Common Hazel (Corylus Avellana)

Common Hazel

Plant Type: Shrub   

Typical Height: 91cm-2.44meters (3-8 feet) (possibly as much as 15 feet/4.57meters). 

Hazel Leaves

 Leaf Description: Deciduous. Rounded, Slightly Jagged edges, 6-12cm (2.4-4.7 inches) long and accross, Pale yellowish-Green/mid to dark green.

Male Hazel Catkin

Visible Catkins: Male; Yellow, 5-12cm (2-4.7 inches) long. Female; Only visible parts are the bright red, 1-3mm (0.04-0.12 inches) long style, the rest being hidden in the buds.

Hazel nuts in involucre

Fruit & buds: Fruit; The most well known part of the common hazel is the fruit, which is a nut. Spherical-oval in shape. 15-20mm (0.59-0.79 inches) long, 12-20mm (0.47-0.79 inches) wide. Yellowish brown with a paler "scar" at the base. Covered about 3/4 by a leafy hust (involucre) until ripe, at which point it falls out. Season - Early autumn. Buds; Green, fat and oval.


 Wood&Bark:  Young stems; Bronze colour and may show signs of peeling. Mature stems; Pale brown, shallow ridged.

Hazel Nut

Other: Hazel is a brilliant plant to be able to identify as it is found throughout Europe and Western Asia. The nuts are packed to the brim with all sorts of nutrition. They're excellent as snacks or included in a dish for desert or main meal. And of course I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't mention Nutella. The one thing that I always rave about is that nature has managed to pack so much into this one small nut. Not only is it full to the edges with protein, vitamines, minerals, fats (good ones), and carbohydrates, but it tastes fantastic. Just bare in mind that children shouldn't have too many of the uncooked ones (due to digestion). That said they're much better roasted than raw anyway. I recommend roasting them on a proper fire rather than in an oven. The flavour is much better that way.

The wood is also fantastically useful. Throughout history it has been used for copacing and as a traditional field boundries in lowland Britain. Due to the ease of copacing Hazel has always been an important scourse of wood, often used in the construction of wattle and daube buildings. The flexibility of the wood has also ment that it has been used throughout history, up to today, to make funature, baskets and divining sticks. It's also a reliable and excellent scource of firewood and thatching material.

 

Shell-less Hazel Nut

Finally there's also a long history of traditions where Hazel has been considered to be magical. A fantastic and prised wood for wands and water-divining and a rod of Hazel is supposed to ward off evil.

Not all food costs, you just have to know where and when to look and what to look for.

My New Playground

Okay, so, anyone that knows me knows my obsession with woodlands. Since I moved to where I am now (over a year ago) I've been searching for one in the area to play around in. Okay it's a little hard to get to but beggars can't be choosers.

On talking to my good friend Paddy Mad Mac (who I hope to be able to persaude to do a guest post at some point) we've agreed that it constitutes somewhere between a 4* and a 5* woods. Basically, to us, this means that it has everything we need to survive there, barring one or two things and with a little bit more work than in a 5*. So I'm pretty pleased. I'll try and get a video of us both demonstrating some stuff there if I can get him to come up and visit.

Till then, enjoy my first video (ever). 

Food For Storing: Bear's Top Tips

Whether your preparing your bunker to avoid your mother-in-law, your home for the upcomming zombie apocalypse, making sure you're covered for 2012 or just ensuring you can survive some unknown future event then arguably the most important thing on your survival checklist after shelter and water is food. It's all well and good assuming you're covered on your weekly/bi-weekly/monthly shop but we don't know how long these events will last. So rather than doing what a lot of survivalist do and say "You should do everything I do or you'll die", I'm just going to mention a few things for your consideration. What follows is a list of foods that will sustain you through the oncomming trauma and, on top of this, will last a long time. Remember, not all products are created equal so unless I say otherwise then please make sure you know how long your own items will keep. There's nothing worse than trying to survive food poisoning, even without the zombies trying to break down your door. Even if you do overcome the food poisoning you'll still be left with suspision about the quality of the rest of your stocks, as well as any other food and you'll have a lingering damper to your moral.

Now, for my money, the BEST, bar none, survival food for, particularly for storage, is Honey. Honey, as well as being packed with callories and tasting great, has been proven to have some amazing properties. It is anti-septic and (correct me if I'm wrong) it is also anti-inflamatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. The medical profession has started using honey in bandages, plasters (band-aids) and dressings. There are records of honey having been found in ancient Egytian tombs which is still edible. It is believed that honey does not have an expiary date so feel free to disregard any that is printed on the jar/bottle/whatever. I always do.

Another survival food I can't say enough about is proper jerky. So long as you can keep it dry it lasts for a very long time and what's more, espesially if it's made traditionally, it's damn nice too. Jerky can be used in home-made soups or pre-made/powdered soups and dry and flavoured noodles. Contrary to what some people think, jerky does not remain tough and chewy when used in this way. On the contrary, it becomes the most tender meat you've ever had. I would advise looking around online for "how to"s on jerky making and perhaps try a little experimenting on your own. Be aware that jerky is meat and, though it has a long shelf-life, can still go off.

Another fantastic use for jerky is to pulverise it (or blend it for a quick fix) into a powdery form and using it to make a survival wonderfood. Pemmican. There's more recipes and instructionals on how to make pemmican than I'd care to mention so have a look around and see what you like best. I've seen pemmican eaten in about 2005 that was left over from the Vietnam war so it lasts if you pack it right, however I'd be careful as it is still meat based.

Tinned goods are another excellent addition to any survival cupboard. Anything like luncheon meat (spam) or tinned fruits and soups tend to have an insanely long shelf life and so long as you keep a list of when what things needs replacing and provided you keep an eye on your stash list to make sure you can replace things before their wasted, these can be life saving resources. NOTE: tinned fish has considerably shorted life span than most other tinned food.

Another invaluable supply, not to mention one of the longest lasting, is dry and powdered foods. Rice, pasta, couscous, Quioa, barley, instant (ramen) noodles, powdered soups and even custard powder are all great to stock up on. Espesially the custard and the grains. They can last for ages and are full to the brim with energy giving carbs.

Last but not least on Bear's Top Tips on Food For Storing is: Army Rations. This is a sort of pricey option. There's loads out there with more variety than you can shake a spork at. Deasigned to sustain soldiers in battle and often keep for 25+ years. I'd say these are probably the best things you can get to store away for that personal or family survival plan.

Now remember, these are just tips. If you or anyone you're stocking up for have any alergies or other concern factors then please don't ignore them on a basis of "Bear said we need this." I for one will only be stocking one or 2 peoples worth of honey as it tends to make my fiancee throw-up and her gran has digestive complaints. Remember the 2 biggest principals of survival: KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple) and SIS (Sense Is Surviving).

Have fun and good luck with your Mother-in-law/Zombie Invasion/2012 preparation.

EDC - What Do I Need?

As I said the last time I brought up the subject of Every Day Carry (EDC), it is one of the most important parts of modern day survival. Knowing what you have in your pockets can be more than just a case of "Oh my God, My bus has suddenly overturned somewhere uninhabited. Luckily I have the right stuff with me to get everyone out of here and help us all survive." EDC can be so much more than making sure you have the means to survive the life threatening situation that's waiting round the corner. It can be the difference between you getting that girl/guy's number and going home alone, getting that promotion and staying in a rut, even getting a job and remaining on the dole.

Now the Biggest problem with EDC is working out what is common "Every Day". It's all well and good saying "I'll carry this, this and this because I use it at work and I'll carry these because I use them on the weekend/holidays/etc..." but in effect you are then just carrying weight you don't need. My advice is to have sets of Carry Items (CI) that top off a general EDC. So the EDC becomes exactly that. The things you will carry EVERY day.

Now you'd know what CI sets you'd need better than I would, so I'm going to leave it up to your common sense to work out what you put in what sets. I'm just going to outline my personal choice for the base EDC. This is my personal preference only and you shouldn't feel that you have to have exactly what I have because you read it on the internet. This is just what I carry as a base for every day, that I top off with other things I need. Everybody is different so what works well for me may not work for others. I can only advise.

My EDC Recomendations:

1) Arguably the most important part of any survival kit or EDC is a knife. When chooseing a knife for EDC please make yourself as aware as possible of your areas laws on knife carrying. I would urge you to stay within the letter of the law as much as possible. Not always easy, I know, but it is a big part of surviving in the modern world. If you can't carry a knife at all, don't. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to carry a knife, or anything for that matter, which is illegal in your area please consider what other options you have and if after all you absoloutely cannot avoid it, make sure it's well hidden and that you have a VERY good excuse. For info and advice on knife laws and what to carry please see my EDC Knife Considerations post. Also, I'm sure I don't need to say this but it's for my own safety, if you are likely to be going anywhere where carrying a knife is likely to get you in trouble (e.g. courthouse, airport, etc...) just don't. A knife is important but it's not that important.

 2) In my opinion the second most important thing in any survival kit or EDC is a means of lighting fire. Obviousley the best thing for this in an EDC is going to be a lighter. A cheep one will do. You can carry a ferro-rod if you want but it's just going to take up more room. If you're like me you'll have plenty of room but it's always advisable to keep as much room as possible when you start out your day as you never know what you might need it for. That's my way of thinking at least. Even if you don't smoke it's a good idea to carry a lighter or matches. You never know when you'll meet someone who does smoke or find out someone you know does. You never know what else you might need it for. Imagine your boss walks out of whatever building you work at and can't get their lighter to work. You offer them yours and they remember you a little later around promotion or bonus time. Or you come home to find your partner/significant other/etc.. trying to set a romantic dinner for you but they're struggling with lighting the candles. You whip out your lighter, light the candles and then give them a smile and a cuddle and you've just scored yourself some major brownie points.

3) Personally, I'd say you should carry a small torch. It could come in handy in a black out, walking home at night or even just as a handy way to carry spare batteries. The one I carry is a fairly good little Aluminium cased LED. I got it for £1 in Poundland. A good thing to keep in mind with anything you buy for equipment or...well anything, is that there's no use in shelling out for the best if you're going to baby it and never use it. There's usually a cheep alternative that works almost if not just as well as the pricey one and you'll be more likely to use it.


4) A little extra padding. Even in summer it's a good rule of thumb to carry something with you that's going to keep you comfortable if the weather gets worse. I always carry a decent coat with me, even if I'm boiling. It just makes sense to me.


5) A wallet or simillar. It's generally safe to have all of your cards, etc... in one place. It's also a good idea to put a card with some of your details in there too. the basicas are: Name (ideally forename and surname), D.O.B (I look older than I am and sommetimes this can make a difference in an emergency), Emergency contact details (this should ideally be a phone-number and the name of whoever's phone it is. Addresses can be ok but if you're out and you get your pocket picked then they know where you live and they know that you're out), if you know it then put your blood type (this can save time which in turn saves lives) and finally put any other information that would need to be known as soon as possible i.e. any health problems or allergies.


6) If you've got it (I know I usually don't) money. Ideally in a different pocket to the wallet and prefferably in a few different places. It's just sensible.


7) Your necessary CI.


Well that's all for now. Any questions just comment bellow or send me an email via my "contact me" button and I'll be happy to get back to you.

Government Scraps Forest Desecration

For all of us who helped in the fight against the governments plans to privatise Britains forests there is good news. The Government has anounced that the plans are being scrapped. I think this is a time to celebrate. Good work everyone.

For more information see this article

38 Degrees | Save Our Forests

38 Degrees | Save Our Forests

From the pettition info:

"The government is planning a massive sell off of our national forests. They could be auctioned and fenced off, run down, logged or turned into golf courses and holiday villages.

We can't let that happen. We need to stop these plans. National treasures like the The Forest of Dean, Sherwood Forest and The New Forest could be sold off. Once they are gone, they will be lost forever.

A huge petition will force the government to rethink its plans. If we can prove how strongly the public are against this, they will have to back down. Please sign the petition now."

As soon as this came to my attention I signed. If you're reading this now, please sign it also. I'll beg if you want me to. I just don't want to have children a few years from now and have them look up and ask me "Daddy, what were forests?"

EDC Knife Considerations

EDC (Every Day Carry) is a big thing for most people when considering survival plans and living in the modern world. As everyone knows a good knife is the most important tool of general survival. The problem lies in balancing what knife to carry as part of your EDC and the laws on what knives the law permits you to carry whilst trying to keep it as effective as possible.

If it were up to me I would walk around with my trust Mora 840 on my belt but that's just not legal. I live in the uk where the knife laws are some of the strictest anywhere. This means that my choices are limited to a non-locking, folding knife with a blade of less than 3". So that's my dilemma. Easily solved by 3 words. Friction Folding Knife. Obviously the easiest (and most likely cheepest) of these is the Svord Peasant. Funding permitting I would like to get my hands on one some time soon to review myself so until then my EDC is a simple, cheep yet effective swiss army knife.

American knife laws regarding EDC is a bit more difficult as there is more to balance. There's the universal laws banning interstate trade (and I believe carrying) of switch-blade and gravity aided opening knives. Add to this the Federal, State and County laws and you've got yourself a bit of a jumble which causes the question of "Which knife am I allowed to carry where I am?" The simple way to get around this is a sort of universal guidline (so I've been led to believe): A folding knife which takes no less than 3 actions to make it usable. Which says to me that just about any folding knife stuck in a sheath and dropped in your pocket is fine. So take your pick.

Other restrictions to consider wherever you are is any place which has a high than average security need such as a government building, a courthouse or an airport. Needless to say, if you try to carry a knife into any of  these places you should expect to lose said knife at the very least and depending on what type of building, where you are and the mood of the person who finds the knife you may be in for an uncomfortable period of time following the search. In short, if you're likely to be going into any of these places, leave the knife at home or in your car.

I would like to emphasize caution when it comes to carrying a knife no matter where you are or how relaxed the laws and I would always advise you to try to err on the side of the law.

For more information on English Knife laws see this site.

For more information on US Knife laws and which knife laws are specific to your state see this site.

If you would like me to post any links about knife laws in your country if you live outside of England and the US then please feel free to ask in the comments or send me an email via my "Contact Me" section.