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INSTANT SURVIVAL TIP: 3 Gifts from the Pine Tree

John A. Heatherly — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:37:22 +0000

by John A. Heatherly, Author of The Survival Template

Photo by Naomi Ibuki

Pine trees are beautiful and abundant, while they offer the following three valuable gifts:

Pine Needle Tea – green pine needles can make a tasty tea that will warm your family’s spirits on a cold day while providing much more Vitamin C than most citrus fruits. To make the tea: simply clean a few handfuls of green pine needles; break them into pieces; simmer for 10 minutes or so; and let the tea steep for another few minutes. Simple, nutritious, and flavorsome!

Edible Cambium – the light colored inner bark of pines is called the cambium layer. It rests underneath outer bark and just above the harder interior of the tree. Cambium can be harvested by cutting a square shape in the side of a tree (please don’t damage standing trees frivolously – this is a survival skill!) with a knife then peeling away the layers. The cambium can be peeled or scraped into strips like bacon, then fried or roasted for consumption.

Nuts – Pine nuts can be harvested in the Fall and provide great taste and a lot of protein. It is best to gather them using a ladder while wearing gloves (the cones that contain the seeds are sticky.) Store the cones in a sack, and place the sack in the sun for a few days so that the cones will dry out and open up. It helps to rotate the sack daily. Cones can also be roasted by a fire or even in an oven. Once dry they will open to reveal the nuts.

Does anyone have any special experience or alternative uses to offer that involve these delicacies?

What’s an RSS?

thesurvivalmom — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:24 +0000

Someday I will have to sit down and write about my learning curve with all things technical. It has got to be one of the steepest learning curves of all time. RSS feeds mystified me for ages until I figured out that all RSS stands for is, “Really Simple Syndication.” When you sign up for an RSS feed, you simply get a notice each time that website or blog is updated with new information.

I get daily updates for some of my favorite blogs like Adventures in Self-Reliance, SHTFplan, and Eat at Home. At a glance I can see what’s new and whether or not I want to click through to read the entire post. It’s that simple. I can also subscribe to an RSS feed for a blog’s comments, which are sometimes just as entertaining as the blog posts! Another nice feature is that you can view all your feeds on one page and then click at will.

You’re invited to sign up for my RSS feed, for just links to new posts, links to comments, or both. I think you’ll like the convenience of seeing several blog headlines at a glance. Just click on “RSS subscribe: posts, comments” beneath the picture of the Rifle Girl. You’ll never miss another blog post or comment again!

Well? What do you think?

thesurvivalmom — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:58:24 +0000

I’m nearly as excited about introducing my “new” blog as I was to introduce the Paranoid Fiance to my parents some fifteen years ago! I hope you like the look and will take time to browse through my resources, learn something new, and then tell others about it!

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