The Campfire Trail: November 15 - DIY Homestead

November 15, 2022

Day 410 of the Adventure

5 Deer in the back yard 24 hours after the hunt

With the middle of November upon us, I believe we can say with certainty, we are in the beginning of the slow and quiet march towards Springtime. I almost hate to acknowledge the upcoming Winter season as a part of the backwoods homestead life. It's a time where I continually dream of warmer weather returning. The reality is that the official start to Winter is still more than a month away. We've already had our first snow. It wasn't much but still, snow in the first part of November....

Nevertheless, it's the beginning of the cold season and all of the things that come with it. One of those many things is the tradition of processing the annual deer harvest. Shelley spent part of Saturday and Sunday hunting. Actually, she spent about two total hours sitting in a camp chair on the back deck watching the woods for deer. At about 4:30 each day, she was able to shoot a deer. That means that we begin the processing today. It's a tradition we've been practicing for more than 40 years. It's been about 15 since the last time we hunted so it's now a "renewed" tradition. Is it a frugal or self-sufficient activity? I don't know. We already have all of the stuff. Guns, gloves, blaze gear, knives, stash of ammo, binoculars and everything else, so I guess it's worth it. The permits averaged $12 each and she only used two bullets so that's probably another $2.50. Considering the price of meat at the grocery store, a couple of big boxes of venison in the freezer adds up quick. So, yeah, I guess it's worth it. My personal favorite recipe for venison is chili so when it comes time for "Deer Chili', I'll make sure to include a recipe.......... Just don't expect me to provide a package of venison with it.........

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Adventure works in any strand—it calls to those who care more for living.” ― Amal El-Mohtar

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Dark (Colombia Dark French Roast)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page. AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:

Mountain Craft

Lye Soap Making

Rug Weaving

Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)

Pottery

Cornmeal Grinding