Info, news & debate
Bushcraft
Support the Landworkers’ Alliance by buying their beautiful 2022 calendar
We’d like to bring the Landworkers’ Alliance to your attention if you don’t know them already. They’re a wonderful organisation that could do with your support. You could help them in a small way by purchasing their beautiful 2022 calendar, or if you have a shop, ordering in bulk at a discount to sell on.
August forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Nettles are a truly amazing plant. I recently found out about the ‘super food’ that is nettle seeds, and have been making the most of the nettle patch at the end of the garden ever since.
February forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
With the start of the ‘hungry gap’ a month away, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her February forage of the month, starring early greens.
For the love of trees: my musings on trees
Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft brings the outdoors to life as he shares his musings on trees and why it is he loves them so.
Are squirrels or pigeons ‘food’, and should we reintroduce pine martens?
OK, so this isn’t really about squirrels or pigeons – it’s about any animal; we’re back to the veganism vs meat-eating discussion. But just focusing on squirrels and pigeons for the moment, I guess everyone accepts that they are of course food for other animals. They’re in a food chain, after all. Pine martens don’t …
Beyond navigation: three great uses of maps
From archaeology to folklore and more, Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft sets out three great uses of maps beyond the obvious.
How to make a walking staff in three easy steps
Sean Fagan of Pioneer Bushcraft sets out how to make a walking staff, and why they’re the best friend to have with you in the great outdoors.
A beginner’s guide to foraging – Part 4: foraging for fruits, nuts and fungi
From greengages to giant puffballs, in the final instalment of a beginner’s guide to foraging, our friends at Ethical.net tackle the task of foraging for fruits, nuts and fungi.
A beginner’s guide to foraging – Part 3: foraging on the coast
Part 3 of the beginner’s guide to foraging introduces us to foraging on the coast, covering everything from marsh samphire to mussels and much more in between.
A beginner’s guide to foraging – Part 2: common edible weeds and wild plants
In Part 2 of a beginner’s guide to foraging from our friends at Ethical.net, we learn which common edible weeds and wild plants can make their way to our plates.
A beginner’s guide to foraging – Part 1: the basics of foraging
We share a first instalment of a beginner’s guide to foraging from our friends at Ethical.net, starting with the basics of when and where, and the importance of safety and sustainability.
May – June forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Elderflower fritters, anyone? Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shows us how to make a delicious early summer delicacy in her May – June forage of the month.
Our policy on keeping animals & eating meat
Our topics include vegetarianism and veganism, but also keeping animals (for meat, dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, work etc); and also fishing and hunting animals in the wild. Is this incongruous? As a sustainability / new economy organisation, should we be promoting only veganism, rather than the keeping and/or eating of animals?
April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
In her April forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands takes the sting out of nettles with a delicious soup recipe.
March – April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her March – April forage of the month, starring cleavers and nettles in a springtime tonic we can appreciate all the more in these challenging times.
February forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Bramble tips are on the menu with spring approaching, as Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her February forage of the month.
December forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
With edible pickings thin on the ground for her December forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands instead collects inedible fungi for fire making, commonly known as King Alfred’s cakes.
How to make wood fire baked sweet chestnut bread
As autumn draws in, sweet chestnut season is soon approaching. Bushcraft teacher David Willis shares how he bakes tasty roasted sweet chestnut bread on an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven.
Out of Eden: how you can get involved in a neolithic farm experiment in Wales
Dr Kevin Blockley shares how the Out of Eden project is creating a unique educational experience that immerses us in the hunter gathering world of our ancestors and our first experiments in farming.
Tales of a winter working in a traditional tannery in Norway
Jessie Watson Brown, a UK traditional tanner, shares some of her experiences and learnings from a winter at Jutulskinn, a traditional tannery in Norway.