia for such a purpose, but flowers and inner bark are strongly bio-active and contain triterpenes such as ursolic acid, β-amirin and betulin that have antiinflammatory effects. One old recipe against toothache from a treatise on the virtues of this tree states „take one handful of middle Elder bark, one handful Elder flowers and one Judas‟ ear fungus, boil them in a sufficient quantity of vinegar and wine, and use the liquid as a gargle‟. If you are forced by circumstance to try this, spit, don‟t swallow, as Elder is toxic.

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Steve Kirk

Red Clover

In syrup form, Red Clover – Trifolium pratense has an old but sound reputation for relieving coughs, even whooping cough, and as a dressing it was used against cancerous growths. Nowadays it is considered a very valuable herb and is used extensively in many a modern herbal dispensary for hormone balance treatment such as for menopausal hot flushes. Surprising then, to find that on the Isle of Man, it was once regarded as a toothache cure by ordinary folk who chewed the leaves to relieve their discomfort. White Clover – Trifolium repens, on the other hand was smoked to the same ends. I have chewed one or other of these pleasant-tasting leaves and although the pain I was suffering was not of the worst kind, clover made it disappear easily.

PLANT LORE

The astringent nature of the juice of certain Potentillas, extracted by boiling or infusing the dried herb for 10 minutes, and then cooled and used as a mouthwash, has received much praise for its positive effect on loose teeth, Silverweed toothache and bleeding gums. Silverweed – Potentilla anserina is most commonly referred to, but Five-leaf Grass or Cinquefoil – Potentilla reptans, also receives mention in the medical herbals and folk remedies, as does Tormentil – Potentilla erecta. All have distinctive leaves but shining Silverweed is most readily recognised, growing in damp grassy places, including verges and waysides. Tannins are the most likely healing compounds. They act by forming a protective layer over infected skin and stopping secretions or bleeding, whilst preventing bacterial infection of open wounds.

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A humble plant yet worthy of high esteem, the Greater Plantain – Plantago major comes to our aid once again. Scattered and not all yet gathered are its applications and virtues but it is known from Switzerland to be a great remedy for tooth infection.

There a leaf or root is pressed to the ear to bring relief. Among its many uses in Russia is as a gargle to treat toothache. I steeped the shredded and bruised leaves in hot water and, once cool, held a mouthful of the liquid over the affected part of my jaw for as long as I could before swallowing. (Taken internally it promotes tissue repair, so no harm in that). I repeated this several times a day, including last thing at night. Each day the pain diminished until once again the tooth could take the pressure of a bite, without inflicting agony and by the time of my dental appointment the infection was all but gone. In Italy and Pakistan Ribwort – Plantago lanceolata, is used to similar effect. The former is an inhabitant of the trampled wayside, the latter of grassy fields and so one or other is almost always within reach.

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Kevin Warrington

Working as a part-time wilderness guide at Solberget Vildmarkbyn (owned by my friend Dirk Hagenbach, who moved here from Germany 20 years ago) here in Swedish Lapland, one of the autumn activities we offer is a four day wandering in Muddus National Park in September, with some of our reindeer as pack-animals. I have worked as a guide on two such wanderings.

Typically, the guests spend their first day learning about reindeer and how to feed them, work with them and handle them as pack-animals. The day after that, we load up the reindeer into a trailer and pack our equipment into a minibus for the drive to Muddus.

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Once safely there, the reindeer are unloaded and saddles placed on them. A pack containing food and equipment is placed on each side of the saddle.

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WILDERNESSWORLD

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without a 9 volt battery, I came up with the idea of using 2 AA batteries. When I placed them on my knife blade, one with the positive pole up and one with the negative pole up and touched the wire-wool across the two batteries, it created a short circuit and the heat produced, ignited the wire-wool (well, the oil that coats the wire-wool actually).

The reindeer can carry up to 25 kilos, which includes their own food of dried pellets. In addition, we each have our own rucksacks in which we carry more equipment.

On the first day of trekking in Muddus we cover a distance of 11 kilometres, making our way to the cabin at Muddusluoppal. Part of my job as we travel is to identify birds that we see and hear, talk about some of the plants that can be used for food and medicine, and show our guests animal tracks and signs.

When Dirk eventually returned with the reindeer, the halter needed to be repaired. I had a needle which I carry in my neck pouch; one of the guests had dental floss which I used as thread and a nail abraded on a stone made an awl for making holes in the leather halter to stitch it.

After that we spent another night at Muddusluoppal cabin in order to continue our journey the following morning.

When we arrive at the cabin, we remove the packs and saddles from the reindeer and tether the animals to trees. Then we move our equipment into the cabin. The cabins are open for everyone to use at a cost of 150 Swedish Krones per person, per night. Unfortunately, there are many that do not pay, which is a great shame as this money goes to the up-keep of the cabins and the provision of firewood.

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As part of the overall experience, the guests help to prepare and serve the At Muddusluoppal there is an 18 metre high observation evening meal, tower. I take the guests up there to see the views and to and we observe birds and animals. The views are stunning. On one usually spend occasion a guest spent the night in the tower hoping to see a the rest of the bear, stirred evening by the fact around a campfire, chatting and drinking hot chocolate. that one had Several times during the night we have to get up and check been observed that everything is okay with the reindeer. from the tower three days From the cabin at Muddus Fallet it is a one kilometre hike previously. to the spectacular waterfalls. The sides of the canyon Sadly, the through which the river flows, always look good for Lynx guest was but I have sat there in the late evening and seen nothing. unsuccessful.

However, back at the cabin on one occasion we did find a Skogslämmeln running around in the vegetation. Also On the second known as the day we have a 12km walk to the cabin at Muddus Fallet Wood (The Muddus Waterfall). It was on my first visit to Muddus Lemming, that this part of our wandering did not go quite according to Myopus plan... That day, it was raining heavily and as one of our schisticolor, is a guests was leading a reindeer along a stretch of board-walk, species of she slipped and fell; which startled the reindeer and, rodent although she managed to hold onto the reindeer‟s halter, related to voles, part of it broke and the reindeer ran off into the trees lemmings and carrying our food and some of the guests sleepingbags! I muskrats. gave chase, but once the reindeer got onto the marshes, I could not keep up with it. We tried to lure it back with During our food, but eventually it disappeared out of sight. wandering we are often visited by groups of reindeer, attracted in by our We decided to make our way back to Muddusluoppal and own reindeer. Muddus is an important area for reindeer spend the day there, while Dirk was out in the forest reherding; the drier lichen grounds are used for winter foraglocating and catching the reindeer. During this time I gave ing by Mountain Reindeer Sámi districts and the wetland the guests a demonstration of fire-making techniques, areas for summer grazing and calving by the Gällivare including the bow-drill. I usually also demonstrate making Forest Reindeer Sámi district. Research carried out in the fire with wire-wool and a 9 volt battery, but finding myself area where I live, which involved placing GPS collars on

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both reindeer and Brown Bears, has shown that 60% of reindeer calves are killed by Brown bears. Wolf, Lynx and other predators take their share also and so there are a relatively small percentage of reindeer calves that survive each year.

mer grazing and calving by the Gällivare forest reindeer district.

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In the southern part of Muddus there is a system of marked trails and walkways with four overnight cabins: Muddusfallet, with eight beds, Muddusluoppal with six beds, ManOur final day is a 14 kilometre walk to the minibus pick-up son with three and Nammates with three. At Muddusluoppoint, via the cabin at Nammates. At a nearby lake in pal there is also an 18metre high observation tower that 1983, a couple saw a UFO crash into the lake. During offers spectacular views across the national park, for those our visit to Muddus in September 2014, scientists and brave enough to climb to the top. From here it may be the military were trawling the lake to try and locate the possible to observe some of Muddus’ diverse species of mystery object. We have not heard if they found birds and animals including; Moose, Brown Bear, Lynx, anything!

Wolverine, Sea Eagle, Common Crane and Whooper Swan.

Muddus National Park was formed in 1942 with the Almost half of Muddus consists of marshes. Here the main aim of helping to protect the Whooper Swan, terrain is mostly flat. There is virgin forest containing which at that time was very scarce. As a result, a pines several hundred years old. Many insects, fungi, 500km2 area of ancient Lapland forest and wetland lichens and mosses require forest that has lived naturally landscape was preserved for both us and future for centuries, without felling and there are many such generations. Muddus is also now part of the Laponian species in Muddus.

World Heritage Area and is in the EU ecological The southern part, which slopes down towards the Stora network of protected areas, called Natura 2000.

Lule River, is covered by young pine forest, shaped by both People have lived in the Muddus area for thousands of forest fires and more ancient felling. The slope is crossed years. Evidence of human activity includes; extensive sys- from north to south by a series of canyons. The Muddus tems of pits dug by hunters to catch wild reindeer, stumps river flows through one of the canyons and here you can of centuries old axe-felled trees and old Sámi Lávvu tipi also see the impressive 42 metre high Muddus Falls. sites with fire hearths in the form of a ring of stones.

Muddus is today an important area for reindeer herding; the drier lichen grounds are used for winter foraging by mountain reindeer districts and the wetland areas for sum-

Bushcraft Magazine

LENTICULAR CLOUDS Complex physical processes occur in the atmosphere above our heads, that’s obvious, and they carry on largely unseen. One of the joys of clouds is that they can make these phenomena visible and sometimes we can work out by observation what is actually going on. We can watch the genesis of little convection clouds on a warm summer morning, for example, then observe them through the day swelling in stages from little heaps, through medium-size until they reach massive, congested storm clouds that fill the sky – and expect the consequences. If not, we can simply ‘appreciate’ the clouds.

Lenticular or ‘lens-shaped’ wave clouds are among the most beautiful to look at, whether single, iridescent, stacked or spreading across the sky. Some are shaped like a convex lens, such as you would find in a magnifying glass and others are concave, like the lenses of reading glasses. They may form as rows of softly undulating waves with empty air in between. They appear as scattered opaque lenses across the sky sometimes connected by strips of narrow shallow cloud. Or they may resemble stacks of ethereal inverted dishes. This type of cloud always has the suffix cumulus as part of their genus (meaning ‘heaped’) e.g.

Altocumulus, and lenticularis as the species name, though more accurately they are a stratiform or layer cloud, as is evident by their overall flatness. A particular feature of these clouds is that they remain stationary for long periods. Their shape may change, and with binoculars it is possible to see them forming at the trailing edge and dissolving at the leading edge as the wind blows through them, but they do not drift across the sky.

Lenticular lee wave clouds generated by mountains well over the horizon

The

Another quality is that if they appear close to the sun the clouds may exhibit a gorgeous pearly iridescence as the light shines through their thinner edges. That gives us a clue about these clouds and their genesis. Irisation, as this effect is also known, occurs in young, newly formed clouds, including other types, whose droplets of water vapour are small and even in size and distribution. In this instance it is because the clouds are continually renewing themselves. Whenever they appear it will be a sunny day and a very windy one. Although you may not be aware of strong winds at ground level they will be present higher up. The jet stream often contributes to the effect.

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What resemble shallow ripples in the sand to us are actually the crests of deep unseen waves in the air. Those almondshaped clouds are, in reality, moist air condensing in the peaks of great undulations of multiple air layers. When a deep airstream that contains unstable, layered air is forced to rise up over a barrier such as a mountain, a range of peaks or even a prominent island in the sea, it can set up a series of oscillations on the leeward side of the obstacle. Once over the barrier the air undergoes great turbulence, causing conditions that can be dangerous to aircraft. First it falls. Then, as the air rises again, it cools and any moist levels condense, forming the distinctive lenticular clouds. Depending on the number of moist strata they can form above each other, at low, mid or

While the mechanics of these clouds are amazing, their elegant forms are best appreciated outdoors away from the computer. In parts of the world with big mountain ranges, such as the Rockies in North America, the displays can be stunning. Near to these mountains the condensed layers can create stacked lenticular formations that have been mistaken for flying saucers. I have never seen anything quite like that here in the southeast corner of England, but considering the nearest mountains are in Wales, 250 kilometres to the west north west, I have seen some pretty amazing sights. How about where you live?

WEATHER LORE

Stacked lenticular clouds show iridescence when close to the sun

Nowadays, it is possible to get a very different perspective on these events by accessing real-time satellite imagery intended for weather forecasting on the internet, such as that at www.meteoradar.co.uk/home/satellite_UK_and_Ireland On this site a series of updates at five minute intervals creates an animated sequence of clouds over the UK. When the conditions are just right, it is possible to watch wave clouds forming in lines in the lee of any mountains. In the British Isles the generating airflow tends to travel from west to east or north-west to south-east, where the mountains of Wales, the Pennines and sometimes the Scottish Highlands act as the obstacle. Anyone living on the sheltered side will experience lee-wave clouds, sooner or later. Using the radar, you can choose a line of clouds amongst the masses of undulations, point the cursor to it and watch as it wriggles but stays put, while elsewhere on the image other types drift across the country.

Stacked saucers of cloud, a small-scale local effect, in this case Looking along lines of lens-shaped clouds Below: Diagram of the mechanics of the cloud formation Cirrocumulus lenticularis

Altocumulus lenticularis

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wave length

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high altitudes. As the air descends, it does not evaporate, it compresses, and the heat of compression causes the moisture to re-absorb. Downwind of the barrier the air makes a long train of rising and falling air with a lenticular cloud at the crest of each undulation. The strength of the wind determines the length of the wave, i.e. the distance from crest to crest or trough to trough, which will manifest itself as the gaps between the clouds. The mountains responsible may be nearby, in which case there will be a few other associated things to see, or they may be over the horizon, hundreds of miles away.

Bushcraft Magazine

A Home-made Hydrosol for Distilling Herbs Dawn and Phil Ireland There is a long and historical tradition in the UK of using distilled plant or herb waters as medicines.

Sometimes called hydrosols or hydrolats, the 17th century herbalist and author, Nicholas Culpeper mentions the use of distilled waters many times throughout his medicinal herbal, as does the lesser known and more experienced contemporary, John Parkinson.

the process. This is then heated using a variable heat source, in this case a spirit burner. The distillate is evaporated off and fed into a coiled copper condensation tube which is immersed in a cold water bath which needs to be kept cool by replacing the water, or adding crushed ice. The hydrosol then drips off to be collected.

Distilling alcohol in this way is technically illegal, The process of hydrosol distillation can easily be done at although it is not illegal to describe the process or buy home on a small scale. This involves water and plant the kit. It is telling that our lavender still came from a material placed together in the distilling vessel. Steam home brew shop! distillation, which is used commercially to produce essential oils is slightly different, in that Herbalist’s copper still water alone goes into the base of the vessel with the plant material suspended above to allow steam to pass through.

Suzanne Catty in her book ‘Hydrosols’ states that hydrosols are not the same as essential oils nor are they the same as herb teas. Some of the plant constituents extracted are water soluble, but only under high heat, and would escape into the vapour if simply made by boiling in an open pan. Hydrosols are, therefore, unique. If you look into plant chemistry and if you are interested in that depth of information, you can see how distilling extracts high levels of the lighter molecules such as esters, with the heavier molecules such as resins and tannins left behind, producing a slightly different product. Each litre of hydrosol will typically contain up to 5% of essential oil within it.

The

Alcohol is easy enough to produce, as ethanol has a single boiling point well below that of boiling water, but herbal constituents may have multiple boiling points closer to 100°C, giving a much weaker product. Some very oily herbs such as lavender may give enough essential oil to be scooped off the water surface or frozen and carefully poured off. Temperature control is important to minimise evaporation of water, which Distillation is a two stage process which is easiest to illustrate on our copper still shown in the photograph. A dilutes the product and to reduce the risk of it boiling sealed vessel is filled with the desired herb, and enough dry. Expensive versions commonly have an inbuilt water is added to ensure that it does not boil dry during thermostat, but we use a non-contact infrared cooking

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Photos by the authors

Until recently, contemporary herbal medicine practice, certainly in the Western Tradition, had largely forgotten the benefits and uses of this ancient art. It is a method that is worth reviving and the good news is that you don’t necessarily have to own a still to make it. Distilled waters can then be frozen or kept in the fridge to extend storage life. If kept at room temperatures however, most will last a minimum of six months. We usually imagine only the very perfumed plants are used, such as rose, lavender and rosemary, however, the lesser aromatic plants can make effective and pleasant tasting medicines. The benefits over making a simple herb tea are the storage capabilities and the strength of the product.

Home-made hydrosol

Three medicinal hydrosols that you can make: Birch Tree Leaves (Betula pendula)

Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) The distilled waters of elderflower were historically used for headaches, sunburn and skin ulcers and mentioned both by Culpeper and Parkinson. In modern times a cooling and anti-inflammatory effect can be gained for mild sunburn and taken internally, are uplifting and cooling for allergies and summer colds.

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If you have an enamel preserving pan with a close fitting convex lid, place a short terracotta flower pot inverted in the centre of the pan, pack around it with your herb and fill to just below its level with water.

Bringing it to a quick boil will wilt the herb and potentially allow you to pack more in. Now place a small bowl or ramekin onto the pot and invert the pan lid, fill the base of the lid with crushed ice. Ladle off the water as it warms and continue to do so for an hour or so. If your pan has a Pyrex lid all to the better as you can monitor the progress and make sure that it does not boil dry. Cool and remove the lid and you should find that the distillate has dripped down the handle and into the bowl.

DO IT YOURSELF

The young leaves of the birch tree can be distilled and according to Culpeper, used for any bladder or urinary tract inflammation, with or without infection, and is also helpful to soothe a sore mouth. Modern research tells us that this remedy is an effective diuretic, increasing urine output, with antiseptic benefits. It is also known for improving the symptoms of fluid congestion in arthritic joints for this reason. Interestingly, birch contains reasonable levels of salicin (from which aspirin is copied and synthesised to acetyl salicylic acid) in common with willow bark and inverted meadowsweet herb, and therefore helps to reduce enamel lid pain. The essential oil obtained from the seeds of birch is strongly pain relieving diluted in a carrier oil or cream heatproof herbs + and used on painful joints or muscles for the same glass bowl water reason. The smell is powerfully pungent, reminiscent of a heat producing ointment that you can buy at the chemists and smells identical to wintergreen oil which also contains salicin. A point of interest to note regarding natural sources of salicin is that it does not inverted flower pot have the same effects of blood thinning as synthetic enamel preserving pan aspirin. It is the acetyl-salicylic acid produced in a lab which has the blood thinning properties as the natural thermometer. These can be an estimate, and it may be form is missing the acetyl portion of the molecule and advisable to spray very reflective surfaces with a patch so has pain relieving and anti-inflammatory of black heat resistant engine paint to scan from. capabilities only. Neither does the natural salicin If all of this sounds a bit expensive for an experimenter, irritate the stomach lining. there are a number of other ways with which to have a go. A good sized catering coffee can and a few fittings Fennel Seed (Foeniculum vulgare) from your plumbing merchant will easily fit the bill for the DIY-er. A pressure cooker may also be used, but be The unripe green seed heads are strongly aniseed in aware that most are aluminium and any vaguely acidic fragrance and taste and make a powerful hydrosol herb is likely to become contaminated. All modern useful for all respiratory and stomach complaints. stainless cookers that we have seen are so safety proof Culpeper mentions the use of the distilled waters for that the pressure release valve is not accessible to fit a bathing sore eyes, although this is not generally done condensation tube to. The final method is the least in modern times. It can be taken internally for infecefficient, but easiest and well worth a try. tions such as cystitis.

Bushcraft Magazine

Carpathian Autumn Edward O’ Toole Red Squirrel

used in pies and cakes throughout the frozen months.

Pears, cherries, and the two national favourites, plums and pine cones, all can be made into strong brandies.

In the fields, villagers toil to bring in the potato harvest.

Families work together to dig up the rows of their inherited strips of land. In some areas, horses are still used but now it's mostly the village tractor driver who earns a fee for the heavy work. Most of the potatoes will be kept in root cellars beneath the home, and the crop will suffice until early summer the next year. Some of the potatoes will be allowed to go to seed, to develop tubers so that they can be planted the following spring.

Mist snakes up in wisps from the drenched forest canopy lining the slopes of the valley. Still mostly green, the tan colours of autumn have begun to show in the leaves. A heavy grey sky promises more rain and the ground is sodden underfoot. This is the time of wellies, not hiking boots.

The

The summer has ended and, with it, lazy days. Every fruit and crop cries out to be harvested, and the branches of trees hang heavy with ripe produce. Apples already lie on the ground, along with the empty husks of beech and hazel nuts that red squirrels have discarded. Picking the apples is an annual chore, and one that requires a long pole with grabber and bag attached. Unlike most fruit, apples can be stored throughout the winter, making them a staple.

Some are destined for a village distillery where they will be brewed in fresh mountain spring water and turned into alcohol. It's up to the individual whether they want just 52% or if they like their drink stronger.

The rest of the Wood delivery apples will be

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Pumpkins and marrows expand colourfully across kitchen gardens.

There always seem to be more than are needed and it is usual to give one or two to visitors when they leave.

The same can be said for cucumbers and paprika.

Departing guests often find themselves carrying bags filled with vegetables, and perhaps a few eggs if they're lucky.

1. After properly identifying, pick honey mushrooms in late summer or autumn.

They grow on tree stumps and on the ground. Choose the younger ones.

The other major crop to be dealt with at this time is lumber. The village tractor driver earns his keep by dragging a trailer up the hills and into the forest, where stacks of cut oak and beech await, and the forestry officer stands by to mark off the cordage. Most villagers own a parcel of forest as well as growing land, so they're permitted so many metres of cut wood 3. Fry the mushrooms on their own for a per year at a discounted couple of minutes, then add raw eggs price. All the forest in the and fresh herbs. Mix well as though area is collectivized and making an omelette. controlled by a local forestry office. Everyone is free to walk through the immense woodland that covers the country.

Bringing the wood in is a tiring but necessary ritual. Stacking it to season and dry, slicing it with a circular saw, chopping it into usable sizes, all a part of autumn.

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White Stork

After a day of heavy rain followed by a day of sunshine, the villagers ready themselves before dawn and head off to the forest armed with a wicker basket and knife. As herds of boar and deer graze the forest edge, the locals venture in, in search of fungi. The fields are filled with giant parasol mushrooms, which make tasty fritters, and the swampy forest floor teems with a multitude of toadstools, from the deadly Amanita phalloides and virosa to the delicious oyster and end of season 2. Parboil for a few minutes to remove boletes; there's even an any stomach irritants or bitter afterabundance of Fly Agaric taste. Many people just use them as is for those who know how but it's a matter of personal taste and to prepare them. A constitution. favourite local dish is prazenice, something between omelette and scrambled egg, with honey mushrooms or cep, and herbs from the garden mixed in.

Edward O'Toole, author of The Tao of Prepping, was featured on National Geographic's Preppers UK. Born and raised in Britain, he's spent most of his adult life travelling abroad. For the last 16 years he has lived in a remote Ruthenian village in Eastern Slovakia with his wife and 3 children. His back yard is the bush.

Now is the time when we forage for rosehip to dry for winter. As the highest natural source of vitamin C they make an ideal supplement to the wild mint and cowslips we dry for tea. Although sloes grow in abundance, they're not used.

Photos by the author

4. Voila! Your honey mushroom prazenice is ready to serve and eat.

With winter fast approaching and the first bite of ice in the wind, it's the last time to camp in some comfort. With a tarp, a roll mat and a sleeping bag, and a pot for tea, the forest beckons. Huddled before a small fire as darkness sweeps through the woods and the large beasts crash about and make their cries, it brings you back to more ancient times; times when we knew our place in this world and had both a greater understanding of it, and a greater respect.

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Autumn is also the most magical, eerie time of year as, for several weeks, the night air rings with the primal grunts, barks and calls of the red deer stags vying for position around the valley. The rutting season, especially at dawn and dusk when smothered in mist, harks back to a time

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WILDERNESSWORLD

primaeval and you can feel it in your blood and bones. That, and the howl of the wolf.

While the Celts had Cernunnos, the Slavs had Veles, and this season is most definitely his. When the hunters bring down an 18-tine stag and dish out its black meat, the stench of hormones and pure power and animalistic lust overwhelms the senses.

Bushcraft Magazine

BUSHCRAFTER‟S

If you know your stars well, then you have two systems for telling the time by night without the aid of a watch.

ALMANAC

NEW MOON

FULL MOON

NOV 22

12:33

DEC 06

12:27

DEC 22

01:36

JAN 05

04:54

JAN 20

13:14

FEB 03

23:09

FEB 18

23:47

MAR 05

18:06

MAR 20

09:36

APR 04

12:06

METEOR SHOWERS

Name

Dates

Peak

Hourly rate

Leonids

Nov 15 - 20

Nov 16/17

30-300

Geminids

Dec 7 - 16

Dec 14

100+

Quadrantids Jan 1-6

Jan 4 *

80-120

Lyrids

Apr 22

18

Apr 18-25

* Full Moon interferes THE PLANETS Jupiter is in Leo, rising later in

Venus is hidden by the glare

the night.

of the Sun until December when it appears at sunset.

Mars sets mid-evening in the SW through November and December

Saturn is behind the Sun until December

Mercury is

a predawn apparition

SUNSET

SUNRISE

LON

CAR

EDIN BEL

LON

DEC 1

07:44

07:56 08:19 08:22

DEC 1

JAN 1

08:06

08:18 08:44 08:46

FEB 1

07:39

MAR 1 06:46

CAR

EDIN

BEL

15:55 16:07

15:44

16:03

JAN 1

16:02 16:14

15:09

16:08

07:51 08:08 08:14

FEB 1

16:49 17:02

16:45

17:02

06:59 07:05 07:14

MAR 1 17:40 17:52

17:46

17:59

Note that all times are Universal Coordinated Time UTC /GMT.

The

Winter Solstice occurs at 23:02 December 21, 2014

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Although the Sun appears to traverse the sky from East to West during the day, we now know that it is the rotation of the Earth about its axis that turns us first TELLING THE TIME BY towards the Sun’s position THE STARS and then, after noon, away from it, until the Sun disappears below the opposite horizon. We often forget, however, that at night the fixed background of stars moves in a similar manner, so that stars and constellations appear to rise in the East during the course of the night, while others set in the West. Any star or sign that is on the ecliptic and appears at sunset will cross the sky during the night and sink in the West at dawn. The ecliptic is the line that the Sun apparently traces against the background stars in a year, i.e. as the Earth makes one full revolution around it. This is the path that the moon (more or less) and planets appear to pursue also. This line bisects twelve constellations (or at least did, anciently) and this broader band of stars is known as the Zodiac. The sign of the Zodiac that is rising in the East as the sun sets, will set in the West as the sun rises.

To see this happen, you would need to stay up all night and be blessed with clear skies. Ideally you would want a zodiac constellation with a prominent star; Taurus the Bull, with Aldebaran, its red eye, demonstrates this clearly in the month of December. Or, better still, Pleiades, once a constellation in their own right but now a grouping in Taurus, are within 4 degrees of the ecliptic (a fraction over the thickness of two fingers held at arm’s length), which passes just below it from our perspective. This cluster of stars, under many different identities, is widely used around the world as both a seasonal marker and for noting the passage of time during the night. For example; during all-night ceremonies Navajo chanters in North America monitor Dilyéhé, (their untranslatable name for the Pleiades), so that they know when to insert or omit songs, to ensure that the closing or dawn song will correspond to the break of day. During the long winter nights in Europe, Romanian peasants use the height in the sky of the Hatching Hen with her Chicks (Cloșca cu Pui) to gauge how long it will be before dawn.

In Macedonia, the Pleiades is also known as Mother Hen (Kvachka) , and in summertime and early Autumn, it rises in the East ‘around’ 2 a.m. This is when peasant housewives get up to start baking bread for family members who labour on the fields. Then, after an interval that is estimated by imagining a two metre cattle goad, against the night sky and which corresponds to approximately one hour, the Ploughman (Orach) becomes visible in the East. He is the bright star Betelgeuse on Orion’s shoulder, and is also located close to the ecliptic. This is the signal for the workers to rise from their beds and get ready for work, (presumably awakened by their wives and mothers who are already up!) Finally, the

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nevertheless they rotate but never set. In Thurso, in the far north of Scotland, the circumpolar star circle has a 58° radius; that is almost an extra fist’s width at arm’s length of During the northern hemisphere winter the path that the permanently visible stars but also an equivalent loss of 8° of zodiacal constellations follow from east to west is high – sky to the south of their view for periods of time more proequivalent to the sun’s passage Down Under in southern longed than further south. Indeed some southern hemisphere Summer and for the same reason that the Moon constellations that only poke their nose above the horizon sails high in winter and low in summer, (see Low Full Moon at 50°, e.g. the Great Dog stars that lie below Sirius, may TBM Vol 5 No 2 Summer 2009). At any particular time of year barely show at all. this will be the zodiacal constellation directly opposite (six away from) the one that the sun appears to reside in at the This visible disc of sky centred on the North Star, effectively time (the current astrological sun sign). Unfortunately, some acts as a giant clock face. Any of the never-setting circumposigns of the Zodiac are faint (e.g. Pisces) but once you are lar constellations will rotate during the night like a clock’s accustomed to the plane which they inhabit, they are much hands, except in the opposite direction. The star arrangeeasier to find and follow. In March around the equinox, it is ments there must make one full rotation every twenty four conspicuous Leo, with its bright star Regulus, the base of its hours, to get back into the position where they were the sickle-shaped asterism resting on the ecliptic, that rises at previous night. Thus the highly visible asterism, or folk condusk and sets at dawn. If there happens to be an outer planet stellation, of the Plough, also known as The Wain, for examwithin the bounds of a Zodiac constellation that comes up in ple, rotates through ninety degrees every 6 hours (one fourth the East as the Sun dips below the western horizon it will of a day). In northern Europe it was said, probably to children, appear to make the full trip from East to West during the tongue-in-cheek , that it did so with a great rumbling sound. course of the night, such as brilliant Jupiter in Gemini in (It was a Wagon, after all). Only in deepest Winter does night January 2014 and again, with Leo in January 2015, rendering last long enough for it to wheel round more than one it all the easier to follow. hundred and eighty degrees!

STAR LORE

appearance of the Morning Star, which could be Venus or Jupiter, or even both, indicates that the Sun will soon be up.

The North Celestial Pole, as denoted by Polaris, the Pole Star, is always the same height above the horizon as the latitude of the observer. At the North Pole it is directly overhead. As you travel southwards, the Pole Star sinks towards the northern horizon, until it becomes too challenging to observe within a few degrees of the Equator. At this point it is no longer useful for navigation and peoples living that far south tend to hold it in little regard.

Some Native tribes living above 30 degrees North on the American continent marked time by these stars also. The Micmac related the position of Mooin, the bear (the bowl of the Dipper or Plough) and Ntooksooinuk, its hunters (the handle) to the time of year, at least for the first half of the night (see The Never-ending Chase, TBM Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2014) before it changed position. To the Blackfoot tribe it was an important marker of midnight. They knew the star group as six brothers and a sister. In one of the Blackfoot Lodge Conveniently for people in Truro in Cornwall, southern Tales, ‘ Red Old Man’, George Bird Grinnell translates his England, their latitude is about 50°, meaning that all the stars narrator’s word thus; “The Seven Persons slowly swung within a 50°radius of Polaris never set throughout the year. around, and pointed downward. It was the middle of the That effectively creates a circular region of the sky, centred night.” on Polaris with a diameter of 100° that always comprises the same constellations. They will at times skim the horizon, and unless you live in very flat land may be obstructed from view,

Leo Cancer

Gemini Castor

Ecliptic

Pollux Regulus

Asellus australis

Taurus

Praesepe Propus

Wasat

Pleiades Mother Hen

Diagram by Steve Kirk

Aldebaran Betelgeuse Ploughman

Orion

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A familiar section of the Zodiac with the line of the ecliptic passing through it. Constellations drift from East to West (left to right in the picture). Aldebaran means “the follower” because it follows the Pleiades across the sky.

Bushcraft Magazine

Make a fox tooth necklace Steve Kirk This is an ancient style of necklace that dates back to the Old Stone Age, when the teeth of bears or Arctic Foxes were used. Your cordage-making skills will need to be already up to scratch for this. You will need: an awl – alternatively you could make yourself a flint burin (see The Mighty Burin TBM Vol. 10 No. 2, Summer 2014); a leather pad or similar; fine, strong, previously made cordage; an accumulation of fox canine teeth.

There is no need or desire, to kill a fox! Use roadkill or incomplete found skulls. (Complete ones are worth collecting.) Word of warning – the animal may need to be quite decomposed for the teeth to come out easily. Make sure they are thoroughly cleaned afterwards and use disposable gloves. A dozen teeth will make a fair necklace and each animal has four canines.

Using the awl, patiently apply the point in a back and forth twisting motion to the spot where you want to make the hole. This should be above the enamel part of the tooth in the portion that sits in the socket of the jaw. Start on the flatter side of the tooth with the curved side against the pad. It can take a while and requires firm pressure whilst twisting the awl. Be very careful not so slip or you will impale yourself on the awl. I always have some form of padding behind it and not just my fingers!

The

Once you have sunk in to about half way, draw a pencil line from the hole straight to the tooth edge and then using this as a guide to line up with the hole you have already drilled, make a pencil mark on the opposite side. Turn the tooth to this side and drill through by hand as before. You may be tempted to use an electric drill but this is very difficult to control (not to mention against the spirit) and is the quickest way to shatter the tooth. Once through from both sides gently enlarge the middle as this will be a narrow neck where two cones meet.

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Once through, you are ready to thread.

For the cordage I used raffia, because it can be used to make very thin thread, but is really tough to break. The hole you drill through the teeth is best kept small. Raffia is a natural material. It comes from the underneath of raffia palm leaves and it is clearly not native to Britain. Nonetheless it is easily and cheaply picked up in the gardening section of pound or less shops, and garden centres.

The cord will need to be longer than the distance around your neck, because it will shorten with each tooth you add. Arrange the teeth symmetrically. They will be either right or left sided and turn outwards accordingly. Keep the rounded face on the outside.

Photos by the author

Make a knot on your cord where you want the tooth. Slide it on and then make a second knot close to it. This will allow the teeth to move a little but not all bunch up together.

Decide how far apart you want the teeth and make another knot before sliding the next tooth on. All this knotting is what shortens the cord.

Dipping the ends of the thread into a little melted candle wax and running them through your fingertips helps keep them together during the threading process.

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Once you have added them all the necklace is ready. You could use a small premolar or even another canine in a toggle and loop arrangement to close it. Or you could keep it open-ended and tie it loosely so you can keep adding teeth over time.

Bushcraft Magazine

Traditional chata

Edward O’ Toole writes from Slovakia...

The Other Side of the Bush Perhaps because the region is surrounded by dense forest and hills filled with large and dangerous game, perhaps because hunting is both a tradition and a status symbol, perhaps because every babka and child goes mushroom picking and every villager uses coppicing for fencing, or wild herbs for tea or nettles to feed their goats or lumber to heat with and cook on, perhaps for these reasons the Slavic people don't see the bush in the same way we British do.

bivvy, and kipping in it alone, unarmed, was totally alien.

Man's time in the forest is during daylight; only heavily armed hunters go there at night. 60 miles to the west and east of me there are bear, and each year campers in tents run into problems with them. Being dragged out of a zipped tent and scalped puts most people off.

Slavs have a love-fear-need-respect of the forest. After all, they know what's in it.

The

Unlike in the UK, where bushcraft equates to telling yourself that you really do enjoy sleeping in a debris shelter in the pouring rain, and trying to light a friction fire with two sodden sticks so that you can stave off the inevitable hypothermia, Slavs have taken it a few stages further.

Having cheaper land prices and more lax building laws has allowed the development of the „man cave‟ into „cabin porn‟. There's an inherent need here to be part of I recently asked the head of forestry for the region about the bush but not to have to sleep with creepy crawlies to the legalities of camping out and having a fire in the for- do so. Instead, buying a plot of land removed from the est. Everyone is allowed to freely walk there and forage, town and with a good view, building a cabin or retreat, but I know there are regular bans on live flame for fear of filling such location with funky off-grid gadgets and a forest fire during hot periods. The man was simply asfew luxury amenities (saunas are popular), is the way to tounded. Why would anyone in their right mind want to go. Having the best log fire, solar shower, gazebo, view, sleep rough in the woods? There are boar and wolf which guard dog, wine, etc. is a means of both relaxing at the would happily tear you apart. The concept of building a weekend away from a busy city life, and also of impress-

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ing your peers. Of course, having a 4x4 parked in your yard (Lada Niva or Uaz for the traditionalists), a quad for collecting wood and an enduro motorcycle for the heavily - pitted country lanes, are de rigour. Even the brand of chainsaw you use is important: Stihl, Dolmar or Husqvarna only. They seem to have even taken a lesson from the British bushcrafter in that the brand of axe and knife they use has become a discussion point.

also a pseudospirituality emerging connected to this; a striving for oneness with nature.

A couple of years back, my brother bought a completely off-grid mini-castle out here. There's no water, not even a well yet, and no electricity. This year he spent 6 weeks at his place, alone when he wasn't with me, and he began to understand the Slavic Man Cave concept as being more logical than the romanticised, but unrealistic, one hundred A few years back there was a huge upsurge in materialism, percent offgrid fantasy that many in the west have. You similar to the Yuppie period in the UK. People lost sight can still chop your own firewood, get water from a of their origins as they clamoured for German luxury cars mountain spring, and use a thunderbox for a toilet, but you and Scandinavian stainless steel fridges. Even having roots can also have a spit roast, a party, perhaps even an organic in a village was an embarrassment as it had the stigma of swimming pool. You can use it as a place to escape to, so poverty and uneducated, uncultured peasantry. Everyone that living there full time doesn't become a painful chore, wanted a flat in the town and a wide screen TV. or you can use it as a base from which to explore the bush or even ride through the mountains on a motorbike. You can drink a beer with your friends and watch eagles fly overhead. I've got one friend who arrives at his in his own helicopter.

Thankfully, something changed. The movers and shakers, the wealthy, the fashionistas, slowly grew tired of expensive spa holidays and wasting their money on designer labels. In the space of a decade, capitalist excess had begun to lose its flavour. Businessmen started growing beards.

Instead of lounging by an overpriced poolside at weekends, they returned to the way of their forefathers, bought an axe and began chopping wood. At first, these cabins ('chata' in Slovak, 'dacha' in Russian) were like the high end village equivalent of townhouses, but it soon became fashionable to strip them down to their bare bones. The more off-grid the better. However, you can buy a lot of solar panels with a decent salary so they were never going to end up like the primitive one room cabins of yore.

I've seen in many of my friends out here a healthy balance emerging, where you can have your cake and eat it. They don't want to be trapped to the land like their ancestors so they don't grow large amounts of crops or livestock like the villagers do. They want to have an adventure. There's

My shack

about state of mind. A robin is just as impressive as a raven, and a fox a wolf. The secret is in how you see and appreciate things, and how you interact with your environment. It took me a long time to appreciate mine and now I'm in love with it. And, I hope, the adventure's only just beginning...

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Hill forest

Photos by the author

But you don't need to live in the Carpathians, or run an international company, to live this lifestyle. A shed on an allotment with a wood burner is a good place to start. It's all

WILDERNESSWORLD

When you wear the same ragged, scabby, dirty clothes for a month, you start off feeling like a mountain man but by the end you just feel awful. Having a cabin means you can get changed to do manual work and then change again to relax. A wood fire heated bath means you can clean the caked in dirt.

Even the days of army issue camouflage gear have ended – there's a world of new brands catering to the sophisticated Bushman.

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How to Fillet a Codfish John Ruffhead Photos by Steve Kirk

1] To do the job properly you will need a few things to hand.

Lay the fish with its back away from you on a decent-sized wooden chopping board with a slick of water on the surface.

Within easy reach have a good quality razor sharp filleting knife and sharp stiff-bladed kitchen knife and to ensure they retain their edge, keep a honing stone and strop on stand-by. I use a small diamond stone from Bison Bushcraft – it‟s very effective and easily cleaned in the dish washer.

2] Your first cuts are preparatory.

3] Take the filleting knife and rest the flat against the dorsal fin so that as you make an incision along the length of the back, the blade passes just to one side of the fin ray supports. Make a similar cut, to the same depth on the other side of the dorsal fins.

This should ensure you have no fin rays or spinal process in your fillet.

4] Turn the fish over and slice from the vent to the tail, passing to one side of the ventral fins, until you join your top line at the tail.

The

5] Then, sussing out where the head bones and gill covers are below the surface of the fish‟s skin by using your fingers to feel, cut in at an angle just behind them until you reach the backbone.

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6] In a series of gentle slices deepen the dorsal cut.

Insert your thumb into each cut to hold it open as you cut. Donâ€&#x;t forget to keep the sharp edge of your blade turned very slightly in towards the bone with each cut, this will minimise waste.

8] Next, you will need to detach the ribs. Flip the fish onto its back and open the gut cavity so that the edges of the fillet are rolled outwards. Careful examination will reveal the tips of the ribs just below the membrane that lines the gut cavity. Using the tip of your blade, nick behind the tips of the ribs. Then, run your blade down between the ribs and the fillet, keeping your blade turned against the ribs until you reach the backbone.

9] Where your dorsal and ventral cuts meet along the backbone the flesh will be still attached to the fish along a row of sideways projecting bones that lie above the ribs.

DO IT YOURSELF

7] Keep cutting down and lifting the fillet until you reach the back bone, then repeat the process, cutting in from the ventral fins until you reach the backbone.

This will leave the fillet attached to the skeleton by the bones around the gut cavity.

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10] Grip the fillet at the tail end and tear it upwards away from the backbone so that it becomes detached.

Bushcraft Magazine

11] Once it is detached, you will have your first cod fillet, almost bone free. The row of sideways projecting bones will now be in the centre line of the fillet near to where the ribs were attached. Trace them with your finger to find them all then pull them out with pliers or carefully cut along each side of the line and tear them out in a strip.

Turn the fish over and repeat steps 5 through to 11.

12] A good-sized fillet can be cut up into individual portions, allowing larger pieces towards the tail to make up for the taper and shallower depth of meat.

13] To remove the skin from your portions lay them skin side down. Using a knife with a stiff, flat blade and holding the blade parallel to the board, slice just above the skin.

14] Press the skin down firmly to the chopping board with two fingers as soon as the knife has passed through far enough, and push away with the knife blade angled just slightly downwards.

The

15] Change your grip on the skin to finger and thumb as you draw the knife through with its edge just sliding over the inner surface of the tough skin. Pull on the skin as you gently move the knife forwards and backwards, keeping the sharp edge of the blade turned very slightly downwards. Keep the blade pushed downwards to keep the skin trapped flat against the board as it is cut away.

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Wild Harvested Hazelnut Spread (Vegan) 300g hazelnuts, shelled 2 tablespoons Agave/maple/fruit based sugar syrup 2 tablespoons cocoa powder or raw chocolate if you prefer 2 or 3 teaspoons coconut oil A small amount of nut/oat/rice/hemp milk (to thin the mixture to your preference. I used hemp milk) 1 tsp pure organic vanilla paste Pinch or two of Himalayan rock salt Toast the hazelnuts in a pan over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring them so that the skins become toasted and flaky but take care that they don't blacken or burn or the nuts will taste bitter.

Rub off the dark membrane once they are slightly cooled.

One method is to tip the nuts into a tea towel and gather the edges then rub the bundle vigorously - or if you prefer you can also easily remove it by rubbing them in between your palms. Get as much off as you can but don't worry about the odd piece that is stubborn, it won't hurt.

Tip the cooled hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse them until you have a rough powder, then add all of the other ingredients (except the nut milk) and continue blending until a thick, smoothish paste begins to form.

Now add small amounts of the milk, blending as you go to thin the mixture to your preferred consistency.

These amounts will yield approximately 500ml of spread, but it would be easy to double the quantities used to make a larger batch if you wanted to.

Store your nut spread in a sterilised jar with a good secure lid in the 'fridge where it will keep for up to a week, although it tastes so good I doubt it will last that long - it's rather excellent on toast.

If you prefer you can also use this basic method to make a roasted chestnut spread, simply bake 350g of chestnuts in a medium oven until they are fully cooked and a little floury in texture and then peel away the skin and inner membrane (the extra weight is to account for the removal of the skins and losses during peeling). Then proceed with the recipe as you would if you were using toasted hazelnuts. It will store in exactly the same manner and for the same amount of time.

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Photo by the author

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The Last Letter in BUSHCRAFT Lloyd Hooper Whilst on an away trip with the mini-rugby team, we were sat down watching them go through their warm-up routine, when I overheard a woman talking to her Dad. He was an ageing man, an old collier with beat up knees and a wrecked chest from the years of being underground, who had struggled to walk to the rugby ground; but a proud Grandfather.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Dad?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, please. I would love a cup of tea. You can`t beat a nice cup of tea".

I once witnessed a block of flats ruined by one. I was an apprentice at the time and we had to replace the roof timbers; the tenants had been evacuated. It was a freezing winter and my introduction to working with numb digits.

One of the empty top flats was being used as a temporary canteen, but all the water had frozen. Then, one weekend the weather turned milder and thawed all the pipes; a kitchen tap had been left on and a T-bag had been left in the sink and blocked the plug-hole..OOPS! We were greeted by water running out of the doors and a rather annoyed boss. Like I said to him, “I drink coffee??”

Anyway, a lesson learned about T-bag disposal.

Never underestimate the power of the T-bag;

Photos by the Bushcraft Magazine

Billy, Kelly

and, Polly, er … put the kettle on?

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It seems to be the first priority whilst setting up camp; the fire is lit and kettle put on. How many times I have arrived in the woods for a "meet" and have heard the shout of the "The Billy is boiling".

Then at the other end of the scale there is "packing light" – with the titanium cup , cooker and wind shield all weighing less than the T-bag itself! Survival books tell us to stop, when lost, and have a brew, to give ourselves time to rest, calm down and think more clearly.

So, this ancient drink made from a leaf from a faraway land, has refreshed, inspired and kept people going through adversity. It was so expensive at one time, it was pound for pound dearer than gold. No building work would ever get done without a cup of it. Whole industries have evolved around it. But to us, "T" might be the last letter in BUSHCRAFT but it is always our first priority on getting to camp.

The Last Word

It got me thinking about the extreme lengths we go to for a cup of tea, as bushcrafters. The books are full of pothangers and fire lays, all promising the best way of bringing the kettle to the boil. Some of these provide us with projects to enable us to add craft to bushcraft. Some folk use their knife skills to create wonderful items; some of the things they create are able to adjust their heights, some are crude and practical. Other bushcrafters carry half a ton of wrought iron-work to support their kettle, while others just place the pot straight on the fire. Then there‟s the kettle itself. They are all shapes and sizes, made from different metals; some weighing a ton, some defy gravity. Names also change with cultures and areas.

One of my personal favourites has to be the timeless Storm or Kelly kettle; that must be the best bit of kit to have a sneaky fire with whilst out on a civilized camp or picnic. You get to play with fire, getting a smoke fix and the missus gets a brew.

(Sorry, not sure if this happens the other way around; perhaps a survey is needed? )

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