Common Useful Plant Profiles: Common Yarrow

Common Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L.)

The artwork for today's post is a pencil and watercolor original by JohnnyBurn.

Today's plat profile is Common Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L.).  Yarrow is another common plant found in yards and in the field.  Yarrow is in the Aster family although the shape of the leaves and their scent I find reminiscent of carrots.  

The two most useful functions of Yarrow that I am familiar with is the use of the leaves as a coagulant, and the use of the flowers and leaves in teas as a diuretic. For staunching the flow of blood from a bad cut in the field, say from your surprisingly sharp hatchet going into your left knee (it happens when you get lazy) yarrow can be very useful.  Simply crush up the leaves and place them beneath your bandage and over the cut.  If you can't get somewhere to get stitches quickly this could be VERY handy.  

For you hunters out there that want to reduce your scent while out trying to put food on the table make a tea from the yarrow plant and drink it while eating organic foods to flush impurities out of your system thereby making your sweat a little less potent.  But be sure to be careful and don't allow yourself to become dehydrated.  DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

Be sure you have safely and confidently identified any plant that you are going to use as an edible or medicinal! Yarrow can be confused with some herbaceous hemlocks.

Now that that has been said grab your favorite guide book and head for the door!

Common Useful Plants Profiles: Common Plantain

Common plantain (Plantago major)

The artwork for today's post is a pencil and watercolor original by JohnnyBurn.

This will hopefully be the first in a series on wild edible and medicinal plants that are commonly found in your yard.  It is important in bushcraft to keep your skills sharp, after all skills are what it's all about.  We can't always make it to the "real" wilderness as much as we would like so it's a good idea to practice when and where you can.  Back yards, city parks, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera are great places to get out in the evening after work with your family and do a little exploring, and that is what this series will hopefully encourage you to do.


The first plant in the series is Common plantain  (Plantago major).  It grows in disturbed areas and is a super easy edible/medicinal to identify.  It is also a non-native and invasive plant so you you shouldn't feel bad about eating every one you see.  Plantain is best eaten when the leaves are small in the spring.  They are edible all year, but they are more palatable early on. As the growing season progresses the leaves of plantain become bitter and the conspicuous "veins" on the plants leaves become pretty stringy. I would liken the taste of plantain to spinach.  


For it's medicinal value plantain works wonders on cuts and scrapes when antibiotic ointments are not available.  I have had great luck preventing some pretty nasty cuts from getting infected by applying chewed up plantain leaves to them.  One cut in particular required 7 stitches.  I was smart enough to remove the plantain leaves BEFORE I got to the E.R. though.  I'm sure some questions would have been raised.  


On a separate occasion I received two equal sized scratches from a thorn on a Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) and decided to do a little experiment.  I applied a chewed up plantain leaf to one scratch and held it in place with a bandanna, the other scratch I simply covered with a bandanna.  The scratch that I applied the plantain to did not become infected, heeled days sooner, and left no scar.  If you've ever gotten into Prickly ash you can attest to the fact that the scratches ALWAYS get infected (not gangrene mind you, but pink and warm to the touch). I know it's not the most scientific experiment, but it's good enough for me.


So, to make a short story long.  Get a good ID book head out the door and find Common plantain before it's covered with snow.  Let me know how your explorations go, and if you turn up any thing you had missed before!

Deer Camp 2010

THis is a video of the deer I took this year during Iowa's early muzzleloader season in October. The shot was made at about 25 yards with a .50 caliber flintlock Blue Ridge rifle firing a round ball pushed by 90 grains of Fffg black powder. The shot was a complete pass through, from one end of the buck to the other. Until this deer I had only gotten one other buck, and that was 20 years ago. The spot I was standing when I took this buck was less than 20 yards from where I took the first one. This spot is one of the best producing spots on the family farm. So much so that has earned the moniker "The Pooching Rock" because standing here almost makes it too easy.

Blog Re-post: Kit fever,healing from it,to honour the gone days of the Finnish woodsmen.

In the spirit of letting other great bloggers do my work for me I have gotten permission from Perkele to repost something from his blog that I read a while back and found to transcend international barriers.  I have been following Perkele's blog for awhile now, and I hope you will consider doing the same.


Again today i got to thinking about this never ending kit hoarding,and my struggle with it :)

Every time i see these old men,who have been relly living from the woods,from fauna and flora,by fishing,hunting and gathering,just to live,not for fun...i am ashamed of my self somehow. These gents,in most cases,havent ever been into "kit" stuff,like i have grown with em. Usually here,you see an old hunter,with worn,but clean simple wool & cotton clothing,pair of rubber- or leatherboots,an old pack with loads of stories in it. In their packs that sometimes look more like empty,youll most likely find an old beat-up coffee pot,a frying pan of some type,sometimes even a cast iron model. The following items are usually an old wood handled axe,maybe some saw,or just a saw blade,a pouch containing  some salt,sugar,tobacco and maybe some hard butter piece,alomg with piece of bread and a slice of pork meat. Hell be carrying a simple handmade puukko or just a plain cheap mora,and in some cases an compass in some pocket. And besides the kit,these old school heroes carry the most important things like will,strength,endurance and knowledge,that replace the need ( ? ) for heavy load of mostly non-vital gear.

This is something ive always,and now again, cant look bad at all.No sir,i can only admire and envy these old chaps,theyre never complaining,never whing about anything,except for their old ladies:). Juts a day ago i sat next to the fire,with this old man,who came there with his old dog,asked if he could sit there for a coffee and we got to talk about all sorts of things. I was fascinated about his stories,and his spirit,and i just couldnt stop feeling bit silly,wearing all my gear,and fancy outfit,although mine aint even close to modern or hi-tech by any means. He just sat there,talked slowly and stared at the fire,and his dog slept against his knee,till he had his cup empty and he said that he had to go his home,and he has to walk there cause his driving license was taken away due to poor eyes...though he still was hunting with success,legally.He packed up his few items,a pot and his cup,and off he went.

And i cant stop thinking about the "good" old days that he told me about.


I have recently started to get ridd off my gear,i have given,traded,sold something etc,and after that i feel like sick,and i realise its all because we men like to possess stuff just for the sake of it. But after day or two i feel quite happy about the fact that my shelves,boxes and packs are bit less heavy and less filled,and i realise that i.e. i have carried my trustworthy Sabre pack all this summer and fall,and i havent taken a lot out of it,nor havent i added much into it,except for occasional portion of food,filling water bottles,and a pouch filled with dry socks and such. The "kit" itself has been the same all the way and i trust it,it fills my needs more than well,for day hikes and even for two night-long trips as well.

But i am stripping it more in next few days,maybe ill be writing about it too.
Its a kit thing,yes,and for that i am truly sorry,but hey,atleast its about getting to bare bones,getting rid of unnecessary weight & worry :)

Like it says on my favourite sticker... "No School Like Old School"


Again I'd like to thank Perkele for letting me repost his work here.  I am working on some of my own posts at the moment so you will hear from me soon, but until then i think I'll continue promoting other bloggers.  

Guest Post by Oz; Bushcraft Inc

I'd like to welcome my good friend I've never actually met, Oz Muskratt, of Canadian Bushcraft fame to Midwest Bushcraft. Since my muse has apparently taken temporary leave of absence I have asked Oz to do a post for me, and here it is.... 

Now, I don't want to make this sound anti-Bushcraft Schools, because

well, that would be counter-productive to a person like me, being a

Bushcraft Instructor and all! And I am not against store-bought items,

or else I wouldn't be typing on a laptop, nor would I be the owner of

so many items that range from Bivy Bags to big fancy knives.

       However, I have noticed a steady increase in people in this business

increasing the prices of basic tools, because they have a Bushcrafty

theme to them. For instance, the Bushcraft-model Mora knives for the

most part are much pricier at a lot of stores (both in person and

online), than the regular models of Moras. Why? Yes the handles are

formed differently, but does that mean the knife must triple in price?

Personally and professionally I promote Mora knives because they are

able to be bought by anyone. I know a young lad just last week who

bought a Mora knife as his very first bushcraft knife. As well, Bahco

Laplander saws are (in most stores here in Canada) $50.00 or more. Yet

the Bahco Sandvik (really no difference at all except for handle

colour) is usually $30.00, and sometimes less!

Don't get me started on name brands. Oh fine, you started me. Ray

Mears' books, clothing, cookware are all very high-end and pricey.

Bear Gryllis isn't any different, and really no one in this business

that puts their name on a product is any different (Tom Brown Jr, Ron

Hood, myself, etc). This is a business now for many people, and the

best way to make the business run is to sell something. Whether that

be an extremely expensive course, or an extremely expensive knife is

no different. It is no longer just bushcraft, it is Bushcraft Inc.

Growing up, when I didn't have something, I wanted it badly. I would

save money up for the biggest, most pricey item for the woods I could

find, and than expect it to do everything for me, for so-and-so uses

one. Only by my mid-teens did I realize that it wasn't who endorses

the item, or how expensive the item is, but who uses it. I made my own

buckskin and wool clothes, made my own billy cans, and though I had a

nifty blacksmithed strike-a-light kit, I began to carry a hacksaw

blade with a chunk of quartz instead.

The point of bushcraft at one time was wilderness self reliance, but

now it has gained popularity and grown. As things grow, they become

more corporate. Ask Grunge Rock or anything else that claims to be

anti-establishment, and then suddenly becomes the big thing. People

will continue to sell knives and certain pieces of gear for

extraordinary prices, and courses will continue to be offered at

unheard of rates.

But do we have to give into it? Though I do like a really nice knife

or posh anorak, I have overtime returned to my mindset of

“do-it-yourself” for a great deal of gear. Do I expect to make

everything myself? No, but I remember that the further I pull away

from a corporate mindset, the more I gain an independent heart.

Bushcraft Inc. is not going away, but it doesn't have to rule us or

our decisions. Yes, I still have high-end gear. But now I partner it

with handmade kits, with grassroots knowledge.

Be smart about the marketing you see regarding certain outdoors gear.

Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's not. Read in between the lines

and make sure your money goes to something that is worth it. Make

Bushcraft Inc. work for you.

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks again to Oz for covering for me.  I look forward to the discussion this post will generate. I for one am in agreement with Oz.  Many of the products endorsed by bushcraft "celebrities" are way to expensive, and go against everything that I believe is important in bushcraft.  I would like to insert a disclaimer here though... I really like Ray Mears...

Mr. Harn's Paradox (and my response)

I just read a thought provoking post over at The Countryside Round blog of Casey Harn (who some of you may remember from Wandering Owl Outside fame).  Mr Harn's post raises an interesting question that I've rehashed a thousand times in different ways while getting my degrees in Conservation Social Science and Wilderness Management.  What is the best way to protect a resource?  Close it off from the public, or open it up and educate the public? 


As an environmental educator and blogger I feel some of the same struggles when doing my job, or writing for this blog.  As a naturalist I am supposed to tell children to stay on the trails, don't pick flowers, and leave the acorns, rock, leaves on the ground but I just can't do it.  Which does more harm to the resource?  Protecting it from the children?  Or fostering a curiosity about the resource by telling them to get off the trails, pick the flowers, take home the rocks, acorns and leaves.


I lean toward the former being more harmful in the long run because of how I was raised.  I am passionate about the outdoors because I was allowed (or rather encouraged) to fully explore the fields, streams, and woodlands and to immerse myself in nature.


Am I doing the wrong thing?  I know what I think.  I want to hear from you... (and be sure to let Mr. Harn know your thoughts at The Countryside Round too!)

Weather Predictions through Nature Observation

I don't believe I am the first person to have said it, but I often start off the hikes I lead by saying "The forest has a story to tell, if you are just willing to listen".  The story that the forest tells is very adeptly written and has a mind boggling cast of characters and countless subplots.  Today we are going to delve into one of those subplots, the weather.

I have been using nature to help me predict the weather ever since I was a boy bailing hay as a hired hand during the summer months.  More often than not the only way I would get a day off was if it rained.  Since I hated watching the news I needed another way to learn the likelihood of impending changes in the weather.  My Grandma Emma always used to say "If you see a Cardinal it will rain within a day".  I thought it sounded dubious, but i watched for cardinals regardless.  The amazing thing is that she appeared to be right!  Every time I saw a male cardinal it would usually rain within 24 hours.

Over the years as I have observed nature more acutely with the help of a barometer I have adapted my late Grandmothers folk weather prediction.  Whenever you hear a male Northern cardinal sing there will be a change in the weather;usually rain.  I know you are skeptical, everyone is when i tell them.  All I ask is that you observe it for yourself and get back to me.

Now I don't simply rely on the Northern cardinal for weather predictions when I'm in the field, I also look to the trees.  The two trees I rely most heavily on are the Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and the genus Oak (Quercus spp.).  As there is a change in the weather, or more specifically, a change in barometric pressure the leaves of the Silver maples and oaks will turn over showing their lighter colored undersides.  The reason for this is that the petioles (the stem that attaches the leaf to the tree) is thinner on one side than on the other.  This causes the petiole to stretch, or shrink at different rates with changes in barometric pressure which in turn "flips" the leaf to show it's underside.

It takes only a slight change in barometric pressure for the Silver maple to turn it leaves which I use as an early warning system.  Used in conjunction with the singing of the cardinal I can give myself advance warning of impending shifts in the weather.  Now if I look to up a little later and see that the oak leaves have turned over I K-N-O-W that I am in for a serious change and I should start to look for shelter.

Now I'd like to put this all in the context of a scenario:
I am out hiking on relatively calm, pleasantly warm summer day.  As I move down the trail I here a male cardinal start to sing his "What cheer! What cheer! What cheer!" song so I look for a Silver maple and notice the silvery green undersides of the leaves, I also note the the prevailing breeze is from the south.  An hour later I come upon an Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) on an upland and I can see that it's leaves are turned over too, and that the breeze has picked up and shifted to the north.  I decide to shorten my hike and head for the car.  As I am driving home the anvil shaped thunderheads are looming on the horizon bringing with them rain, wind, and lightning.

So to wrap it up. Does the singing of the male cardinal guarantee rain in 24 hours? No, but I'd say that it works close to 90% of the time for me (yes, that high).  Does the turning over of Silver maple a,d oak leaves always mean rain?  No, it does however mean a change in the weather (i.e.  It's hot and humid today, it will be cool and dryer tomorrow.  It's not raining now, it will be later.  It's been raining for two days, it will stop soon, etc...)

Of course there are other predictors of weather like if there is dew on the grass in the morning it won't rain that day, and I hope to visit these with you more in the future.  Until then get outside!