Sweet Chestnut

ForagingSurvivalTrees

Sweet Chestnut

Every October – December, Echo (our dog) and I pay the chestnut trees a visit looking for fallen nuts, but we have to be quick, or the squirrels will have had their fill and left nothing but empty shells. We have five Chestnut trees in our local park (Wythenshawe Park) at least five that I have found there maybe more, but we can regularly get as much as a carrier bag full of nuts. We bring them home and roast them in the oven with sea salt and fresh butter, but it’s just as easy to roast them on an open fire and eat them fresh out of the shell, they taste like a sweet potato and are delicious, crushed up and mixed in with sprouts and chopped up bacon lardons.

 

Where to find them

It’s a safe bet to say you will have Chestnut trees in your local area, especially in parks and woodland, but you can also buy Chestnut trees from your garden centre, as they seem to have gained popularity to plant in large gardens. They are fast growers and all chestnuts are large trees, most topping 20 metres, with some varieties reaching 40 metres.

You can eat and make purée, sweet candies or just no messing straight from the shell,  here are some recipes for Chestnuts that can be found here .

Tip: Before going to collect Chestnuts be sure to take gloves or risk prickly fingers.

Food Uses

Harvest in October – December the nuts are ripe when they drop from the trees as the chestnut burrs (the outer spiny skin) burst, but some nuts will need removing from their skin. Wearing strong gloves, pull open the burrs and remove the nuts. Chestnuts are be kept in the fridge to prevent them from drying out.

Candied Chestnuts Recipe

Health benefits of Chestnuts?

  • Digestive health – chestnuts reduce cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. They also reduce the risk of constipation and intestinal complications such as diverticulosis.
  • Increased brain function – chestnuts contain fat-soluble B vitamins that promote healthy skin, produce red blood cells and improve brain function.
  • Increased energy levels – chestnuts contain high amounts of carbohydrates, which are needed for short and long term energy. They also help with nervous system function.
  • Stronger bones – chestnuts contain copper, which is a trace mineral that enhances bone strength and boosts the immune system.
  • Decreased risk of developing disease – chestnuts contain manganese, which is a trace mineral that fights off free radicals in the body and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. It also plays a key role in the ageing process and helps prevent blood-clotting.
  • Do not contain gluten – chestnuts are of great benefit to patients with celiac disease, which is a disease that upsets the small intestine.

History

The sweet chestnut was held in high regard in ancient Greece and was a delicacy reserved for the elite. Honey was made of it, while numerous therapeutic properties were attributed to the chestnut. There are many recipes described in ancient literature and the sweet chestnuts are frequently mentioned in works by ancient Greek writers such as Homer, Xenophon and Hippocrates.

 

Middle ages

By the end of the Middle Ages the chestnut had a bad reputation and was associated with indigestion, headache, flatulence and an increased sex drive. Due to the huge increase in population the sweet chestnut became in certain parts of Europe the people’s food number one. Because the chestnut tree is an easy and rapid growing tree, he was planted everywhere where no other crops, such as cereals, wanted to grow. This harmed the quality of the nuts that became vulnerable for diseases. Fortunately, today’s chestnut again has a sound reputation. More articles here.

Moss – Bryophyta

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Moss – Bryophyta

The magical Moss can be found everywhere and is a very handy plant in survival situations, it can be eaten as a last resort, but it won’t taste very nice however it’s uses for medical purposes are astonishing. During WWI and WWII Moss was an essential part of a medical kit when bandages or wound packing was in short supply and as you can imagine there were never enough with the amount of wounded soldiers coming from the battlefields and trenches. In fact, Moss has been used for thousands of years on battlefields, but like most things it was forgotten or replaced by something that can be mass-produced for convenience and profit.

Moss is very absorbent, far more than cotton wool, and has remarkable deodorizing power. The remarkable sponge-like quality comes from Sphagnum’s cellular structure, ninety percent of the cells in a sphagnum plant are dead. They’re made to be empty, so they can be filled with water. In this case, medics took advantage of that liquid-absorbing capacity to soak up blood, pus and other bodily fluids. Sphagnum moss also has antiseptic properties that helped avoid infections and amputations. A lot of research is taking place on the medicinal properties of Moss, and it has been found that it has similar attributes as Cannabis.

Moss and water

If you ever find yourself in a survival situation and can find sphagnum moss, you probably won’t die of thirst. Sphagnum moss, due to its spongy consistency, soaks up and holds moisture. Just squeezing it will provide a water source – and due to its acidic nature, bacteria typically aren’t present.

Mosses function like sponges, using their capillary spaces to hang on to water. 

They help to soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. This enables other plants around them thrive, such as in habitats like marshes and woodland. 

Mosses also play a vital role in the development of new ecosystems. They’re among the first plant colonisers of disturbed sites, such as when an area is deforested or affected by forest fires. They stabilise the soil surface and retain water, helping new plants to grow. 

Other uses for Moss

Dried Moss Is Extremely Flammable

If you can find dead moss or have the time to pick some and let it dry, it’s extremely flammable and is great for starting your fire. Since it’s lightweight, you may even want to add some of it to your homemade fire starters or just carry some raw.

Moss Is Waterproof

Moss is damp, isn’t it? Well yes it is but it likes to hold on to its water. You can use a nice layer of moss to cover your shelter and it will keep you dry. One of the best things about this is that, since moss has an interconnected, shallow root system, you can cut it in large chunks that make it easy to transport and cover your shelter quickly.

Within 24 hours, these root systems will grow together and you have an instant, waterproof roof. As a matter of fact, there are many stories of wilderness people who actually use moss to roof their houses.

Myth and Lore

The moss people or moss folk (German: Moosleute, “moss folk”, wilde Leute, “wild folk”), also referred to as the wood people or wood folk (Holzleute, “wood folk”) or forest folk (Waldleute, “forest-folk”), are a class of fairy folk, variously compared to dwarfs, elves, or spirits, described in the folklore of Germany as having an intimate connection to trees and the forest. In German, the words Schrat and Waldschrat are also used for a moss person.

More articles here

What about Water?

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Water is Life

Water is life and is the most important substance for the human body to stay healthy and alive, so then why do we know nothing about it when it comes to our health and self-sufficiency? If you ask a child where water comes from, their first answer most likely is the tap. This is so sad because not only does it isolate them from nature; it teaches them to be dependent on corporations. My grandparents used to call it corporation pop, which always left me puzzled, but now I am older. I can see what they meant.

As long as there is a sky above your head, you can get water from almost anywhere in the world, even in the hottest of deserts. All you need is the foreknowledge of where and how to collect it, then once you have found your water source you need to know if it needs filtering / distilling. In survival and bug-out (living off grid) situations, it is essential to know how to find water and treat it for safe drinking. Plants and trees are a great source to find drinkable water. If you know how, for instance, you can tap certain trees, maple, and birch being the most favoured because they make really tasty syrups. Putting a plastic bag over a tree branch with leaves on it for 24 hours will collect condensation, and cactus and Aloe Vera contains a really refreshing drink that is super healthy. Another tip: Aloe Vera provides great protection from the sun.

Water is life waves
Water is life water drop

There are many ways to find and collect water. Many of them are so simple like collecting the dew from grass by trailing a jumper or coat behind you until it is saturated, or laying a tarp on the ground overnight to collect the morning dew. These are just a few of the many ways to collect water, of course; the most obvious is collecting rain water in barrels. When we look at the circulation of water in the natural world, the position of rainwater is at the top of the cycle. It is possible, therefore, for us to drink untreated rainwater. This is because rainwater is pure, distilled water evaporated from the sun – nothing else. However, when rainwater falls from the sky, substances from the air and land melt into the rainwater. Fortunately, when rainwater soaks into the ground, it then becomes mineral water.

Filtering / Distilling Water

Once you have found your water source, you next have to make it safe to drink. The amount of filtering depends on how clean or dirty the water is. You can filter and drink most waters, it should be obvious to stay clear of foul smelling water and always boil the water you have collected where ever possible. Water collected from plants and trees is generally safe to drink straight from the source, as the filtering is done by the plant.

How to make a simple water filter.

Flowing water is typically the best source to collect from. If you are collecting water from the ground such as lakes, puddles, ponds anywhere really where it has collected it is always handy to know how to make a filter no matter where the water has come from. A simple filtering system has five components :

  • Empty plastic bottle
  • Pebbles
  • Moss (or cotton wool)
  • Charcoal ( from camp fire)
  • Sand (as clean as you can find it)

(How I do it) Cut the bottom of the bottle off, put in charcoal, sand, moss and pebbles in that order and pour your dirty water in it will take some time to drip its way clear and clean after which a final stage of boiling and hey presto you have drinking water.

Solar water distilling

Solar distillation is a great way to produce pure, potable drinking water that is safe for consumption with nothing but a little ingenuity, and the power of the sun! It’s a great experiment for all the family to try.

It is simple to do using two clear (plastic or glass) bottles and glue (or tape). Fill one bottle with dirty/or saltwater, then connect the second bottle and set in the sun; within a few minutes the water begins to evaporate, and the other bottle collects the clean distilled water vapor. Tips: make sure the bottles have an airtight connection.

Prop up the bottles at a slight angle so as the dirty/or saltwater starts to evaporate, water vapor will travel up to the higher collection container; this method works best in bright sun.

Solar distillers work by mimicking the natural water cycle: The sun provides energy to warm the water; the water evaporates (forms clouds) and condenses (makes rain) when it meets a cooler surface. Boiling is not required for solar distillation, and some people believe water from a solar distiller is purer than boiled water.

 

So as you can see with a little knowledge water can be found anywhere. The trick is to think like nature, in this article I have given a brief outline of how to find and collect water along with how to make it safe to drink. It is a vast topic and one that has gained popularity in the scientific world in their quest to help with environmental issues. Water is life, and it’s many mysteries are only just starting to be discovered. Below you will find videos about waters many other uses and secrets.

Viktor Schauberger

Secrets of water

A fascinating exploration of the ground-breaking discoveries and mind-blowing uses of waters secret qualities. Understand why vortexing water may be so beneficial to your health. Free-energy produced by the Repulsine device. An excellent documentary on the genius of Viktor Schaubeger and his son, Walter Schauberger who spent their life researching and utilizing waters hidden qualities. 

Play Video

They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

More articles can be found here