Another odd one, Hanging Pheasant

Recently ran across a different Blog about Hunting and found another long forgotten practice:

Hanging Pheasants, or for some Dry Aging Beef.

Basically once the bird is reduced to possession, it is left to err "age" until the tissue begins to break down (better known as rot slightly) in order to enhance the flavor of otherwise a nondescript version of Chicken.

I can recall reading about that practice in James Clavell's Shogun, but thought it was sort of created merely by a lack of refrigeration, apparently I was incorrect:


"

The great Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarindoesn’t give a timetable, but says, “the peak is reached when the pheasant begins to decompose; its aroma develops, and mixes with an oil which in order to form must undergo a certain amount of fermentation, just as the oil in coffee can only be drawn out by roasting it.” Sounds pretty hardcore.

Roy Wall wrote in 1945: “The flesh of either wild game or domesticated animals and fowl can certainly be improved by aging, but it is my opinion that there must be a limit to the aging process…aging in the open air for 10 days or a month, according to weather conditions, is, in my opinion, most beneficial to domestic and wild meat alike."

Hmm...well..mmkay...

As for the Alpha Strategy, right now prices seem to have stabilized, I would however point out that food producers sign contracts in advance, sometimes years in advance, with the decline in prices of commodities there will be less production of those commodities, meaning prices will rise sometime in early 2009.

Now the other thing to keep in mind is Government introduced scarcity, there are less then 50 days until the real possibility exists that items such as rifles and ammunition and magazines will increase in price even moreso then Alpha Strategists are seeing today, add in the real possiblity of precious metals becoming a safe haven until political leadership sorts out how much inflation they wish to introduce into the US and indeed World Economy...

A rarity, the lost art of Ferreting in the UK

I always found the idea of hunting with ferrets both intriguing and a bit distasteful, on one hand, they are no different then using hounds to hunt rabbits, on the other, they give a massive advantage to the hunter that uses them.

Anyhow, here is a interesting of one such hunt:

We pulled up in the farm yard and left the jeep at the same spot as we had yesterday. I pushed 3 cartridges into my gun and we put out game bags on over one shoulder and slowly crawled towards the gate. We slipped the guns through the gaps in the fence and picked a target. I picked two big fat rabbits sitting right next to each other. My grandad started the countdown, 3, 2, 1. We sent all of our shots at the rabbits and stood up while re-loading so we could get a better aim. we fired off another 2 rounds each and went to pick up our rabbits. We gutted them and left them to cool in the grass behind the jeep. we netted up all the holes, set the long nets and set some peg snares on the runs to catch any lucky escapees. I put Purdey and Kala into the first bury and Dodge and Stinker into the second while my grandad put 5 of his into one massive bury that went under a tree. We killed 16 in the first ten minutes after putting down the ferrets and another 47 in the next hour. My grandads ferrets sent out a pheasant and he shot it before I.."


Obviously, ferrets are dynamite game animals, these gents apparently had a source to purchase the excess rabbits they had bagged, and since Rabbits reproduce several times a year, no great pressure was put on the local populace.

Ferret hunting in the US is rare, in fact some MidWestern States had banned their use in the 40's and 50's, the ferret is just that effective...

Hard Times...Good Times pt II

The LA Times has a story about Children moving back in with their parents due to the Mortgage Collapse, on the whole, it's a fair story but perhaps overlooks just how common it was in American to have three generations under one roof.:

"...When adult children and parents are forced to live together, they typically experience a breakdown in what Coontz calls "the economy of gratitude." Family members notice only the inconveniences and ignore the nice things that they do for one another.

That doesn't have to happen, of course. Houses are larger now, so family members have more space and more chances for privacy. But beyond that, children and parents can peacefully coexist by approaching the new living arrangement as they would if they were taking on any roommate: Agree in advance on how to handle household purchases, cleaning and other responsibilities. Resolve the question of who is in charge and how the house is to be governed, and the situation may not seem so bad after all."

Now this is a somewhat fact of life, however Common Sense tells me that our lifestyle in the US, extreme self containment, is probably even less healthy, there is no need to learn Coping Skills like Patience and Tolerance of other's foibles.

The story does go on to point out this benefit:

"Hinkle had to think twice about living under the same roof as the son who had been her most problematic child.

"It's been surprisingly wonderful," she says. "He's calm and sensible, and I'm getting a level of contact with my kids and grandkids that has been more rewarding than I could ever have dreamed. Neither of us could have afforded to live here on our own."

Hinkle and her son talked about how they would divide the space and respect each other's privacy. She lives in the former garage, converted into a studio with its own entrance, and the kitchen is shared. When her door is closed, that means she's not to be bothered. No one is to assume that she will be the live-in babysitter.

For her part, Hinkle goes into other parts of the house only when invited.

"If it is getting tense, then I go into my room and close the door and work on e-mails or read," she says. "I know basically they are very good parents, and I made plenty of mistakes. They will make their own mistakes."

Now this in my view will be the "new" normal in the US for a couple of years, as the Economy rolls up tighter and tighter, people will retreat into what Institutions that remain, in this case, the Family, in times past, when one family member with a family of their own went through a Divorce or prolonged Unemployment/underemployment, the Family normally the Parents would offer to put them up "until they get back on their feet". Only in this case, I think we will see the rebirth of closer Family Unit that pools efforts to try and get ahead. There will be adult children who have to return to school to learn new skills, that will take time and humbleness to accomplish.

Rifle prices..in 1988..

With the current Rifle buying frenzy in the news, I think now would be a good time for some nostalgia courtesy of the July 1988 Shotgun News:

Sweidsh M-38 Carbine...90.00

Fr-7 .308 bolt action carbine...115.00

FN-49...126.00

Chinese (Norinco) Ak-47's...275.00

M1 Garand...299.00

M1A..w 4 magazines...325.00

AR15...325.00

Belgian FAL...595.00

Steyr AUG (w25 magazines)...870.00

Belgian paratrooper FAL's...875.00


The M1A is a real bargain, AR's start at 600 dollars these days, clearly if and when the Obama Administration bans military patterned rifles, today's prices will seem like a real bargain, other good items to buy in the current 60 day window are Full Capacity Magazines for handguns, as well as Rifles, and Ammunition, sooner or later, today's prices will seem quite cheap in comparison to even two years from now.

I can remember clearly the zoom upwards in prices after the 1994 ban, one month a magazine for a Glock cost 12 dollars, the next month...45 dollars...

It's Catching on in San Francisco...

San Francisco is a prosperous town, with the HQ's of several major corporations there, and a vibrant community type feel to it, this story comes as a surprise:



" The goodies in the pint jars and the carboys come from the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden, which the Worleys founded across the street. The fresh produce is a huge final delivery from a Community Supported Agriculture farm in Orange County, which they used all summer. Packed in sand and stored at 55 degrees, the potatoes should keep at least until the New Year. The squash could still be palatable on Groundhog Day, and the onions should survive till spring. Cynthia Worley, who counsels and teaches adults for the New York City Department of Education, and Haja Worley, a neighborhood organizer and radio engineer, will let their basement-deprived friends store vegetables, too"

Middle America apparently does not like the smell of what is coming down the river and at least some folks are taking steps to prepare, though it should be noted, a Community Garden is at best a supplement, scores of people trying to make do off of a couple of acres food plot is not tennable.

What surprises me is the attitude to what once was thought simple prudence on the part of "Joe and Jane Average" in America:

Root cellars have long been the province of Midwestern grandmothers, back-to-the-landers and committed survivalists. But given the nation's budding romance with locally produced food, they also appeal to the backyard gardener, who may have a fruit tree that drops a bigger bounty every year while the refrigerator remains the same size

So the article sort of casts stones at self sufficiency, yet goes on to offer advice:

People who squirrel away vegetables tend to be resourceful, and they do not limit themselves to the subterranean. Anna Barnes, who runs a small media company and coordinates the Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture in Champaign, Ill., says squash hung in a pair of knotted pantyhose stay unspoiled longer than others.


This is a typical American reaction in my view, disparage, "only nutcases or grannies do that" to offering advice on how to do what they just disparaged.

The real problem is, if one is laid off or out of work, and has a family, grown food will not be enough, 365 days x 3 meals a day, and you will run out of pantyhoused squash before you run out of dinner to prepare.

Hard times....good times?

Ahh, Mr. Obama won the election, the Fed could care less as the pump trillions of dollars out of nothing but thin air, and the bailout was a massive bait and switch...

Gas is down to 2.30 or so a gallon and it looks like hard times will sweep across the US and the Globe over the next few years...Nice...thank you Wizards of Smart!

Anywho, being the optimistic American that I am, I have to wonder if such a contraction will bring families closer together and perhaps still some of the foolish bickering that goes on during fat times, there is nothing like being the lifeboat to silence the squabbles. Such a renewed comittment to core values can only be a good thing.

To me, this is also to hone some skills and perhaps learn new ones, as our new found sincerety begins to take root, perhaps people will relearn some of the habits that made America successful in the first place, things like Frugality, Thrift, Work, Family, these are the things that make America livable.

As for the Alpha Strategy, a vignette:

A close friend, who is also a Strategist, lost his sole source of income, his rent is fairly cheap, and includes utilities and internet access, his larder is quite deep, and slowly he has been drawing down on his supplies to keep himself afloat during these times.

If he had purchased Stocks, or even Metals instead of stockpiling goods, he would face selling expensively purchased assets at a discount due to market downturns.

This worked well for him, and he also does not have to bother with tax paperwork, or the upcoming boom in Global Inflation that is on the horizon, buy now, store here, pay less down the road...works everytime it is tried..

Iceland going through Alpha Strategy Blues in currency meltdown

Iceland always seemed like a wonderful place tucked into the middle of the N Atlantic, the people are friendly and until recently, life was cheap.

With an isolated location, and little food production capacity, our Icelandic Neighbors are no confronting empty store shelves and little food to purchase with a no worthless currency.

Alpha Strategy is relatively cheap to pursue while times are good, a family of four needs 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for at least 365 days, or 4,300 meals at about 2 pds of food per meal, give or take, or 8,000 pds of food or 160 bags of Beans and Corn or what have you.

Depending on how much your family consumes and how much food can be acquired via fishing or hunting or domestic production....

Icelanders, whose per capita gross domestic product is the fifth highest in the world, according to the United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Index, will have to tighten their belts.

Shoppers are paying more for the goods they do get. The cost of fruits and vegetables, nearly all of which are imported, have gone up about 50 percent in recent months, said Steinunn Kristinsdottir, a 33-year-old Reykjavik resident who was leaving the Bonus store with her cart full.

``This situation really has been a bit troubling for people,'' she said. ``They don't know what's going to happen.