How to Clean Out a Horizonatally Drilled Spring or Well

This under 4 minute video is about cleaning my horizontally drilled spring. The spring was drilled into the hillside at least 30 feet at a slight upward angle long before I moved here. The first ten feet of pipe are solid and the rest is perforated to allow water to seep in. When I moved here, it only ran about 1/2 gallon per minute all year, but the owner said he thought it used to run more in the winter time. I called the local driller and he told me how to clean it. Once cleaned, the spring gushed 10 gallons a minute for hours as it let off the built up pressure, which it does now every time I clean it. They often will slow down over a long period of time. One of our neighbors actually drilled a new well because they thought their horizontally drilled spring was just drying up and didn't know that it could be cleaned out. Mine needs to be cleaned about once every year or two. This time it was nearly clogged to the point of going dry while the previous two years it didn't need cleaning at all, maybe because of the drought? With all the rain we're getting this year, the drought, worst in most people's memory, is over. Yay for water! If this spring wasn't here, I probably wouldn't be either.

The first time I cleaned the spring.  I was surprised and pretty happy! — The first time I cleaned the spring. I was surprised and pretty happy!

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Steven Edholm and filed under Homestead Lifestyle, Homesteading, water and tagged homesteading water spring.

Apple Breeding Series: Planting the Seeds

Here is my installment of the apple breeding series which deals with planting the seeds. Written version below.

https://youtu.be/_dOSZneuBv0

Apple seeds generally require stratification in order to break dormancy and begin growing. Think of stratification as a clock or timer of sorts. After accumulating X number of hours below a certain temperature, the seeds believe they have gone through winter and it's okay to grow now. Stratification is not difficult. If you harvest the seeds in the fall and put them into cold storage, then they will be ready to plant in late winter or spring. Apples which are stored in cold storage must certainly contain seeds that are stratified enough to be ready to grow too, but I haven't tried it. I would assume so though. The other option is to simply leave the seeds outside. You can sow them in the open ground and let the cold weather work on them, or you can sow them in flats and put those outside. Whatever you do, I don't think you need to think about it too much. I haven't, and it works well for me. Just keep them cold when up until you are growing them out.

I like to start mine if rich flat mix in the greenhouse in later winter. Anytime between about the end of January and the middle of Feb is good. Later is okay too, just don't wait too terribly long. The flat mix I use is 2/3rds of old flat mix, with 1/3rd new sifted compost. I just keep the same stuff cycling year after year. Some of the mix gets planted out into the beds when plants are transplanted out into the ground, but the new compost addition each year replenishes that. I use this same mix for all my vegetable starts and most everything else that I pot up. I also add some handfuls of coffee grounds and wood ashes, and if I have it, oyster shell flour. It's good stuff and grows great seedlings! For more see my old blog post on planting flats and flat mix.

The seeds are stored in small plastic bags, labeled with their identity, see the video on that step here. I like to use some sawdust in the bag to moderate the environment. Sawdust also has some antimicrobial properties, unlike paper. Don't use paper! The sawdust should be damp, not wet. If the seeds begin sprouting, that is just fine, just poke a hole and stick the root down in there. the unsprouted or barely sprouted seeds I plant 1/2 inch deep. If the seeds are dry, I can't tell you much, because I haven't grown out dry seeds, so you'll have to look elsewhere for that information.

If you are new to growing seeds in general, it is important not to over water or the seeds and seedlings may be attacked by decay. Some say that the surface of the soil should dry out between watering. Just don't let them dry out too much and don't keep them sopping wet. You should however water them well the first time, but then allow the flat to drain and dry for a few days. As long as the soil is moist, the seeds should be okay. Roots like air. A damp mix with air space is ideal, not a wet mix where all air space is filled with water like a sponge.

You can also plant the seeds in the open ground. Just prepare the site well first and put a layer of fine material such as compost, coffee grounds, sawdust, etc.. over the bed surface to prevent the crusting that is caused by rain and water. That way the seeds can come through easily and the exchange of air in the soil will not be unduly hampered.

After getting a healthy start in the greenhouse, the seedlings are planted into a nursery bed outdoors to grow for the season. I would say the ideal time to transplant them varies by their progress and the weather. I think anything between 2 and 3 inches tall is pretty good, but they can be transplanted earlier or later depending on the weather etc. If they are to be grown in pots, especially in a greenhouse, they can be transplanted when very small, if care is taken, at almost any time really, but I'd probably wait till you have at least a couple of true leaves on them.

One parting warning. Almost every spring I have mice in the greenhouse, and almost very spring they eat some important plants before I remember that this happens every year and set traps. This year, the first night I lost about 15 of the already sprouted seeds, including most of the Cherry Cox x Sweet Sixteen seedlings and a bunch of the Sweet 16 Wickson crosses. Now I have 3 traps set and have killed 3 mice in 4 or 5 days. Next year maybe I'll remember to do that pro-actively! Same thing happened last year. :-/ With multiple traps and good bait (roasted bay nuts for me, but almost any roasted nut or nut butter is good) it is almost entirely preventable.

That's it for now. I'm sure we'll revisit these seedlings when it's time to plant them out in the garden.

I will am getting my first blooms this year, so in all likelihood, we'll have some fruit to look at later in the year. Isn't that exciting! Who knows what will reveal itself...

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

A Look at a Re-grafted Apple Tree One Year After

This is a quick look at an apple tree I grafted last year. This tree was grafted very similarly to the one that I did in a recent video called Apple Tree Makeover, so it provides a few good talking points.

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

Tricking Chickens Into Laying Where You Want Them To.

I’ve had pretty good luck getting free range chickens to lay where I want them to. It certainly helps to get them laying in certain places before they bond with some random spot in the firewood pile or in a shed behind the shovels which they then refuse to abandon. I made this short video when I was enticing my hens into laying in a coop where I can easily get the eggs. I thought I’d outline some more complete thoughts below.

Laying and nesting/brooding behavior are basically still centered around hatching eggs and raising chicks, even when the hens are not broody. We have got them laying tons of eggs through the year by breeding for that trait, but the natural behavior that is all based on is still centered around reproduction. The great majority of the penned chickens I ever kept were not that inclined to brood chicks. But my completely free range hens are a totally different story. They go broody very frequently, sometimes half of them in a year. Broody behavior complicates this whole situation. If the hens were not ranging and doing as they please all day long, I could set up some boxes in one place and service a number of hens. But when one goes broody, they might take over a popular site and the other hens start having to look elsewhere. Or, they will go seek some secluded spot, start laying there and telling other hens to lay there and I may never find it. Outside, where I can’t lock them up, they are vulnerable to predators and probably 50% of the time they won’t make it through the brooding process because a raccoon or some other predator finds them. I hear them screaming in the night and run out with a flashlight and shotgun in my long johns hellbent on murderin’ me a varmint, but alas, it’s usually too late :(

Sometimes, especially if you do it early in the process, you can move the hen and her eggs to a new place. Do the moving at night when they might just think it was a bad dream. If they are locked in somewhere in the dark for a couple of days in a new nest, they will often stay there, though some are too bonded with the original site and will abandon the eggs.

For those reasons, I like to have multiple sites set up to lure them into, places where I can lock them up, or at least know where they are. So….

How do we get them to lay where we want. There are some behaviors and preferences we can exploit to that end. One is the site. They like something that is a little out of the way. Occasionally they will lay or go broody in odd places where people are walking around and such, but usually they’ll pick something slightly out of the way, but not usually too far. Put it in the zone that they frequent the most. For instance, my chickens spend a lot of time way out by the compost pile down the driveway, but they’ll usually brood closer to the main living area where their coop is located. They also seem to like buildings and concentrations of stuff, like around or in the woodshed or in the stuff around the outside of a building. And, like us, they like the inside of buildings too. I’ve many times found them laying in my bed when I’ve left the door open.

Elevation seems preferred. I have a lot of chicks brood on the ground, but they’ll often express at least a slight preference for elevated laying sites.

Enclosed. They like a little bit of cover, preferably above and below. Boxes are great.

Other hens lay there. They like to lay in the same spots. I have 3 or 4 laying in the spot I just set up, probably all the hens that are currently laying are laying there. You can use a couple of old eggs that are marked for identification, or dummy eggs made for that purpose. This really makes a difference once bonded to the site, they’ll usually keep laying there whether you take all the eggs away or not, but it really helps to get them started in a spot. If I ever get my lathe set up again, I’d like to make wooden dummy eggs painted with milk paint to sell. I usually just use old eggs though and that works well as long as the shells are strong. Some people use golf balls. I don’t have a lot of experience with that.

Stuff they like. I usually put some new straw or leaves in and a round the site to get them scratching around. They like food! a handful of grain tossed in some leaves will get all the chickens around scratching and exploring. After that, when a hen spots that laying site and it has everything going on just right, they’re going to take notice. Even if that doesn’t get them laying in a spot right away, having a few spots set up and in waiting will draw most of them in when they decide to go broody.

That’s about it. It is pretty simple really. Something like a box or brooding hutch set up with a little padding and some dry leaves or straw is often all it takes. If you have hens poking around frantically into every nook and cranny and making a lot of noise, you can up your game a little and try to get them hanging around your chosen site with a little food and fun stuff to scratch around in. They are simple and their needs and desires are simple. They are the most dedicated and fiercest of mothers. They have no fear for themselves, but they like security for their chicks. They like food! They love to scratch! Mine are overstuffed lately with literally piles off all the human food scraps they can eat. In spite of that smorgasbord, they still spend a lot of time scratching around. Chickens scratch, period.

Well, all that works for me. But they are stubborn and recalcitrant creatures, so just make sure they think it’s their idea! You know when you’re a kid and everything that is potentially covered a or enclosed a little is a potential fort or clubhouse? Think like that on a smaller scale. I have a set up a couple more sites this week as it is very spring like and any day now a switch is going to flip in one of those hens and she’s going to go broody and start looking for another spot.

If you like chickens, I did a whole post on just Chicken pictures one year. You can read that here....

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

Homestead Life Episode 2: A day on the Homestead

Just a day on the homestead running around doing stuff. It is basically spring here already this year and I had a lot going on, so I thought I'd try this experiment out. The pace is less frantic than some of my other videos, on purpose. It's still cut fairly tight with some good bits of information here and there, though that isn't really isn't why I made it.

After receiving some comments referencing reality shows, I'm kind of thinking in that direction a little bit. I'm the type of person they contact for reality or re-enactment type shows and some of my friends have been on them or contacted about it like George Michaud, Cody Lundin and Tom Oar. My ex and I were approached about being on Wifeswap a couple of times, ha! I'm not likely to be interested as those are often very skewed and the subject may have little control over how it's all done once the footage is shot and it hits the editing room. When we shot a brain tanning segment for Modern Marvels (season 13 episode 9) their whole attitude was basically "is it good TV?" accuracy was not really much of a consideration. A lot can be done in editing and even an awesome and authentic person, like Cody Lundin on Dual Survival, can be diluted by the fake drama and manipulation of directors, producers and editors. My other homie Wylie Woods has been trying to get something together for a while with various producers and keeps getting jerked around and cancelled and told he can do it how he wants, but then maybe not so much. Screw that. I have potential access to millions of people who are hungry for something authentic and I can do it any way I want. Someone commented that I could have my own reality TV show. Well I do, and here it is! I'm sure I'll get better at it, but I think the production and even some of the content is secondary to authenticity in this type of thing. So, basically I'll interject some lifestyle/day in the life stuff sprinkled in with the down to the nitty gritty how to stuff and projects and all with occasional thought viruses, the transmission of which is why I'm here as much as anything... to influence the way people think about and perceive the world and what is possible.

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Steven Edholm and filed under Homestead Lifestyle, tools, Homesteading, Paleotechnics and tagged day in the life homestead lifestyle turkeysong.

Apple Tree Makeover, Prepping and Grafting an Apple Tree Sucker

Here is a video of prepping and grafting an apple tree sucker in my friend Chuck's back yard. It's still not the in depth frankentree info I've been promising, but it should of interest to grafters and would be frankentreers, and it just offers some good talking points.

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

Splitting Wood by Hand, #5, Just Splitting Some Wood.

This is #5 in my wood splitting video series, but it's being released out of order. After shooting the footage for segments3 and 4 on technique and strategy, and trying to explain it all, the gears in my brain really started turning. I feel like I can do a much better job of explaining and demonstrating those things now. Having put it all into language in my head I also feel like I have a better personal understanding too and can probably further refine my technique. So the technique and strategy videos will be re-shot this year, although I'm putting a few bullet points and a teaser below. Also below are a list of other wood splitting videos worth watching.

I also have better slow motion capabilities now, which I can use to make a study of the mechanics of splitting. Some of the important stuff that I'll be talking about in the technique video is presented in this segment as subtitles. I'll make blog posts with photos explaining segments 3 and 4, but this video stands on it's own more or less, and it is intended for visual learning anyway.

I just spent a couple of hours looking for a few decent wood splitting videos to link in this one, and I can tell you, my stuff is top shelf compared to the vast majority of what's out there. Hopefully people will actually see it. I'm still ranking low in the search engines. Comments, likes and shares anywhere help me reach more people. I'm very excited to make the next two videos and get deeper into the details that matter and which could really help people increase their splitting effectiveness! The previously released videos, along with this one, are in my firewood playlist.

Some notes and bullet points.

You'll notice that I don't favor using a splitting block for the most part. Splitting on the ground requires a tool with a pretty obtuse edge for strength, but it has some benefits as follows.

*We don't have to move the wood to the block, especially important with big rounds.

*We don't have to pick up pieces and set them on (or back on) the stump.

*We don't have to set the tool down to pick up wood

*We have better mechanical advantage (more speed can be generated if target is lower)

*It is safer, since the work is closer to the ground.

*Less interruption to the work flow.

I've come to think that the equation Mass+Speed= Inertia/Momentum/Power is a core principal here. I believe that any energy transfer to the target after contact is negligable compared the energy embodied before impact. By having a low target and tightening the radius of the swing into a shorter arc at the end of the stroke, you can generate a tremendous amount of speed which equates to stored energy. I know there is more involved than just that, but I suspect that things like the shape of the head, angle of attack and any twisting or manipulation of the head is really secondary to that equation. Even if twisting, the head, at the moment of impact to open the split, you are still using mostly that stored energy, you're just sending it off in a different direction. Aim and Strategy are of course also extremely important. But, assuming you know where to strike and can hit the target, being able to embody a great deal of energy in the maul or ax head will most certainly serve you well, even if you don't need it all the time.

These video stills helped me understand my technique better and will no doubt lead to further refinement.  They are evenly spaced and shot at 24 frames per second, so covering just 9/24ths of a second.  Notice how much faster the maul head… — These video stills helped me understand my technique better and will no doubt lead to further refinement. They are evenly spaced and shot at 24 frames per second, so covering just 9/24ths of a second. Notice how much faster the maul head travels from frames 4 to 6, due to a tightening of the radius of the swing. It is hardly visible in frame 6, too fast for the camera to catch.
After frame 5, the arc revolves around my fixed wrist position. Between frames 5 and 9, my wrists move very little, but the head moves 4 feet or more. I'm not pushing the head through the wood, I'm whipping it on the end of this long handle to throw it through the wood. The force generated by this technique can be very powerful. It's about taking the mass you have to work with and accelerating it very fast using simple leverage.
Also, note that because of that tighter radius, the angle of attack is significantly toward me. If the round were up on a block, that could put the mauls edge pointing dangerously at my ankles or feet... not to mention that I would have less time and distance in which to generate speed unless I'm 7 feet tall. A low block is an option, but requires moving each round onto the block. Of course, this much momentum is often unnecessary. Splitting blocks are great sometimes, but I've come to use them less and less for the type of splitting I'm usually doing around here.

2015, the Year in Pictures and Video

My life is often full of beautiful and interesting things and happenings. For your perusal ladies and gentlemen, the year in pictures and video! (Applause cue) Previous years are cataloged on this page.

I got a new camera in 2015, which brought the potential for much improved quality in both video and still photos. The video footage is so good, that I frequently lift stills that look like photographs. I am amazed at what these small cameras are capable of in such a small package, and it gets better every year, freeing us up to create stuff. This is a time of unprecedented opportunity for creativity in media, of which the outlet of all outlets is now accessible to much of the world's population to do as they please. The resulting revolution is having a profound impact on culture, and I think positive for the most part. Like a democratization of popular culture where any content has a chance to compete, not just whatever people with the money to produce and air stuff decide to put out. Amazing. I think I said in last year's year end post that I planned to take good advantage of that opportunity. I think I have and plan to continue to. I'm also realizing how much more far reaching it all is than I had realized. Onward.

Most of this is taken with older manual lenses adapted to my sony digital camera.

Black oak with rainbow.  Yet another large section of this tree just fell off and is going to take some creative and thoughtful planning to clean up safely.  Should make a good episode for my new Homestead Life category, being for snippets… — Black oak with rainbow. Yet another large section of this tree just fell off and is going to take some creative and thoughtful planning to clean up safely. Should make a good episode for my new Homestead Life category, being for snippets of life and incidents here. Also should provide some nice wood for making stuff and some bark for tanning. The early tanning industry in California was apparently using Black and White Oaks. Later they switched over to Tan Oak which is what I mostly use now. My use of Black Oak has so far been promising.

Long term “slow art” project.  I planted a ton of narcissus following the drip line of this oak tree.  It looks great, but the different varieties are in clusters.  The plan is to dig them all up, mix them together, and replant all th… — Long term “slow art” project. I planted a ton of narcissus following the drip line of this oak tree. It looks great, but the different varieties are in clusters. The plan is to dig them all up, mix them together, and replant all the way around the tree in a wider band. It should end up with about a two month blooming season and will likely outlive the tree by a long stretch.

Exhausted pollen covered bee that was trapped in this Oriental poppy flower.  It ate some honey, cleaned itself off and flew away.  Video someday. — Exhausted pollen covered bee that was trapped in this Oriental poppy flower. It ate some honey, cleaned itself off and flew away. Video someday.

Weary bee sipping some honey on a poppy pod.

Bee cleaning itself.  The procedure is something like this:  rub furry body on flowers to collect pollen, clean pollen off of fur with comb-like structures on legs, stick together with sugary bee spit, store in pollen baskets on the back l… — Bee cleaning itself. The procedure is something like this: rub furry body on flowers to collect pollen, clean pollen off of fur with comb-like structures on legs, stick together with sugary bee spit, store in pollen baskets on the back legs to take home.

This year's crop of healthy cross pollinated apple seedlings for apple breeding project.

The first incarnation of my charcoal rubbish trench soil improvement conception.  The basic idea is to create lasting soil improvement by making a handy place to throw stuff that you don’t want in the compost.  Throw in animal guts, weedy … — The first incarnation of my charcoal rubbish trench soil improvement conception. The basic idea is to create lasting soil improvement by making a handy place to throw stuff that you don’t want in the compost. Throw in animal guts, weedy seeds, use it as a latrine, or whatever else, add charcoal (or just burn it in the pit as I am here), add soil in a certain proportion as you go, dig another one when it’s full, or keep a long trench going by digging off the end of the old one as it fills up.

Hide scraps, meat scraps and rotten eggs in the trench.  I’ll bet the artichoke I just planted here grows a minimum of 10 foot diameter.  The hope is that the awesomeness will persist, unlike most soil interventions.  Stay tuned.&nbsp… — Hide scraps, meat scraps and rotten eggs in the trench. I’ll bet the artichoke I just planted here grows a minimum of 10 foot diameter. The hope is that the awesomeness will persist, unlike most soil interventions. Stay tuned. This simple project is one of the most exciting to me because of the ramifications. You'll be hearing more about it, both conceptual and implementation.

A species of large flowered native Hemizonia.

Bark tanned bull leather pruner sheath in progress.

Finished sheath with my favorite clippers, Barnel B808.  I will review these eventually, but bottom line is they are ergonomic, very well built with tight tolerances, heavy chrome plated blades, light weight, cushioned grips, oiler bolt, dainty… — Finished sheath with my favorite clippers, Barnel B808. I will review these eventually, but bottom line is they are ergonomic, very well built with tight tolerances, heavy chrome plated blades, light weight, cushioned grips, oiler bolt, dainty blades that get into tight places and there is an awesome squeeze to open feature. They are also affordable compared to similar quality pruners. I can recommend them with few reservations after a couple years of use.

Betcha can't guess.  Answer at the bottom of the page. — Betcha can't guess. Answer at the bottom of the page.

Not-so-black black trumpet mushrooms.  A staple of turkeysong cuisine.  Video on how to clean and dry quickly here. — Not-so-black black trumpet mushrooms. A staple of turkeysong cuisine. Video on how to clean and dry quickly here.

Narcissus headed to the farmer’s market.  They sell well, probably better than produce.  Also, the investment in fancy modern varieties with heavy substance paid off. they are impressive and popular and last longer.  I had to quit the… — Narcissus headed to the farmer’s market. They sell well, probably better than produce. Also, the investment in fancy modern varieties with heavy substance paid off. they are impressive and popular and last longer. I had to quit the market this year for personal reasons, rule changes and a low tolerance for life smothering bureaucracy, but I’m tempted to re-join to sell flowers. There has to be a better way though…

Slate tree weight and spreaders.  What can I say, heavy metal homestead!  pushing the branches closer to horizontal changes the hormones, causing the tree to produce more fruit. — Slate tree weight and spreaders. What can I say, heavy metal homestead! pushing the branches closer to horizontal changes the hormones, causing the tree to produce more fruit.

A primitive form of artichoke.  The scales are nothing to write home about, but the hearts are large and tasty.  And they look cool, though they are spiny little suckers. — A primitive form of artichoke. The scales are nothing to write home about, but the hearts are large and tasty. And they look cool, though they are spiny little suckers.

Research time.  Probably something about some kind of glue.  All of these are probably available to read online for free, but that isn't the same as a book and an espresso. — Research time. Probably something about some kind of glue. All of these are probably available to read online for free, but that isn't the same as a book and an espresso.

Tan Oak blooms.  The bees love these.  On hot days in early summer they fill the air with a heavy scent something like mushrooms or semen, similar to the smell of chestnut blooms, to which they are related.  This is a foundational spe… — Tan Oak blooms. The bees love these. On hot days in early summer they fill the air with a heavy scent something like mushrooms or semen, similar to the smell of chestnut blooms, to which they are related. This is a foundational species here, unfortunately dying out from Sudden Oak Death Syndrome.

This tree is planted over an 8 x 2.5 foot circular pit back-filled with 5 to 15% charcoal.  There are also some deer guts too and blue the cat was buried here.  The tree has outperformed similar aged trees by a long stretch.  The leav… — This tree is planted over an 8 x 2.5 foot circular pit back-filled with 5 to 15% charcoal. There are also some deer guts too and blue the cat was buried here. The tree has outperformed similar aged trees by a long stretch. The leaves are large and deep green and it has skated gracefully through two years of the worst drought in memory, this year without a drop of supplemental water. It would look much fuller, but I pruned it late after it had already started growing, which set it back some. These initial results are promising enough to expand this practice to see what happens. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but if this tree grows this well and produces for decades, there is no question that the effort will be repaid many times over. Better to plant fewer trees and put in more effort like this. There is only so much you can do modifying and improving soil from the top down. I know, I’ve tried.

Thinking about upping my game on leek breeding and selection and maybe selling the seed instead of just giving it away as I have for many years.  This is a truly outstanding variety, but the seed I started with is run down and obviously has not… — Thinking about upping my game on leek breeding and selection and maybe selling the seed instead of just giving it away as I have for many years. This is a truly outstanding variety, but the seed I started with is run down and obviously has not been carefully selected for a while. The seed I have now is 3 or 4 generations into selection for certain traits, and I think it has made a difference

Shakin' it out before a good crow.  Randy the rooster was a handsome fellow, but I finally got sick of listening to him and ate him.  it was like when I got on the phone or started recording video it was his cue to show up and start crowin… — Shakin' it out before a good crow. Randy the rooster was a handsome fellow, but I finally got sick of listening to him and ate him. it was like when I got on the phone or started recording video it was his cue to show up and start crowing. One of the best decisions I made all year.

Pollinated fruitlets tagged with the pollen parent names.

Maypole, red apple and red immature seeds

Apple tree re-grafted after a bear attack.  This is a rind graft, where the scions are inserted into the space between the bark and wood.  See the year in video for some quick footage on how it's done. — Apple tree re-grafted after a bear attack. This is a rind graft, where the scions are inserted into the space between the bark and wood. See the year in video for some quick footage on how it's done.

Centennial crab apple.  Sweet and delicious in July!  Adding it to my breeding stock and thinking of grafting a whole tree. — Centennial crab apple. Sweet and delicious in July! Adding it to my breeding stock and thinking of grafting a whole tree.

New graft showing signs of healing.  This is far enough along to conduct nutrients, but still very fragile and must be re-wrapped for another month or two for support. — New graft showing signs of healing. This is far enough along to conduct nutrients, but still very fragile and must be re-wrapped for another month or two for support.

Adorable little owls.  These tend to be very tame.  I'm recording video footage of them only about 12 feet away by headlamp.  The footage was lost :/ — Adorable little owls. These tend to be very tame. I'm recording video footage of them only about 12 feet away by headlamp. The footage was lost :/

Graining board for softening and raising the grain of leather.

Graining board, or "arm board" in progress.  This one will have a cork face for use on the delicate grain side of the skin. — Graining board, or "arm board" in progress. This one will have a cork face for use on the delicate grain side of the skin.

Deer grain raised with the graining board.  Not the only way to do it, but the best way I've tried. — Deer grain raised with the graining board. Not the only way to do it, but the best way I've tried.

Pounded leather, half the thickness, twice the density.  The mallet is ironwood, extremely dense.  The slate is used to smooth and even the surface after pounding.  pounding is done on damp leather — Pounded leather, half the thickness, twice the density. The mallet is ironwood, extremely dense. The slate is used to smooth and even the surface after pounding. pounding is done on damp leather

Potential tanning materials for tests.  The skin samples are ready, just haven't gotten around to it yet.  I probably have over 25 materials collected.  Should have some results early this year.  video on this project here — Potential tanning materials for tests. The skin samples are ready, just haven't gotten around to it yet. I probably have over 25 materials collected. Should have some results early this year. video on this project here

Ax porn for a website header.  This is the image on my credit card.  Yes, my credit card is that cool. — Ax porn for a website header. This is the image on my credit card. Yes, my credit card is that cool.

One of my old forges, good for coal, needs modification for charcoal.

An old forge left here by a logging crew.  From an era where the average group of workmen probably had in it some guy that was handy with a hammer and a pair of tongs.  Town was 10 miles down bad unpaved roads, and ten miles back up, so wh… — An old forge left here by a logging crew. From an era where the average group of workmen probably had in it some guy that was handy with a hammer and a pair of tongs. Town was 10 miles down bad unpaved roads, and ten miles back up, so why hold up work when you can fix stuff on site?

Starting the woodstove.  I don't use paper and haven't for a long time.  My friend Hal, my elder no less, one upped me though.  He starts his with a hand drill, and uses bits of charcoal instead of tinder.  I think these kinds of… — Starting the woodstove. I don't use paper and haven't for a long time. My friend Hal, my elder no less, one upped me though. He starts his with a hand drill, and uses bits of charcoal instead of tinder. I think these kinds of practices will teach you a lot fast. If you want to get good at something, put yourself in a position where you need to do it to get through the day.

My Stanley no. 9 1/2 plane.  A small quality block plane like this is a great starter plane and really handy for small projects.  This one has been a companion for over 25 years.  I love it. — My Stanley no. 9 1/2 plane. A small quality block plane like this is a great starter plane and really handy for small projects. This one has been a companion for over 25 years. I love it.

A big fir tree at my neighbors that I hope to make some stuff out of in 2016.  It isn't fine old growth quality, but it's pretty good and big enough to get some nice vertical grain planks out of. — A big fir tree at my neighbors that I hope to make some stuff out of in 2016. It isn't fine old growth quality, but it's pretty good and big enough to get some nice vertical grain planks out of.

A small hewn and planed fir plank from the tree above, made to test the feasibility of hewing some of it up into boards for a project.  I'd like to build a door with it.  We'll see.  I would learn a lot, and so would you if you follow… — A small hewn and planed fir plank from the tree above, made to test the feasibility of hewing some of it up into boards for a project. I'd like to build a door with it. We'll see. I would learn a lot, and so would you if you follow my progress.

Queen of the night Tulip.  The bokeh on this beat up 5 dollar thrift store Minolta 58 mm f1.4 lens is bizarre but neat, like a watercolor painting. — Queen of the night Tulip. The bokeh on this beat up 5 dollar thrift store Minolta 58 mm f1.4 lens is bizarre but neat, like a watercolor painting.

Witchypoo practicing enlightened levitation on a san pedro cactus.  Do not try this at home, she is a professional! — Witchypoo practicing enlightened levitation on a san pedro cactus. Do not try this at home, she is a professional!

This species of bug hangs out on california Poppies in the spring.  I'm pretty sure the black and white bands mean DO NOT F*** WITH ME!  The antennae wave wildly in the slightest breeze.  I had some amazing macro video footage of thes… — This species of bug hangs out on california Poppies in the spring. I'm pretty sure the black and white bands mean DO NOT F*** WITH ME! The antennae wave wildly in the slightest breeze. I had some amazing macro video footage of these, but it was all lost.

Furled California Poppy.  One of my favorite photographs of the year. — Furled California Poppy. One of my favorite photographs of the year.

Deep soil amendment with large quantities of charcoal last spring.  One half of one bed is 33%.  Another bed is about 25%.  Only time will tell how they do.  If nothing else, I replaced the worst rock and low nutrient sandy soil,… — Deep soil amendment with large quantities of charcoal last spring. One half of one bed is 33%. Another bed is about 25%. Only time will tell how they do. If nothing else, I replaced the worst rock and low nutrient sandy soil, totaling 1/3rdwith a substance that holds water and nutrients and aerates the soil.

A lone buckeye on my drive to town.  I remember the first time I ever came up this road it is so uniquely beautiful.  Then I used to drive up here once in a while and look longingly down the road I live on thinking "I want to live down the… — A lone buckeye on my drive to town. I remember the first time I ever came up this road it is so uniquely beautiful. Then I used to drive up here once in a while and look longingly down the road I live on thinking "I want to live down there!" I'm so fortunate!

Semaphore, an extremely rare grass.  This species only grows in something like 15 known locations, one of them next door.  Ironically, the neighbors dug up the ground to build their ceremonial sweat lodge on the site.  It worked out o… — Semaphore, an extremely rare grass. This species only grows in something like 15 known locations, one of them next door. Ironically, the neighbors dug up the ground to build their ceremonial sweat lodge on the site. It worked out okay in the end and it's coming back.

California newt.  I bothered this poor guy for like 20 minutes to get the perfect video footage, which, again, was lost.  Damn you new version of imovie! — California newt. I bothered this poor guy for like 20 minutes to get the perfect video footage, which, again, was lost. Damn you new version of imovie!

Daffodil spider.  Strong enough to catch honey bees.  They are yellow on yellow flowers and white on white flowers.  I guess they change color.  This one has a small native bee. — Daffodil spider. Strong enough to catch honey bees. They are yellow on yellow flowers and white on white flowers. I guess they change color. This one has a small native bee.

My first ever daffodil seedling.  Well, it looks better close up ;)  It may improve though as it matures.  I had two last year and expecting more this year.  I f I get anything really good, I'll propagate it and sell them on the … — My first ever daffodil seedling. Well, it looks better close up ;) It may improve though as it matures. I had two last year and expecting more this year. I f I get anything really good, I'll propagate it and sell them on the website here. I just do it for fun though. It takes very little time and effort as you can read about here. I named this photograph "What Daffodils do in the Dark"

Out the front door one morning.  I'm not sure what species it is, but I know they like to eat my chickens. — Out the front door one morning. I'm not sure what species it is, but I know they like to eat my chickens.

Firecracker Lily.  A unique local wildflower. — Firecracker Lily. A unique local wildflower.

Daffodil seedpods, from hand pollinations

A stunning Native wildflower.  Forgetting the name! — A stunning Native wildflower. Forgetting the name!

Cicada on an apple branch, which they cause a lot of damage to by laying eggs in slits the cut.

Loquats!  Large, delicious variety. — Loquats! Large, delicious variety.

Black sage again.  I love taking pictures of this plant. — Black sage again. I love taking pictures of this plant.

Probably the largest loquat I ever ate, came off of one of my trees this year.

A freshly hatched cicada.  This is the type that hatches every year. — A freshly hatched cicada. This is the type that hatches every year.

Taken with a 5.00 lens from the thrift store.

Old spring house on the neighbors place.  A spring house is like a root celar.  The spring runs through it to keep it cool. — Old spring house on the neighbors place. A spring house is like a root celar. The spring runs through it to keep it cool.

Potato onion seedling trials.  I was down to 15 this fall and tossed a few more last week because they rotted in storage.  Potato onion video series here. — Potato onion seedling trials. I was down to 15 this fall and tossed a few more last week because they rotted in storage. Potato onion video series here.

inter-stem dwarf and diagonal cordon apple trees in a nice fog filtered light

Best cat ever!  This is the closest I've ever gotten to it.  Don't have to feed it, don't have to listen to it, but it still kills rodents in the garden!  I should name it shadow.  I guess it was just too cozy to get up and run a… — Best cat ever! This is the closest I've ever gotten to it. Don't have to feed it, don't have to listen to it, but it still kills rodents in the garden! I should name it shadow. I guess it was just too cozy to get up and run away this time. It's a stray.

Maypole, a red fleshed apple that shows red pigment throughout the whole tree.

Artichoke leaves drying for tanning experiments.  Hope it works! — Artichoke leaves drying for tanning experiments. Hope it works!

Lizard playing king of the hill... with itself.  But it's winning! — Lizard playing king of the hill... with itself. But it's winning!

The talented Ira showing off his gourd and rawhide ukelele.  Video here. — The talented Ira showing off his gourd and rawhide ukelele. Video here.

Ugly burr knots on M111 stock.  Plant those clonal stocks deep! — Ugly burr knots on M111 stock. Plant those clonal stocks deep!

An idea I've been toying with, making leaf impressions in leather.

Wild "cucumber" or Mara, a native plant with an allegedly enormous root.

A copper nail made for a project I abandoned.  I would have had to make about 90 of them. — A copper nail made for a project I abandoned. I would have had to make about 90 of them.

This tiny crab apple was sent to me some years ago by my friend Becca Munro.  It is slightly astringent but delicious eaten whole seeds and all, something like crisp cherries.  It's going to get grafted out somewhere with more room to grow… — This tiny crab apple was sent to me some years ago by my friend Becca Munro. It is slightly astringent but delicious eaten whole seeds and all, something like crisp cherries. It's going to get grafted out somewhere with more room to grow, and I'll probably use it as a breeding parent this coming season. The flesh is very yellow and crisp.

A wood and leather seam with rawhide stitching.  An experiment for another abandoned project. — A wood and leather seam with rawhide stitching. An experiment for another abandoned project.

The leather mug project.  My most popular video to date.  Got me a massive number of views and subscribers overnight when someone shared it on Reddit.  Thanks! — The leather mug project. My most popular video to date. Got me a massive number of views and subscribers overnight when someone shared it on Reddit. Thanks!

Saffron!  Trust me, however much it costs, the person getting screwed is not the consumer!  Only three threads per flower, pulled out one flower at a time. — Saffron! Trust me, however much it costs, the person getting screwed is not the consumer! Only three threads per flower, pulled out one flower at a time.

I decided to try bundling them like this as some fancy saffron comes.  I think this once was enough!  Although it would make a great gift like this, tied with a golden thread. — I decided to try bundling them like this as some fancy saffron comes. I think this once was enough! Although it would make a great gift like this, tied with a golden thread.

A new batch of leather working awls, getting an oil treatment.

A pair of dewclaw anklets I made.  Braintanned buckskin, bark tanned deer skin and deer dewclaws. — A pair of dewclaw anklets I made. Braintanned buckskin, bark tanned deer skin and deer dewclaws.

Pieces of cattle hide processed and dried for making hide glue

The finished product available somewhere soon.

Chicken processing day.  Unwanted roosters.  Young roosters are excellent eating. — Chicken processing day. Unwanted roosters. Young roosters are excellent eating.

Mother, an old American apple of high repute.

Fruit tree understory experiment using amaryllis belladona hybrids (basically the same as naked ladies, ((the flower, not the real thing))  I post pictures of the progress of this experiment every year.  The last two years there have been … — Fruit tree understory experiment using amaryllis belladona hybrids (basically the same as naked ladies, ((the flower, not the real thing)) I post pictures of the progress of this experiment every year. The last two years there have been literally only two or three weak weeds under this tree. The amaryllis smother everything else, then die back around June 1st leaving this protective layer of mulch. I won't know much more till I get to observe a lot of trees for a long period of time, but it's promising enough that I am propagating probably thousands of bulbs from seed and have planted 7 other trees to them.

This is the flower.  They are pretty popular at the farmer's market. — This is the flower. They are pretty popular at the farmer's market.

A batch of bark for tanning and wood for burning.  Tan Oak. — A batch of bark for tanning and wood for burning. Tan Oak.

The fire kit I made for my stone age "no tools" fire making video.

I love this hoe and the company, Rogue Hoe, is a really cool idea.  They use recycled plough disks to make the tools.  I'm not sure about all the designs, but this one is great and the handle is very nice quality.  A high grade tool, … — I love this hoe and the company, Rogue Hoe, is a really cool idea. They use recycled plough disks to make the tools. I'm not sure about all the designs, but this one is great and the handle is very nice quality. A high grade tool, hand made in the states and pretty affordable for being that. Amazon link here. this is the 5.5 inch version.

My beautiful road, untouched by a grader in 8 years since it was finished and not in need of it.  I studied progressive road design and made careful observations for a couple of years, but a few basic principals applied can save you tons of mon… — My beautiful road, untouched by a grader in 8 years since it was finished and not in need of it. I studied progressive road design and made careful observations for a couple of years, but a few basic principals applied can save you tons of money, inconvenience and maintenance. Someday I'll do a detailed treatment of road building concepts. If you leave it up to a contractor, you will almost surely end up with a less than ideal road. Small improvements can also be made as the road is worked on over time.

When I planted the seed for this apple years ago, I couldn't imagine that a fruit grown from this variety could turn out really bad.  It didn't. — When I planted the seed for this apple years ago, I couldn't imagine that a fruit grown from this variety could turn out really bad. It didn't.

Those fruitlets grew into this.  Thin skinned, nice texture, refreshing, pleasant apple.  Maybe not the next best thing ever, but quite nice and compelling eating.  I named it BITE ME! (capitals and exclamation point mandatory!) for a… — Those fruitlets grew into this. Thin skinned, nice texture, refreshing, pleasant apple. Maybe not the next best thing ever, but quite nice and compelling eating. I named it BITE ME! (capitals and exclamation point mandatory!) for all the naysayers.

kniphophia, or is it kniphofia?  whatever.  Hummingbirds like it. — kniphophia, or is it kniphofia? whatever. Hummingbirds like it.

Drying Anaheim chilies.  I use most of them to make chili powder that is simply amazing.  Video coming someday. — Drying Anaheim chilies. I use most of them to make chili powder that is simply amazing. Video coming someday.

My video on making traditional fermented hot sauce was well received, and I won a prize on instructables.com for it!

Sunset colors off a point known to all the neighbors as Rob's Knob.

Teaching hide tanning stuff at the Not So Simple Living Fair in Boonville California.  This fair is great, teaching skills for self reliance. — Teaching hide tanning stuff at the Not So Simple Living Fair in Boonville California. This fair is great, teaching skills for self reliance.

My first dollar earned on Amazon affiliates.  The easiest way to support me without paying anything extra.  I currently make about 25.00 to 40.00 dollars a month on this, which is the only money I make on my online endeavors.  Given t… — My first dollar earned on Amazon affiliates. The easiest way to support me without paying anything extra. I currently make about 25.00 to 40.00 dollars a month on this, which is the only money I make on my online endeavors. Given that I probably spend 20 to even 40 hours a week producing content, that is obviously unsustainable. Bookmark and use my link, thank you, **I totally love you, you link using person! OMG, you are so awesome!!!**

Best Garden I've had for a couple years.  Not as big and awesome as I want it to be, but not bad.  Video tour here. — Best Garden I've had for a couple years. Not as big and awesome as I want it to be, but not bad. Video tour here.

Chestnut Crab.  As tasty as it is beautiful.  See my review of7 summer apples, including this one. — Chestnut Crab. As tasty as it is beautiful. See my review of7 summer apples, including this one.

My little table at the very small, very local roadside farmer's market, basically a few of us selling whatever we want, no paper work, no fees, just people who have stuff and people who need stuff.

Kid walking his pet rock at the farmer's market.

Diagonal cordon trees.  18 inch spacing, very productive, quality fruit and only occupies about two feet of width!  Amazing system for small spaces or growing a lot of variety in a small space.  There are at least seven varieties in t… — Diagonal cordon trees. 18 inch spacing, very productive, quality fruit and only occupies about two feet of width! Amazing system for small spaces or growing a lot of variety in a small space. There are at least seven varieties in this short space, but there are more out of the picture because most are grafted to two varieties

!Frankentree! had at least 85 varieties in fruit this year.  Tour video here — !Frankentree! had at least 85 varieties in fruit this year. Tour video here

A spring I restored after it was damaged during road construction.  I planted all those giant ferns from tiny "seedlings".  Also horsetail and wild ginger.  It has a way to go, but considering it was bare dirt, it is doing pretty good… — A spring I restored after it was damaged during road construction. I planted all those giant ferns from tiny "seedlings". Also horsetail and wild ginger. It has a way to go, but considering it was bare dirt, it is doing pretty good, and the ferns are already reproducing.

Misc. late apples for apple butter experiment

Apple butter experiment a success!  And I also won a prize for this one on instructables. — Apple butter experiment a success! And I also won a prize for this one on instructables.

Beautiful delicious red fleshed apple juice

30 pounds of sausage!  Hello biscuits and gravy in the morning! — 30 pounds of sausage! Hello biscuits and gravy in the morning!

Ice in the stem well of a Cripps Pink (Aka Pink Lady) on new years day.  I don't think they would have lasted much longer, but it was very tasty!  Winter Apple tasting video — Ice in the stem well of a Cripps Pink (Aka Pink Lady) on new years day. I don't think they would have lasted much longer, but it was very tasty! Winter Apple tasting video

1000 subscribers on my birthday, 900 in 6 months, yay!  Not a lot by YouTube standards, but a great milestone.  I'm hoping for 10,000 by this time next year.  I will probably have to start running ads on my videos soon sadly.  Th… — 1000 subscribers on my birthday, 900 in 6 months, yay! Not a lot by YouTube standards, but a great milestone. I'm hoping for 10,000 by this time next year. I will probably have to start running ads on my videos soon sadly. There is a new YouTube subscription service though that allows you to skip them. At least there is that. This is a difficult decision for me. Random advertising is antithetical to what I'm trying to do here. But, I can't keep producing content without an income.

This is my keyboard.  I work hard writing, editing and answering lots of comments and emails.  6 months ago you could still read the I O F and R keys.  And it has already been completely replaced once!  Eventually I will have to … — This is my keyboard. I work hard writing, editing and answering lots of comments and emails. 6 months ago you could still read the I O F and R keys. And it has already been completely replaced once! Eventually I will have to buy a new one. You can help me succeed in my endeavor to build a public archive of useful self reliance skills and continue experimenting and running project here at on the experimental homestead by sharing my stuff wherever people will appreciate it and again by bookmarking and using my amazon affiliate link whenever, if ever, you shop there.

I'm not screwing around.  Does it look like I'm screwing around?  I'm not.  This is my not screwing around face.  Lots of killer content in 2016! — I'm not screwing around. Does it look like I'm screwing around? I'm not. This is my not screwing around face. Lots of killer content in 2016!

Lets rock 2016 y'all!  I think it's going to be a good one. — Lets rock 2016 y'all! I think it's going to be a good one.

*That honey comb looking thing up there is a bark tanned goat stomach! not very durable, but it sure looks cool.

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

The Pet Lime Kiln Burn, Written Version

I made it to 1000! 1062 YouTube subscribers and counting! :)

I did a written instructable on the Pet straw/clay kiln and lime burn. As of writing this, it is already closing in on 2500 views! I put this whole lime kiln project together to enter a contest over there called brave the elements, which is for projects dealing with, or taking advantage of, the four elements. If you’d like to read a written version of the lime kiln and lime burning project, visit instructables, where you can also vote for my project at the top of the page. The grand prize is a go pro action cam that I could really use. I worry about my cameras and all the stuff they are exposed to, so more of them is better! Plus this is an action cam, so I can put it on a silly helmet and run around doing stuff like chopping up trees or climbing them, or hunting or whatever. Seems almost essential for some of the stuff I plan to do.

Instructable

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Steven Edholm and tagged lime lime kiln insructables.

Burning Shell Lime in a Primitive Straw/Clay Kiln

Tomorrow/Today is my birthday. As I sit here at 11:58 pm, sipping tequila out of a bottle, trying to trap a loud and pesky mouse that is rolling bay nuts around the trailer and finishing up posting this project so I can move on to the next one, I want nothing more than to top the 1000 mark on my YouTube subscriptions today. I have 959 subscribers, so only 41 to go! If you can share this video somewhere that you think people will truly enjoy it and help me top 1000 subs by the end of the day, I will be just really happy about that. Small victories you know.

I have two bottles of champagne. One for reaching 1000 subs and another one for my first really mean and stupid YouTube comment! YouTube comments are notoriously retarded. Other YouTubers do entire episodes devoted to the stupid comments that they get, yet I have none! I feel left out! Clearly I need more exposure :)

This project was so fun : I love burning lime, and now I'm thinking about how cool it would be to build something larger using a method similar to the straw kilns I show in these videos. Something like this ancient style of coiled straw/clay Mexican granary that was the indirect inspiration for my kiln design, via friend and natural builder Michael Smith who saw these in Mexico and then innovated a straw/clay wattle wall system.

Super neat Mexican granary design utilizing straw and clay in a coiled pot type of form.  This would almost surely use much more clay than I'm using.  I'm intrigued though by the idea of using a mix more similar to the pet to build somethi… — Super neat Mexican granary design utilizing straw and clay in a coiled pot type of form. This would almost surely use much more clay than I'm using. I'm intrigued though by the idea of using a mix more similar to the pet to build something larger, like a pigeon cote, a smoker, or maybe a bedroom...

I made two videos. One is the short accessible version and the other is longer and more detailed. It also introduces two of the new series or categories I've been dreaming up which are intended to make content more navigable and allow people to find the content they want to see more easily.

The Buildzerker! series houses the short version. It is a series for shorter general interest versions of projects I do. For every person out there who is ready to know how to burn and slake lime in some detail, there must be hundreds that just think it's interesting to watch, or who might be influenced in some positive way simply by seeing it happen. Buildzerker! is a way to entertain people, while planting seeds that may someday grow. When anyone is ready, the long version is there. I'm very happy with this effort. It is fast paced, visually interesting and even beautiful, while covering a subject that is truly interesting. I tried as hard as I could to make it worth 7 minutes of almost any persons life.

BuildCult is for more detailed how to versions of projects intended to transmit more knowledge. This one is also fast paced, but packs a ton of information into 20 minutes, while still having all of the visual interest of the simple version.

I like both of them, and am really looking forward to making more. I feel like I'm doing what I should be doing, and that's always good. I hope you have a great day.

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Steven Edholm and filed under Building etc---, fire, Lime, materials and tagged lime lime burning quicklime calcium carbonate lime kiln strawclay natural building primitive kiln clay kiln limekiln calcium oxide.

Home Leather Tanning Basics: De-hairing Skins

In this video I go over some of the basics of dehairing skins for tanning and rawhide. What I mean by dehairing is removing the hair and the very thin epidermal skin layer which is only a few cells thick. This is not the same as graining or frizzing as is done with buckskin and chamois leathers. In those processes the grain is also removed. The grain is the shiny smooth layer on most shoe leather, belts, wallets, etc… In dehairing, that layer is left intact. In fact, this video is mostly about insuring that the grain does stay intact and is not damaged in any way. It is a simple process, but it is also easy enough to screw up if you haven’t already made all the usual mistakes and then actually learned from them (I’m appalled at the length of time it took me to put all this together now that I look back! What a dumb ass! ;-). Not all of these precautions are always necessary, but they are good insurance. Liming comes before this step. I haven't done a lesson like this for liming yet, because I do these when the opportunity arises, but I do cover it somewhat in the second video below.

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Steven Edholm.

Potato Onions Part 2: Planting and Culture

This is installment number two on growing, storing and eating potato onions. All of this is pretty much covered in writing elsewhere, and then some. Here is a link to posts tagged with Potato Onion if you want to know a lot more. I'm playing around with logo/branding ideas, just trying this one on for size. The concept is basically kid-with-a-stick which is kind of the genesis of what it's all about to me. And honestly, I think in a lot of ways part of me will always be a kid with a stick! Let's hope so anyway. It's brushed with some ink I made from soot (lampblack) and hide glue. I'm not much of an artist, but I actually think I like the unpolished effect here and I like doing all my own illustrating with homemade art materials. I'm also liking the black and white color scheme. Now I'm looking into making my own fonts. Yes, you can do that! The point is to have an instantly recognizable look to all my thumbnails and stuff, so no matter how small or buried in other content they are, I'll stand out instantly. Feel free to comment. I like input and constructive criticism, because the way I perceive what I do is not the same as how you guys perceive it and you're doing most of the perceiving! Cheers!

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Steven Edholm and filed under Garden Stuff, Onions and tagged potato onions multiplier onions dividing onions nesting onions hen and eggs onions shallots yellow potato onion green mountain multiplier perenial onions perenial vegetables.

In Pursuit of the Real Oldtime Apple Butter, Shelf Stable, Delicious and All Apples

At some point I figured out that Apple butter as we know it is not what it used to be. Old School apple butter was made to keep without canning or refrigeration and probably pre-dates canning jars. I wouldn't be surprised if it entirely predates even the concept of heat canning. I have had this idea on the back burner for a long time; the idea to find out everything I could about what apple butter used to be and to learn to make it, which I finally got around to this year. The truth seems better than I had hoped. The video below is the short, pretty version, the first half, being the process, is only about 4 minutes long and then I talk a little bit. This post will be the long geeked out version, with thoughts and speculations and such. And this instructable is the medium version, with a little more than you need to know, but not too much (I'd like to place in their heirloom recipes contest over there. You can help by voting for me here..). Finally, the post I put up yesterday is a compilation of all the relevant research that I collected, most of it from before 1900. That's the best bit to me. I love that stuff!

If you try making/storing/eating this type of apple butter, please report back. Even if it is years from now, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to hear how it goes!

High definition/full screen recommended!

So, I already somehow knew that apple butter predated canning in jars, but I didn't know much else. So, I did research to find what I could about real apple butter in general and the process of making it. I actually found more and better stuff than I expected. Basically, it seems that apple butter at it's best is not only delicious, but can keep for years without refrigeration or canning. The news could hardly get any better than that! I found numerous accounts of it's deliciousness and several claiming very long keeping, up to 25 years! Not only that, but one account says it improves with age! Wow, the news just did get better!

Of course there are many variations, but I think it's fairly safe to say that the old school apple butter is a product of boiling down a large quantity of cider with some peeled and cored apples added to make a smooth stiff mass. Just how stiff is open to experimentation at this point, but on a spectrum of apple sauce to fruit leather, it is certainly supposed be closer to the fruit leather end. I made three somewhat different consistencies, which I will probably save for a year or more to see how they keep.

I started this project too late to get a large quantity of apples without buying them, so I was only able to make a couple of very small batches this year. I'm hopeful that they will keep well and I'm already thinking of seriously scaling way up next year. It was easier than I thought and not that time consuming either for reasons I'll divulge presently.

The typical process and equipment for making apple butter was to boil cider down in a copper pot, then add peeled and cored apples and cook it down while stirring for 10 or more hours with a wooden paddle on the end of a large stick. This traditional equipment is still in use by individuals, church groups and at apple butter festivals across America, but I couldn't find a single reference to anyone making the old style product. The new apple butter tends to be closer to a very thick applesauce and, typically at least, must be preserved by canning. I started my research by looking through the 1800s. After I extracted all the good stuff from that era, I did a search through the first quarter of the 20th century. There is an obvious change that happens after about 1900. The new USDA recommendations were to can apple butter. Recipes started using more apples and sugar and less cider, in short, short cuts began to creep in. Since it would be canned anyway, there was no reason to cook it down so far, which meant less time, less stirring and resulted in more product (although just because it contained more water and fiber). I think it was already on the decline in the late 1800's as this quote indicates:

“Making Apple butter is almost one of the lost arts”
Vick's Monthly Magazine, Volume 10, 1887

The old copper kettle and long wooden paddle.  Do not use copper, it was known to be toxic even then, but iron was unsuitable and copper was the go to metal for many processes for which iron was unsuitable.  The next best at the time was p… — The old copper kettle and long wooden paddle. Do not use copper, it was known to be toxic even then, but iron was unsuitable and copper was the go to metal for many processes for which iron was unsuitable. The next best at the time was probably tinned copper, but I think that is toxic too. photo from Old Time Gardens, Newly Set Forth, Alice Morse Earle 1901

rockin't it old school baby!  photo from Old Time Gardens, Newly Set Forth, Alice Morse Earle 1901 — **rockin't it old school baby!** ***photo from Old Time Gardens, Newly Set Forth, Alice Morse Earle 1901***

***An old advert for an apple butter paddle***

So why bother making it the old way? I just like skills that give me independence. Apple butter can be made with just apples and be stored in random containers from ceramic to glass to wood. I also hate buying canning seals. They are expensive and just another source of plastic contacting my food and leaching who knows what into it. Sure, there are alternative jars that use rubber seals, but do a little shopping and see how much it will cost to re-tool your entire canning jar collecting over to fancy European jars with rubber seals. In the end. I do what works for me and I preserve what I actually want to eat. I'm not really a ludite. I'm not going to dry and pickle everything just so I don't have to buy canning seals, but if I can make a truly outstanding product that I actually really want to eat by this very simple method and then store it for years? Just let me say, OH HELL YES HOMESLICE!

So lets get down to it here. This is the super short recipe version based on a compilation of experience and the various references I read. Consider it a starting point only. I'll elaborate, on some points below.

*Use a ratio of juice to whole apples between 1 to 1 and 1 to .75

*Boil the juice down while you peel and core the apples

*If the juice and apples don't seem very sweet, consider adding some sugar.

*Add the apples to the juice and cook, leave the lid off so it continues evaporating.

*Put a ceramic plate in the refrigerator for cooling test blobs on. The butter cannot be tested hot, it stiffens a lot on cooling.

*When the apples are cooked and the liquid is getting thicker and is more than half reduced, grind it all smooth with a blender or immersion blender.

Cook down at a steady boil stirring enough to prevent sticking and caramelization (burning or browning of the sugars).* As it cooks down it will require more stirring.

*Eventually it will start to have more body and stick to itself, start testing it as soon as you see it changing character like this. It may appear to start acting more like toffee or caramel. Keep stirring, don't let it caramelize. Smear a bit on the cold plate and test it for consistency. I went for a product that was just soft enough to spread with a little effort, like somewhere between cold and warm butter. See the video for example.

*Pack into jars while hot.

*Possibly put paper, waxed paper or baking parchment directly over the apple butter before tying paper tightly over the top. I don't remember any of the old references saying that it should be sealed in any way, such as with wax.

*Where to store? The warm place? The cool place? I don't know, let me know what happens!

Spices are optional and sugar is added if the apples are not sweet enough. After reading all the recipes and accounts that I found, I basically decided that a proportion of juice to whole apples somewhere between1 to 1 & 1 to .75 is probably in the ballpark. The apples are measured whole, and subsequently peeled and cored. For a large amount, I would definitely use a hand crank peeler/corer device. They are awesome. I'm also going on the working assumption that since using more juice means more sugar and less fiber, that it's best to err on the side of more juice. I made two very small batches because I didn't have many apples and couldn't find any free ones late in the season.

I believe that the stirring was a combination of preventing burning, as well as a social rallying point of sorts, and necessary to reduce the apples to smitherines, which would not happen if they were just left to stew. I found that by reducing the apples to a smooth consistency with an immersion blender, I didn't actually have to stir it very much at all. While I can't know for sure if there is benefit to stirring a large batch for 10 or 12 hours over an open fire unless I try it, I tend to doubt it will make a ton of difference and using the immersion blender saved me a lot of probably unnecessary effort. On the other hand, the whole apple butter party scenario and keeping the fire going with constant stirring is really pretty neat and I think it survived because it has some special appeal to us as social beings. I'd love to host one of those sometime- keep people busy stirring paring and pressing. I like parties with a purpose!

The water content must be reduced for the product to be stored without canning. Descriptions of apple butter's texture are not that helpful, but one compared it to butter (makes sense given the name right?) and another to cheese. Many accounts though say it was spreadable. So, I figured if I made it just barely spreadable this time, I could always make it softer in the future and see if it would still keep. The first batch was too stiff. It has to be sort of cut with a butter knife. For the second batch I did one jar softer than the other. One of those is spreadable, but somewhat stiff. I'm guessing it is just about right. We'll see how they all hold up.

There are accounts that seem to support both storing cold and storing in the garret or attic, which must certainly be warm to hot sometimes. The most compelling accounts are from the Pennsylvania Dutch and taken altogether, it sounds like they both stored in the garret and kept the stuff for years. I'm inclined to think that if it is made properly (whatever that may be) and kept from absorbing moisture, that it will keep well regardless of temperature. But that is just speculation at this point.

There is some mention of other fruit, especially pears and one mentions quince as a flavoring. My friend Erica makes something called Membrillo which is a similar quince paste. There seems to be much possibility in using other fruits and I'm sure the lines between fruit spreads, butters, preserves and jams can't always be drawn cleanly. But apple butter just sort of makes sense. Apples are versatile and typically grown in larger quantity than other fruits by American subsistence farmers and homesteaders for that very reason. And if the legendary keeping qualities prove to be legitimate, what a great way to use a bumper crop of apples and insure food for years to come in case of crop failures.

Speaking of keeping qualities again, I'm more or less assuming for the purposes of moving forward with experimentation, that the primary factors in keeping ability will be sugar and water content. Diminishing the water and increasing the sugar will make the conditions increasingly unfavorable for spoilage organisms. That is well known stuff. A third factor could be acidity from concentrating fruit acids. And, an outside possibility could be copper content from cooking in the old copper pots. I'm putting my money on the first two though, because those are already well known factors in the food preservation world.

There is a class of apples, sweets or sweetings, that contain high sugar and were used for processing into various products and as stock feed. They were sometimes added to cider, cooked (since they requiring no added sugar), and apparently made into apple butter. The only 4 apples that I ran across as recommended for making apple butter pre-1900 all have the name sweet or sweeting in them. The Pound Sweeting, Pumpkin Sweet, Tender Sweeting and the Red, or Sweet Pippin. I think that says a lot. I'll be collecting some of those now, but they are a much neglected group of apples and I would imagine most of them have been loss to time and neglect.

This post is sort of the "finish" of my old school apple butter project, but also just the start, and hopefully the start of yours too. I don't think we need anything much more in the way or research, but it may take any one of us more or less time to decide what works well in terms of apple varieties, apple ripeness, and moisture content of the finished product. And who knows what unforeseen vexes to navigate and pearls to collect await us.

Sometimes people, or societies, reject things for good reason and sometimes not. Often, things are rejected categorically or just fizzle out when necessity no longer dictates form. In my observation, and to my way of thinking, categorical rejection is a plague. To assume for instance that a machine or mechanical contrivance is always better than a body/hand powered tool is folly, even if the machine does the job faster and with less energy expended by the user. Things have to be assessed in a larger more holistic context. I won't be simply assessing apple butter by "it's more work" or "it's the old fashion way so it's better" or even "it tastes better so I'll make it at any cost!" I'm too lazy/busy and practical to do something for long if it doesn't "work" for me in a broad sense. Old fashioned apple butter, no matter how romantic the notion, will have to run the gauntlet of my life, preferences, values, desires and needs, just like everything else. And we shall see if it makes the cut. I have certain food products I make, like canned tomatoes, artichoke hearts, hot sauce, pepperoncini, canned apple and grape juice, frozen roasted eggplant and peppers, dried chilies, dried black trumpet mushrooms- things that have stood the test of time and work for me. I put them up almost every year that they are available, and I eat them all. They only sit in the cupboard collecting dust if I have a huge bumper crop or have to ration them so I don't run out. Given the small quantity of this apple butter that I made, I've only actually eaten a very small amount. Regardless, given the quality and the fact that the preparation is not particularly difficult, I have a feeling this old fashioned apple butter is going to be join the ranks of those awesome favored foods already populating my cupboards on a yearly basis.

Small Beginnings.  Next year I get serious  >:-[ — **Small Beginnings. Next year I get serious** **>:-[**

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Steven Edholm.

Historical Accounts on Very Old Fashioned, pre-20th Century, Shelf Stable Apple Butter

The following is the research material I compiled while looking for information on how to make the real old school shelf stable apple butter. This is real apple butter, which originated as a way to store apples without refrigeration, before canning was available or common. I could not find a single modern reference to anyone still making it this way. Modern Apple butter is more like thick apple sauce. I think this type of information is fascinating. I put it here so that anyone can use it without having to do the many hours of research I did. Yay internet!

This material is scanned from books. I corrected it briefly, but there may be misspellings. They are all available free online in digital version. If you make this type of apple butter, I'd love to hear about it in the comments either on the YouTube video, or on the accompanying blog post!

Page 219 of
The Every-Day Cook-Book and Encyclopedia of Practical Recipes For Family Use
by Miss E. Neill

Mercantile Pub. and Adv. Co.
1891

Apple Butter

Boil one barrel of new cider down half, peel and core three bushels of good cooking apples; when the cider has boiled to half the quantity, add the apples, and when soft, stir constantly for from eight to ten hours. If done it will adhere to an inverted plate. Put away in stone jars (not earthen ware), covering first with writing-paper cut to fit the jar, and press down closely upon the apple butter; cover the whole with thick brown paper snugly tied down.

The Canadian Horticulturist, Volume 11
1888

Apple-Butter in Pennsylvania.

One of the most delicious dishes among our Pennsylvania German farmers is apple butter. It is made in the fall of the year, of ripe apples and pure sweet cider. I remember in childhood, how, long before daylight, the great copper kettle, holding more than a barrel of cider, was placed over a roaring wood fire, where it continued to boil until the cider was reduced to less than one half the original amount. As soon as the morning's work was done up, the whole family began to pare and cut into quarters the apples. This was a long task,keeping five or six persons busy until the noon hour. My earliest remembrance reaches to the time when the paring machine was not in common use; so that all hard work had to be done by hand.

When the cider was reduced to one half, the cut apples began to be introduced, a pailful at a time. The fire was kept roaring all the while With the introduction of the apples began the stirring. This was done with a stirrer having a handle over ten feet in length, the stirrer being fastened at right angles to the handle. From noon until 10 o'clock at night the stirring frequently went on without intermission. The contents were boiled and boiled, until there resulted a sweet stiff mass, considerably less in volume than half a barrel. When done, it was dipped out into earthenware vessels, over the top of which was tied brown paper, and then the vessels were stored away in the garret, where the butter has been known to keep for twenty-five years.

Apple-butter is a very healthy food, and in great demand among farmers in Pennsylvania during the butchering season to assist in the digestion of fatty foods then so largely in use. Sugar is sometimes added, if the cider and apples both are sour, but if the cider is made from ripe apples, not too sour, and boiled down well, sugar will not be needed. Some season with various spices, but generally it is best with no spices.

Pear-butter may be made in the same way as apple-butter, using apple cider and pears. It is richer than apple butter. An excellent butter is also made by using half pears and half apples. Quinces may also be used to flavor the butter, but they are too rich to be used alone.

So far as I know the apple-butter here described is a Pennsylvania dish. It differs from that made elsewhere in the long boiling to which it is subjected, but this gives it its principal excellence. It has often occurred to me that apple-butter might be made with profit on a large scale, but the public taste would probably first have to be educated to use it.

The American Missionary, Volumes 19-20 American Missionary Association., 1875

This making of apple butter is in every sense a family work—from the picking of apples in the sunshine of the dear old home orchards—all through. Even our little two year old can hand apples from the tub to the paring machine; then there is a strife to see who shall quarter fastest! And ere we are ready to get through our work, the enjoyable evening is over, and the tubs full of quarters for the next day’s work. Early in the morning a fire is built under the large kettles, the cider is boiled down, the apple quarters are thrown in, and cider added from another boiling kettle, and apples thrown in, and stirred, and stirred all day, after the good old Dutch fashion. Mother and all take turns in the smoke, the busy stirring work, and watching it, and trying when it is done; and as the evening draws on, the sauce for the year is ready — the large kettles are cleaned, the apple butter placed in jars in the ‘ store-room— and the family gather at night in the dining-room— satisfied with a good day‘s work done.

The Farmer's Cabinet, and American Herd Book, Volume 3 1839

Being at the house of a good old German friend in Pennsylvania, in September last, we noticed upon the table what was called apple butter; and finding it an agreeable article, we inquired into the modus operandi in making it.

To make this article according to German law, the host should in the autumn invite his neighbors, particularly the young men and maidens, to make up an apple butter party. Being assembled, let three bushels of fair sweet apples be pared, quartered, and the cores removed. Meanwhile let two barrels of new cider be boiled down to one-half. When this is done, commit the prepared apples to the cider, and henceforth let the boiling go on briskly and systematically. But to accomplish the main design, the party must take turns at stirring the contents without cessation, that they do not become attached to the side of the kettle and be burned. Let this stirring go on till the liquid becomes concrete—in other words, till the amalgamated cider and apples become as thick as hasty pudding—then throw in seasoning of pulverized allspice, when it may be considered as finished, and committed to pots for future use. This is apple butter—and it will keep sweet for very many years. And depend upon it, it is a capital article for the table— very much superior to any thing that comes under the name of apple sauce.

Bulletin, Issues 52-59

The Department, 1899 - Agriculture

IV. APPLE-BUTTER.
We cannot leave the subject of apples and cider without mentioning apple-butter or "lott wahrig" as it is sometimes called locally. This product has become almost an article of necessity to the native inhabitant and no Pennsylvania farmer considers his fall work completed, if he has not made up his annual supply of this delicacy. The popularity of apple-butter, however, is no longer limited to our rural sections, but has extended to the cities, so that its manufacture on a large scale has become in some places a business of considerable profit.

Method of Manufacture.
Apple-butter is usually made by boiling together apples and cider, until the mixture is reduced to about one-third the original volume. A small quantity of ground cinnamon or other spice is then generally added for the purpose of flavoring; boiled cider, cider jelly, and sugar are also frequently mixed with the butter according to the desires of the consumer. After running through a colander to remove coarse particles, such as seeds, etc., the butter is stored in tightly covered jars.

The Danger in the Use of Copper and Brass Kettles.
In the rural districts the boiling of cider and apple butter is generally conducted in copper or brass kettles. Great care must be exercised in the use of such utensils; they should be scoured with hot vinegar and thoroughly rinsed before using, and the butter or jelly, as soon as finished, should be removed immediately. By the action of the malic acid during boiling upon the surface of the kettle, especially if the latter is tarnished in any way, a small amount of copper malate is apt to be formed and taken up by the contents of the kettle. Copper malate, like other organic salts of copper, is a virulent poison, and its presence in food materials renders the use of the latter necessarily dangerous. The apple-butter or jelly which sometimes adheres to the bottom and sides of kettles is especially apt to be contaminated, and scrapings from brass or copper kettles should never be used. Several deaths have resulted in Pennsylvania the past fall from neglect of this precaution. Wherever possible, in making apple-butter, some form of the improved steam cookers now manufactured should be used.

The Chemical Composition of Apple-Butter.
The chemical composition of apple-butter varies according to the proportions of the ingredients used and the amount of concentration during boiling. The following analyses made by the writer may be considered perhaps as typical as any. The apple-butter analyzed was manufactured by Mr. Henry Shreffler, of State College, Pa., for his own family use. Two bushels of pared and cored apples and twentyeight gallons of cider were boiled down to about ten gallons of butter: no sugar was added.

The Dollar Farmer, Volumes 1-4, 1843

We have eaten apple-butter made by the Germans in Pennsylvania, and a most excellent thing it is. Rev. Mr. Drew, while editor of the Maine Cultivator, a few years since, gave the following directions for making. We have had it made of an excellent quality as detailed below, £ the cider was boiled down to one-third, which was considered an improvement in the quality, and it would keep the better:
“Late in the autumn, when the evenings become quite long, invite one of those social parties to your house, which are made truly social by being gathered for the purpose of performing something useful and seasonable, ' bees; for they are busy seasons, when drones have no place. Commit to these good-hearted and merry neighbors six bushels of their sweet apples, and set the ladies at work paring, quartering, and coring them. Meanwhile let the boys or young men be engaged in boiling down two barrels of new cider, to the dimensions of one. When the apples are prepared, (which will make just about a barrel,) deposit them in the boiling down barrel of cider, apportioning them in different vessels if you have not one large enough for the whole, or manufacturing a less quantity than above stated, if you do not want so much, but regarding the proportions; and then commences the real work of making apple-butter. Pile on the wood and keep the fire blazing. Mean
while, from the time the boiling commences, the contents must be stirred up by a suitable stick without a moment's cessation. This will require alternate turns from all the members of the party; a merry business amongst them all night to accomplish the object; but when the whole is reduced to a pap about the consistency of thick hasty pudding, turn in some essence of lemon or cinnamon to give it a flavor, and the operations may cease, the fire suffered to die away, and the party return to their homes. The ensuing day the mass may be committed to pots and jars for future use. When cooked, it will be about as hard and fine as butter. It is a delicious article and will keep many years; indeed it improves by age. That which we ate in Pennsylvania was seven years old. Families in that region make no applesauce, or rather they make it this way, once in seven years only, and then call together friends and neighbors for a great operation. We made 100 lbs. three years ago, directly after our return, and a fine article it is. We keep it for the benefit of age.”

The New England Farmer, Volume 12Thomas W. Shepard, 1834

The following has been furnished to us, by a correspondent, as a correct account of the best way of making Apple Butter, so little known in the southern states, and so much valued in the northern:

"First, boil down the best flavored cider, of selected fruit, (and sweet is the best to keep) to two thirds of the quantity put in. To every barrel of cider, put in six bushels of apples, of best quality, pared, quartered, and cleaned of the cores, and free from rots and bruises.
"As soon as boiled down one-third, as above, feed in the quartered apples as fast jas they boil away, which must be done in brass or copper. It is best to have two kettles, in order to supply the finisher from the other, which keeps it from boiling the apples too much. It will require from 12 to I5 hours constant and moderate boiling, when it must be stirred at the bottom to prevents its burning, by a long handle, with a piece of wood three or four inches wide attached to the other end.

"To know when it is done, cool and try some of it on a plate, till the liquid ceases to run from it. Towards the close of it, some put in cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

"If only one kettle is used, each parcel of raw apples must not be boiled or brought down too much before another supply is added. If it scorches in the operation, it is ruined. As soon as done, it must be taken out immediately from the kettle into wooden vessels to cool, and afterwards into crocks, or stone ware, or wood; but in order to keep it best in summer, crocks of stone were are to be preferred."

Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 6

William Tait, Mrs. Christian Isobel Johnstone
W. Tait, 1839

...In the afternoon, I reached a store known by the name of Swampgrove; and a few hundred yards beyond it, I observed a man before me, of no very decent appearance. I was now about five or six miles from Potsdam, and, not wishing to enter the town in such kind of company, I made up my mind to quicken my pace, accost him civilly with a " Good day," and go a-head of him. I did so, and had got a few steps a-head, when I heard him muttering something. I stopped to see what he wanted, when he asked me if I was going to Potsdam. I told him I did not know whether I would go that length to-night or not, and left him again. But my gentleman was not going to let me slip so easily a-head of him. I heard him speaking to me again, and, of course, had to stop till he came up.
Says he to me—" If you don't know whether you are going to Potsdam or not, you may as well go home with me."

I looked in the man's face to see if I could get any information there, but there was nothing like a.home stamped upon it. It was a round, pale, doughy face, surmounted by an old hat, knocked into every kind of shape; and, below, it was garnished by a black beard, which had not felt the razor for many a-day. His other accoutrements were an old round* about, duck trousers, and a pillow-slip slung over his shoulders, with something in each end to balance it. I had already set him down as a runaway sailor; but when he spoke about his home, I really did not know what to make of him, and a half desire entered my mind to kno» more about him.

"How far is it to your house?" I inquired.
"Scarcely two miles," h« replied, with » Dutch accent.
Content from Google Book Search, generated at 1447796673255778
"Well, I shall think of it as we proceed ; and, in the meantime, I thank you for your kind intention"
As we went easily along, we continued our conversation ; and, among other items, he told me that he had been at the store purchasing some little things for his wife, as she was making apple-butter, and was going to have a great apple paring—that he had bespoken some fiddles —10 they would have quite a frolic of it.
"Apple-butter, did you say ?—what kind of butter is that?"
"It is made of apples, pared, cut into pieces, and boiled in cider till it becomes a kind of jelly."

We were not long in arriving at the end of the lane leading up to the house, and, as his information made me still more curious, I had made up my mind to go along with him. A short way up the lane, we encountered a wagon, with a fine team of four horses. It stopped as we came up, and the driver and my companion had some talk. After it had passed, I said, half jokingly—for I had set down my man as half deranged in the intellect—
"1 suppose that is your team?"
"Yes, that's my team," says he.
I smiled, and had some thoughts of turning back again, being convinced that the man was fully mad; but curiosity still kept me going along with him. By-and-by we came in sight of a white-washed two-story stone house.
"Well, I suppose this is your house, too," says I to him.
"Yes," says he, "that's my house, and I will make you as comfortable as I can in it."
I thanked him a second time, but could not help thinking he was about leading me into some scrape or other, as a shabbier, or more blackguard-looking man could scarcely be. However, I kept my thoughts to myself, and followed him into the house ; and, sure enough, there was the big copper on the fire, and the apple-butter, that was shout to be, tumbling to and fro in it. A handsome young woman, with a pipe in her mouth, was busily engaged in attending to the concern, to whom I was introduced as the wife of my conductor. The mother, a very decent matron, neatly and cleanly dressed, soon made her appearance from another room; to whom I was also introduced. As the ceremony of introduction took place in Dutch—the only language spoken in the house—I know not what story my friend told, nor what reasons he gave for bringing me to the house; but I saw well enough that I was welcome, for they all seemed well pleased, and I was directed to take my seat in a fine., antique-looking elbow-chair—the place of honour—and I soon had my pipe in my mouth like the rest of them. At supper we had a hand at the apple-butter; and I now recollected that 1 had before tasted some of it in coming through the Jerseys, but did not know that it went by that name. It is really excellent, and quite American; and, believe me, buckwheat cakes and apple-butter are a feast for a king: I guess Queen Victoria has never tasted any thing so fine.

By-and-by, the apple-parers began to drop in—young people of both sexes—until the house was full; when we set to work cutting up the apples like desperation; every one, as is customary upon such occasions, doing his host, and striving to shew how clever he is. The labour was enlivened by a variety of jokes, stories, and songs. Our principal songstress was a blooming young woman, with cheeks as red and plump as any apple; she appeared to me to be the reigning belle—the queen of the meeting; at least I could easily perceive she thought so herself. She gave us a variety of songs ; and though not with the sweetness of a Caradori, I believe it was good enough for Dutch singing; for the company, every now and then, burst into fits of laughter. As I could not understand a word, my principal business was to appear well pleased, and show my industry at the apples. After business was finished, we ought to have had the ball; but, as the fiddlers, somehow or other, did not come, the company dispersed, and I retired to bed.

Table Talk, Volume 8, 1893

Take new, sweet cider. If possible it should not be more than thirty-six hours old. Boil it down one-half, then add by measure half as much apple as cider. The apples should be pared, cored and sliced. Cook very slowly, skimming if necessary, stirring often; when the apple begins to cook to pieces, sweeten to taste with light brown sugar. The butter is better for being slightly tart. Season with spices, if desired, but if cooked well the true apple flavor is preserved better without.

Peel, cover and slice the apples. To every five quarts allow one teaspoonful each of cloves, allspice and cinnamon. Cover with sweet cider and boil slowly, stirring often, until it has cooked down to the consistency of a soft jam.

SOUTHERN APPLE BUTTER.
In the South apple butter is made by the barrelful and cooked in the open air. To every bushel of apples take five gallons of sweet cider. Boil the cider slowly until reduced one-half. This will take eight or ten hours. The next day gradually add the apples peeled, cored and sliced. Cook slowly until the butter is smooth and of the proper consistency. It will take nearly, if not quite the whole day. When it begins to thicken add one tablespoonful of cinnamon, the same of cloves, and two teaspoonfuls of allspice. To try the butter take out a small quantity in a cup and let cool. If it remains thick it is done, but if the apple settles and it looks watery upon the surface it needs longer cooking. Cook until thick and beginning to get solid, and put in jars or tumblers while hot.

History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, (1884)

The quilting-party and the apple-butter party were institutions of former days....

apples are plentiful. The Pennsylvania Germans are noted for their apple-butter, which is different from any other, and pronounced by competent judges the most palatable article made. It is not a New England sauce, to be eaten with spoons, nor a Shaker apple-butter, with its pumpkins used in connection with the apples and cider. It is a marmalade, made of sweet cider and schnitz. Schnitz are a Pennsylvania German product, for which there is no English name. At the apple-butter party the schnitz are made. The young folks are seated around a large tub, peeling the apples and cutting them into slices (schnitz), which are thrown into the tub until bushels of them are made. These are poured by the bucketful into the cider, boiling in a kettle which frequently holds a barrel. As the cider concentrates by boiling, and a fresh supply of apples is continually added, the apple-butter thickens. It becomes a brown, smooth mass, which is seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and other spices, and then put in crocks. The kettle is scraped with pieces of bread, which, with the fresh apple-butter on, are eaten, and constitute one of the pleasures of the party. This apple butter is used as a substitute for molasses, and when spread on bread with schnzicrkaes, another Pennsylvania German product, is unequaled, even by the best of jellies. After the apple-butter is boiled, the young people spend the evening in a manner similar to that of the quilting-party. These gatherings, when not held in connection with quiltings or applebutter boilings, are sometimes called an gruscht.

It is specially worthy of mention, in this connection, that Pennsylvania Germans, the Schimmel family, are the inventors of the butters manufactured now on a large scale from different fruits in their extensive establishments in Philadelphia and Chicago. They commenced the business, which has assumed so large proportions, on a small scale, with a single kettle, less than twenty years ago.

Arthur's Illustrated Home Magazine, Volume 471879

Yesterday I ran in to a neighbor's to see if she had any carpet-rags ready cut and sewed that she could possibly spare us in a pinch like the present, and 1 found her stirring apple-butter, and three of her neighbors preparing more fruit for thickening. 1 was in a hurry, for the weaver had fell short of the colors of green and black filling; but my walk hac
>een up-hill, and I was entitled to sit and rest, so Improved the time talking. One woman put her apple-butter in gallon crocks and jars; another put hers in a half-barrel keg, and used out of the side of it; and the other kept hers in three and four-gallon jar. They asked our way, or the way we did long ago when the deacon's house was jubilant with the music of children's voices, and the little ones liked something to spread on "top of the cow-butter."
We learned by experience that a keg of applebutter would sour if we used out of it in moderate weather, the same as a gallon jar of jam would. When we made a large quantity of it then, we reheated it in the spring, and put it into vessels not containing over one gallon. If it was too strong, or too sour, we added sugar and cinnamon to the small quantity designed for immediate use, generally preparing one crockfull at a time as we needed it. What rivers of apple-butter the American people are making. An incident happened lately that afforded a jolly laugh to us. Lily and I were walking one night in October, arm in arm, down the road to the village. It was quite dark, but clear and starry, and the south wind blew breezy enough to fluff up the hair of our uncovered heads. The village lights twinkled cheerily, and here and there flamed and flared the blazes under the kettles containing apple-butter in all stages, from the sweet cider, warm and brimming, down to the thick ruby mass beginning to glisten and show signs of fulfillment.
I said: "See the kettles out in Bodkin's yard, and Professor Leslie's, and Williams's, and Showalter's, and the Widow Lane's, and Johnny Hermon's, and over at Mike Cole's, and at about every third house in town."
"Yes, and one can smell hot cider in the very winds from the south," said Lily, "and once in awhile you get an intimation of 'boiling over' or 'sticking fast.' What a panic sweeps over the land, and how like a malignant epidemic it goes from house 'to house, attacking both old and young, and married and single. We hear it, and feel it, and taste it, and smell it."
Just here two gentlemen came up behind us horseback, and in the gathering darkness we stepped aside to let them pass, and as I turned my head away from the breeze I heard one of them speak just one word, and that word was, "apple-butter." Their conversation had been on this prevailing topic.
A suggestion presented itself to me. I said: "Lily, what a charming theme for a poem, allowing the end of every verse to be the word 'apple-butter.'"
And then she assisted me in thinking of rhymes, such as flutter, sputter, cut her, utter, mutter, stutter, gutter, putter, clutter, shutter; and we planned a poem that would reach every home, and raise a laugh from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Directions for cookery, in its various branches, Eliza Leslie
Carey & Hart, 1840

APPLE BUTTER WITHOUT CIDER.—To ten gallons of water add six gallons of the best molasses, mixing them well together. Put it into a large kettle over a good fire; let it come to a hard boil, and skim it as long as any scum continues to rise. Then take, out half the liquid, and put it into a tub. Have ready eight bushels of fine sound apples, pared, cored and quartered. Throw them gradually into the liquid that is still boiling on the fire. Let it continue to boil hard, and as it thickens, add by degrees the other half of the molasses and water, (that which has been put into the tub.) Stir it frequently to prevent its scorching, and to make it of equal consistence throughout. Boil it ten or twelve hours, continuing to stir it. At night take it out of the kettle, and set it in tubs to cool; covering it carefully. Wash out the kettle and wipe it very dry.

Next morning boil the apple butter six or eight hours longer; it should boil eighteen hours altogether. Half an hour before you take it finally out, stir in a pound of mixed spice; cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, all finely powdered. When entirely done, put up the apple butter in stone or earthen jars. It will keep a year or more.
It can, of course, be made in a smaller quantity than that given in the above receipt; and also at any time in the winter; fresh cider not being an ingredient, as in the most usual way of making apple butter.

Experiment Station Work: Storing Apples Without Ice, Fresh and Canned Tomatoes, Cold Storage on the Farm, Purslane, Mechanical Cold Storage for Fruit, Mutton Sheep, Keeping Qualities of Apples, Effect of Cotton Seed Meal on the Quality of Butter, Improvement of Blueberries, Transplanting Muskmelons, Grain Feed of Milch Cows, Banana Flour, Protection Against Texas Fever. 1899. XV

A. J. Pieters, Daniel Flint, Edward Bennett Garriott, Edward James Wickson, Gustavus Benson Brackett, Helen W. Atwater, Henry Elijah Alvord, James Withcombe, Leland Ossian Howard, Liberty Hyde Bailey, P. Beveridge Kennedy, Samuel Mills Tracy, Seaman Ashahel Knapp, Thomas Albert Williams, Alexander McAdie
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1899

Apple butter of the real, rich, old-time farm product, not the thin, factory-made excuse, fills an important place in the household economy and always finds a ready sale at good prices.

Boiled cider made in the good old-fashioned way by reducing to one-fifth by boiling, and canned, makes an excellent article for culinary purposes, for making apple butter, apple sauce, or for use in apple or mince pies. It also has a commercial value.

Cobbett's Political Register, Volume 50, Issue 1, Cox and Baylis, 1824

35. Pound Sweeting is about the colour of the Doctor. The ground of a deeper yellow than the Doctor; it is also larger. It ripens early; is Vert Sweet. It is used to make apple sauce, (or apple butter, as the people call it,) for which purpose it is most excellent, as it requires no sugar; it is of course good for baking. In the neighbourhood of Yankees, they call it the baking apple. It sometimes weighs a pound.
36. Tender Sweeting (for Cider).. Green, pretty good size, good for. cooking, requires no sugar, makes good apple butter, and is good for Cider. It is very tender, almost as' tender as a peach. Keeps well till Christmas.

The Western Farmer and Gardener, Volumes 2-3, Charles Forster, 1841

35. RED OR SWEET PIPPIN.
Over medium size; form flat; color a brownish red, with a mixture of a small portion of greenish yellow; the flesh is firm and solid, very sweet and rich, rather dry, not very sprightly, no acid; excellent for cooking or making rich apple butter; keeps well till late in the spring; tolerable bearer.

Farmers' Bulletin, Issue 900, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1920

Apple butter has probably not lost its old-time popularity, but it does not seem to be made in such generous quantities nor in so many homes as formerly. There is no better way to use good apples and the sound portions of windfall, wormy, and bruised apples than to make them into butter, either in small or large quantities. While almost any apples will make good apple butter, those which have a distinctively rich tart flavor and good cooking quality are most satisfactory. Such old standard varieties as Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Tompkins King, and Smokehouse are excellent for this purpose. It has been found in recent tests by the United States Department of Agriculture that the summer varieties make as rich and' snappy apple butter as the fall and Winter varieties. Varieties of coarse texture naturally make a rather coarse product unless put through a colander or wire sieve after first being made into apple sauce before adding them to the cider. Sometimes sweet apples are used with tart apples, the usual proportion being one-third of the former to two-thirds of the latter. Overripe apples are not desirable, but if they must be used add a little vinegar to give some snap to the butter. The proportion of vinegar required must be determined by the taste.

It has been accepted generally that the sweet cider must be boiled down at least one-half before the apples are added and cooking begun and that slow cooking for hours was absolutely necessary. This, however, is not necessary; in fact, it is a loss of time and fuel to boil down the cider first and then cook the apples in it for a long time. Just as high a grade of butter will result by adding the apples to the unboiled cider and cooking rapidly until finished. Small lots of apple butter may be made in one hour, or less, by putting the apples into sweet cider and cooking as fast as is safe without scorching. Large quantities take a longer time, but may be cooked as rapidly as possible. Strict-attention must be given to stirring, in order that the butter may not scorch and stick to the kettle.

APPLE BUTTER WITH CIDER: Either fresh cider or commercial sterilized cider may be used. The usual proportion of peeled and sliced apples and cider is gallon for gallon, but from one-half to threequarters of a gallon of cider to a gallon of peeled and sliced apples will give a rich product if the apples are good cookers. Less than half as much cider as prepared apples is likely to make an apple sauce rather than a butter, unless it is cooked very slowly for four to six hours.

Continue the cooking until the cider and apples do not separate and the butter, when cold, is as thick as good apple sauce. Determine the thickness at frequent intervals by cooling small portions.

If sugar is used, add it after the cooking of cider and apples is about two-thirds done.2 About a pound of either white or brown sugar is the usual proportion per gallon of apple butter, but more or less (or not any) may be used, to suit the taste.

Apple butter is spiced according to taste, about half a teaspoonful each of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice being used for each gallon. These are stirred into it when the cooking is finished.
Vanilla extract added after the spices are stirred in improves the quality and adds to the snappiness of the butter. Use from 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls per gallon of butter, according to taste.

Air-" Kay's Wife,"

'Twas Spring, and near the last of Lent.
When days were bright, and long, and sunny,
When heat began as if it meant
To ruin apple-sauce and honey;
A certain little thrifty dame.
Whose name it suits me not to utter.
Thought, by re-stewing, to reclaim
The flavour of her Apple-Butter.
She told her husband he must buy
A crock, or jar, for the occasion;
Which he forgot—The reason why,
Was owing to hit meditation,
The little dame began to scold,
Tliat is to say—to make a splutter,
And to her husband plainly toki,
She meant to save her Apple-Butter.
Then to a neighbor's house she ran.
Though in a pet, quite free from sorrow;
She there developed all her plan.
And mention'd what she wish'd to borrow;
Then home she bore a massive jar,
Which in a perspiration put her;
Resolv'd was sire that nought should mir
Her plan to save, her Apple-Butter.
The stove was heated nearly red,
When she had all the trappings ready.
She call'd her man, whose name was Ned
(Or, mure familiarly, call'd Neddy,)
Within the stove he put the jar,
An oath till then he ne'er did[ utter.
He burned his hand—which made him swear
And abnost curse the Apple-Butter.
The jar was in—and there it staid,
For out it never could be taken:
Ned did his best, but was afraid,
Within the stove to risk his bacon.
The little dame was in the dumps,
And did moat lamentably mutter
Her sad complaints—and stirred her stumps,
In hopes to save her Apple-Butter.
The lower border of her frock,
The dame picK'd up, to mend the blunder.
And pull'd—and pull'd—at length the crock
Was absolutely pulled asunder.'
And she was scalded on the shins!
Said Ned, " By gel that ends the sputter
And now 1 guess as how your sins,
Are sorter washed in Apple-Butter'

Riding with Custer: Recollections of a Cavalryman in the Civil War

James Harvey Kidd
U of Nebraska Press, 1908

During the day it was a constant succession of fertile fields and leafy woods. Commodious farm houses on every hand and evidences of plenty everywhere, we reveled in the richness and overflowing abundance of the land. There were “oceans” of apple-butter and great loaves of snow-white bread that “took the cake” over anything that came within the range of my experience. These loaves were baked inbrick ovens, out of doors, and some of them looked as big as peck measures. A slice cut from one of them and smeared thick with that delicious apple-butter, was a feast fit for gods or men.

Kentucky Receipt Book
Frazer Mary Harris
Рипол Классик, 1903

One peck of apples, 2 gallons reduced cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use new dicer, and boil until reduced 1/2. It must be boiled the day before it is needed. Pare, core and quarter the apples, put in porcelain kettle as many at a time as the cider will moisten, pap, as fast as they soften. When reduced to a thick paste, add some brown sugar and the spices. Boil a few minutes longer. Then put into jars. Water may be substituted for the cider, and in that case, use more sugar.

Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade
By John Overton Casler, Robert K. KricUniv of South Carolina Press, 1906

There was one large farmhouse close by where we pioneers were placed, and we went to it and found a bountiful supply of provisions. The family must have left in haste, as the table was still set, with the dishes on it, just as if they had left their meal and run for dear life. We found several barrels of flour, a smokehouse full of bacon, a springhouse full of milk and butter, the garret full of crocks of apple butter, and everything eatable that is kept in the farmhouse of a well to do Pennsylvania Dutchman.

The Conquest of the Missouri
By Joseph Mills HansonPelican Publishing, 1918

By that time it was thick and heavy and required frequent stirrings with a large ladle to keep it from burning. Here is where the fun came in, or the ladle was too large, in theory, at least, to be handled by one person, and it was customary for the girls and boys in pairs to take turns in stirring. The lady always had the choice of a partner to assist her when her turn came, and whichever swain she selected was regarded by the others as her favorite “beau,” he and she both being subjected to all the good-natured banter that the wits of the assemblage could devise. When the work was completed, the guests partook of as much of the fresh apple-butter as they cared for, while the remainder went to replenish the home larder of the hostess.

Old Time Gardens: Newly Set Forth
By Alice Morse EarleUPNE, 1901

“ But of greatest importance, both for home consumption and for the market, is the staple known as Apple butter. This is made from sweet cider boiled down to about one-third its original quantity. To this is added an equal weight of sliced Apples, about a third as much of molasses, and various spices, such as cloves, ginger, mace, cinnamon or even pepper, all boiled together for twelve or fifteen hours. Often the great kettle is filled with cider in the morning, and boiled and stirred constantly all day, then the sliced Apples are added at night, and the monotonous stirring continues till morning, when the butter can be packed in jars and kegs for winter use. This Apple butter is not at all like Apple sauce ; it has no granulated appearance, but is smooth and solid like cheese and dark red in color. Apple butter is stirred by a pole having upon one end a perforated blade or paddle set at right angles. Sometimes a bar was laid from rim to rim of the caldron, and worked by a crank that turned a similar paddle. A collection of ancient “utensils used in making Apple butter is shown on page 211; these are from the collections of the Bucks County Historical Society. Opposite page 214 is shown an ancient open-air fireplace and an old couple making Apple butter just as they have done for over half a century.

In New England what the " hired man " on the farm called " biled cider Apple sass," took the place of Apple butter. Preferably this was made in the "summer kitchen," where three kettles, usually of graduated sizes, could be set over the fire; the three kettles could be hung from a crane, or trammels. All were filled with cider, and as the liquid boiled away in the largest kettle it was filled from the second and that from the third. The fresh cider was always poured into the third kettle, thus the large kettle was never checked in its boiling. This continued till the cider was as thick as molasses. Apples (preferably Pound Sweets or Pumpkin Sweets) had been chosen with care, pared, cored, and quartered, and heated in a small kettle. These were slowly added to the thickened cider, in small quantities, in order not to check the boiling. The rule was to cook them till so softened that a rye straw could be run into them, and yet they must retain their shape. This was truly a critical time ; the slightest scorched flavor would ruin the whole kettleful. A great wooden, long-handled, shovel-like ladle was used to stir the sauce fiercely until it was finished in triumph. Often a barrel of this was made by our grandmothers, and frozen solid for winter use. The farmer and "hired men ate it clear as a relish with meats ; and it was suited to appetites and digestions which had been formed by a diet of salted meats, fried breads, many pickles, and the drinking of hot cider sprinkled with pepper.

Emerson well named the Apple the social fruit of New England. It ever has been and is still the grateful promoter and unfailing aid to informal social intercourse in the country-side; but the Apple tree is something far nobler even than being the sign of cheerful and cordial acquaintance; it is the beautiful rural, emblem of industrious and temperate home life. Hence, let us wassail with a will:

"Here's to thee, old Apple tree ! Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow, And whence thou mayst bear Apples enow !”

Vick's Monthly Magazine, Volume 10 1887

MAKING THE BEST OF THE CASE.
One of the highest gifts that can be bestowed on man or woman is that of making the best of losses. Nobody needs to cultivate this tact more than farmers, who are compelled to meet many unforeseen misfortunes, and those which can't be reckoned upon. The margin for making a good turn of a bad matter is wider than we give nature credit for. For instance, this is a short Apple year, and the yield is poor at that. Half the Apples in these parts are too wormy for marketing, and in consequence rot on the ground. The enterprising few make them into cider, which is very poor usage. It is bad judgment to make inferior fruit into cider, when one poor Apple will spoil the flavor of a barrel. But it is all right to make mean Apples into Apple butter, for in paring and quartering the bad parts are removed, and the long stewing and spicing render the gnarliest, hardest fruit as eatable as prize Pippins. There is this to say, that what is left of wormy Apples after the worm traces are all cut out, is usually of higher flavor than common. If you want the best of the orchard take a bite of the sound side of a wormy Apple. Worms go for good living, and one might say, pick out the best fruit, only the fact that the egg is laid in the flower spoils that view of it.

The best way to work up a basket of poor fruit is to put a half peck at a time in a pan of water where they will wash themselves and pare from it. But don't bother paring poor Apples to begin. Rinse the Apple and quarter it without paring or coring. It is easy by a turn of the knife to cut out the bad heart of each quarter and the poor places on the rind, then you have only to pare the sound bit that remains. A bushel of fruit can be worked up this way much quicker than you can pare with a machine, core, and then trim them, and in a poor fruit year it pays to make the most you can of what the harvest leaves to you. Drop the pared bits into a pan of clean water, for there will be worm specks adhering that need rinsing off. When a kettleful is ready ladle the fruit out and boil for Apple butter or sauce.

This year, all the nubbins of the orchard, the little unripe fruit that falls, can be worked up to swell the crop. Most of this immature fruit doesn't need paring or coring. The green skins and seeds boil away, and add a fine flavor. A wise orchardist will save half his crop by using the green Apples freely when they are no bigger than his thumb, thinning the fruit and turning the thinnings to account, for a very choice flavoring will be found in the earliest green Apples stewed, skins and seeds and all, when the infant seeds have a fine Bitter Almond taste. The wild Apples and Crabs are fine for every cooking use, to add flavor to sweet Apples, or such as have lost their flavor; and a firkin of Crab Apple butter is good to keep for this purpose.

Making Apple butter is almost one of the lost arts, but I have gathered the process from old experienced folks, and New York State farmers say that it is Apples pared, cored, cut and boiled in sweet cider till the whole is a dark, rich pulp, and the cider is reduced one-half. No sugar is needed, for the fruit furnishes its own sweetness. Half the Apples may be sour and half sweet, or all sweet, as one likes. It takes nearly two gallons of cider to make one of Apple butter, and spices are added, or not, to taste. I should spice it, the rule being one tablespoonful of Cinnamon and one-third of a teaspoonful of ground Cloves to each gallon of Apple butter, added when it is taken up, boiling hot. It may be kept in barrels, stone pots, or butter firkins and boxes. A clean second-hand butter firkin is a very good thing to keep many kinds of preserves or pickles in.

The great labor of making Apple butter is the constant stirring to keep it from burning, for which a stirrer is used, like a small wooden hoe with holes in the blade, and this is kept scraping the bottom of the kettle an hour or two before all is done. But if you make fruit butter in stone jars in the oven, all this labor is saved, and the flavor is far better. It is time the old brick ovens long built up or neglected, were brought into use again, for they have not their like for preserving and drying fruit. The prunings of the orchard will heat them, or a coal fire can be built in them, as bakers do, and when the heat lowers an oven can be filled with stone jars of fruit in cider, and left to its work till morning. Fruit so cooked is a rich red, clear and highly flavored as a preserve.

Apple butter does not " work," and is highly salable, if it is not made in brass kettles or other metal. No matter how well kept the kettle, the taste will infallibly discover the difference between fruit cooked in metal or stoneware. The German dealers furnish huge stone and earthen pots for boiling Cabbage, which hold six or eight large heads, and these are excellent for making up fruit in quantities, and cheaper than metal. They can be used on the stove, and rarely burn any thing in them. Old farmers say the cost of a barrel of Apple butter is not over ten cents a gallon, and there are few neighborhoods even in the country where a good maker cannot sell his Apple butter at ten to fifteen cents a quart, realizing not far from one dollar a bushel for his poorest Apples in this shape.

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Steven Edholm.

15 Super Late Winter Apples, Still Hanging on at Winter Solstice

Here are a couple of videos about very late hanging apples, which I'm always excited about. I broke it into two parts, because, in spite of heavy editing, it's still pretty long. More below.

I'm not good at a lot of things, like remembering people, where I met them, their names, their faces, why I should care who they are and what they think, book keeping... But, one thing I am good at is spotting potential. Years ago when I found out that some apples can hang and ripen late into the winter, I was intrigued. This was potential. The potential to have fresh fruit in perfect condition off the tree at a time when most people in temperate climates are eating fruit out of storage and often already of marginal quality. Imagine a tree that is grafted to many different late varieties ripening through December and January and maybe beyond? That is an awesome idea- which is why I'm doing it! I have a new frankentree started just for very late ripening apples. But, I only know some of what I'll be grafting onto it, and a lot of work has gone into getting this far.

First I started collecting as many very late ripening, late hanging apples as I could find. I spent hours upon hours researching apples to find more of them. Some have fruited and some haven't yet. Now, years later, all that labor is starting to pay off, and not just for me, for you too and anyone else that will listen to me. Here are about 15 different apples that are still hanging on the tree just around the Winter Solstice/Christmas. Some would have been better for sure in early Dec. or even back in late Nov., but some are excellent and a couple are not ripe yet. There is something of a gap between the very latest, Lady Williams, and the ones at their best now, but I'm sure that gap can be filled with apples that are in existence somewhere now, let alone with what could still be bred in the future using the late apple genes that are out there.

Speaking of which, after making this video, I'm even more fired up about breeding for this type of apple. I would guess that the season can be extended even further past Lady Williams coming in at about Feb 1st. I have seen wildling apples here hang until March and still be in good condition, but there was not much else to recommend them unfortunately. I hope to start getting some fruit this year from late variety crosses I made four years ago, like Grenadine x Lady Williams and Grenadine x Gold Rush.

Let me tell you, as soon as I finish this post, I'm going to mosey on out to Frankentree and bite into one of those amazing, crisp, perfect apples that yesterday was covered in snow and last night kissed by a 25 degree freeze, and I'm going to be stoked. I'm sure you'll hear more from me on this topic in the future, but for now, this is a pretty good start.

I'd like to continue work along these lines, collecting, breeding and sharing information. You can easily support me in this and the other development and educational work at no cost to you simply by using my amazon links. If you bookmark this link and use it every time you shop at amazon and I'll make a small commission for sending you there. Thanks for your support. I'm not sure what else to do with myself! I'm already planning more late apple variety breeding crosses to make this spring...

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Steven Edholm and filed under Apples, Food Trees Fruits and Nuts, Fruit Review, plant breeding and tagged late apple varieties late hanging apples winter apples very late apples red fleshed apples blood apples apple breeding winter fruit fruit.

Amateur Apple Breeding: Collecting the Seeds

I just collected apple seeds from the cross pollinations that I made earlier this spring. Some seeds I collected as they ripened and others have been piling up in the fridge since September. Following is a short video on collecting seeds and a brief written post.

If the apples rot, the seeds will eventually follow.  Some rot is okay, just don’t let them go too far. — ***If the apples rot, the seeds will eventually follow. Some rot is okay, just don’t let them go too far.***

I cut the apples around the mid section up to the core and then twist them in half.  That way none of the seeds are cut through which there is a high risk of if you cut the apple in half top to bottom. — I cut the apples around the mid section up to the core and then twist them in half. That way none of the seeds are cut through which there is a high risk of if you cut the apple in half top to bottom.

Once the seeds are extracted, I keep them moist in the refrigerator until planting. Most apple seeds need to be stratified to sprout. That means that they have to experience a certain number of hours below a certain temperature. I don’t know how long, but I know that sitting outside or in a fridge for the winter is enough stratificationization, and that’s all most of us need to know. I'm sure that information is easy to find if you need it. I just have other things I'd rather fill my head with just now. You can also stratify them by simply planting outside, or planting in the flats early and leaving them outside.

**These seeds are already stratified, but a viable option is to plant early and leave the flat in a exposed to cold weather.**

I have never dried apple seeds, but it is done. I just haven’t had a need to and I think the germination rate of fresh seeds is probably much better. If you needed to store them for a long time before planting, drying makes sense. The general rule for drying seeds is to dry them at room temperature until thoroughly dry and then store dry in a jar or baggie. Tossing in one of those moisture absorbing silicon packets that come in vitamin bottles doesn’t hurt either. You can also use charcoal for the same purpose, but it should be fresh burned, because it absorbs moisture from the air rapidly under normal conditions.

A little damp sawdust can help when storing seeds a long time.  I've taken to keeping a baggie of it in the fridge for seeds and scions.  It moderates and manages the moisture in the bag by absorbing and releasing water.  Ground dampe… — A little damp sawdust can help when storing seeds a long time. I've taken to keeping a baggie of it in the fridge for seeds and scions. It moderates and manages the moisture in the bag by absorbing and releasing water. Ground dampened charcoal can also be used, but it is kind of messy.

Each cross or seed variety is kept separate and the bag labeled. The seed parent comes first, followed by X and the pollen parent. If they won’t be stored very long, it’s fine to just put them in a plastic bag or small plastic container or jar. If they will be in there for a while, but not planted until Feb or March, a little damp sawdust can help keep the seeds happy and safe. What you don’t want is for the seeds to sit against wet plastic for any length of time. Sawdust absorbs condensation and keeps the seeds away from the plastic and against a material that breaths a little. If the seeds are harvested in summer and kept till late winter to plant, definitely use some damp sawdust or at least put them in a paper bag inside of a plastic bar or jar. Remember the sawdust should be damp, not wet.

When I get around to it, usually sometime in January or February, the seeds are planted in flats in the greenhouse and then transplanted into the ground, but we’ll get to that stuff when the time comes.

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Steven Edholm.

Red Coloration in Blood Apple Seedling Leaves, Flowers, Bark and Wood

*Red fall leaves on one of my seedling apples*

I’ve been interested in how much my blood apple seedlings show red pigmentation in the bark, flowers, wood and leaves. My impression is that the apples with the most red flesh also tend to have more of this coloration in other parts of the tree as well. Bud 9 rootstock is a good example, with very red flesh and bright orange to red coloration in the fall leaves. It also has dark red bark and even red in the wood. Most of my seedlings show only minimal red coloration in the spring and fall and very few have really reddish bark, with none close to the deep purple/red of bud 9. This video shows one seedling that has stronger red traits than the rest. I suppose this trait may be affected somewhat by it’s age and where it’s growing, but I’m pretty sure this seedling is exceptional.

Maypole has strong expression of red genes in general as you can see in this spring photo.  The apples are also strongly red fleshed, a bit crabby, but still very edible, with some of the delicious red flavor found in red fruits like berries.&n… — **Maypole** has strong expression of red genes in general as you can see in this spring photo. The apples are also strongly red fleshed, a bit crabby, but still very edible, with some of the delicious red flavor found in red fruits like berries. I've been very impressed by this apple the last couple years and made numerous crosses with it this past spring. I'd like to plant enough of them to make juice. The tree is very narrow and short so they could probably be planted only 3 feet apart or so. I haven't juiced any, because I haven't had enough fruit, but I'm sure it will be very good.

I suppose one could select seedlings by coloration in the new leaves, or in the fall leaves, or in the bark even. I know that Nigel Deacon does that in selecting his seedlings. I’ve decided not to for the time being. I may later when I have gathered information from the fruit of seedlings I have in the ground right now. For the time being, I want to see what happens with all of them. Not all of the best blood apples that I grow have strong pigmentation in places other than the flesh, so by culling most of the seedlings and keeping only the reddest leaved ones, I could end up tossing out something really good and I’d never know. Another reason to keep everything for now is that I have speculated that the expression of the red flesh tends to come with some other traits that may not always be desirable. Blood apples, are still being developed from primitive breeding stock. They have not been refined by long breeding, so there are issues with bitterness, poor cultural traits and texture. I’m not sure, but again I suspect that those traits may tag along somehow with the red fleshed gene expression. So, by culling out the less red seedlings, I may also be culling out some of the best dessert traits. What would you do? Risk growing out everything to see what happens? or select only the seedlings showing the most red? Hopefully this spring will see blossoms in my seedling rows with apples to follow.

I haven't noticed that Williams' Pride has particularly red anything else, but it does have very red skin (it gets darker than this) and a little bit of red flesh.  Rome Beauty is another very red fleshed apple that can have pink tinges in the … — I haven't noticed that **Williams' Pride** has particularly red anything else, but it does have very red skin (it gets darker than this) and a little bit of red flesh. **Rome Beauty** is another very red fleshed apple that can have pink tinges in the flesh, and I've seen small tinges in other apples, including cherry cox. I'm hoping that simply by combining red fleshed apples with apples like **King David** that just have dark red skin, I may still reinforce the red fleshed trait.

William's pride showing tendency to red flesh — ***William's pride*** *showing tendency to red flesh*

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Steven Edholm and filed under Apples, Food Trees Fruits and Nuts, plant breeding and tagged red fleshed apples blood apples apple seedlings apple breeding plant breeding orchard breeding daffodils.

Making a Black Jack, Traditional English Leather Mug, From the Ground Up

*The mostly finished mug's virgin voyage.*

The video for this post is the visually interesting short version. I think it turned out really neat and hopefully entertaining, while still giving a glimpse of possibilities. But it is not intended to be instructional or detailed beyond offering crucial supportive visual information for this post. This written version on the other hand will be fairly long and rather utilitarian. It is far from exhaustive, but basically written for people out there who actually want to do this, but who hopefully have some experience with the things involved or can learn some of the necessary skills involved on their own. So, watch the video first and if you are sufficiently intrigued, you can read more.

I am somewhat fascinated with the idea of leather cups and bottles. There was a time when leather mugs, pitchers and bottles or flasks of various kinds were rather common in Europe. There is not a whole lot known about how they were all made, but there are some clues and the mystery just makes it more enticing to me.

The black jack was something of an English icon, and the use of leather mugs persisted beyond what seems reasonable from a practical perspective. I think so anyway, maybe not. Now that I’ve made one, I can say it is rather pleasant to drink from and seems pretty durable. It’s probably not going to shatter if some drunk drops it on the floor, slams it on the table too hard at the end of a draught or uses it to keep time with a drinking song, or all three! Or what if there’s like some really buxom barmaid with her mammaries threatening to breach her corset carrying a huge tray stacked with a pyramid of Bombards and black jacks and some red nosed drunkard spanks her butt as she’s walking by causing the whole arrangement to be scattered asunder, filling her cleavage with delicious foamy beer? Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but I think that shit could’ve happened on a regular basis! My friend also just pointed out that they are probably a pretty good travel mug, light and not too fragile. BTW, the first person I showed it to promptly dropped it on the floor, no harm done. I'm just glad it wasn't full of precious beer!

Old leather vessels:  Black jack with silver rim, bombards (pitchers) and a leather bottle from John Waterer'sbook Leather and Craftsmanship — *Old leather vessels: Black jack with silver rim, bombards (pitchers) and a leather bottle from John Waterer'sbook Leather and Craftsmanship*

I did what research I could and found a couple of useful things. Wayne Robinson uses a frame for stretching, but I simplified that into two boards, which seems to work fine and is much simpler. I’m glad I ran into his page on black jacks and got that basic concept, because I had no clue how I would stretch the leather on the form. His quotes and notes were also very useful.

Then I found Rex Lingwood and his article on working boiled or cooked leather. He is a very experienced leather artist who hardens and shapes leather by cooking it. What he does with leather is impressive and not at all expected. I watched his demonstration on youtube and that was really the key to my relative success with this project. I’d like to thank him for putting information out there for other people to take up and run with. Thanks! Here is Rex’s article on Cuir Bouilli, "boiled" leather, also very helpful.

We do know that black jacks were made of vegetable tanned leather, that is leather tanned with tannic acid from plant sources like oak bark and many others. I also think they were baked or boiled to harden them. They were definitely coated on the inside with some sort of natural waterproofing, most references seem to say it was pitch.

It is the actual process of manufacture that is least well known. I think it is a safe assumption that basic shaping was done before the sewing. I also feel pretty sure that all sewing was done before any hardening. The outside was probably treated with linseed oil and soot, though it may be somewhat more complicated than that.

I decided to shape the wet leather on a form, shape the base separately, dry the parts completely on the forms, then sew it all up, re-wet the whole mug, cook it, re-dry it, seal it with pitch on the inside, and then paint the outside with layers of linseed oil mixed with lampblack. What I didn’t know till toward the end was how I would keep it from deforming in the cooking phase, but we’ll get to that presently.

THE LEATHER

I used some bull leather that I had tanned a few years ago with oak bark. I would not recommend using any commercial leather unless the company is absolutely clear that there are no chemicals or metal salts used in processing at all. I’m not just talking about not using chemicals to tan the hide. They may be used in other parts of the process too, I think particularly in dressing the skin with oils which may contain solvents for better penetration, such as neatsfoot oil compound. I’m not sure what is available out there for truly natural, traditional leather, but it is certainly not much.

I used the neck section, which has a loose fiber and is probably not the best choice. But, I didn’t want to risk the best leathers that I’ve tanned in this first run. I had pounded the leather previously and was wondering if any of the black jack leathers were pounded either on forms, or before forming. I didn’t know, but it seemed like a really good idea to use the pounded stuff. Pounding leather while it is damp compresses it greatly. It might end up half as thick and that means twice as dense. Pounded leather is really cool and something I just started playing with recently after reading things like this quote from an old translation from french:

“This dressing is of great service to the hide, and there is a considerable difference between the goodness of a hide well beaten, and that which has not been beaten; shoemakers who value themselves on the goodness of their work, beat their soles strongly and for a considerable time.” The Art of Tanning and of Currying and Leather Dressing 1773

Pounded leather with stone sleeker and ironwood mallet.  The bit on the lower left is the same as the upper piece, but unpounded. — *Pounded leather with stone sleeker and ironwood mallet. The bit on the lower left is the same as the upper piece, but unpounded.*

So I used the pounded section and pounded the base piece as well, though not as thoroughly due to time constraints. More from me on pounding leather in the future, but the short version is that it is awesome. Use a heavy and very smooth faced mallet with rounded edges to beat the skin when it is in a slightly damp state, or on and off as it dries.

My leather also varied in thickness. Commercial leather is often split down to an even thickness. That is harder for me to do here and I didn’t have time to get it together and shave it down which is a sizeable project in itself. Parts of the rim turned out a bit thinner than the rest and it tends to deform a slightly, but it’s not a big deal, and especially not for this first run.

FORMS AND CLAMPS

I had some nice fine straight, close grained fir lying about the yard that I used to make all the forms. It was so nice that I was compelled to make the two clamping pieces from it instead of using scraps of 2x4 which would have worked fine. The fir turned well enough on my lathe after roughing out with a hatchet. I needed three pieces. One for the main body, one for the bottom and a third to use as a form to shape a metal ring. The ring is used in conjunction with the bottom mold piece to stretch the leather into shape and hold it while it dries.

*Raw material roughed out to put on the lathe.*

*The forms bottom and accompanying ring, and the main form before I cut it all up.*

The metal work was a bit of a diversion. I had to find a piece of metal and set up a forge. Setting up the forge was possibly the easiest part of that. I cut a piece of metal tubing that was a little small, turned a piece on the lathe to form it on, set up a forge, grabbed some charcoal from a charcoal trench that I hadn’t emptied from last spring, heated the metal tubing, hammered it wider till it would start to fit over the form, heated it up nice and evenly hot and pounded it over the form to shape it. Just in case it might want to warp, I cooled it on the form by quenching it in water so it would shrink down to the shape of the wood. It went very smoothly all in all and could have taken a lot longer. Back when these vessels were common they didn't have scrap piles with pieces of welded tubing sitting about. A smith would more likely start with a piece of iron nothing close to the needed shape, beat it out into something they could use, weld it into a ring in the forge and then do what I did. Not a difficult job for any smith, but more time consuming.

The body was turned with a flared base. I like that look a lot and might even consider making the flare more pronounced in the future, though now that it is finished, and shrunken slightly, the flare is more pronounced. As soon as the pieces were turned I oiled them up with some old lard that was sitting about to help slow or stop any checking (cracking) of the wood as it dried, being especially generous applying it to the end grain. It was splattering me with moisture on the lathe, so it really was quite wet.

The clamps were hewn out of the split fir slabs with a single beveled hewing hatchet, and briefly planed smooth on the faces that would be next to the leather. Pretty smooth anyway. Then they were notched to accommodate the flare at the base of the form. The edge that would be pinching the leather was slightly rounded. That is one place where a 2x4 may not be so great since the edges are probably usually too strongly rounded as they come from the mill.

The clamp boards and the main body form.  Note the notch cut out for the flared base.  Very simple, but not wanting for effectiveness with a couple of good clamps. — *The clamp boards and the main body form. Note the notch cut out for the flared base. Very simple, but not wanting for effectiveness with a couple of good clamps.*

I soaked the leather in warm water till it was completely wet through. some of the work of pounding was reversed in soaking because the skin swells in thickness with water, but I’m sure that work of pounding was not all lost. After a warm water soak, the thoroughly wetted leather was stretched on the forms using the stretching clamp boards and some nails. I had to pull the nails once and re-pound them differently to stretch it tighter. I just used a couple of clamps to tighten it down I wish I had pulled the nails and redone them one more time to stretch the leather even tighter around the body form, but it turned out fine. A welt (an extra piece of leather) was sandwiched between the two outside handle layers to increase the handle thickness.

That metal ring for the base was very hard to pound on over the thick leather. I lubed it up with some olive oil though and it went on eventually with much pounding. With everything pounded and clamped together, I cranked up the woodstove, hung the pieces to dry overnight right next to the hot stove, and went to bed!

STITCHING

In the morning I took it all apart and trimmed the pieces close to where I wanted them. To insure the pieces wouldn’t shift on me during sewing, I ended up glueing on the base to hold it during sewing and I also glued the three handle flaps together for the same reason. I put in a couple of temporary stitches at the top and bottom to hold it all while I got the first seam finished. I used hide glue, which is water soluble, but again, only temporary. I think I made this hide glue from pieces of this same skin. I ended up using that batch of glue a couple more times during this project. More on hide glue here.

I have actually done very little of this type of stitching, so I was worried I would be lame at it. The first seam, had to be the one closest to the body. I have a stitch marking tool, which is a little wheel that marks dots on the leather so you can make even stitches. They are great. It seemed like the stitches it marked were a little far apart though, so I doubled them by marking stitches in between resulting in a hole about every 1/8 inch. That didn’t go too well. With the large thread, awl and needle sizes I was using, it just turned out pretty rough looking no matter how careful I was. The rest of the stitches are not all perfect, but I’m satisfied. I still think this stitch wheel is a little wide for this project at 1/4 inch wide, and would guess that 3/16 inch spacing might be closer to ideal. But it worked fine and the liquid proof nature of a black jack is not from tight stitches, it’s from the pitch coating.

The stitches up against body in the first seam were definitely too close at 1/8 inch.  The look sloppier and cut into the leather easily.  1/4 inch maybe a little bit long, but workable and they look much better.  The mug still have a… — The stitches up against body in the first seam were definitely too close at 1/8 inch. The look sloppier and cut into the leather easily. 1/4 inch maybe a little bit long, but workable and they look much better. The mug still have a brown look now, but it will eventually be dead black as the layers build up.

I got to make a new awl for this project. I make awls to sell that are basically designed for sewing buckskin. They are stubby though and a longer handle is better suited to this type of sewing. Mostly, I had to get that first row of stitches very close to the body, so I knew I'd need a long skinny handle. I turned the new, longer handle out of some native oak on my lathe and wrapped the tip with sinew to keep it from splitting. Hide glue was used to paint the area before wrapping and several times after wrapping with time left to dry in between. After alternate sanding and re-coating with glue several times I put on a final glaze of glue, it is clean looking and very tough. As long as it stays dry it should perform admirably. Most leather sewing awls for this sort of thing are shaped like a diamond I think or maybe a triangle. Anyway, they are faceted so that they cut the leather as they go through rather than just stretch open a hole by parting the fibers like my round awl bits do. I thought I would compromise and make it faceted at the tip, but basically the same long tapered shape. I would say it worked pretty good, and honestly, as long you can get the job done with reasonable effort, the less cutting of fibers that happens in leather sewing the better. So, whether the facets I ground into the tip did anything or not, the awl worked well.

Sinew wrapping.  Some may understandably doubt the ability of this wrapping to keep the wood from splitting, but after shooting blunt practice arrows wrapped like this into stumps, rocks and dirt over and over again, I have no doubts at all. — Sinew wrapping. Some may understandably doubt the ability of this wrapping to keep the wood from splitting, but after shooting blunt practice arrows wrapped like this into stumps, rocks and dirt over and over again, I have no doubts at all.

This stitch uses one long thread and two needles. The needles are passed through the same hole, from opposite sides, first one then the other. The stitch lines were marked carefully with dividers and a stitching wheel to offer the best opportunity for keeping the stitches even and straight.

Normally this type of stitching is done in a simple wooden vice. I have long wanted to make such a vice, but I decided that the cup’s shape was probably too awkward for the vice to be of much use anyway. Without a vice, the stitching was extra slow. It took about 1 minute per stitch at the very best, but that is after I got into the swing of it and not including problems or set up time, so two minutes per stitch is probably closer. At a rough count of 198 stitches, 2 minutes is about 6.5 hours, which seems about right, if not low. The basic process was to cut the handle to shape with a sharp knife, use dividers to mark the stitch lines, and run the stitch-marking wheel down the line. This sewing method uses two needles and one long piece of linen thread. The thread passes from both sides through the same hole. I often needed pliers to pull it through. That’s good, I wanted tight stitches anyway. Once both threads are through, they are both pulled tight. To finish off, the threads are back tracked down the seam through several holes and then simply cut off flush.I was up sewing till 3:00 am on day two, but the cup was ready for the next stage in the morning.

COOKING, FORMING, DRYING

I spent a lot of time in the morning reviewing whatever information I could find and finally decided on a plan of attack. Watching Rex Lingwoods video helped me understand what I might be dealing with when the leather shrank in cooking. What I decided was to cut the form into several parts, in this case 7. The center piece would be tapered for easy removal. That meant I had to cut the base off of the original form and will have to turn a new one with the same size and flared base if I want to use any of the rest of the form in the future. I was torn between cooking the leather with the form in place or cooking and then stretching it back into shape. I decided to go with cooking in hot water and then putting the form back in. I soaked the mug and heated some water to 85º to 90º degrees celsius (185º to 195º F). I think I could have cooked it longer, but it seems to have turned out fine. Once the leather shrank quite a bit, I put the form pieces back in and drove them home. I was really thinking it probably wasn’t going to work, but it did. Whew!

I had to push the shrunken leather back up the form and in retrospect would have liked to have done that more. I just rounded the edge of a hardwood stick to do that. A clamp of some kind would have really helped. So, there it was. The form was back inside, though slightly smaller than it had been because the many saw cuts I made took away a little bit of the wood. That was okay with me. having a smaller form accentuated the flare at the base and made it easier to put the pieces back in. I had to dry it fast, so I left it right up close to the very hot woodstove with a fan blowing on it, turning it often.

The cup dried on the split form.  The deer tail is incidental. — *The cup dried on the split form. The deer tail is incidental.*

PITCHING THE INSIDE

While the leather was drying I started messing with pitch formulas. I thought the pitch should be slightly flexible. After trying many different mixes of pine pitch, rosin, beeswax and raw linseed oil, I ended up with a beeswax/pine pitch mix. Now it seems a little soft when it gets warm and I removed it to be replaced with a straight pitch coating. There is a difference between pitch and rosin. Rosin is hard at room temperature and is made by driving off the volatile components of pine pitch. Pine pitch is more gooey and sticky. Rosin can also happen naturally when pitch sits long enough that the turpentine evaporates naturally. I had pitch in all stages from fresh to rosin, but favored the stuff that was closest to rosin. I think a fairly hard coating is probably what is wanted. Something that is not at all sticky unless heated up, and these vessels are not used for hot liquids. Pitch loses the solvent portion when cooked in my experience, so just heating it and melting it enough to strain out bark, bugs and pine needles makes it more hard and brittle. I thought that the brittleness would cause the pitch to crack and flake off. The mug was a little flexible, but as soon as the pitch cooled inside it, it was quite stiff! I was surprised that the pitch offered so much to the structure of the mug, and now think stiff pitch will probably not flex enough to crack under normal use. In truth, I would think that they require some maintenance no matter what anyway. Since pitch is thermo setting, it can probably just be melted back together if cracked badly. Or it could just be cleaned out competely and re-coated.

I poured the molten boiled pitch with about 1/5 to 1/4 beeswax mixed in, sloshed it around and dumped it back out a few times. As the molten pitch cooled a little, it allowed me to get a thicker layer. I'm not sure what it ideal, that will be learned over time I guess.

PAINTING THE OUTSIDE

The lampblack for the outer painting was made with a simple oil lamp arrangement covered with a stone plate. You can read more about lampblack in this blog post. It’s cool stuff. The lamp black was mixed with linseed oil to paint the outside of the mug.

Simple arrangement for making lampblack.  A simple oil lamp with a stone plate set over it. — *Simple arrangement for making lampblack. A simple oil lamp with a stone plate set over it.*

There is something that you read about in old technical and formula books called Japaning. I imagine that term evolve from westerners trying to emulate the fine art of Japanese lacquer ware. So far as I can tell, it involves various process, most of which use linseed oil, resulting in a shiny enamel like finish. It was used on tea trays, cars and apparently on black jacks. It is hard to tell from pictures if all black jacks had that sort of gloss finish, but some certainly did. Linseed is a drying oil, which means that it cures over time by reacting with oxygen to form a sort of plastic-like film. Older recipes for this type of finish often call for Japan drier, which is a solution of toxic metals that speed the curing time of the oil, the same metals found in what is now sold as boiled linseed oil. I’m not going to use toxic metals on a food item, or probably on anything else, but there is a question I have not yet answered regarding whether the metals and other treatments of the oil, like heating it for a period of time in the absence of oxygen, just make it cure faster, or make it cure more thoroughly in the long run. I plan to test that eventually if possible. In the meantime, pure raw linseed oil, even the cold pressed food grade stuff from the health food store cures to the touch in a few warm days and seems fine for the things I use it for. I think I’m going to go as far as I can using just the raw linseed oil and lampblack for now. For a little more on linseed and other drying oils, see my video on oiling tool handles.

The goal is to eventually have a thick somewhat glossy outer finish. My basic process for painting the outside will probably be something like, paint on a thin layer, let it cure, then add another and so on. Maybe I can polish the outside once I build up and cure enough layers. The oil is best spread thin and allowed to cure. If it is thin, oxygen can reach it and it will cure faster than a thick layer will.

I put on two thick layers right off to get the oil to soak in as much as possible and a couple more the next day. I wanted to get the oil into the skin pretty far so that it would eventually stiffen inside the fiber structure and help harden the mug. I think I got quite a bit in there. The layers of oil applied will soak in for a while, then at some point one of the coatings will not soak in all the way because the surface has been saturated and sealed. This is the point at which you can start building up thin layers on the actual surface. At least that’s how it works with wood. This is new territory so we'll see.

I put the mug near the open oven on low heat to drive the oil that was sitting on the surface into the leather. That melted the pitch coating most of which ran out, especially on the hot side, which was basically left with no coating at all. When I filled it, the mug leaked slightly where the pitch had drained away at the bottom seam. Otherwise it seemed to work fine and it was actually quite nice to drink out of. Boy that Racer 5 IPA tasted good after three days of frantic problem solving and work! There was no off taste as I suspected there might be. I don’t think I’d mind a little pine flavor in my beer anyway Pine is a common flavor component found in hops. Actually, I may not have detected it since I was drinking IPA. I missed the midnight deadline to enter the instructables leathercraft contest by 15 minutes waiting for my hastily patched together youtube video to finish uploading. It’s probably just as well, because it is pretty rough with missing footage, typos and clips out of order. The new video posted here is much better put together and contains footage missing from the first one.

THOUGHTS AND WHAT TO DO DIFFERENT NEXT TIME

I would like to eventually make a second black jack. I could do it much faster a second time, especially on the same forms. I would probably push the boiling further, and use leather that is pared down to an even thickness. I might also try boiling it with the form in it as a sort of second boiling to set the shape better and harden the leather more. Actually, I did try that, but I was having technical issues with my water heating apparatus and had to give up on it. The other option would be to bake it on the forms. This intrigues me as well and I’m curious enough to want to try it.

Other things I might try or do different. I would experiment before hand with stitch length, but would guess that 3/16 is going to be about right. Straight pitch as the coating, with no beeswax or oil. cutting the handle closer to the stitches after the mug is sewn up (I just think they could be closer, but sewing them that close to the edge might be awkward). I would make the rim too tall. You can see in the pictures how it shrunk down making the rim taper down away from the handle. It may be possible to push it back up enough to get it level, but not without a something to firmly hold it while it is being worked on. If there were extra leather on the rim it could even be nailed in place to shrink and dry and then trimmed to the desired shape. A wooden vice to hold the piece while working would be very nice, even if it only worked for some parts. maybe a special vice to accommodate the fat cup body. Proper leather stitching needles. I ordered John James Saddlers stitching needles size 2 on recommendation of Youtube user Ian Atkinson I also just need to bone up on general leather working and stitching skills. I'm still much more of a tanner than a leather worker, so I may also pick up these two books 1 2 that he recommends and work on those skills. Lastly, I'm not sure about the outer finish and would like to do some more research and experimentation around "Japaning" with linseed oil to get that high gloss finish.

Another project I'd really like to tackle is a leather bottle of the short keg-like variety as in this picture. They are so damn cute! I have ideas on how to make those, but again, we don’t actually know how they were manufactured. This experience was fun and just the kind of adventurous multi-disciplinary project that I like doing. Trying to resurrect old technologies from available clues gets me all hot and bothered. It was extremely time consuming though and ate up most of 3 days. I think I can figure out the leather bottle thing and will certainly post that as well. I’m also currently working on recovering the apparently lost art of making genuine old school apple butter, which is very exciting. I have already compiled hours of research that I’ll be publishing, which probably constitutes, much if not most of the best available references relating to that subject. I’m also amped up to make a throwing tomahawk out of wrought iron and steel forged and welded in the ground forge that I just built for this black jack project.

*Must replicate adorable antique leather bottle!*

Each of these projects takes many hours, or sometimes days, let alone the time required to write it all up, and to plan, shoot and edit video footage. In order to keep doing all this and building an archive of information here, without having annoying advertising on the website or on my youtube videos, I need to have at least a small income. If you appreciate this type of information, you can help me keep it up by using my amazon links. Thanks so much to the people that are already using them, you guys rock! If you bookmark this link in your web browser toolbar and use it whenever you shop at Amazon, I get a small advertising fee at no cost to you, regardless of what you purchase. It is usually not much, but if a lot of people do it, it adds up. I appreciate your support. If you make a black jack, or have already made one, please let me know!

CHEERS!

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Steven Edholm and filed under animal parts, skins, tanning, Tanning and tagged black jack leather bottle leathercraft leatherworking leatherwork bombard cuir bouilli boiling leather hardened leather hardening leather lampblack linseed oil pitch forming leather shaping leather vegetable tanned leather bark tanned.

The No Paper Rule, Why I Never Start Fires With Paper

It’s fire season again (the one where you get to have fires, not the other one) and I wanted to share something about the fire culture here at Turkeysong homestead. There has been a no paper rule in place in my households for a very long time. That is, there is no paper used to start the fire, just natural stuff. I am very pleased with this institution and hope to never change it. I’ll tell you why, and why I think it’s a good approach for people who are interested in self reliance, or in fire in general.

I can’t remember when I completely stopped using paper, but I know that I stopped putting any paper into the fire at all when I began to process olives a lot. I wanted to use the ashes from the woodstove for curing olives and I didn’t want any paper ashes in there. Paper is an industrial product, so who knows what all is in there and what is and isn’t destroyed in burning, especially if there are any inks involved, which there usually are. Plus, burning paper smells nasty. That is one smell that I really hate, like when someone stuffs a bunch of paper in their woodstove or throws smouldering paper plates and napkins into a campfire. Ashes for processing olives must be very clean. The oils in the olive, like all oils I believe, are good at picking up smells/tastes. Well, it turns out that ashes from woodstoves in general are not very good for processing olives, because they tend to smoulder and create a lot of smokey and creosotey by-products. But the no-paper-in-the-woodstove-ever rule stuck anyway and I like it.

Before that I very rarely, if ever, started fires with paper anyway, and that has more to do with my real point here. I may want to use my ashes for processing food, and eventually most of them end up in the garden, where they are an outstanding fertilizer, but the other major factor is that it’s just too easy to start a fire with paper. I have started a lot of fires in my life. I’ve spent a lot of time cooking over fires, both open fires and over stoves. If you cook over open fires, unless you manage them carefully to retain a coal bed, which not infrequently can require the use of extra wood, you might have to start several a day. I’ve also heated with wood most of my life. Then there is the lighting of campfires and burn piles and whatever else. There is a reason people start fires with crumpled newspaper- It’s easy. I remember my friend showing me his system for starting fires in the wood stove which started with a large pile of newspapers torn into strips. I was not impressed, though it was certainly fast and effective. Lighting fires with what is available (naturally) is an art. And like anything, it atrophies with disuse. Wait, back up there. It also has to be learned in the first place.

Our first "intern" Kendra was very domesticated, but very ready to soak up whatever there was on offer here. Walking through the night a hundred yards to the cottage was terrifying for her, even with a flashlight, but she white knuckled it and got a lot more used to it by the end of a couple weeks. She also had to learn how to start the fire without paper. I can tell you from experience, put the average person in front of a woodstove or fire pit with some wood, even good dry wood, and they will struggle with starting a fire. Better have a lighter or a whole box of matches, although, you may not when they are done! Sure, if you give them a pile of dry straw and fine twigs that are tinder dry, it might be easy enough. But that is not how it goes generally. We’ll get back to Kendra, but first…

*Brave and beautiful Kendra in a bed of apples*

I recall one of my first excursions into the woods that wasn’t like an organized backpacking type approach to camping. My friend and I went out into some park and picked a terrible low, cold, damp camping spot in some redwoods. I determined to get a fire started so we could cook and stay warm and all of that. I had brought a magnesium fire starter with a zirconium striker. I got plenty of white hot focal points of heat from that thing, but no fire. Everything was damp to wet. I had no idea how to find anything drier, how small to make stuff, what to collect species wise, that I should get wood that wasn’t on the ground, or take the wet bark off, let alone how to organize the stuff to get it to burn and spread the fire. Fortunately, I also had a book of paper matches and a candle. I used the entire candle, and all the matches to barely get a fire going by dripping the candle constantly over all this wet steaming redwood with the soggy bark still on it. Can you say green? I was so green. OMG! I knew I was lame though and had something to learn, that was obvious enough. About 20 minutes later with the fire actually gaining a little momentum, the whole redwood grove lit up in a brilliant white light. I had left my magnesium fire starter on the edge of the fire! Ooops. It was a good light show anyway and now the fire was really going! For you survivalist types that think your magnesium fire starter is an indestructable, weatherproof option, there is a mistake that is easy enough to make!

It shouldn’t take a book of matches, a candle and a magnesium fire starter to start a fire! Or paper for that matter. Amazing thin, crumpled, fast burning paper. Even if it’s a little damp, it dries out as it burns. The stuff is amazing, like someone made newspapers for starting fires. When you stop using paper to light fires though, you find out that there is much more to building a fire with wood that is bulkier with a much lower surface area. Take a given volume of wood, say a cube the size of a gaming die (as in singular of dice). Put a match to that and it’s probably not even going to catch flame. reconfigure that wood into a 1/4 inch diameter long stick and it has much more surface area and a less bulky cross section. It may likely catch fire, now but it might no continue to burn well on it’s own. Grind that up and make it into a thin sheet of paper and the low bulk of the material plus all that surface are makes for very easy combustion, especially when crumpled up! There are things in nature similar to paper in their combustion properties, shredding barks and straw for instance, but they are not always common or available, or what happens to be dry at a given time.

This scenario has been repeated many times here: Plop an intern/visitor down in front of the woodstove and say light a fire. “Where’s the paper”. “We don’t use paper… blah blah rationale for not using paper, blah blah, etc…” Give them 10 or 15 minutes and the result is a frustrated person. So, you give some pointers, basically lay out a system that can be roughly followed and let them go at it, maybe give some pointers here and there. It always takes a while, but it’s always a revelation.

With a stove full of crumpled newspaper you just don’t have to know that much about fire and how it works and spreads. Not nothing for sure, you can still easily fail to get a fire kindled, but there is much less need for understanding how fire works. Starting from scratch is a whole other deal. Suddenly you have to think a lot more about size, shape, condition and architecture- how fire spreads and all these things that matter incredibly much when you don’t have something ridiculously combustible on hand to give a quick heat base. Suddenly, you are intensely involved with nurturing a new life along. It is compelling, intense and maybe in a word, engaging.

Just yesterday someone staying here was trying to start a fire in the cottage. The wood was all damp (not by any fault of mine BTW). And she was like, “can you start the fire? I’m hurrying (and mumble, mumble something or other).” I was like, sure, then I realized the truth probably was that this was just not a common scenario for her. Tamara had pulled the no paper in the woodstove thing on her and it was not working out that great. The wood was damp, it had to be split small or shaved and fed in a certain way at a certain rate. Not a big deal for me. I didn’t have to re-tool my methods much, or more importantly, my expectations of what it takes to light a fire. That is just my life, not a new inconvenience to navigate and overcome.

By the time Kendra left, she said the most valuable thing she learned was simply how to start a fire without paper. Not without matches by rubbing sticks together or anything super primitive and exciting like that, just how to take some wood and put a match to it and have it all work out eventually. I was suprised at first, but that really stuck with me. Watching so many people struggle with perfectly sound dry wood in an indoor environment and remembering some of my early experiences, I’m so glad to have the no paper rule in place. It’s not just for other people either. It’s for people that live here too… for me. It keeps expectations low about what it means to start a fire. It keeps us engaged with the fire, with the local materials, and with the process and phenomenon of fire.

One last thing. This is a pretty strict rule. Unless I’m in some huge hurry, I don’t start my fires indoors or out with paper. It is occasionally tempting, but I just don’t do it. I don’t dowse my burn piles in diesel either. If I’m doing a lime burn, I set up the fire lay carefully before stacking the kiln and run around and spend the 15 minutes or whatever it takes to make a bundle of fine twigs and pitch wood to shove under it through the air hole to set it off. Because if the rule isn’t strict it’s just too easy to fall off the wagon and never do it from scratch. I’ve spent a lot of time with severe fatigue and malaise over the last 15 years or so. I mean to the point where even basic tasks seem like big hurdles, and it’s hard to just take care of my basic needs through some days. But, the no paper rule always holds, no matter what. That makes it just something that I do, there is no easy option available. If I want easy fires, I have to prepare or collect kindling ahead of time. If I want it really easy, then I make some split pitch-wood sticks to have on hand (more on which later). Two of those and it really is pretty damn easy to light up the woodstove or barbecue. But it is my responsibility to make that happen. It doesn’t just show up in the mail once a week as the local advert.

I highly recommend the no paper rule if you heat with wood, or just in general. It will make you and those who enter your sphere more broadly adapted for all the reasons I’ve already elaborated above. The wood you burn and the resources around you will mean a little more to you. You’ll understand them better, and I daresay appreciate them more in some way. It is yet another level of engagement with your environment, contributing to your general physical competence, independence and understanding. It will also increase your survivability by extension, and I think that is generally the best way to increase it.

For more on fire, see the fire index page

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Steven Edholm and filed under fire, firewood, Homesteading, Paleotechnics and tagged fire fire building building fires how to build a fire paper for lighting fires.

Chopping Bark for Tanning Leather, how I do it

People ask pretty often how I chop or grind my bark for tanning. The truth is that I’ve chopped the vast majority of it with a hatchet. It is slow work, but the potential for it to be tedious can be mostly obviated by an attitude adjustment. I’d say most of us in this modern context tend to view long repetitive tasks that could be done by a machine as tedious and often beneath us. I would posit though that engaging in such tasks can really be a positive influence in our lives. In order to not only tolerate, but find a place that we can actually enjoy such work and see the benefits of it, we have to slow down and wrap ourselves around a different paradigm.

Personally, I am ready to move on. I would like to be tanning a lot more skins in the next year or three and I have much else I’d like to do as well. So many projects, so little time. I’ve always wanted to build a stone wheel crusher for olives, apples, bark, charcoal and whatever else needs smashing and grinding, but I’ll probably end up fixing up a fairly heavy duty hammer mill type of shredder that is laying around the place. But, I’m really glad that I’ve chopped so much bark by hand. I’m more comfortable with it than ever and enjoy it more than ever. Any stress I might have is really just around prioritizing my energy for other things that I might feel like I need to do, or just want to do. In general, like being a person that can and will take the time, and accept the humility, of doing things by hand that take a long time. There is nothing beneath us about this work. It requires skill and concentration. Almost any task can be improved in execution and efficiency, as you can see by watching one of these efficient worker videos, which if you've never seen one will blow your mind. Unless you're a very unusual modern person, I can pretty much guarantee that if you and I sit down to chop bark, my pile is going to build up faster and look better than yours. That is no accident, and it is not limited to this one thing in my life. By extension I'm also good at other things, and aspects of those tasks similarly relate back to this job. Those things are a consequence of my choices and priorities. It is also just good and honest work that puts us in the most direct relation to the materials and work at hand. Nothing really wrong with gearing up and getting something together that can shred out some bark. I know I plan to, and at this point the sooner the better. I've paid my dues. but this type of very direct work has it’s up side too.

How does a person make a 9 minute video on shredding bark with a hatchet? Of the technical part there is only so much to say, but of the philosophic part, the engagement in this sort of task in the modern era where we are increasingly impatient, weak and whiney, in essence, unsuited physically and emotionally to take care of our own needs, there is much that could be said. And that part is really the main hurdle, except maybe sharpening, which is sadly become an uncommon skill.

I wish I could recommend a hatchet, but I couldn't probably recommend anything new at this point for under 100.00 and then I'm sure only with reservations. This forged Swedish hatchet would be okay for chopping bark, though it is on the heavy side. I have a bunch of other issues with it though and will be reviewing it at some point before I send my review copy off to ebay to get some of my 40 bucks back. It's too bad, 40.00 for a hand forged quality hatchet should be a steal. I just think the design is dumb, or at least of limited use, and the potential for modification is limited. I'll keep looking though, because I think everyone should have a hatchet :D. Just about any used hatchet should be fine for chopping bark if you have a good handle on it, or can put one on. (I'd prefer straight, especially for this task. As long as it is high enough quality to sharpen and no one has ruined the temper of the edge. chop chop!

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Steven Edholm.