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teonanacatl

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Posts posted by teonanacatl

  2. Posted

    A nice article attached below that for me lays out one of the significant problems people would face with living off the land or when placed in a survival situation. In todays world a lowcarb diet or even a carnivore diet are very much in vogue, carry that into the wilderness and you are in deep shit. TV perpetuates the myth that one only needs a handful of berries or a rabbit or two to survive, survive yes but you will loose weight and muscle growing weaker till you die. Ive done quite a bit of research around this topic and the offal of an animal provides significant sources of vitamins and minerals not to a mention high % fat on even the leanest of animals, for example the liver is a great source of vit and minerals and lungs are high in vit c. Rabbit starvation is a very real phenomenon and ketosis is something one would want to avoid in a survival situation. Anyway enough ranting here is the article.

    http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/living-off-land-delusions-and.html

    • Like 6

  6. Posted

    One of the aquaculture staff at JCU made a fair bit of cash adding lettuce production to an already established fish farm. My opinion is that as the fish are the intensive part of the operation it is not worth adding fish to grow lettuce, but is is worth add lettuce to already growing fish.

    My bro is in aquaculture and Ive worked with him before and its very much like having your livestock on life support, systems go down and you loose 100000 animals in a few hours. High risk high reward is how Id phrase it. Unless you are growing Tilapia :)

    Years ago when I was doing a lot of reading around aquaculture I found there was a fellow starting a commercial aquaculture venture somewhere (Mt Isa? maybe) out of IBC's and a rented commercial yard. Last I saw it was in production but Im not sure how it went.

    I wish you guys the best for your dreams and look forward to seeing some pictures.

  7. Posted

    I would disagree TI, many of the principles that people used to farm were merely observations or reproducible things that were required for them to maintain a living. These principles were incorporated into permaculture and explained through ecological principles. Observations and reproducible results are the backbone of science whether or not people new they were practicing it or not.

    Mollison is himself a scientist and if you watch his PDC videos he comes across without a lot of the stuff that is thrown around in permaculture today. Though I like him (not so keen on Geoff Lawton) they both do this think where they tell "stories" to show points. The problem I have with them is as with every story there is some truth and some not truth, it is entertaining but the evidence they use is not solid. Geoff is worse for it then Bill, often stating things that are not true and exaggerating things though he is still very knowledgable.

    Im just ranting Im sorry, its this thing I do when Im bored or uncomfortable, mostly it stays in my head as most of my thoughts and opinions exist as paradox's much like Schrodinger's cat. Some though like this actually have some opinion behind them.

    • Like 2

  8. Posted · Edited by teonanacatl

    Ok here is one more post, for those following the thread who are looking for ideas or Riley if he cares to listen.

    So here is what I pack/take bush in a 40L backpack

    - Silnylon tarp, mozzie net, ropes. The tarp is a hex fly and the setup can sleep 4 people, weighs about 600g. Ive been through plenty of wet season storms in this, only a problem when the ground floods.

    - Ripstop hammock that I made with sown on mozzie net- great for when it floods or the bugs are really bad. Weighs about 400g.

    - Thin hardfoam mattress like a yoga mat.

    I dont want to have to set up/ take down more than I need for a given location, if there is no bugs and no rain and no crocs then Ill sleep on the mattress on the ground. If there are crocs Ill sleep in the hammock with the mesh off. If bugs in the hammock with mesh on. If raining but no bugs, on the ground under the tarp with no mozzie net. Etc until Im in a monsoonal flood in my hammock with the mesh on under the tarp.

    As well as that I take:

    - a knife with a small sharpening stone

    - a small saw- more useful than a machete in a lot of ways

    - a billy, large cup and fork

    - lighter (would trade for sticks if I could ever get a fire to light from some)

    - Rifle, ammo, oil and cleaning gear if going for a while.

    - Spare pair of clothes

    - Sarong

    - Torch and batteries

    - Snake bandages

    - Multivitamins

    - Hat

    - Water bottle 1-4L depending on where Im going but not a bladder.

    - Potassium permanganate for sterilising water/ cuts n shit.

    - Tea bags, powdered milk and some sugar.

    - Small bag of mixed soup grains and beans- emergency use only.

    A few other things vary depending on where Im going, handline, fishing gear etc, goggles, speargun.

    From memory thats about it, I normally forget something.

    I have been contemplating walking from Cape York to Cairns via the coast for a few years now. In that case I was going to add to my list a simple air/liquid heat exchanger condenser and an adapted billy so I can distil sea water at a min of 1L/hour- Im still building prototypes of this. It will be small enough to fit inside a typical 2L billy, durable enough to last the distance and infallible enough to survive. I figure water is the heaviest thing you carry, so something that weighs in at 500g-1kg but saves you carrying that in water is worthwhile. I would also take some sort of a heat shield/ wind shield to use with cooking and distilling. Id also take a blank book, pencils, rubber and sharpener to draw and write in.

    I was also looking at trading the mat for just some thick canvas and ditching the hammock. Also looking at switching to a canvas tarp for durability at a weigh sacrifice. A stripped down driazabone would come with me on this walk if I go despite its weight. I would also probably do some food drops at towns and easily accessible locations on the way but wouldnt carry much of the food with me. A friend and I did a trial walk one day and only made it 6km along the beaches before we had collected enough yams, coconuts, crabs and oysters for a day or two's feed so we came home.

    For me freedom is ease of movement, a light pack and not much gear. I can walk faster with a light pack, with less effort. This means I spend less time in bad weather/conditions/situations and use less energy getting around. I wish I had the balls to ditch most of my shelter materials, maybe settle for my driazabone as a bed / cover and a mozzie net and build the rest. I wish I was better with spears and could leave the rifle, Im alright with a spear on fish so once my tackle was gone Id convert to spear for that (can easily make a few sliptips before you go for use with any spear sized sticks you find). I also wouldnt leave without being able to light a fire with sticks. Honestly I wish I had the balls to leave everything but a knife and bag at home, you are a slave to what you take!

    Why havent I gone yet? No need, I live by myself, near no one and pay no rent in the shack I live in, I can walk most places I need to and back home in a day. Im realistic at what life would be like and am more then happy with the luxuries I have around me. Also Im not so much a nomadic person but more of a farmer :) Had I no home Id probably wander between a few different camps each with more luxury then I can carry. Would I walk around the east coast between Cairns and Sydney? Nope, too many people telling me to move on and too many people who care about rules.

    • Like 4

  11. Posted

    Honestly Riley I couldnt write a reply to your last post that wasnt actual trolling (and they were all so much fun too!) and I agree that is not helpful in any situation, so best if I just shut up and apologise! It is your life and everyone is different, the tools you need to survive will differ to others, as will what you are seeking.

    You wont hear a peep more out of me.

    Best of luck mate, hope you find what you are looking for! If you ever make it to the tip of Cape York keep an eye out for a young bloke wandering the bush with his rifle and dogs- that is me. Ive got a spare room in a shack on the beach you can crash in until you annoy me- Im a bit of a hermit and dislike company but a few days shouldn't be too bad.

    • Like 3

  14. Posted

    You're still here? Weren't you going somewhere?

    No point dissing someone for doing something that you couldnt do. Leave the German guy alone, people who walk places always get shit, people who ride bikes never seem to cop the same shit! Walk the walk mate or shut up.

    Honestly reading all the stuff you want and carrying all the equipment you can fit wont make you safer or more likely to survive. The more gear you carry the more gear you need to maintain that gear. What really counts is a mix of intelligence and luck, honestly you will probably disregard everything you have read within a week of being on the road, why because you will replace it with real life experience!

    If its freedom that you seek too much gear will be your prison. You will make do with what you have.

    Be ready to face your demons constantly, I hope you like your own company.

    "All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot!" Dr Seuss

    • Like 1

  15. Posted · Edited by teonanacatl

    So after doing loads more reading for those who permaculture doesnt appeal to, and for those who it does but want (and should) to expand their arsenal, agroforestry, silviculture and their various incarnations, of which I like agrosilvipastrolism the best, have lots to offer.

    These are practical systems with no waste on land, in permaculture the haphazard food forest is indeed productive but not really suitable for small gardens (Im not talking intensive stacking here). The food forest is indeed productive until climax, then productivity declines. Agroforestry etc recognise this decline and as such everything is run on rotations, 1-50yr+ cycles that renew the system. I really have not heard anyone talk about the logistics of harvesting the timber species in a permaculture system. Dont get me wrong I love the food forest idea, and I can see that it works, but my mind is analytical- there needs to be a plan! Agroforestry is productive and adaptable to a commercial scale as well, something that I dont believe permaculture as a whole is.

    I wont say agroforestry is sustainable purely because if you have outputs with no inputs its not sustainable- thats simple maths and applies to permaculture too. Inputs need to come from somewhere.....

    I love the emphasis on design that permaculture pushes, though it is after all just good decision making! One thing that I like is the idea that you want to keep the water on your property for as long as possible, though in my climate that would likely result in an inland lake or a swamp at best :P But its the principle I like, the principle that one should retain any resource in your environment for as long as possible/ feasible. I like to apply this to livestock, instead of letting fruit fall and rot on the ground it should go through an animal, in fact as many animals as it can before its put back into the soil and then back to the tree. As long as the animal doesnt leave the land then the energy is all there (minus farts and gasses from decomp, though even those will be caught to some degree) in the animal and is eventually cycled back to the land. Animals represent an excellent store of nutrients. They also represent an interesting source of inputs- if you buy in some of their food this is essentially equivalent to a fertiliser (could actually be cheaper then an organic fert too!). Considering a well managed pasture should be consistent/increasing in C and N levels all one should have to supplement the pasture with is minerals, and this can be done via the livestock through salt licks etc. I find it an interesting activity to ponder resources and how I can keep them on my land for as long as possible. Time and money are interesting resources to consider.

    Permaculture is a business, it sells its product well but not only that it sells dreams to people. I never imagined (until I did some sums) that I could make more money selling the plants and tools to make a dream then the produce from such a dream- ie you make more selling the plants and seeds then the produce!

    Permaculture is also suffering from the metaphysics that is being added to courses/ retreats/ blogs/ blah. It never was part of what Mollison designed, it is not permaculture yet its addition makes it harder to gain scientific acceptance, something that must be achieved in order to change the way things are. I also feel that animals are under utilised in permaculture systems and that the eating of animals is to widely shunned in organic systems. Its true that massive amounts of grain and water are used to feed animals (this is inefficient) when they could be fed directly to humans, this however doesnt give context for where animals are useful. Animals can convert waste from crops, low nutrient forage and low maintenance crops into high quality protein. Feeding grain to animals might be inefficient but one is trading with the resource of time here so losses in energy of the system + waste ( which isnt that bad because a lot goes back into the soil anyway) are acceptable. I feel animals are an important way to cycle "time" through a system, not to mention the value they add in diversification!

    Anyway agroforesty, silviculture, agrosilvipastoralism :) Sorry for the rant- was kinda bored :P

    • Like 2

  16. Posted

    Id approach an already established fish farm and wack the ponics part onto their fish, they look after the fish, you look after the lettuce and pay some rent.

    Would love to see your current setup, inputs and outputs if you have them. If not start monitoring them now before you try to upscale and realise its not financially viable.

    Wouldnt bother with the livestock, just use excess veges to farm black soldier fly to feed the fish.

    What fish are you planning on using?

  18. Posted

    Pigs!

    Convert carbs and protein into meat. The ferals are the hardiest but will have a low food conversion ratio and will find food anywhere, they are also very smart and not docile. Large whites and durocs Ive found do well on commercial feed and are easy to tame with great food conversion and meat distribution. Durocs are better in the sun then the whites which get sunburnt. Large english blacks are my latest trial and have an excellent FCR, are really tame and docile and dont dig too much as long as they are fed. I let mine roam free sometimes and they love eating grass and plant material. They also seem easier to train to not challenge fences, dig etc then the others. Also do well in the heat and the sun being black.

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    A compass is pretty useless without a map, unless you just want crude directions.

    Most of the land in Australia is actually owned by someone so you are going to be walking along roads lots.

    What are you going to do for money? I ask because its important. Im a hermit, in a shack in Cape York, its very much romanticised but its the life for me. There are a few other people around here doing the same thing except most live off dole money or dodgy disability pension money. As someone who does work so I have enough $$ to survive I disapprove of making tax payers support your lifestyle choice, I also believe the only reason I can function as a hermit without to much interaction with others is because I dont drink, smoke, have habits and I do work to keep myself busy. If you have savings or plan on working then disregard my comments.

    A quote that is very much applicable " All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot!"

    Dr Suess

    • Like 6

  23. Posted

    Id say fowl, goats and pigs have you covered as far as animals you raise. Youll need a horse or cow if you want to use it to plough fields properly but Id settle for pigs doing that.

    Low impact is just as much to do with stocking rates as animal type.

    Goats are ruminants they convert cellulose to energy, fat etc so all they need is a source of protein and cellulose. Pigs on the other hand cannot convert cellulose so need carbs and protein. Hardier breeds are your feral goats and pigs, these animals are better adapted to find food and better at using poor food sources. However there is a serious trade off in their ability to put on meat/produce milk. You probably want something in the middle, Anglo-nubian goats and large english black pigs etc. Another thing is are you going to breed them or buy them as babies and raise them. Breeding is somewhat of a pain to do it properly and means you need a larger herd plus males.

    I keep my pigs in a resting garden bed when I can, let them eat the scraps and fertilise the soil (you could consider pig pellets an alternative to buying fertiliser though its more exxy). When I have the room I would build a central pen/run for the goats and pigs and then as many 1/2 acre fenced gardens around them as I could. You grow enough food for yourself, the pigs and the goats. Grow legume pastures, tubers etc on the resting beds and cycle the pigs through first then the goats after them. Then Id let the pigs strip the pasture bare and turn it over, plant it with your veg patch and cycle your old patch- or any variation there abouts.

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    Do you have a job? Source of $?

    You will need something to do with your time besides facebook, twitter etc. If you want this to work I think you need to embrace being alone and you need things to do. Also you have to much stuff, you will have to move around more then you think unless you are buying groceries from a shop and even then you will want to see new things. Id aim for 30-40kg max for everything. Also give up cigs, alcohol, weed, coffee, sugar or any food habits you have before you go.

    Here is another suggestion for you, put an ad on gumtree saying you are looking for a house/shack/shed etc to live in, do some care taking in exchange for the accommodation. Im not talking about staying with someone, but rather staying on someones land where they dont go, you look after it for them. Im sure you'll find someone. Also you may have to try more then one place before you find one you like.

    You are going to be accessing private or state land and national park and you will need to be respectful of that.

    • Like 6

  25. Posted

    So two days ago I transferred the wild hive to a top bar hive I built. This was my first time doing anything with bees! I was wearing a bunch of flannos jumpers and jeans and I used mozzie net to keep them off my face, my protective equipment was completed with a pair of diving gloves and a pair of diving booties. Basically I got stung 100's of times which was more so annoying than painful. I initially forgot my smoker but my bro went back for it and it made a big difference. My chainsaw was playing up so after cutting down the tree I just put my arm down the hollow and pulled/cut out all the comb. I managed to get three medium sized pieces of mostly full brood and one full of honey into my topbar hive along with the queen. The topbar is situated right next to the old hive and so Im hoping the bees that are around there will smell the queen and honey and head inside.

    Wearing all the gear I had on in 30+ degrees with 95% humidity took its toll on my so I didnt do a very good job. I only transferred about 30% of the brood and about 15% of the honey to the new hive. I managed to harvest 3.5-4kg of honey and Im making a wax extractor to separate the wax out. The honey is very strong in flavour and is about the same colour as coca cola and you cannot see through it, some of it is a little runnier then normal stuff but it all tastes great.

    Ill check on the hive again today, when I checked yesterday there were bees flying in and out of it but still a lot hanging around the old hive.

    • Like 1
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