–Flaming Duck We’ve had a domestic (humanely raised, yada yada) duck in the freezer for a while. I come from a duck-hunting family and during the season we had wild duck every week. I’ve cooked plenty of wild ducks (500 degrees — let me know if you want my Mom’s recipe for roast duck), but never a domestic one. I set it up on the rotisserie rod on the Weber Genesis outdoor grill (which we use for everything of the meat persuasion), with a pan underneath to catch the fat. Things were going well, duck turning, fat dripping and I turned the grill up a bit, went out to the studio to do something, forgot the grill; when I got back, it was — shit! — smoking madly. Opened the cover and flames about 2 feet high were shooting up out of pan. Well, I’ll tell you, don’t throw water on a grease fire. Poom! Baking soda (a cooler head than mine prevailing) finally did the trick (in the pan after duck was removed). It put the fire out but ruined my plans for the duck fat. Duck fat donuts? Well, for sure, French fries. The duck turned out flavorful, like jerk chicken, the flames enhanced the flavor. The great chef.

Music del Momento The Turbans. I rediscovered them, hearing “When You Dance” on the radio. Just got CD The Best of the Turbans, and there are some stunning songs. This is what we were listening to in college (’55-57). This a 4-man vocal machine, with great arrangements, heavenly harmonies. An outrageous falsetto by Al Banks. Some of their songs are on Grooveshark here. (Skip all the tracks by “Hadji & the Turbans”). Check out “Congratulations,” Sister Sookey,” “All Of My Love…”

Tiny Homes On the Move Getting photos in from all parts of the world is slow going. Right now we’re trying to get large enough photo files on the Vaka Moana sailing canoes from the South Pacific. Three of these 66′ catamarans sailed into our bay here in 2011, and we’re doing the story of our local fishermen going out to visit them, and of their mission with the Pacific Ocean. They’re navigating by the stars.

   I’m also working on a story on The Moron Brothers, two good-ole-boy Kentucky bluegrass musicians who drift along the Kentucky River in a shantyboat, fishing, eating, telling jokes, and playing some really good bluegrass.

   This morning I just put together two pages on a 54 sq. ft. gypsy vardo with beautiful wooden interior; it’s on a trailer and can be moved at speeds up to 60mph.

   Right now we’ve done rough layout on about 40 nomadic units — on wheels or in the water. Slow moving, but the more days that pass, the better it gets.

The Half Acre Homestead I’m doing presentations on this subject at the Maker Faire in San Mateo this May and at the Mother Earth News Faire in Puyallup, Washington June 2nd. It will cover all the tools we’ve settled on after decades of building and raising and preparing food on a small piece of land. Also photos to give you ideas: kitchen setup, raised garden beds, bantam chickens, foraging, etc.

   You needn’t own a piece of land to utilize some of these tools or techniques. You may live in a city and want to grind your own grain and make your own bread, or carve a wooden spoon, or grow chives in a window box.

   These are tools for people wanting to use their own hands in crafts, or in providing some of their own food and/or shelter. Country, suburban, or urban. There are a lot of things you can do yourself.

   We’re working on URLs for each tool or technique, and we’ll post them on our website. If I really get organized, I’ll pass out cards at my talk with the our website URL and QR code.

  Lately I’ve been thinking of making this into a book. Right now I can’t see what form this one will take, but it should be smaller and cheaper than our color building books. Black & white? I’ve been looking at Sears and Wards catalogs from turn-of-century.

Music de Jour Marian Janes: “I Know a Good Time;” Magic Sam, “I Feel So Good.”

After doing the symposium at the Art Institute (Wednesday, 3/13), I took off for points north. I haven’t been up to my pal Louie’s for some time, but now with shouder recovered (partly) and new Honda Fit, I headed up Hwy. 101, then cut across to the Russian River, to Jenner, and up the coast. This vehicle is a wonder. Drives like a dream; nimble. Even good on country roads. And it’s like a clown car; you can get amazing amount of stuff in it. (You’re just going to have to bear with me when I rave about this car.)

  Now the next part of this story is for country people, OK?

Read More …

In November I got an email from Peter Meehan, who, along with David Chang, is co-editor of Lucky Peach, a quarterly foodie magazine published by McSweeney’s. They were doing an “apocalypse” issue and wondered if I had off-the-grid photos they could use.

   A few months later, Christine Boepple, an LA-based writer, came up and went through about 10,000 thumbnails (in binders) of my photos.

   Here’s the result, just out in the magazine. Kinda strange for me, having someone else do layout of my photos. I ended up liking what they did. The shelter stuff they chose is all pretty funky. Also pics of food from the wild and garden, preserves, roadkill furs, and kitchens from both our homestead and other places I’ve been.

   PDF of the 6-page article here.

Photo shows fruits in bowl, skinned pads (nopales) in plate. I was defeated by this plant a few years ago, just could not get stickers out, especially from skins of fruit. This time, with help from Nature’s Gardens — Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer, I got more serious. Used tongs to hold, scrubbed with stiff brush, used heavy duty potato peeler on pads. Still difficult, but was able to eat fruit without mouth punctured with stickers — nice mild sweet taste, lot of seeds —  and last night sauteed the pads along with garlic and onions, pretty good.

   Any one got tips on cleaning, eating? These are so abundant, at least  on the West Coast.