Only 4 Apples, 3 Oranges, 7 Tangerines, one head lettuce Left

These apples and oranges were bought in Sept and they have been used up sparingly.  A box of tangerines came in at Christmas and will be gone soon.  One head of Lettuce and two Peppers and a bit of celery.  Still lots of Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips, Onions, Garlic and Cabbages.  Now that the sun can reach the kitchen window I will try some baby lettuce in soil.  The sprouts are always great even when there is no sun. 

PLEASE KEEP VOTING... PUSH LEA INTO 3RD SPOT.

55" BULL MOOSE....Hunter/Gatherers and Shoppers

Well.... a trapper doesn't make a high living for the hours they put in....  BUT THE LIFESTYLE REWARDS MAKE UP FOR IT.
Out in the fresh air everyday, getting paid for a hard workout instead of paying big bucks to workout in a gym or health club.  
There is not the lure of "fast food" at every bend of the trail.  You stock the basics and make your own comfort foods.  Chocolate bars, chips and pop are expensive treats to be used on special occasions.
There is lots of quiet time so that you can hear yourself think.  You can relax enough to read a book.  You can spend an hour watching Dollie Varden spawn.  Or watch a Bull Moose pass you in the trees.  You work hard because you are your own boss.  Your time is your own.  The nature things you see will stay with you forever.
Lots of people nowadays love to shop for that great bargain in the store.  They just don't realize they are fulfilling the age old "hunter/gatherer" instinct.  Out in the wilderness you get that free when you find that special mushroom, that huge bush of blueberries, that strange burl, see that little owl, hear that wolf pack, watch that moose.  It is more rewarding, you don't need your Visa card.  There are no bills each month for stuff you really don't need.
The only requirement is the need to be very self reliant and willing to do without at times.  We are not on the grid except for satellite.  Otherwise we rely on everything ourselves.  

Spirit Walkers

 -13 8:30 am Dawn breaking.   The 20 to 30 Km winds from the East are wicking the warmth out of the lake.  Large columns of misty fog are flying west, some of them 100 feet tall.  Usually we see "the spirit walkers" slowly proceeding across the lake but now they are being driven.  The narrows are 10 days early in starting to freeze.  This wind will either set it up faster or blow out the thin ice crust.

 Vikki usually makes Sauerkraut in a big plastic bail but this year she found a way to make smaller size containers.  Found it on learningherbs.com   These are 1.5 gal jars.  
We will find out in 3 or 4 weeks it this works...

 Our friend Gord from Alberta made this Garlic Masher for Vikki when he visited here with Vic in 2008.  It worked great as a cabbage bruiser.

 After 24 hours Vikki removed the cloth and leaf and added more brine and placed a small glass bowl on the top.  

Below Vikki is trying Roasted Garlic from The Boreal Gourmet by Michele Genest.  A big bag of Garlic will not last long before starting to sprout and so this is a good idea.  The olive oil preserves it. 
Vikki also tried canning some of the gloves.

 Now we saved lots of the Moose fat and the birds will sure enjoy it now that it is getting cold.  Vikki tried putting chopped up fat into her Vita-Mix but it didn't work.  So she cooked the fat on the wood stove and then put it in the Vita-Mix along with some ground up grain, and it worked.  After added some bird seed and finding a plastic container to freeze it in.  Nothing gets thrown away here.

Cut the bottom 2 " out of this Chocolate Milk jug which was a treat for Bryan when we went out this summer.

Harvest Time, Trumpetors and Mountain Goat

 Bryan's been gone now for another 4 days.  He's pushing the trail while he can.  -13 Celsius last night.  The ice is starting to form around the shore and in the narrows.  10 days earlier than last year. 

 These three Trumpeter Swans landed on their trip down south.  Also Vikki saw a Mountain Goat just behind the cabin on the hill.

Steaming Turnip Greens for Canning.

 We plant a big garden in late May and then leave it on it's own with no watering, no extra care.  It is always amazing the good things that are there waiting for us when we get back here in the fall.  This year we harvested over 450 lbs of Yukon Gold, Russets, and  Prospector's Pride Potatoes,  150 lbs of Carrots, 3 lbs of Beets (failure) but lots of Beet Greens.  5 lbs of Turnips (failure) but again lots of Greens for canning.  150 lbs of Tomatoes, 25 Cabbages, and lots of Chives and Dill.

 It takes Vikki about two weeks to store or can and put it all away in the crawl space.  Bryan had already dug up most of the potatoes and washed them and put them down stairs.

The Roma Tomatoes are dried on the wood stove and when pliable put in Olive Oil.
The Chives are cut and dried and used all winter in food like Bannock with cheese, or soups.