Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Jul 11, 2020 3:50:25 GMT 10
As things go here in the far north.... It is getting time of year to start keeping a close eye on things...
It would appear this year is the "off" season, of every other season for local apple production.. We usually pick a ton of apples every year and process them into rabbit and chicken feed, and to keep the bears out of peoples trees..
There are number of spots where we pick wild honey berry, pin cherry, thimble berry, saskatoon berry and the like. All being native or growing zone 2 hearty for this area. It appears so far this year could be a bumper year for such fruits.. Some places are starting to get to the point where every other day or so monitoring is required..
Problem can be, we are not the only ones monitoring the berries... Some places require careful scrutiny before venturing into the bush, others require a 12 ga across the chest because of bear competition for the fruit. Our orchard of fruit bushes, as it is, seem on track to produce well.. Especially our black, white, and red currents. Sweetie loves, loves them in all manor of things..
We have a significant stock in the cold room of fruit jam, jelly, preserves, sauce and chow chow.. So this years harvest will likely be canned as stock to be refined to other products as needed.. Never pass up a bounty when available..
Sweetie also has bear and moose hunting tags to open this fall.. With a little luck, one, both will produce a nice bonus going into winter.. Will see..
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Post by spinifex on Jul 11, 2020 10:22:52 GMT 10
What does a bear taste like?
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Jul 11, 2020 15:30:00 GMT 10
What does a bear taste like?
+++
Bear is dark red, very fine grain, very dense and rich meat..
We typically cut boneless roasts and boneless stew chunks out of the whole thing.. That way it pressure cans well and is useful in many ways..
The roasts we like in the smoker, then a slow cooker with root veggies. Garlic, apples, apple juice..
Like said, it is rich.. It is good and easy to over do and some people will pay consequences for that.. IfyouknowwhatImean...
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Post by spinifex on Jul 11, 2020 15:50:48 GMT 10
Hey, Can you please check out my other queries in your 'Weather Channel' post. Really keen to know the answers
Much appreciated.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Aug 5, 2020 13:23:31 GMT 10
Berry, berry good.... chuckle, chuckle...
The other afternoon Sweetie went with a friend to pick wild berries... Supposedly this is a double super secret place no one knows about.. She was sworn to cross your heart, point to Jesus secrecy, and I guess I am also by association.. OK.. I'm can handle that..
Anyway.. The huckleberries were not quite ready, but likely will be in another week or so.. She did get about a liter.. And has made a bumble berry pie fillings that is most excellent.. A mix of huckleberry, a few thimble berries, raspberries, honey berry, saskatoon, blueberry, cranberry.... All local, except the cranberry.
Friend had a 12 ga shoulder slung while they were in the bush, and they talked loud... The did see a sow and 2 cubs about 100 meters down the gravel road from the dirt road they were on..
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Oct 1, 2020 14:49:14 GMT 10
Our apple season is ended... We did well all considered in that it was an "off" year as local apples go.. No idea about what varieties there are here, but most produce a utility apple we dry and can for critter food.. We do get the occasional "jackpot" of a tree with fruit suitable for sauce, apple butter, and juice.. We can most in sauce to cook with bear or pork.. As jackpots go Sweetie did score a goose berry bush with dead ripe, today perfect fruit. She got about 3 liter and it went to jam... Most excellent..
Our small berries, honey berry, saskatoon, currents did well.. Most went to canned pie filling, jam, jelly and sweet baked good fillings..
A friend of a neighbor, who has kin that went to the southern province to visit other kin and brought back pears, peaches and blueberries from the orchard region there.. We got a box of peaches, pears, and split a box of blueberries.. All went to jelly and jam. Sweetie even made "pit and peel" jelly from the fruits..
The very last of this season has been we are picking wild rose hips, and mountain ash berries to use in canned chicken feed.. We will can or freeze what is left after we are done with apple feed mix..
With the increase in the hydro electric bill to dry and can, it seems a waste to many to do all this.. But if you grind out the numbers, compared kilo to kilo to purchased feed we are saving money.. Just the stamina on our part to do the work.. But then we would be doing something anyway..
The only bear we saw during all our foraging was in some peoples garbage at the edge of town as we came home.. All in all... A good year in the bush..
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 4, 2021 11:36:35 GMT 10
2021... 1.. May....
There is enough sun on the west slope of the river bank in town that a few dandelions starting to show...
The young neighbor mom with breast cancer sent us a small jar of Dandelion Jelly... commonly called poor mans honey...
This she and the boys (4 and 2) made it last spring before she became ill..
Got me to thinking.. Going to try to gather dandelions to make jelly, also we have a weed called Fire Weed.. When it blooms bright red, you can distil juice from it to make jelly.. I opened the last Fire Weed jelly we canned a while ago..
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on May 4, 2021 11:56:25 GMT 10
There's a fireweed where I live, small yellow flower, makes horses very sick. I spent countless hours in the pony paddock pulling it out.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 5, 2021 9:47:28 GMT 10
We have this red Fire Weed... It is ignored by both livestock and wild life it seems.. There seems several uses.. But seems a lot of work to use.. That makes jelly the easiest product to make with the steeped blossom leaves.. Sweetie has a steam juicer that works well with things like this, black currents and such.. Even with plenty of sugar, it will have a small bit of a tart taste that will wake up your taste buds.. I like it with cream cheese on whole wheat toast.. It seems its most redeeming quality is it is a fast ground cover and stabilizer for areas that may be prone to run off from rain, snow melt and stop or slow erosion... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaenerion_angustifoliumSteam juicer.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_juicer |
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dirtdiva
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Post by dirtdiva on May 5, 2021 11:26:44 GMT 10
Tim I have had dandelion jelly and it does indeed taste similar to honey to me also. Around here they also make jelly with the small purple violets that are blooming right now.
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feralemma
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Post by feralemma on May 6, 2021 10:50:55 GMT 10
I'm slightly jealous of all the native/wild edibles you have available to you Tim Horton. Even if they do require heavy fire power to protect yourself from the also-edible competition for them!
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 7, 2021 15:30:51 GMT 10
I'm slightly jealous of all the native/wild edibles you have available to you Tim Horton. Even if they do require heavy fire power to protect yourself from the also-edible competition for them!
+ + + +
Yes... Agree, we are blessed with a lot of things that despite the terrain and climate we are provided many opportunities... If you choose to get out and hustle a little for them...
I also am impressed with the few opportunities I know about that you have... I'm sure there are many things you have available I am not aware of..
B B B B B B
Yes... The "also edible" competition is starting to come out of hibernation.. So no more bird feeders out.. Super secure garbage, livestock barns, and feed storage.. And be ever vigilant for day time activity.. Tis the season...
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Post by SA Hunter on May 7, 2021 23:44:47 GMT 10
Do you need tags to hunt bear? If one is one your property, can you shoot it?
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Post by spinifex on May 8, 2021 14:11:31 GMT 10
I'm slightly jealous of all the native/wild edibles you have available to you Tim Horton. Even if they do require heavy fire power to protect yourself from the also-edible competition for them! + + + + Yes... Agree, we are blessed with a lot of things that despite the terrain and climate we are provided many opportunities... If you choose to get out and hustle a little for them... I also am impressed with the few opportunities I know about that you have... I'm sure there are many things you have available I am not aware of.. B B B B B B Yes... The "also edible" competition is starting to come out of hibernation.. So no more bird feeders out.. Super secure garbage, livestock barns, and feed storage.. And be ever vigilant for day time activity.. Tis the season... We have some seriously top-shelf seafoods in our local area - Lobster, crab, oyster, Abalone. Thew kind of stuff that fetches anything from $60 to $240 per kilogram. Our desert country has plenty of camels ... and they are really excellent eating. Some of our native quail. pigeon and Bustard are very fine dining. Along with our large lizards. Goanna is a culinary treat more people should have. |
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 8, 2021 15:25:21 GMT 10
Along with our large lizards. Goanna is a culinary treat more people should have.
+ + +
I would try that... At least once..
The only time I tried alligator it was tough, dry, and virtually no flavor..
It was at a food stand at an exposition... (provincial fair)
I think it was handled poorly, not unsafe, and not the meat its self..
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dirtdiva
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Post by dirtdiva on May 8, 2021 16:22:36 GMT 10
Along with our large lizards. Goanna is a culinary treat more people should have. + + + I would try that... At least once.. The only time I tried alligator it was tough, dry, and virtually no flavor.. It was at a food stand at an exposition... (provincial fair) I think it was handled poorly, not unsafe, and not the meat its self.. Tim prepared properly alligator can be truly delicious. |
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 9, 2021 5:08:00 GMT 10
Tim prepared properly alligator can be truly delicious.
+ + +
Yes.. This...
According to my red neck southern Cajun cousins, alligator is a staple ingredient in many of the one pot dishes they do..
Steven Ray bangs pot lid with a big spoon..... yelling y'all get back in there....
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on May 23, 2021 15:25:52 GMT 10
Late May 2021....
Yesterday 21 May was our usual zone 2 last frost date.. So of course at 05;30am it was -1C...
Sweetie traded her BFF by the river at the end of our road eggs.. We are drowning in eggs again it seems.. Sweetie got tomato and pepper plants from BFF little green house..
Another neighbor took his daughter in law, and grand sons in the bush to look for ramps and fiddle heads.. One a garlic, onion flavor herb, not sure what kind of herb the other is.. Use fresh in soups and stews.. He took a rifle along and a good thing as they did run into a bear.. I ran as soon as they saw it..
About 3 days ago now I saw a small bear cross our driveway... Later, in mid afternoon Sweetie yells BEAR.. to see a BIG cinnamon brown phase bear walk up the drive and into the bush.. I do have trail cams out around the house and buildings as something was turning on motion lights a couple nights ago.. I hope it was just miller moths..
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Sept 3, 2021 10:14:32 GMT 10
2021-09-02.....
We are in our apple season as it is... Not the best start to the season, but not a bad quantity of about average fruit for this area.. At 99.9% of the fruit to be processed into critter feed, we rarely get apple sauce grade fruit, and even rarer yet is an eating apple.. We are off to a new client later today.. Hope it turns out well..
Bear season is open.. Saw one in the lower pasture next to the big barn the other day.. Turned out to be a sow with 2 cubs.. Not allowed to shoot sow with obvious cubs.. Moose season opens weekend after this coming..
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drjenner
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Post by drjenner on Sept 3, 2021 11:20:46 GMT 10
Late May 2021.... Yesterday 21 May was our usual zone 2 last frost date.. So of course at 05;30am it was -1C... Sweetie traded her BFF by the river at the end of our road eggs.. We are drowning in eggs again it seems.. Sweetie got tomato and pepper plants from BFF little green house.. Another neighbor took his daughter in law, and grand sons in the bush to look for ramps and fiddle heads.. One a garlic, onion flavor herb, not sure what kind of herb the other is.. Use fresh in soups and stews.. He took a rifle along and a good thing as they did run into a bear.. I ran as soon as they saw it.. About 3 days ago now I saw a small bear cross our driveway... Later, in mid afternoon Sweetie yells BEAR.. to see a BIG cinnamon brown phase bear walk up the drive and into the bush.. I do have trail cams out around the house and buildings as something was turning on motion lights a couple nights ago.. I hope it was just miller moths.. Tim if you don't mind me asking what kind of trail cams do you use, or what would you recommend? Would like to get some surveillance up at the new place. Thank you! |
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