Bonus episode for August 2019.  Pro-tip: breath control.  Book: Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.  Challenge: cut out all sugary drinks.  

We're going deep on this episode!  Actually, we're staying pretty shallow, but we are going underwater.  Let's set up an aquarium.  This is a very specific setup, but the basics will still apply no matter what type of freshwater tank you're interested in starting.  On this episode, we set up an Amazon River blackwater biotope tank.  We go into detail on tank prep, starting and monitoring the nitrogen cycle, and adding fish.  

In this episode we make a leather belt from scratch.  This involves some basic leatherworking techniques, which we discuss on the show.  Also, we talk about leather care, and we oil an antique saddle.  I get to dig into some of my own family history surrounding the saddle, which was fascinating, at least to me.  

In this episode, we make a batch of pemmican.  Pemmican was adopted from Native Americans by early trappers and explorers in North America.  In my opinion, it's just about the perfect backcountry food.  We talk about some history, specifically the voyageurs who paddled canoes from Montreal far into the interior of North America, bringing supplies to the trappers, and transporting bundles of furs back to Montreal.  We also get to talk about beavers (the primary target of most of the fur trapping of the time), how they impact the environment, how things have changed in their absence, and how they're being restored to parts of their former range.  Of course, we also make a batch of pemmican, so I'll tell you how I do that, and also why I think it's the perfect backcountry food.  

In this episode, we hear from you, the Master of None tribe.  Thanks for all of the questions that you submitted.  If you're willing, share the podcast with a friend, submit your own listener question, and leave a review for the podcast on your favorite podcast platform.  

Bonus episode for July 2019.  As we get geared up for the summer grilling season, I'll share my method for starting a charcoal barbecue grill.  Additionally, our book of the month is "Last Child in the Woods," by Richard Louv.  Our challenge for the month is to find a mountain nearby, and climb it.  If you don't have any mountains nearby, figure out the furthest you've hiked in the last three years, and plan a hike that will take you further.  Send pictures and stories of your adventures to [email protected]

What's your favorite cheese?  Why not start making it yourself?  In addition to some very basic ingredients, the main thing that you'll need is a cheese press.  In this episode, we'll design and build our own cheese press.  We talk about some Roman and European history, types of cheese, and methods of making cheese.  Most importantly, we cover how to best enjoy eating cheese.  

Now we are really getting our hands dirty!  We are literally making dirt.  By "dirt," I mean spongy, black, nutrient-rich soil.  We are culturing earthworms in indoor bins so that we can propagate them out to our garden beds and compost heaps.  

Learn to "tan" deer hides and other animal hides the traditional way- no synthetic or hazardous chemicals.  Sometimes called "brain tanning," the process of making traditional buckskin only requires a few easily obtainable items and a little bit of sweat.  In the end, you'll have one of the highest quality garment-making materials known to man.  If you're a hunter, and you hate seeing all of your deer hides go to waste, this is the answer.  

In this episode, I make a Viking drinking horn, also known as an ale horn.  We talk some history, give a nod to Spartacus, greatest badass of all time, and briefly touch on some Viking shipbuilding and navigational techniques.  We also manage to cover some biology with regard to horns and antlers as well as the history of some surnames.  I bet you didn't know that you can find a Valkyrie in many churches.  That's a lot to fit into one drinking horn.  This was a fun episode to record, and I hope you enjoy listening.  Slainte!