The next workshops have been scheduled. The Wilderness Survival 101 will be October 22, 2022 and the Advanced Friction Fire will be September 17, 2022. Go to the 'workshops' tab to view or sign up.

I have started writing a column for our local Master Naturalist group, it is titled 'Natures Bounty. I hope you enjoy.

Pre 1600 AD just about every plant, animal, tree and rock had a unique purpose, there were some plants and trees that filled multiple roles and the Pawpaw tree ( native here ) is one of them.

The fruit speaks for itself and will start ripening here late August/early September and it packs a pretty good nutritional punch. The fruit can be eaten raw just like a peach or any other fruit. It can be used in any recipe that banana is called for ( they have similar taste ), custards, breads or my favorite way is making smoothies with them ( 60% frozen pawpaw, protein powder, chopped ginger, touch of maple syrup and fill the remainder of the blender with vanilla oat milk ). The pics show the process and tools for making frozen Pawpaw pulp. After processing the pulp I scatter the discarded seeds through my woods and it's amazing how many will germinate on their own.

The wood of the Pawpaw is one of the best materials for friction fire fireboards. The inner bark makes a very serviceable cordage ( rope ) and the shredded bark will make an adequate tinder bundle.

The dried and powdered seeds make a natural head lice control and some modern lice control treatments still use the same compounds ( Purdue University ).

Lastly, for you butterfly folks, the Pawpaw leaves are the only food source for Zebra Swallowtail larvae to feed on.

The Pawpaw’s range seems to be spreading, there are quite a lot of them now in Central Va.

Hi all, the next Wilderness Survival workshop will be April 16, 2022 at Pleasant Grove Park in Palmyra, Va. 22963.  It's a great location, suitable for any weather, has good cell service and restroom. I hope you can join us !!     www.stevepullinger.com/wilderness-survival-workshop.html

Thank you Facebook followers for reaching 500 !!  I hope to continue posting useful information regarding wilderness survival and primitive technology.   www.facebook.com/primitivesurvivalskills

​It is still cold and snowy but this is a great time of year to practice friction fire, cordage or hide work. Go outside after a rain or snow and try your fire making skills. Remember the 5 P's...  Prior Practice Prevents Poor Performance     

Stay tuned for a basket making 101 workshop and an edible/medicinal/utilitarian plant walk, hopefully I will have these scheduled for mid spring.  Look for an Advanced Friction Fire workshop in May or June. 

Stay safe....

If you've been watching the news of the I95 winter traffic snarl and the large swath of people who still do not have power after 3 days ( me included ) then this article is a must for you to read. I wrote this page quite a few years ago but it is still very relevant today.

Everyone talks about BOB bags, EDC kits,etc. I want to discuss a 'car' bag that will cover the needs of the soccer mom, average Joe who is on the road. Winter is coming on and that ups the ante even more in having one of these in your vehicle. Look at the natural disasters of the past 6 months that have hit our country, think back to the winter of 2009 when central Virginia residents were stranded on the road for days without help/supplies. You never know when or where you may be stranded away from home. How do you get back ?  How do you survive for days ?  That's where I think a car bag will come in handy. 

To start with, lets look at the 4 requirements needed to stay alive. 1)  shelter/warmth    2) potable water    3)  fire     4) food.   Fortunately a 'car' bag doesn't have to be as compact/light/efficient as a BOB bag. We can afford to carry more supplies/tools than you could easily carry on your back. However, a backpack to consolidate supplies to head out on foot is highly recommended.  

When reading this blog just remember that this is only my opinion of what to carry, there are many options/ideas when it comes to making these bags.  1) to cover shelter/warmth, I would carry a good sized tarp ( with plenty of cordage ) and a quality sleeping bag. Between your vehicle, a tarp and the  sleeping bag you should be able to stay warm and dry.  2) for water I would have several bottles of water, ( maybe some coffee ), a metal container that you could boil water over a fire and carry a Sawyer mini-straw. The Sawyer mini-straw is very light weight water filter that is easy to carry in a small fanny pack.  3)  for fire, I carry 2 lighters, 2 packs of matches in double zip locked bags, a 9V battery with some 0000 steel wool and several types of tinder/paper.   4)  to supply your caloric needs I take cereal, protein bars, GORP, jerky. These are good food choices that do not need refrigeration or cooking. Everyone has favorites of course but be sure it will stay good in the car without care. Remember the average person needs 2,000 calories daily to maintain weight.  

Adding to the 4 basics above:   I would pack extra clothes if you get wet, a poncho or rain gear, hiking shoes and a good outdoor hat, bandana and gloves.  Some type of protection, small pistol/pepper spray or whatever you feel comfortable carrying. Take extra meds, glasses, Aleve, vitamins, bug spray and sun block to cover your health needs.  A sturdy camp knife/hatchet for firewood or cutting a small tree out of the road. A quality multi tool, there are tons of good, used Leatherman tools on Ebay. A small first aid kit.  Several flash lights and extra batteries. A hiking staff if you have to walk it out. Phone chargers/cords. 

This looks like a lot of stuff but it will easily fit into the old suitcase you no longer use or a duffel bag/back pack. Be sure to always, winter or summer, keep your gas tank at least half full. 

My next Wilderness Survival 101 workshop will be held in April 2022, the exact date will posted this weekend.   www.stevepullinger.com/wilderness-survival-workshop.html

Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone. It has felt good doing workshops again, I had a full class for the 11/6 Wilderness Survival workshop. I've done a teacher development day and I've had several volunteer school events. I was contacted by the Patawomeck Tribal Council and I am now working with their future cultural center ( which opens spring 2022 ) interpreters. 

My goal for next year is to 'broker' guest instructors that have skill sets that I don't. I am presently talking with basket makers, flint knappers and folks who practice herbology. This way you get to learn new skills and I do too. So check the blog and my Facebook page for updates on these events.

I have a renewed appreciation for the plant world. If not for plants and being able to ID them, we could not make fire, cordage or fill our stomachs. Animal protein is essential but the number of edible plants out in the wild are amazing. Since Covid started I have immersed myself in what plants I can eat. You can store food but that is an iffy long term strategy, you can't always depend on animal protein but the plants are pretty consistent. The Peterson edible/medicinal field guides are still some of the best out there for IDing and plant usage. 

Winter is here so this is a good time of year to work on our friction fire skills and check your car emergency bags. Thank you everyone for attending all the workshops the past 2 months. 
 

It has been 15 months since I have added to this blog and 18 months since I've done a workshop. Unless Covid rears it's head again I will be having my Primitive Skills 101 on Saturday, November 6, 2021.    

Since last March when the shutdown started I have immersed myself in the study and taste of the edible world. We would all like to have the skill set to kill an animal with a homemade bow or trap, and that is a worthy skill, but it is the plant world that will feed us the easiest. We all need to be able to ID the most basic edible plants, the ones that work best for cordage and the ones that are used for friction fire. It is one thing to start a bow drill fire if someone hands you the materials to use, it is a totally different ball game to be able to ID/gather these materials yourself in any season. I will be placing a much bigger emphasis on plants in my next workshop. 

I apologize if I sound like an 'ambulance chaser' BUT the past 18 months have shown me just how important the skill sets are in my 101 workshop. 

I find it ironic that with social distancing ( and I do think it is needed ) I cannot do workshops that can help us to survive situations like this. All any of us can do is to take advantage of the extra time we may have on our hands and practice our skills. I have been consumed with edible plants the entire spring. In March I did a talk for the Virginia Native Plant Society on how Native Americans used our flora to keep them fed, warm and healthy and the day after the talk 'stay at home' kicked in. So it has been 5 months of edible plant study ( obsession ? ) for me. Since I cannot do workshops I have started a daily Facebook post on survival items that I see in my travels. It could be an edible plant, a natural shelter or something good for fire making. Not trying to sell Facebook to you but it is such an easy way to share info without having to click on an email every day, I know that I would not want to do that. So here's the link for your daily skills hit...   www.facebook.com/primitivesurvivalskills/?ref=bookmarks   

I do not know when I will be having any more workshops, will keep an eye on what the governor says and go from there. Again, use this time of uncertainty to practice and learn. I honestly don't think this will be the last thing that we have to face. Just the empowerment of knowing that you could mostly feed yourself from what is in nature is worth working at. If anyone would want a personal workshop at your place that would be possible with enough people. 

Bought a new toy, I haven't played with it much but what a compact little stove to carry in your BOB bag, it solves a lot of issues in cooking.   www.uberleben.co/products/stoker-flatpack-stove   This guy keeps selling out so I'm not the only one who likes it. 

Stay healthy and  remember the 5 P's.  Prior Practice Prevents Poor Performance


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