Quote of the Month
 October is nature's funeral month. Nature glories in death more than in life. The month of departure is more beautiful than the month of coming - October than May. Every green thing loves to die in bright colors."
- Henry Ward Beecher
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Fire-Making Tips
by Kate Jones, Sticks & Stones Communications Assistant
What is the secret to the success of a one-match fire, or better yet, a friction-fire coal fire?
Once you have your little flame or coal, what is an almost fail-proof element of fire-building that will nurture your spark into the warming blaze or cooking fire you so desire on these chilly fall days?
a) making a wish/crossing your fingers
b) gasoline, or a handy pocket blow torch
c) tipi-structure advanced preparation
d) a large wad of paper or birch bark fuel
e) Sticks & Stones intern David Wilson
Although any of these responses might aid in building your fire, only one of them by itself is enough...
Preparing a Tipi Structure in Advance will save you from scrambling around with your tinder bundle trying to feed the flame "one bite at a time." A well-prepared fire structure looks much like a tipi, and is built up of sticks, twigs, and other natural fuel of varying sizes. Here are some general guidelines:
1. Build your tipi structure with the smallest pieces of wood (i.e., twigs with a diameter the size of a pencil lead) in the centre, gradually getting larger as you move outwards.
2. Have larger fuel already gathered, waiting to add once the fire gets going.
3. Leave a "door" into which you can place your tinder bundle (which is your smallest fuel of all-- birch bark, cedar bark scrapings, dry leaves and grass, etc.)
4. Once you have flame in your hand, place it inside the structure, close up the door, and let nature take its course.
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What's Happening at Sticks & Stones:
Since the Empowering Ancient Ways course, that was held here at Sticks and Stones back in early September, we have been busy preparing for the numerous workshops and programs that we will be held here in the coming months. This past weekend, the 7th Headwaters Gathering was held at Sticks and Stones Wilderness School. Keep on reading to find out more about what a wonderful weekend it was.
Click on the links below to learn more about our Upcoming Classes:
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Sticks & Stones and HERBS!
Red Raspberry Leaves
by Kate Jones, Sticks & Stones Communications Assistant
It seems there are a lot of pregnant ladies in the Sticks & Stones community these days! 'T'is the season... Skeet and I are among the expecting, and can't wait to hunker down this winter, get snowed in for a few weeks with our newborn "papoose." With less than 2 months now until the big day, we have plenty to think about and prepare for. One thing I've been consistently doing is drinking an infusion of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaves and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) leaves. Nettle has been featured in a previous newsletter as one of the greatest wild edibles/mild medicinals of all time, being very high in iron, protien, calcium, and a host of minerals and other nutrients. So let us place the focus of this article on Red Raspberry. Known as an excellent uterine tonic, this plant is highly beneficial to pregnant ladies' bodies' preparation for a healthy labour, as it relaxes the uterus and strengthens its walls. In combination with peppermint, it helps to relieve morning sickness. And if you're not pregnant at the moment, red raspberry can also be helpful if you have difficult menstruation, reducing menstrual cramps and bleeding. It promotes the health of nails, bones, teeth, and skin as well. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, calcium, iron and magnesium.
1 cup dried raspberry leaves 1 cup dried nettle leaves (dried herbs allow for the easier extraction of nutrients, as the cell walls of the plant are more easily broken down) Place the herbs in a pre-heated mason jar (1-1.5L) or coffee bodem. Add boiling water, stir so that plant material all gets wet, and cover for the night. Drink at least 3 cups daily, especially in the final trimester of pregnancy. Or, for menstruation, drink the day before your period begins, or as soon as you feel symptoms coming on. Continue drinking throughout the duration of when your symptoms normally last.
I like to make an infusion each night, which I drink throughout the following day: |
Story of Integration- Headwaters Earth Skills Gathering, Fall 2010
by Mike Peters, Sticks & Stones Intern
This past weekend, the Greater Headwaters community hosted the biannual Headwaters Gathering, which happens every spring and fall. The gathering is a community event where families and friends from Southern Ontario and beyond come together to celebrate the seasons, share skills, stories, as well as goods and services at the renowned trading blanket. The gathering started out as a group of friends getting together to practice traditional, earth-based skills. As those friends have grown to create organizations that teach those skills (like Sticks and Stones Wilderness School, Earth Tracks, The P.I.N.E. Project and Earth Mentorship Programs), the event has evolved into a regional festivity where members of the greater community and travelers from even further connect to expand their earth wisdom. An important emphasis of the gathering is that it's community-run, with everyone participating as a volunteer to look after the group's needs. There's a goal of stewardship and the group takes it upon themselves to leave the land better than when they got there through individual acts of care taking and a project for the land. If you're interested in community and nature connection it's an event you don't want to miss.
The first fire of the weekend was lit by a group friction fire effort. It blazed strongly for the rest of the weekend to keep the October chill out of everyone's bones as well as to welcome newcomers.
Workshops were led by many members of this community who wanted to share their skills and knowledge. Topics included fire by friction and coal-burned bowls, how to make your own bucksaws and knives (led by Doug Getgood who runs the Toronto Survivalism meetup group), a plant walk, an edible mushroom walk, archery and arrow making, casual flintknapping, traditional cooking and preserving, birch bark baskets, and a children's program led by The P.I.N.E. Project. Everything flowed very smoothly and it's amazing how much easier things are with efforts evenly divided.
For more details about the event, visit our blog. |
Headwaters Community
by Sue Steffes, Sticks & Stones Assistant Director
Tracking Club
Join us for a day of exploring the natural mysteries of our local ecosystems through tracking and wilderness awareness skills. Our meetings are open to anyone of any age.
The next meeting date is yet to be determined.
Headwaters Gathering
As described above, traditional & ancient earth-based skills gathering, people of all ages and experience converge for a weekend of workshops, story telling, trading goods, sharing knowledge, stewardship projects and celebrating life. It's a wonderful place to gather and reconnect with each other, the earth and the natural world.
Link: http://www.earthmentorship.com/Headwaters/index.html
Next Meeting: Spring 2011
Where: Kimbercote Farm, Kimberly, ON
Stewardship
If you have a stewardship project in mind or have access to land that is need of rehabilitation, please feel free to contact us, we'd love to talk with you about it.
Community News - October Events
The P.I.N.E.Project will be holding the following workshops in Toronto: Acorn Processing - October 16, 2010 Gathering Baskets - October 17, 2010 Making Medicine- October 22-24, 2010
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