# The Art of Self Reliance and Survival Picture Thread



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

just as the title says....thought it might be fun and inspireing for all of us to show what we have done or are doing for our daily survival or longterm survival.anything you do from stocking up to gardening to wilderness skills and more can go here.share away folks !!!!

a pan of smoked deer baloney looking off into the wilderness.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

deer baloney, never had that! (never heard of it either) too bad you are not close, I'd trade ya some elderberry syrup, homemade krout, and dried mulberries for a taste lol


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Ok, I don't have any recent photos right now, but ehre are some good ones I took in the summer.
Lunch on trail:








Making shelter








cattail roots








practicing knots for rapelling


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Wish I had a bite of that baloney.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

In a separate thread or in a PM would you mind posting your recipe for deer bologna? I don't know if it's that picture or the sausage but I'm seriously craving some.

The only "survival" related photos that have been taken around here recently are workshop related. Seems with the upcoming move, that's the only thing going on in the household. Still, household crafts play an important part in any survival strategy, particularly while there's still some semblance of an economy.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

My newest "preps"..twin bucklings born 11-21-11.. I am outside today(temps low 60"s) getting the outside pen up for all the goats to get out of their stalls and stretch their legs; I'll post a pic of that when done.










Mom had just finished yawning but sure looks like she is saying.."Look what I did!"


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Those babies are so cute,just makes you want to hug and kiss all over them!!!


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

Ernie said:


> In a separate thread or in a PM would you mind posting your recipe for deer bologna? I don't know if it's that picture or the sausage but I'm seriously craving some.
> 
> The only "survival" related photos that have been taken around here recently are workshop related. Seems with the upcoming move, that's the only thing going on in the household. Still, household crafts play an important part in any survival strategy, particularly while there's still some semblance of an economy.
> 
> [/IMG]


Ernie...the knife makin is a very serious skill in my opinion now and later on post colapse.

as far as my recipe.a few years ago i was at a going out of buisness sale and i pciked up thsese kits for $3 each..so bought all they had at time and i am using them up now .they are made by hi mountain ( http://shop.himtnjerky.com/online/product.php?productid=65&cat=251&page=1 )and are now very expenisve and i would never pay that kind of price for them as i am poor.there are many recipes for baloney on the net but main ingreadint flaovr wise is garlic.when doing things like this be sure and get morton tender quick as its a critical part of most recipes.

heres a picture of half the kit.it makes 30# or you can divey it up.i used half of it and as each cure and seasoning were packaged for doing 15#.LEM products have many things for the home sausage maker http://www.lemproducts.com/ 

the important thing is the mixture or ratio of fat to lean meat. i use 13# deer meat to 2# pf beef fat and i would not want it anymore fattier than that.

i hope this rambling helps in some way.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

Ernie found a recipe for you.this is member's here from HT(meloc) that he shared a couple years ago with me.this will be what i do and follow when i run out of my cheap kits.

VENISON BOLOGNA
-30lbs. meat
-1lb. Tender Quick
-1lb. brown sugar
-1tbs. dried mustard
-1/2 bottle cayenne pepper
-4oz. liquid smoke
-1oz. black pepper
-2 cups maple syrup
-2oz. garlic powder
-2tbs. Accent
-10 casings

Bake 2 hours at 200 Degrees Fahrenheit on oven rack, turning after 1 hour. 


this is the recipe as given to me. it didn't specify liquid or dry measure via weight for some of the ingredients. i would adjust a few ingredients to taste.

i would use 1 half a bottle of cayenne pepper as measured by the size of a McCormick's standard sized bottle of dried cayenne pepper. of course i like it spicy, too, so more would be okay.

i would cut the liquid smoke in half to 2 liquid ounces. that stuff is very strong.

the garlic and black pepper probably are not that touchy as they both taste great in bologna. i would eyeball "ounces" by keeping mindful of the weight of the bottle it comes from. i always add more black pepper to mine.

the casings are the larger @ 3 inch diameter casings and hold @ 3 pounds when finished.

cut the meat into chunks sized for your grinder. mix it with the ingredients and leave it marinate for half an hour or so. course grind the batch and then grind it finer as you stuff it on the machine or before you hand-stuff it into the casings. tie the casings shut and bake at the low 200 F, turning the bologna after 1 hour.

enjoy!


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

These photos are from last year -- but we've done the same thing again, so the photos wouldn't be much different!

Meat on the hoof:



















Treats from wild crab apples:










The canning shelves:





































There are other things... like trading in my van on a more utilitarian truck, the rabbit pens, the tools we've collected, etc... but it's a constant, endless thing, never done, and always evolving, I think. The more I read, the more people I talk to, the more I realize how woefully unprepared we are, and we're much better than most.


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Here is mine.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

all of you are looking real nice !!!!! keep up the good work !!!


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Neat =) I'll charge up my camera batteries!


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## gracie88 (May 29, 2007)

I love seeing canning jars on shelves, they're so pretty all lined up in colorful rows. That's not weird, right?
Here's my cheese press that my brother made:








Note the high tech, precisely calibrated hanging weight, and finely tuned leveling stand  The nicest thing (besides that it works pretty slick) is that, when I'm not using it, it can be easily disassembled and nothing left but the little hinge on the wall. That's so important in a small kitchen.

And one pic just for cute, (raising our own farm hands is prepping, right?):


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Oooh! Gracie.... I wants one! Does your brother have plans for that, or did he just wing it?


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Those are the cutiest homegrown farmhands I've ever seen. Are they registered?:hysterical:


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## gracie88 (May 29, 2007)

Tracy, I believe he used these plans: http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/50-Off-the-Wall-Press-Plans.html It's really simple, except that, since it uses leverage, the length and placement of the notches is a little tricky without the plans. And tambo, nope, they're just a general-purpose, local variety. They have an excellent growth rate (doubled in size since that pic was taken), but the feed conversion rate is not awesome, they eat almost constantly.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)




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## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

I'm proud of our new hoop house!


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## tambo (Mar 28, 2003)

Nice hoop house!!!!


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

We just bought 80 acres in the hills. As soon as our 6 acres here is sold, we are outta here. We are really set up nice here, but for SHTF protection, 80 acres in a well secluded valley that just screams defense is certainly the better choice. 
I will miss our orchard.

I also set up 4 rabbit colonies and am experimenting with alternate feeds. Pellets are not sustainable and are expensive. 

I bought a spinning wheel and am teaching myself to spin,

and, well we bought this last May. He wasn't quite so scary then. 

FED by dollyrockfarm, on Flickr


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

happychick said:


> I'm proud of our new hoop house!


man, I'd LOVE one of those, that would be the perfect size to fit over my veggie garden patch! However, the wind here would have that shredded withen a few days!


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

There are other things... like trading in my van on a more utilitarian truck, the rabbit pens, the tools we've collected, etc... but it's a constant, endless thing, never done, and always evolving, I think. The more I read, the more people I talk to, the more I realize how woefully unprepared we are, and we're much better than most.[/QUOTE]



I have "pantry envy"!!! :happy2:


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Cyng, your toms are magnificent


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> These photos are from last year -- but we've done the same thing again, so the photos wouldn't be much different!
> 
> Meat on the hoof:
> 
> ...



I love your pictures! What kind of pigs are those because I have an overwhelming urge now to own one I've been trying to talk DH into a pig for awhile!


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

we had a couple that looked identical to those at one point. The sow was more yellow, but the barrow was exactly that color. They were poland china/duroc crosses, so I was told.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Yes, they look like Duroc to me.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Home defense - this was taken in January so the blond wasn't full grown yet. 









Milk - butter - cheese









Future milkers









Shaggy bucks and part of the chicken flock


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

Oh Wags, I so want that little chocolate girl baby! Now I'm hoping one of my girls gives me one


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Durocs are solid dark red. The color comes from the other genetics.


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## MountAiry (May 30, 2007)

So impressed with the pictures and this thread. You humble me.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Wags, what kind of dogs are they?


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

7thswan said:


> Wags, what kind of dogs are they?


A couple of American Pit Bull Terriers possibly mixed with a little of something else. It's the only breed of dog we have owned in the past 18 years. Their appearance and undeserved reputation makes most folks think twice. They will defend us if they think we are being threatened, but most of the time they are just lovable wanna be lap dogs. They are particularly protective of our children and sleep with them at night. Of course the kids think they are just nice warm snuggle buddy (pit bulls radiate heat) and have a hard time going to sleep whenever they are away from their dog. Even the cats sneak in and snuggle with the dogs for warmth in the winter. Helps keep the heating bills down.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Tracy...I pray there are no earthquakes in your future, that's a lot of work...and glass.

I'm enjoying all pictures! Food, 'tools', critters, hoop houses...great stuff!

Home defense/Dogs....We had a pitbull visit this past summer, I had no idea how much they enjoy laps until Chino sat on mine, turned his head, grinned at me and then YAWNED....OH MY! I wonder if he knows how intimidating his yawn is?!


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I would have guessed american bulldog, though leaning more towards pit for the puppy. The older one has too much of an upturned nose for proper pitbull head shape. Could be pit/boxer.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

The larger boy could very well be ABD & ABPT as he is quite leggy. We were told the female was pure Staffy bull but I don't think there is any Staffy in her at all. Her dam was probably a pocket pittie and I have no clue on her sire. She just turned 1, and he just turned 2. Their team work continues to improve - one of their favorite things right now is for one to bark while the other silently stalks. Any animal/person that belongs here is fine, but anything else doesn't get a very warm welcome.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

How about prepping by keeping in shape, training on sand dunes









and identifying useful, local plants...









having a pantry full of canned stuff is fin, it's great even, but what if you have to leave it? what if it gets taken, what if a natural disaster takes it out or even if it runs out. You'll need skills to find food.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

wags, based on the shape of her head, I would agree with AMSTAFF, rather than pitbull, however I would need to see a proper side photo, posed to be sure.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> wags, based on the shape of her head, I would agree with AMSTAFF, rather than pitbull, however I would need to see a proper side photo, posed to be sure.


No not AmStaff - Staffordshire Bull Terrier. At one year old she is already twice the size an adult Staffy Bull should be. And her snout and head are not at all Staffy - too narrow. Might be some small boned black lab in her.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Oh, I misunderstood, but yeah, she's no staffy bull. they don't typically come in that coloration. and even in her puppy picture you can tell her face is all wrong for that.


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## LonelyNorthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

This is a really fun thread! the photos in here are awesome!


Part of my self-reliant prepping is to know what wild medicines and edible foods are in my world ....and using them.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

GrammasCabin said:


> This is a really fun thread! the photos in here are awesome!
> 
> 
> Part of my self-reliant prepping is to know what wild medicines and edible foods are in my world ....and using them.


Thats a great pic! I agree with you, i think thats even more important then a huge pantry (although that's important too if possible) Knowledge is a huge deal!


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

A portable factory for turning grass into milk and meat.


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