Today at lunchtime I shipped 13 packages of Shika and Inoshishi meat to the various folks around Japan who have asked me for some. I sent everyone a short email to their personal emails with the tracking info. Please cook it up and give me some feedback, and maybe share some recipes with us!
Enjoy!
Yabanjin
01 December 2010
22 November 2010
Hunting in Japan: SOFA Status
Here is a little bit more info for folks in Japan with SOFA Status that desire to hunt:
Request: If you have more accurate info, or additional info, please share so we all can be better informed!
In the Camp Zama area, the Camp Zama Sportsman's Club is a great resource! I met many of the members a few years back but since they are about 2 hours from my area, I am no longer a member. They do a lot of fishing, and a few members have also cracked the code on firearms ownership in the past. They also operate the base skeet range. Their website is: http://enjoyingjapan.com/sportsmensclub/index.html
In the MCAS Iwakuni Area, there are two guys to talk to, Dale Crawford and Mike Gingles. Here is a link that tells more about their situation. www.iwakuni.usmc.mil/newwebsite/Press%20Room/Archives/NewsArchives/070627-hunt.html. Dale previously was the Zama Sportsman's Club President, ran the range at Zama, and has had a Japanese firearms license for many years. As for Ed, I have heard he is a great guy to deal with but I have not met him in person yet.
If you are headed up north, there is a great BLOG out there by an avid fisherman/hunter/all round outdoors man that I recommend reading through. Here is a link: http://shumihanto.blogspot.com/
If you are in the Mount Fuji area, we recently started a FaceBook Group for the Camp Fuji Sportsman's Club at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=143363619033702 stop by and join!
One more area peculiar to foreigners hunting in Japan is the use of HAM radios. US version CB radios are of no use (wrong frequency band, actually illegal). Japanese law controls the frequency band that can be used by hunters so you will need radios built in/for Japan. Most importantly is the recent change in the anti-terror laws that now makes the sight of a HAM radio (antenna, mic, actual radio, or the suspicion of using one) probable cause for the police to stop you, or pull you over. It is very important that your paperwork is right. The first step is to get a Japanese licence, or a reciprocal license if you have a US HAM license. Here is the link to the Japan Amateur Radio League: http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/3_Application/A-3.htm They helped me out a few years back, taking my US HAM license in English in Nagoya. Their site also contains all the info you need to know about frequency bands, power output limits and more. Another important step is to ensure your radios (in the truck and your hand-held) have the current Japanese tax/approval stamp. Your hunting association Bunkai-Cho or local HAM shop owner can help you with this.
I hope this info is helpful , and maybe all the SOFA hunters can plan a group hunt next season!!! Count me in, no matter what prefecture.
See you in the Yama!
SK-1 OUT!
Here is a little bit more info for folks in Japan with SOFA Status that desire to hunt:
Request: If you have more accurate info, or additional info, please share so we all can be better informed!
In the Camp Zama area, the Camp Zama Sportsman's Club is a great resource! I met many of the members a few years back but since they are about 2 hours from my area, I am no longer a member. They do a lot of fishing, and a few members have also cracked the code on firearms ownership in the past. They also operate the base skeet range. Their website is: http://enjoyingjapan.com/sportsmensclub/index.html
In the MCAS Iwakuni Area, there are two guys to talk to, Dale Crawford and Mike Gingles. Here is a link that tells more about their situation. www.iwakuni.usmc.mil/newwebsite/Press%20Room/Archives/NewsArchives/070627-hunt.html. Dale previously was the Zama Sportsman's Club President, ran the range at Zama, and has had a Japanese firearms license for many years. As for Ed, I have heard he is a great guy to deal with but I have not met him in person yet.
If you are headed up north, there is a great BLOG out there by an avid fisherman/hunter/all round outdoors man that I recommend reading through. Here is a link: http://shumihanto.blogspot.com/
If you are in the Mount Fuji area, we recently started a FaceBook Group for the Camp Fuji Sportsman's Club at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=143363619033702 stop by and join!
One more area peculiar to foreigners hunting in Japan is the use of HAM radios. US version CB radios are of no use (wrong frequency band, actually illegal). Japanese law controls the frequency band that can be used by hunters so you will need radios built in/for Japan. Most importantly is the recent change in the anti-terror laws that now makes the sight of a HAM radio (antenna, mic, actual radio, or the suspicion of using one) probable cause for the police to stop you, or pull you over. It is very important that your paperwork is right. The first step is to get a Japanese licence, or a reciprocal license if you have a US HAM license. Here is the link to the Japan Amateur Radio League: http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/3_Application/A-3.htm They helped me out a few years back, taking my US HAM license in English in Nagoya. Their site also contains all the info you need to know about frequency bands, power output limits and more. Another important step is to ensure your radios (in the truck and your hand-held) have the current Japanese tax/approval stamp. Your hunting association Bunkai-Cho or local HAM shop owner can help you with this.
I hope this info is helpful , and maybe all the SOFA hunters can plan a group hunt next season!!! Count me in, no matter what prefecture.
See you in the Yama!
SK-1 OUT!
Hunting In Japan: More info
I have had a lot of requests for more info on the possibility/process of hunting in Japan so here goes:
Disclaimer: This is as accurate as I can be, but there me be very slight variations in other regions of Japan, but since these are nationally and prefecturally managed, the variations are probably personality based, not significant variations. If anyone has additional info, please share!
What can be hunted? Here is a basic list, off the top of my head. Big game including; Original Japanese Sika Deer (Ma-Jika), Modern Japanese Sika Deer or "Cervus Nippon-Nippon" (Nihon-Jika), Hokkaido Sika Deer (Ezo-Jika), Hokkaido Brown Bear (Ezo-Guma), Asiatic Crested Black Bear (Tsuki-no-Waguma), and Asian Wild Boar (Inoshishi). Small Game: Common Fox (Kitsune), Hare (Usagi), Japanese Raccoon-Dog (Tanuki), Marten, Mink, Upland Birds: Green Pheasant (Kiji), Copper Pheasant (Yama-Dori), Mourning Dove (Kiji-Bato), Dove (Hato), Sparrow (Suzume), and three species of large Japanese Crows (Karasu). Waterfowl: A very wide variety of ducks and geese (Sorry, I am not well versed in this area).
Foreigners Hunting in Japan: As far as I know there are currently 3 foreigners (with permanent residency status) that have both the National Firearms License (and a firearm), and a National Hunting License (me, plus a guy in Misawa, a guy in Yamaguchi). Last week another foreigner passed the hunting test in Yamaguchi and is waiting on his firearms license.
Requirements:Hunting License: 1 day process with a tricky written test, hands on evaluation, and practical application. Test is 2 times per year. Pass rate for each level hovers around 30%. Levels include: 1-Snares/Traps, 2-Hunting Air Rifles, 3- Shotguns, 4-Rifles. I possess a level 4 license up to Rifle Hunting. Most people take the test 2 or 3 times to pass, since it is designed to make people fail and ultimately deter people from hunting. Fees to get license about $350. for the initial license 3 year then an additional annual safety brief, renewal every three years, and then the actual annual hunting permit. Sadly there is no training or testing on many vital skills such as hunter safety clothing, land navigation, emergency procedures, shot placement, field dressing, game processing...
Requirements: Firearms License: Also a 1 day process with written test, hands on evaluation, and practical application. Test is also only 2 times per year. Pass rate for this test hovers around 20%. Most people take the test 2 or 3 times to pass. Again, it is designed to discourage gun ownership. Fees to get license about $300. Annual Expenses (after getting your hunting and firearms license):$320 for mandatory membership fees in the village, city, county, prefecture (state) and all-Japan hunting associations, and for Mandatory Hunter Insurance. I also belong to the All-Japan Big Game Association ("52 Club") and membership is an additional $300 per year.
Firearms Purchasing: Very restrictive, controlled (hindered) at every level. Request may legally sit in police station for up to one year. Requires extensive background check, neighbor and family check, police interview, and house/locker inspection. Also need approval from landlord, neighborhood chief, and your employer. Additional recommendations from hunting association leaders is helpful. Fees for guns are typically double or triple US prices. Application fees are charged for every step of the way (typical Japanese government process where you pay for every document being processed).
A key difference between the US and Japan is the fact that you only can have one gun for each purpose. If you want another gun for deer hunting, you must give your old one to a gun shop or the police station for disposal before you can accept receipt of your new one. I own a 20 gauge for bird hunting, and a 12 gauge for big game. If you want a rifle....the minimum requirement is that you own a shotgun for 10 years without incident, then you can apply for a rifle. Approval rate for rifles is very low, and may take several more years.
Harvest Limits:We are in heaven! Right now (15 Nov 10 to 15 Feb 11) the limits are:
Deer: Male 1 per day per person, Female 1 per person per day
Bear: either sex, 1 per species per person per day
Boar: either sex, 1 per day per day
Green Pheasant and Copper Pheasant: 1 per person per day
Please take a look through this blog for some photos, there are some monsters here! Well, I hope this is enough to give you a slightly clearer picture of hunting in Japan. I have lots more info and will be glad to assist in any area you might need some help. I am slow on returning email since I have a very demanding full-time job, a busy family life, tend our garden, belong to the Japanese Volunteer Fire Department & Disaster Response Team, and HUNT!!!
See you in the Yama!
SK-1 OUT
Disclaimer: This is as accurate as I can be, but there me be very slight variations in other regions of Japan, but since these are nationally and prefecturally managed, the variations are probably personality based, not significant variations. If anyone has additional info, please share!
What can be hunted? Here is a basic list, off the top of my head. Big game including; Original Japanese Sika Deer (Ma-Jika), Modern Japanese Sika Deer or "Cervus Nippon-Nippon" (Nihon-Jika), Hokkaido Sika Deer (Ezo-Jika), Hokkaido Brown Bear (Ezo-Guma), Asiatic Crested Black Bear (Tsuki-no-Waguma), and Asian Wild Boar (Inoshishi). Small Game: Common Fox (Kitsune), Hare (Usagi), Japanese Raccoon-Dog (Tanuki), Marten, Mink, Upland Birds: Green Pheasant (Kiji), Copper Pheasant (Yama-Dori), Mourning Dove (Kiji-Bato), Dove (Hato), Sparrow (Suzume), and three species of large Japanese Crows (Karasu). Waterfowl: A very wide variety of ducks and geese (Sorry, I am not well versed in this area).
Foreigners Hunting in Japan: As far as I know there are currently 3 foreigners (with permanent residency status) that have both the National Firearms License (and a firearm), and a National Hunting License (me, plus a guy in Misawa, a guy in Yamaguchi). Last week another foreigner passed the hunting test in Yamaguchi and is waiting on his firearms license.
Requirements:Hunting License: 1 day process with a tricky written test, hands on evaluation, and practical application. Test is 2 times per year. Pass rate for each level hovers around 30%. Levels include: 1-Snares/Traps, 2-Hunting Air Rifles, 3- Shotguns, 4-Rifles. I possess a level 4 license up to Rifle Hunting. Most people take the test 2 or 3 times to pass, since it is designed to make people fail and ultimately deter people from hunting. Fees to get license about $350. for the initial license 3 year then an additional annual safety brief, renewal every three years, and then the actual annual hunting permit. Sadly there is no training or testing on many vital skills such as hunter safety clothing, land navigation, emergency procedures, shot placement, field dressing, game processing...
Requirements: Firearms License: Also a 1 day process with written test, hands on evaluation, and practical application. Test is also only 2 times per year. Pass rate for this test hovers around 20%. Most people take the test 2 or 3 times to pass. Again, it is designed to discourage gun ownership. Fees to get license about $300. Annual Expenses (after getting your hunting and firearms license):$320 for mandatory membership fees in the village, city, county, prefecture (state) and all-Japan hunting associations, and for Mandatory Hunter Insurance. I also belong to the All-Japan Big Game Association ("52 Club") and membership is an additional $300 per year.
Firearms Purchasing: Very restrictive, controlled (hindered) at every level. Request may legally sit in police station for up to one year. Requires extensive background check, neighbor and family check, police interview, and house/locker inspection. Also need approval from landlord, neighborhood chief, and your employer. Additional recommendations from hunting association leaders is helpful. Fees for guns are typically double or triple US prices. Application fees are charged for every step of the way (typical Japanese government process where you pay for every document being processed).
A key difference between the US and Japan is the fact that you only can have one gun for each purpose. If you want another gun for deer hunting, you must give your old one to a gun shop or the police station for disposal before you can accept receipt of your new one. I own a 20 gauge for bird hunting, and a 12 gauge for big game. If you want a rifle....the minimum requirement is that you own a shotgun for 10 years without incident, then you can apply for a rifle. Approval rate for rifles is very low, and may take several more years.
Harvest Limits:We are in heaven! Right now (15 Nov 10 to 15 Feb 11) the limits are:
Deer: Male 1 per day per person, Female 1 per person per day
Bear: either sex, 1 per species per person per day
Boar: either sex, 1 per day per day
Green Pheasant and Copper Pheasant: 1 per person per day
Please take a look through this blog for some photos, there are some monsters here! Well, I hope this is enough to give you a slightly clearer picture of hunting in Japan. I have lots more info and will be glad to assist in any area you might need some help. I am slow on returning email since I have a very demanding full-time job, a busy family life, tend our garden, belong to the Japanese Volunteer Fire Department & Disaster Response Team, and HUNT!!!
See you in the Yama!
SK-1 OUT
21 November 2010
Nihon-Jika Totta!
Hunting Log 21 Nov 2010:
Today was the first group hunt by the Tamaho Bunkai (our neighborhood hunting association). We had 17 hunters show up so we were able to hunt the largest tract of land we have access to. This is a steep hillside about 4km long on the downhill side and from the bottom to the top of the treeline is about 3km. Since I am the youngest member of our group (excluding 1 new member) I was assigned to the most remote position at the top of the highest point of the treeline. After about 1 hours 15 minutes, I made it to my spot and signaled for the hunt to begin. About 2 hours into the hunt, one of our elderly hunters radioed the group that he saw 6 does enter the hunting area. Since these were about 4km from me, I did not pay much attention. About 50 minutes later I spotted a big doe sneaking above my position. It turns out there were 6 does in all. They were moving pretty quickly until one of them spotted me and let out a "danger" snort/whistle/bark. They bolted through the bushes and I was unable to take a clear shot. Just as I was about to settle back leaning against my tree, I heard movement on the same trail the does had come from. I adjusted my position just as a very nice Nihon-Jika came around the bend. He paused for a second and instantly spotted me in my full safety orange clothes. He began to run, following after the does, but my reaction time was much quicker, and I squeezed off one round. I was sure the shot was good but he bounded away and was out of sight in 15 meters. I radioed the hunt leader and began to slowly walk to the last spot I saw this deer. I had a lot of trouble locating his tracks in the deep, dry leaves, and I could not find any blood trail. I identified 6 or 7 possible trails but none of them felt right. I returned to my spot twice to check my bearings. I then did a 20meter circular search crossing the tracks I found, searching for the real trail, to no avail. I decided to conduct a grid-type search 50meters by 50meters. On my second pass, I found him in a depression next to the majority of the trails. Turns out he had bounded just 1 or 2 times after I lost sight of him and had quickly expired.
After radioing our leader, I field dressed the deer. My bullet had been true, entering his left side just behind his shoulder, and exiting his right side mid-torso. By the size of the wound channel, it was clear that he had passed in a matter if seconds.
Next came the really hard part...I needed to haul this deer down to the bottom border road, about 3 km!!! One of our newest members, a guy 13 years older than me, was assigned to come help me. I let the boss know that this deer would take more horsepower to get down but all of the hunters are much older and no one wanted to hike all the way up to this position. We grabbed the antlers and started dragging! The dragging changed to a preventing the deer from tumbling down the mountain! This area is so steep we struggled to keep from slipping ourselves and the deer knocked us down more than a few times! Actually, the steepness of the slope, and the dry leaf bed made it not too bad. About an hour and a half later we made it to the nearest road and the hunt was done!
I was the only hunter lucky enough to take a deer today. This is the second deer this season, and third trophy in as many days! I am absolutely grateful for my incredible good luck this season!
Sorry for the poor photos, all I had handy was my cell phone.
See you in the yama!
SK-1 OUT!
Today was the first group hunt by the Tamaho Bunkai (our neighborhood hunting association). We had 17 hunters show up so we were able to hunt the largest tract of land we have access to. This is a steep hillside about 4km long on the downhill side and from the bottom to the top of the treeline is about 3km. Since I am the youngest member of our group (excluding 1 new member) I was assigned to the most remote position at the top of the highest point of the treeline. After about 1 hours 15 minutes, I made it to my spot and signaled for the hunt to begin. About 2 hours into the hunt, one of our elderly hunters radioed the group that he saw 6 does enter the hunting area. Since these were about 4km from me, I did not pay much attention. About 50 minutes later I spotted a big doe sneaking above my position. It turns out there were 6 does in all. They were moving pretty quickly until one of them spotted me and let out a "danger" snort/whistle/bark. They bolted through the bushes and I was unable to take a clear shot. Just as I was about to settle back leaning against my tree, I heard movement on the same trail the does had come from. I adjusted my position just as a very nice Nihon-Jika came around the bend. He paused for a second and instantly spotted me in my full safety orange clothes. He began to run, following after the does, but my reaction time was much quicker, and I squeezed off one round. I was sure the shot was good but he bounded away and was out of sight in 15 meters. I radioed the hunt leader and began to slowly walk to the last spot I saw this deer. I had a lot of trouble locating his tracks in the deep, dry leaves, and I could not find any blood trail. I identified 6 or 7 possible trails but none of them felt right. I returned to my spot twice to check my bearings. I then did a 20meter circular search crossing the tracks I found, searching for the real trail, to no avail. I decided to conduct a grid-type search 50meters by 50meters. On my second pass, I found him in a depression next to the majority of the trails. Turns out he had bounded just 1 or 2 times after I lost sight of him and had quickly expired.
After radioing our leader, I field dressed the deer. My bullet had been true, entering his left side just behind his shoulder, and exiting his right side mid-torso. By the size of the wound channel, it was clear that he had passed in a matter if seconds.
Next came the really hard part...I needed to haul this deer down to the bottom border road, about 3 km!!! One of our newest members, a guy 13 years older than me, was assigned to come help me. I let the boss know that this deer would take more horsepower to get down but all of the hunters are much older and no one wanted to hike all the way up to this position. We grabbed the antlers and started dragging! The dragging changed to a preventing the deer from tumbling down the mountain! This area is so steep we struggled to keep from slipping ourselves and the deer knocked us down more than a few times! Actually, the steepness of the slope, and the dry leaf bed made it not too bad. About an hour and a half later we made it to the nearest road and the hunt was done!
I was the only hunter lucky enough to take a deer today. This is the second deer this season, and third trophy in as many days! I am absolutely grateful for my incredible good luck this season!
Sorry for the poor photos, all I had handy was my cell phone.
See you in the yama!
SK-1 OUT!
20 November 2010
Hunting Log: HooJiro Inoshishi
Today was the first group hunt of the year with the "52" Big Game Hunting Association. The morning was supposed to be spent analyzing the fresh tracks and preparing to hunt. Instead we spent the morning clearing away trees and branches and repairing huge, impassable ruts in the access roads. Our area experienced several serious rainstorms this fall and many of our best areas were completely washed out. With the hard work done, and a good lunch break we set up in five positions surrounding a 2.5km by 1.5km block of mixed hardwoods with some traditionally productive briar patches. While walking to my designated location, I jumped 2 does which bolted out of our hunting block. Not a good start, I thought. I set up on their trail rather than my normal spot 100 meters further down the river bed. This would turn out to be a great decision.Our best tracker, and one of our senior members entered the block on the southern end and I figured it would be at least an hour before they were close enough to jump any game near me. 10 minutes into the hunt, I experienced the most heart stopping 10 seconds of hunting in many years. I heard a large animal bounding through the briars and dry leaves. I drew my weapon and about 4 seconds after the first sound, a huge boar appeared. I found him in the scope, released the safety, and began squeezing the trigger. My gun boomed as he bounded off the side of the river bed and my bullet struck home in mid air. He hit the ground with a tremendous thud! I immediately chambered another round in case he began to run. He made an attempt to raise up and I fired a finishing shot to his head. I quickly reloaded with 1 more round and focused on this hulking monster on the ground. I tried to see of he was still breathing, but was unable to because my pounding heart was making the scope bounce! I waited about a minute and approached cautiously. When I got close, It was clear that my second shot was true and he had expired instantly! I called the kill into our leader and we began the process of hauling him out of the woods. This involved cutting a 150 meter long trail for a mini 4x4 with a crane, and pulling out about 100 feet of winch cable to get him out of the river bed. We hauled him to the ice cold mountain river, finished field dressing him, washed out the body, and cleaned all the innards for Motsu-Nabe (soup) later this week (liver, heart, kidneys, stomach, chitterlings, and spleen).
This boar was estimated by our association as weighing 25 Kann (about 94kg, or 207Lbs). As you can see by his white cheeks, he is an older boar and is locally called "HooJiro" or "White Cheeks". They are reputed to be quite aggressive, and to attack when confronted or injured! Thanks to Federal Premium I did not have to find out! BTW, The Japanese name for the Great White Shark is "HooJiro-Zame" or "White Cheeks Shark" and these wild boar have the same temperament!
Now with only 2 days of hunting so far, I have already harvested the "double" that the big game association expects from all our members! I have been quite lucky this year!
We will de-bone this hog Tuesday after work, so please stop by and give us a hand!
See you in the Yama!
SK-1 OUT!
16 November 2010
Shitake!
Our Shitake (yes, the mushroom!) logs have finally started to bloom! Here is our first harvest of Shitake, fresh from the garden (well, actually out behind the butcher shack)! Oishii-so!
OPENING DAY 2010
SK-1 harvested this 5 1/2 year old buck in the first hour of daylight on opening day! This is a Japanese Shika (AKA Sika), known in the local dialect as Ma-Jika, or original deer. He has a fully matured set of antlers with brow tines and three additional tines, the max for a typical deer of this breed.
Nick helped out with the butchering so we made short order of this work, and the freezer is now stocked!
Gut Deer?
See you in the yama!
SK-1 OUT!
Nick helped out with the butchering so we made short order of this work, and the freezer is now stocked! Gut Deer?
See you in the yama!
SK-1 OUT!
Japan's other wildlife
Here are some strange wildlife shots I took while touring Japan this past summer.
Deer statue in Kyoto 
Raccoons (fake) at Subashiri-guchi
Rutting deer at Hiroshima
Suzume-bachi (huge bee) killing a dragonfly in Kawagoe-shi 
Sakamoto Ryoma statue in Kyoto
Mount Fuji Summit
We finally did the night climb of Mount Fuji (Subashiri Trail) and watched the sunrise! Magnificent! Here are some pics of Nick and me at the top.
Artichokes
Fresh Artichokes!
First off, THANK YOU to Reza for the fresh artichokes from the garden, and to Tom and his family over at KitchenGardenJapan.blogspot, a blog I follow, for the inspiration and recipe that I started with.
I used; olive oil, lemon slices, shiso leaves, fresh basil, fresh mint, fresh apple-mint, cheap white wine, fleur de sel, minced garlic, and fresh Italian parsley to stuffed the artichokes and cooked them in the pressure cooker. I think they came out very tasty and our daughter clearly showed her Paisano side and tore through a plateful herself!
Yabanjin BBQ
Our annual
"52 Big Game Hunting Association" BBQ was held at "Yabanjin no su" -our house!
"52 Big Game Hunting Association" BBQ was held at "Yabanjin no su" -our house!
Of course we had a great menu of wild boar roasted on a spit, motsu-nabe AKA chitterlings soup, hon-jiru AKA boar bone soup, deer steaks, boar chops, and more!
11 September 2010
Computing Again!
We are finally back computing again! Got a new PC and then screwed up the upgrade, struggled for 2 months then begged U-1-3 to un-screw it up. He fixed it in a few minutes!
We now have full Internet access again and are rebuilding our favorites and files. Hope to be back posting in the next few weeks, so please check back!
See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!
We now have full Internet access again and are rebuilding our favorites and files. Hope to be back posting in the next few weeks, so please check back!
See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!
20 April 2010
Earth Day 2010
What are you doing for Earth Day 2010?
On Earth Day 2008 we did a clean-up and renovation of the Jiggs' Fitness Trail at work. Here are some pics:
On Earth Day 2008 we did a clean-up and renovation of the Jiggs' Fitness Trail at work. Here are some pics:
Last year, for Earth Day 2009, we cleaned up Numazu Beach. Unfortunately we also found a dead body on the beach, so no pics!
Please, get out and do something for Earth Day 2010. Even if it is working in your garden, cleaning up the parking area at the boat launch, or volunteering with a big group, the most important thing is to do something!
See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!
Yamadori Mount
Finally got around to mounting the tail feathers from the nice Yamadori (Copper Pheasant) I took a few years back. They are now on our living room wall. The feathers stand 64cm (25 inches) above the plaque base!Spring Planting...It Has Begun!
Finally, the snow is gone! Our last snow was Friday but the heavy rain overnight melted it and it was time to get up early Saturday and get planting! I ran the ko-unki (roto-tiller) through the main garden spot and hoed a few rows. With a little bit of guidance from my J-Mom, the Jagaimo, Mayqueen, and Cherie varieties are in the ground, 40 meters worth!
Asparagus! It will take 2 years to yield so it was time to get them in the ground. Planted them right next to the Asatsuki (transplanted from the yama last year) and the Ginger (should yield in 2-3 months).
Chibi-Chan picking tanpopo (dandelion), Note the winter gear: Yes, it is still in the single digits here!
50 meters of mixed wild flowers, Cosmos, Lavender, Sunflowers, and more! Hope this makes a nice view from the kitchen, attracts lots of bees for pollination throughout the farm, and nice flowers for cutting. Who knows, we may have enough to dry as well.
05 April 2010
Inoshishi (Wild Boar) Sausage
Yabanjin made a batch of Wild Boar (Inoshishi) sausage from the boar he took on the day before the end of hunting season. We opted to try three flavors: mild Italian, spicy Italian, and American Southern-Style Breakfast Maple flavor.
SK-1 hard at work in the Kaitai Shack:
Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation! SK-1 is pretty strict!
SK-1 hard at work in the Kaitai Shack:
Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation! SK-1 is pretty strict!We made this extra lean, with only 10% fat content. Here it comes, straight from the grinder:
A second grind after the spice was added:
Wrapped in 250 gram packs for easy cooking. Remember this is considered as "Fresh Sausage" and contains only spices, absolutely no salt, nitrate, 'cure' or other chemicals or preservatives.
We made a total of 15 kg (about 33Lbs) and shared them with some of our closest friends and asked for their critiques...all good so far with some great tips for the next batch!
A second grind after the spice was added:
Wrapped in 250 gram packs for easy cooking. Remember this is considered as "Fresh Sausage" and contains only spices, absolutely no salt, nitrate, 'cure' or other chemicals or preservatives.
We made a total of 15 kg (about 33Lbs) and shared them with some of our closest friends and asked for their critiques...all good so far with some great tips for the next batch!Candles!
Scented candles really add to our country home. We particularly enjoy an apple-cinnamon scent when we have our wood stove burning. Store-bought candles can be quite expensive and often are not the scent we want...so...we gave candle making a try!
Start with block wax:
Need a few scents to experiment with:
And some jars/wicks/dyes:
Some gentle heat:
Freshly poured:
Finished!
This was our first micro-batch (bamboo & lemongrass scent) but we are hooked! Give it a try, it's easy!
Start with block wax:
Need a few scents to experiment with:And some jars/wicks/dyes:Some gentle heat:Freshly poured:Finished!This was our first micro-batch (bamboo & lemongrass scent) but we are hooked! Give it a try, it's easy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
