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Lukkas
Lukkas
9 years ago

Can somebody tell me why the sweet Hard Cider seems to be so reviled in certain circles?

Derek M
9 years ago
Reply to  Lukkas

I’m actually surprised at the amount of anti-sweet-cider comments. Yes, even Angry Orchard can be refreshing and enjoyable at times! Sometimes you just want a sweet alcoholic drink, sometimes you want something more like a gin or a nice whiskey… There’s nothing wrong with either. It’s a personal taste thing, imho.

Lukkas
Lukkas
9 years ago
Reply to  Derek M

This is what I was actually asking, I just used a somewhat obscure word while doing so.

I was wondering WHY people talk down on the sweet ciders.

Kate
Kate
9 years ago
Reply to  Derek M

I so agree with Jack here. I think the thing that makes me angry about Insipid Orchards is that tastes like soda with alcohol in it. No character, no authenticity. Another industrialized processed food (drink). I had to laugh though when I saw a knock-off called “Wicked Grove.”

Alex Shrugged
Alex Shrugged
9 years ago

Regarding the role of education for the future… the most important thing to learn is HOW TO LEARN.

Ask yourself this question… in 1988, how would you have incorporated the invention of the iPhone (2007) and iPad (2010) into your curriculum so that the Millennial Generation would be fully prepared for their future?

OK… now answer this question… TODAY, how would you incorporate a totally unknown teaching device and unthinkable resource into your educational curriculum so that the upcoming generation will be prepared?

You have 10 minutes to answer this question. Use black ink only. 8 1/2 x 11 lined paper. Spelling counts.

The point is that you couldn’t do that… not over a 12 year span. No one could. So you teach your students how to find things out on their own and figure it out on their own because THAT is what they will have to do.

When I was college age I was in an auto accident and was injured sufficiently that I could no longer perform my job in construction. The insurance company offered to retrain me in something else. I chose computer programming so the insurance company came up with recommendations on what to study based on the current job market… essentially programming in COBOL. I told them to stick it. I counter-offered that they pay for the rest of my college education (which cost them less money) and I’d find my own job.

I didn’t need to learn an out-moded computer language that I could have learned in a day on my own. I needed to learn how to be flexible. That meant a college education in modern computer languages. There were fewer jobs available in that field, but they paid one heck of a lot MORE because it was also difficult to find good people to fill those positions. I knew I’d be good at it.

BTW, I did see a hilarious ad when researching what to do. It was for an Ada Programmer. It said, “Must have 10 years experience.” I laughed my backside off. At the time, Ada had been out for less than 5 years.

Things change in unexpected ways. Plan for it.

Alex Shrugged

Richard
Richard
9 years ago

I interact with a large number of younger people through my church. I have shared the free code camp with my pastor and a few families that have teenagers. I think it will be very useful in the future. Also, I agree with Alex Shrugged, the key is learning how to learn.

Jesse
Jesse
9 years ago

Hi Jack, is making cider the same process as the mead? Just use Apple juice instead of water? How long until it would be ready? Thanks!

Michael Jordan "The bee Whisperer

Hey Jack. If You can not find a Video let me know on the mead. i will make one.

Karim
Karim
9 years ago

Well, after thinking about it.. I am probably looking for justification to buy a lever gun. Not like I don’t have adequate firearms already 😛

I’ll probably just spend the money on good binoculars instead

Conrad
Conrad
9 years ago

I didn’t see the ‘We fear change’ link, so am not sure what that quote was from. At a guess, I’d say ‘I Robot’ though.

Sokota
Sokota
9 years ago

Thanks for a LOOONNNNGG show Jack. Feels like it has been a while, I miss long shows like these!

Adrian the nerd
Adrian the nerd
9 years ago

I made a few batches of hard cider with what I believe must be the simplest possible procedure. I got a few three piece airlocks (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E60G2W), some wine yeast (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TOEEFG), and a few half gallons of apple juice from Trader Joe’s (http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fearless-flyer/uploads/article-940/74685-organic-filtered-apple-juice.png).

The commercial apple juice is of course already pasteurized/sterile, so I just crack open the top, dump in some yeast, and throw the airlock on top. So I’m just fermenting it in the bottle it comes in. After the yeast had done its thing I racked the cider out to a temporary container, rinsed out the jug it came in from the store to clean out the yeast crud, and then poured the cider back into that jug to store in the fridge. I’m avoiding carbs so I like it flat and dry just like that, and I don’t bother trying to bottle it with additional sugar for carbonation. The wine yeast can survive a high alcohol percentage so it seems to eat up all of the sugar in the juice.

Adam
Adam
9 years ago

We are having a rise of coyotes in my area, as long as we keep the fences up, they will leave the chickens alone, but the red foxes will come in during the day and snatch chickens that have flown over the fence. If we keep the dog out and let him wander the field edges when he is out marking his territory it helps keep them away. The plan in a couple of livestock guardian dogs that primary job will be livestock/exterior security where as the current dogs job is personal/interior security. Our coyotes are packed up and during a full moon you will hear 1-2 packs howling in our area. Come winter time the predator hunting is going to become the outdoor activity of choice.

Adam
Adam
9 years ago

I used some walmart apple juice in the same type of bottles you are talking about and I didn’t like the hard cider that I got out of them. It was no where near as good as the cider I normally make with locally pressed cider. I too prefer the dry cider, not the sweet stuff that so many places sell.

Mike centex
Mike centex
9 years ago

Great show today! Re; group land purchase, since the 90s, I’ve developed several large rural tracts into acreage subdivisions. The last approach Jack described has been the most successful. If you can assemble your like minded neighbors, locate a suitable rural tract in an unincorporated area, agree on a set of restrictions that prohibit the most obvious nuisances, you can have the seller record the deed restrictions, get the tract split with new survey and close your buyers simultaneously. I’d recommend a parcel with enough public road frontage for each parcel, to avoid easements and access issues. My comments apply to my experience in TX, other states may be different. Check with the county as to minimum frontage requirements. Also make sure your friends understand well and septic costs. you can also record first right of refusal agreements for all tracts that could give the owners 1st option to purchase if someone sells. This approach isn’t perfect but it’s financially feasible and avoids any POA nonsense. Just know that if someone violates the covenants the only recourse is at the court house.

Kate
Kate
9 years ago

Hi, Jack – Can you briefly outline your exact procedure for making the 1-gallon cider?

Evelyn
Evelyn
9 years ago

Jack, great podcast. I’m looking forward to the basic training for preparedness.

I have used dried Nettle’s as an additive for Mead, to help the yeast have enough energy to ferment the honey. Another very good yeast nutrition is dandelion. They are usually used in Beer’s as a multi-ingredient for nutrition and bitters, but I like it in Mead.

I had a two year old Mead Champagne, made with a little dried Nettle’s tea for my birthday June 2014 in Michigan.

Evelyn

Matthew in Gooseneck, Ga

Sorry to muck upnthe water a little. You can get a Browning Lever-action rifle(BLR) in all the popular calibers from 223 to 300 win mag. I have friends who hunt with them in 243 win and 308 win.

Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd
9 years ago

Just a quick word for those who think they can relocate a wild animal… In my home state of Virginia relocating any animal (skunk, raccoon, coyote, etc.) is a felony charge. I was told I could shoot a pest, but not relocate it.

MattInWisconsin
9 years ago

re 60 day video idea…

Love the idea!

I’ve been a listener since 2010 – one thing that would help me would be to keep the steps REALLY easy. Like limit it to doing 5 things. I’ve noticed I sometimes get overwhelmed and do nothing – like on a question about a medical kit…if doc bones lists 5 things and I’ve got 3 of them, I’ll likely pick up the other 2. But if he lists 30 things and I’ve got 8 of them, I probably will continue to only have 8 of them because of overwhelm.

While I have adopted at a respectable level many of the preparedness areas (starting an orchard, animals and garden, moving out of urban Southern California to rural SW Wisconsin, having 3 types of heat, generator, cash reserves, firearms and firearm training, fuel reserves) I have very low level of preparedness for other areas (10 gallons of water and I’m on a well – HELLO!, a very disorganized and insufficient medical kit situation, and very inadequate documentation).

Jeff Montalta
Jeff Montalta
9 years ago

I have a question and I am not being a smart ass. Today Jack was talking about dogs trained to kill coyotes. How do you train a dog to do that. We are getting more coyotes around and are thinking about getting a LGD. Thanks Jeff

PaCoTx
PaCoTx
9 years ago

Jack,
You are spot on with your trapping comments on conibears. I used them for underwater sets for muskrats and special elevated sets for coon. The old timer trappers would laugh you out of the fur trader shop if you asked about a conibears set for fox ( no coyotes in Pa in the 70’s/80’s but a bunch now from what I hear). I also hunted rabbits with beagles in the same woods where I trapped. You can make discriminating sets, but leg holds are forgiving, conibears are fatal. I keep a few in my shed in Tx, but would only use them in special sets in a shed or attic where neighbors cats aren’t an issue.
Again, sorry for you losses.

Matt
Matt
9 years ago

Jack, in regards to the video series.

I have struggled with composing a documentation package that looks decent and is not miss organized. Could you do a video of the exact page layout of a generic one? I think it would be very beneficial for those of us that are on the ledge of getting it finalized.

andrewsmith
andrewsmith
9 years ago

Jack, treetop is from my backyard Washington state. Yakima Apple and hops center of the World. make a hopped yakima cider with the treetop

David
David
9 years ago

Interesting episode. The American “buffalo” is, of course, more correctly called “bison.” Native Americans were actually responsible for keeping bison herd levels down until “white man” diseases wiped out the majority of Native American populations. The resulting decline in hunting then led to the appearance of the huge herds of bison white settlers saw in the mid-1800’s. As you’ve mentioned in the past in relation to fire, Native Americans were impacting/managing land and animals well before Columbus “discovered” the New World. Would have been interesting to see North America and native cultures prior to the arrival of the white man.

Alex Shrugged
Alex Shrugged
9 years ago
Reply to  David

Thanks for mentioning that. I was thinking it, but couldn’t figure out how to work it in without going in a new direction.

You can read more about this subject in Charles Mann’s “1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created”.

Alex Shrugged

Alex Shrugged
Alex Shrugged
9 years ago
Reply to  David

Well… I had a very cogent response to all of this but the Captcha code expired and when I went back, my posting was ALL GONE! 🙁

So… insert some dazzling prose here.

The bottom line is that the numbers of people/animals/plants in the Americas pre-European are intelligent guesses based on assumptions that sound suspiciously like the climate change numbers I hear from various scientists. No doubt the scientists are sincere, but I’m not sure about the data upon which those sincere petitions are based.

In other words, your mileage may vary. I don’t think there is any way to say more than, “There was one HECK of a lot of bison out there before 1492,” and I’m OK with that.

Alex Shrugged

davidKS
davidKS
9 years ago

Two thoughts on the video series.
One of the major contributing factors of post traumatic stress is not having a felling of control or nothing you can do about the situation. So maybe a video on things you can do to help people have something to do give them a sense of something they can control. As an example for kids a coloring book or a toy car helps redirect a purely emotional state to imagination. Putting someone is charge of running to the hospital vending machine and making sure everyone has water or coffee.

Buckrun11 on youtube has a monthly prepper challenge where he challenges everyone to improve one area of there prepping. Like make an improvement to your first aid kit. The idea is to get everyone to continue to check or improve. I am not saying you should do your own but maybe we can get the community to help create a list of places doing similar things for the last vid so you don’t just stop but have other resources to keep you moving forward and thinkning.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Buckrun11

Andy
Andy
9 years ago

Jack,

Suggestion for the video series.

I haven’t heard you talk about this much, but I think a video covering valuables protection would be good. Basically, it would be “buy a $150 fireproof safe and bolt it to the floor”. As simple as that sounds, in my experience, a LOT of people don’t have that. (including myself until very recently). I think a lot of folks your age, who collect firearms, may already have a large fireproof safe for their firearms, and store other things in there. For those of us who are younger and just starting out that’s often not the case.
If we’re going to keep any significant amount of cash or precious metals on our property, it seems ludicrous to not spend a couple hundred bucks to insure that. Beyond that, even those with no “valuables” should have a social security card and birth certificate for each family member. A couple hundred dollar investment to reduce the chance of those being lost is also WELL worth it. The cost of a thief stealing those items would be immense, and a house fire would be pretty bad juju too. As simple as it is, I think this is a well needed kick in the pants for many. Brian Black’s article on burglaries would be a good resource link. http://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/physical-security/beat-the-clock-most-burglaries-take-place-in-minutes/

Robert_Indiana
Robert_Indiana
9 years ago

All this talk of coyotes attacking dogs has me worried about our outdoor barn/house cat who likes to roam and hunt. If we move move out into the bush should I expect the worst?

jon
jon
9 years ago

Jack, would love to hear a show about designing contracts and pitfalls of land ownership among a small group. basically bug out land for a small like minded close knit 3-5 family group.