The “Plan” #3: A Brief Update

So, Summer is winding down. Granted, if you’re in North Carolina, Summer runs until about December some years and October others, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, the seasonal change is coming sooner than later, and we’re going to drift in Autumn. This is (sort of) what I’ve been waiting for. Being a teacher, Autumn means back to work…though I swear to Christ they keep cutting our break shorter every year.

See, here’s the thing about Summer, at least as I’ve learned in my limited experience: Summer is tough. That’s aside from the flooding we’ve been dealing with over the past few weeks.  Mostly, I’ve to realize this was a hard time to really invest myself into this idea, because it seems like everything is centered around the cooler temperatures of Spring and Fall. I know that’s probably only partially true, as I’m coming from a VERY limited knowledge base in approaching this, but it’s making a bit on the difficult side.

More importantly, the change of season, particularly into the Autumn months, means that new options are going to be opening up for my “I’m sick and tired of the grocery store” self-challenge of food self-reliance. Fishing patterns are going to change, with a lot of species coming into shallow water to fatten up before winter and as a response to the changing water temperatures. Hunting season, at least for small game, will be kicking up soon. Fall harvest and planting is coming up.

These are all good things, and they’ll let me kick this game up just a notch. As such, the plan doth continue.

Here’s a few things I discovered:

• Found out I have Reishi mushrooms growing in my back yard of all places. Sadly, they are a little past their prime, but knowing they are there is cool. Gives me something to look into and read up on over the winter until they come back.
• As far as fishing goes, I’ve managed to put about…six pounds of fish in the freezer. Most of it’s panfish. There’d be more, but alas my kid and I are a sucker for a fish fry. Granted, fishing is like anything, the more you learn, the more you realize you still have a lot to learn and I’m learning a lot. This is especially true about processing the fish after the catch and how to catch different species.
• I’ve also learned that Fry has an innate ability to know when I’ve got my hand, as I put it “Up a fish’s ass”, and she tends to call or text right around those times so we can talk podcast biz.

Here’s where things are going:

• I’ve managed to squirrel a bit of real estate aside for a small garden plot, mostly thanks to my younger brother. Few plants will (hopefully) go in this weekend.
• I’m still working out the kinks in trapping Crayfish, but there’s going to be a boil before the weather changes if it kills me.
• Pretty soon, I’m going to do a foraging/ scouting trip to the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness Area. Mostly looking for a spot to hunt some small game, but I’ve also been reading about the “Foolproof Four” mushrooms and may give tracking some down a shot.
  • Side note: There is no such thing as a foolproof mushroom, though these are easier to identify than most. Best way to tell if a mushroom is poisonous, give it to a friend to try. (Don’t, seriously. It’s a joke.)
• I’m gonna need more recipes. Frying everything is bad. Rather, it tastes heavenly, but it’s horrible for me.

I think that sums it up for this little update. Any questions? Comments? Death threats? Suggestions?

You know what to do.

Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.

Donovan