Learning about and Harvesting mushrooms

Started learning about and finding different edible mushrooms. You need to learn the dangerous ones as well since they look so similar.

Wild Lobster Mushrooms

These are edible lobster mushrooms, chantrels look similar the difference is primarily under the cap, with smooth vs ridges and are also edible. The Jack-o’-lanterns look similar and are poisonous. Sooooo…. Make sure you read all the cross references.

Lobster half a poundish

Take a book and make sure you read all the info held within for your target. By the end of the day I was right into it including a couple quick stops on the way out of the bush for more orange looking finds.

Cleaning up

At the end of the day we collected about 9 pounds though we discarded about a pound a half after cleaning and intense close inspection.

These lobster mushrooms do have a mild lobster taste to them. Some we cooked in olive oil with bacon and onions and some in garlic butter. The mild lobster taste was still there infused with the tastes of the cooking. I found I enjoyed them after left soaking / post cooking marinating longer than freshly cooked. The deeper taste and soft firm texture was a hit for me. Some we are selling, some canning and some freezing for later.

Take a book or two with you!

I just downloaded an app from Google Play called Shroomify. This is a Canadian mushroom app, I noted there were some for Russia, Brazil to name a few. On our walk my buddy brought his Audubon’s Mushroom Guide to North America. Excellent in its colour photos from numerous angles, which quite frankly are 100% needed with mushrooms! In the cross reference sections there are lots of easy to read instructions, observations and inspection notes (with glasses for us old farts) with detailed information. Pairing this book with a Patterson’s book would be a great option.

The hunting part was enjoyable to compete in with my buddy. Ladies have an advantage here as female brains and eyes can see shades and subtleties in colours men just can not. So male female team would find more than us two old dudes, so mix it up and go on a hunt!

This time we focused on the lobster and pine mushrooms which are not shown. We found about six different varieties on our wild forage. To me the best and coolest was a fully black and gleaming mushroom with a funnel top. So cool looking, but don’t touch as it is poison, but lovely.

Have fun, get out and soak up some free vitamin C before the government taxes it.

Meds Needed

Soooo. Posted this before but it is a good reminder now.

You need 190% need anti-diarrhea meds and 190% need electrolights.

Luckily this time when it hit I was in a house with flushable toilet and outside garbage bin. Both needed as watery streams from both ends. Disentry can and will kill you. Even inside with meds…. bad… out in the bush especially by yourself I cive you a 40% chance if you are hiking or camping by yourself.

Due to allergy issues normally only use; antihistamine tablet (prescribed), Strawberry Extract and Kaopectate both for diarrhea meds.

There are dry pill versions as well.

I make my own version of electrolyte;

Ginger. Honey or organic cane sugar. See salt. Greentea or Whitetea. Also add in lemon or juice from fruit. Can substitute crystal drink mixes for the fruit and sugar cause they have too much already.

Lots of water. Disinfectant of some kind and shelter cause you will also be shivering and sweating.

Ps. Extra underwear and plastic bags are highly recommended as well!

Be well and remember following others who lie, cheat and steal with no accredited or experienced teacher except for FB and Google are dangerous, or listening to other old fools as well.

Burn or bugs

For a bit of relief for bug bites and a huge relief for sunburn and heat burns, try;

Plantain, broad and narrow leaf

Go out to your yard and pick some plantain. Heat up some water with crushed plantain, use soft cloth to moisturize with it.

( Plantain, broad leaf and narrow leaf which is also called golden stitch leaf)

Next – Mildly crumple warmed and wet plantain leaves on the worst part of mild burn for a while. Repeat a few times rest of day and tomorrow.

Good luck, for when you have no aloe

Also… for bugs n burns

Crumble plantain, warm water add in baking soda, add in some teatree oil. Mix then place on burns an bites. Cover with warm wet plantain for 10-15 min. Repeat if needed

Part 2 for clarification and variation

You can shred or pulp the broad leaf and narrow leaf plantain to make a base or crumble add hot water like making tea.
Add to baking soda and teatree oil as paste. Cover with wet warm broad leaf plantain.

Improvised field bandage

Improvised and improved field dressed palm bandage.

It would not stay, so a little electrical tape fixed it in place.

An unexpected very old and wet rusty nail that was hidden by leaves in a wood pile.

Packing to move or camp

Do not pack all you winter gear away, you need some left out! Needed jacket outside last night and today. May 28

Buddy in Northern Alberta says the temps there are 30°cel here there is nightly frost warnings now as we finally had temps over freezing for 3 days in a row. Highest temps so far was 20°cel one afternoon, with temps normally from 10-15°cel. Sitting here inside with the furnace coming in as late as noon time.

Now if you are hiking or camping out you especially need to be careful and prepared. There is snow in the bush still and it is the end of May, 2 days from June.

The female fighter below would look cool while being very cool, as in kinda freezing. So dress for the weather and not for fashion.

Moving to the North !

WordPress blog

Moving to the North !

After having a few requests, both written and verbal I decided to list some things that I know might help out in your desire to live and work in the North of Ontario.

Some simple truths about this venture. 1 Day of travel to get up to Timmins, 3/4 day to get to Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard, Haileybury)in the Timiskaming District, 1/2 day to North Bay. Just drive up Hwy 11 which is Young Street in Toronto.

Driving up; So just remember, it is two full days of travel to get up then back down. If you work now, try to find a long weekend to tag onto for travel and use only 4 days off. Ironically I have always found it faster to travel up on a Friday, of course you need to leave before noon though. This way you stay at least a few hours ahead of the crowd.

Flying up; An alternative is to fly up to Timmins via Porter Air. Porter used to have a $99 air flight special from the Island Airport up to Timmins. Not sure if they have it now, so look around for specials. Contact the Timmins Airport to see which charters or carriers are flying in and out, then look to them for last minute specials and seat sales.
northernairport.com

Alternative Train or Bus; Passenger Trains to North, cancelled, call your politician.
Bus; Ontario Northland, expensive and slow, leaves from North York bus terminal.
ontarionorthland.ca

Lodging; Think outside of the box!
Hotel yes of course, why did I not think of that… $$$ is a killer unless you make loads of cash now at your job already.
Low cost hotel or boarding house. Yes those exist here, though rarer now. Negotiate a lower cost by renting the room for 1/2 month to full month, sometimes it is less than a 5 night stay. Tell them, weekly cleaning at most and you will change your own towels and bedding weekly. Some strip motels already advertise monthly rates, this is normally for people working the mines or in forestry while they work far from home. Prices range from $600-$900 month
Pre furnished house or apartment, though there are loads more furnished rooms for rent in peoples houses. Those cost from $550-$1250 month up here.
As an example the Kenogami Bridge Inn, has the older travellers inn style arrangement. Smaller rooms, shared bathrooms down the hall at a reduced rate for staying, again they will do longer term rentals as well. Call for pricing.

Now outside of the Box, far out for most people.
Camping and boating
Provincial Parks for the season, forget getting a permanent spot in a provincial park, they go up for auctions and draws now. You can get longer term rates though.
Private campgrounds, from 5 start to 1/2 star campgrounds, we have them all up here.
Ministry Campgrounds, almost all shut down now, due to vandels and lowlifes who thought, hey I can live for free and be an absolute low life pig. Well, jack#ss#s you caused so much damage and money to fix, they have shut almost all of them down. Even the ones that are farther out from towns, they let companies like Miller Paving Group, go in and take over the area to turn into gravel pits mostly and they SHUT THE AREA DOWN. Cause of losers like you, deadbeat vandals. Congrats!!!!
Crown Lands, as a Canadian Citizen you can legally camp for up to 21 days then you need to move your camp. Others an apply for a permit to camp, it is not that expensive, though the price changes, so look it up.
Crown Lands though are getting harder and harder to figure out just where they are now though. The Ministry of Lands and Resources, does not have maps for sale anymore either. Budget cuts.
Have a boat big enough to live on even remotely comfortably, probably a 20 footer or larger. Most cities and towns on lakes and rivers have some marinas, or tie it up, lock it up and leave it for the day, tied to a tree and bike into the town. A few people have done this.
Camping tents, from experience get a bigger tent if you are not actively hiking the north. Even if you are hiking around a larger base tent is a game changer. Living in a little pup tent is ok for a while, but, nothing beets being able to move around in a storm, and possibly getting dry and warm to boot! Kijiji.ca and local Buy and Sells are a life saver here. I have bought 4 larger tents that way over the years, non were more expensive that $75 bucks. Though the larger tents normally need two people to set up.
At a minimum; Bivi bag, ground sheet and over tarp structure. Camped like this for years and years. Fairly minimal camping, suitable for hiking or biking.
Campers are cheaper up here, while utility and box trailers are more expensive here.
Have a utility trailer, modify it to camp and bring it up, along with a chain to chain it up of course. Like everywhere crime is on the rise.

So lets break this down a bit and go from there.

Crown Lands and Ministry campgrounds are the cheapest option going. O ya, boat camping as well, though I have less experience with doing this.
Expenses; fuel for travelling if you have a vehicle, including bicycles.
Insurance on vehicle $, cell phone $, CC payments per month.
Food $$$ lots more expensive up here than down in the GTA and southern areas. So bring some shelf stable long term supplies with you. Ironically pasta is similar pricing and meat is similar as well. Veggies and fruit are expensive, expensive up here. All year long!
Storage locker for all your belongings. No need to continue to pay high rent on a place you wont be at for a month or more. (Does not apply if you are coming for a week though)
Of course eating out is expensive up here as well, so off to the grocery store you go, up to the deli counter for prepared salads, meats etc.
Plan to live off the land up here, forage, hunt and fish to live. Good luck, you will probably die of starvation. There is very little sustenance hunting here, there are not a lot of animals left, big or small. Of a side note, this is a weird year and up past Temiskaming Shores, there is still loads of snow everywhere. Most roads are still snowbound, so no foraging at all.
.
Bring your own laptop or netbook along with a small printer of some sort. Resumes, even at the local library it is now almost $1 to print out a page, so cover letter and 2 page resume is going to be $3, then photocopy another .50c a page. That is expensive so bring your own paper, printer and laptop. A decent sized inverter can power all this while your vehicle is running. Alternatives include a universal power unit with an AC/DC converter. That takes even less power to run the laptop then, you only need to run the vehicle every 45min to an hour depending on the power draw and the age of the vehicle battery.

Jobs, you can of course take a job while you look for a better job, say for example you worked at Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s, well go there in the northern town or transfer in. Work for a bit while you look for a better job and decide if you like the town. Some out of the way, little isolated communities are not so friendly to strangers, although they talk a good game. Bilingual is great up here, it is almost 50/50 English and French.

Bring Winter Wear and a portable heater even in August, it sometimes snows then too! The temps at night can and do hover around 10cel even in summer sometimes, so be prepared before you go.

Heat, bring one of those small and efficient heater/cooker propane stoves. With an adapter as well as a hose, it can then be fitted to the top of the 20lb propane bottle or used inside the tent with the hose. Be safe and use your head.

Of course if have a big enough van, you can live down by the river 😉

Or in a dinning tent

Disclaimer; My info for me only, you want to do anything mentioned here, you are on your own, I am not responsible for your death or injury due to lack of proper knowledge or training!

Spring stalled

Spring… Stalled lol
Edit.. in the water area right now is a Robin catching worms.

Photo taken April 27, 2019

Same time last year winter blast storm as well though the snow had melted by now.

This is just a reminder as people think on living in the North, winter up here lasts at least a month longer on each side. Snow starts in November and stays till the beginning of April normally.

Now for preppers and survivalists, if you follow Googlers with no real training who suggest geo caching for supplies in winter is just the best way to do things, think again. This year with all the ice storms it would take over half a day just to dig down through the snow just to get to the earth. Then a half day to dig down to said hidden cache if you have a pick or two, possibly three. Yes, the ground is that hard even with mostly sand above the cache.

Robin in snow worm eating

Edit in:

The following pic is from this day last year!

No gardens here till end of May

Nano Winters Journey 3rd installment

partial installment of this chapter/scene

***

NOTE: to proofreaders;

Kayla = speaks with an Irish brogue, so she be written the way herit sounds, at least at first, so, soooo, her speaking is delibertly spekked phonetically.

Hot soup out of the wind

Steve’s group watched the older fellow Max for a while. While it was obvious he was making a shelter, it was not clear why there were a few little shelters though. The guys were just about to head over and give him a hand as he was obviously searching for wood for a fire now when Shannon suddenly solved the shelter question with her simple statement.

Shannon who had been getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute now, suddenly blurted out, “guys, I need to use the bathroom. I can’t hold it for much longer, how soon will the road be cleared do you think?” PeggySue and the guys exchanged glances since they were the outdoorsy type with the most camping experience. “Bathrooms,” they said almost in unison, which of course set the off laughing and rounds of Jinx you owe me a coke, bantered about. This time it was Kayla in her lush Irish brogue who responded.

“Com along dear, I need to use the loo as well now with all this laughter and bouncing around. I am sure that is what that fellow is creating, bathrooms and a sitting area.” Kayla responded while pointing to the door for Mike to let her out. “Make sure you grab your coat and mitts from the boot, so we donna freeze out thar!” Pausing in thought, she looked to the shelter and almost whispered, “hopefully there is some paper in there as well?”

Mike who had been the closest, opened the glove box and wordlessly handed her some napkins from the last drive through.

“Ta.” She replied, while her and Shannon moved fairly quickly along the path that Max had created. As the group was still sorting out their coats and gloves from the trunk, they saw Kayla and Shannon stop to question Max who nodded and pointed over to the right side with a nod from his head. Both girls scurried quickly inside the enclosure out of sight.

Steve called out a friendly greeting as they got closer to the small shelter in the stand of trees, “Hey there, hope you don’t mind us coming over here. We also thought you might like some help with the firewood.” As they were finally up close to the shelter now, they noticed that even outside of the windbreak, the driving wind of the highway and fields was only a bit breezy in the copse of trees.

“Hey back at you and your group!” responded Max while a small smile. “If you want to give me a bit of a hand, over on the other side there,” as he pointed just to the outside of the trees on the right, they could see a small snow covered pile. “Seems the farmer or who ever was cutting some trees in here a while ago, left a mound of branches, sticks, small trees and some cut firewood as well.” he nodded in thought, looking from the mound to the group. “Sure, if everybody helps out, in only a few trips, we can have enough wood for the entire night.”

“The entire night?” queried Shannon as they came out of the tarp windbreak they had been inside of just moments before.

“Aye, the entire naught, why do ya thing that tha donna have the highwaa cleared ba than?” Kayla muttered loudly and concernedly at him why looking around at the steady falling snow and the covered highway.

“Experience.”

“Gah, wanna mean ba EXPERIENCE!”

“Just that actually, just my past experiences in person as well as observation of events happening around me by watch news coverage and reading about the events.” Pausing to take a deep breath, he nodded at the road and the OPP officers in the distance. “Always observe, try to learn from the free lessons around you so when you get into the actual situations, you have a basis of understanding to hopefully react safely and appropriately.”

“So, ya watch the tele, than?”

Chuckling, Max regarded the group then responded, “actually, I watch very little TV as I have not owned one for about 5 years now. When I am out and about, I do watch the TV, I also follow news reports, see information and coverage on my smart phone as well.” Pausing, he seemed to think more on the topic, then said, “Also from past training and learning experiences. When I was very young to just a little while ago, there are courses to take and learning opportunities around the province and the world really.”

“Like our scouts training?” Queried Steve with a thoughtful look in his eye as he looked at the wood piled for a fire. “Like, learning at summer camp and our parents when we go camping.”

“Yes and more as well, jobs training, courses, organizations hold training, even online training if you know it can be trusted as well!” A pause, then a quick nod to himself, “You will find stories, situations and scenarios online as well. For example there are a couple of authors, for example. Jerry D. Young and another guy who goes by wild_E, they both write, both have varied and certified backgrounds as well, so although some ideas are strange to off the wall, the rest is solid knowledge you can use. O and Survivor Man as well, lots of videos there, but not too many of cooking” Here max trailed off laughing until the others got the joke.

Kyle told his girlfriend Kayla of the TV. series Survivor Man and how he survives for most of the 7 days with no food, and that was the joke there. Good info, but no cooking on that outdoors survival show. Or some cooking that they did not want to have to do at any rate.