Moonshine Resources

How to Make the Smoothest Mash Recipe for Moonshine

Have you been looking for a super easy mash recipe that isn't complicated and tastes amazing?

Well look no more!

I have been making moonshine for over two decades now and have tried all sorts of recipes and measurements. I have experimented with every type of ingredient imaginable, yet the smoothest mash I have ever made is so simple it will surprise you. If you're a beginner this recipe is perfect for you also. This recipe doesn't depend on complex ingredients to break down starch chains into sugars. This recipe is super simple.

It only takes two ingredients (not including the sugar and yeast) and you’ll have the smoothest whiskey run you’ve ever had. Hint: Sweet feed is the secret weapon.

In this article, I give you my top beginner recipe for making the best mash along with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to make moonshine, along with some product recommendations.

Check out my podcast about how to make moonshine from the start to finish, along with selling tips!

Table of Contents

Why is the mash recipe so important?

The mash is the most important factor when talking about the flavor of the whiskey. For example, let’s say you make a whiskey run that turns out to be 110 proof. This means that it’s 55% alcohol. So the other 45% is the water that came from the mash.

Therefore, the mash affects the final product in a huge way.

This recipe will make 30 gallons of mash by total volume including the grains.

Smoothest Mash Recipe Ingredients 

  • sweet feed (unpelletized)
  • Chopped corn
  • sugar
  • yeast
  • water

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    Now that you have your ingredients, you will need to calculate your batch size in gallons. 

    I have created the chart below for different size recipes for mash batches in gallons. To alter the batch size just insert numbers from the chart into the instructions that follow.

    Moonshine Batch Sizing Table

    Gallons

    Grains (gallons)

    Yeast (Tbsp)

    Sugar (lbs)

    30

    5

    6

    25

    20

    3.5

    4

    16

    10

    2

    2

    8

    5

    1

    1

    4

    2.5

    .5

    .5

    2

    Step-By-Step Guide To Making Moonshine

    Step One: Crack the grains

    Cracking the grains is a process to soften the grains to let the flaver out.

    In a large pot add five gallons of water, an outdoor turkey fryer pot works great. Bring this water to 160f. I use an outdoor propane burner.

    Image shows a 120 quart pot on a propane burner for heating up the water to 160f.

    Large pot for cooking the mash

    I recommend the Bayou Classics propane burner as it is very durable and has an adjustable regulator to control the temperature. It’s the only one I use. 

    Check Amazon for current price.

    While waiting for the water to come to temperature put one part sweet feed to 2 parts corn in a 5 gallon bucket until its full.

    Instead of weighing my grains, I use a ratio. For example, a 5 gallon bucket of grains would contain 66% corn (3.3 gallons) and 33% (1.66 gallons) sweet feed. 

    You can use weights instead if you like, but this method works well for my situation. 

    I use a one gallon scoop so it doesn’t take as long. Set aside until the water reaches 160f.

    Now you can add the grains and reduce heat to maintain 160f for 45 minutes. Continuously stir the mash to avoid letting the grains scorch on the bottom of the pot. 

    Image shows measured amounts of chopped corn and sweet feed

    1 part sweet feed to 2 parts chopped corn

    moonshine ebook 3d cover

    If you would like a start to finish beginners guide to making your first batch of moonshine check out my new eBook.

    In this eBook I take you by the hand in a step by step manner from selecting equipment to sipping your own homemade whiskey.

    I include my time tested simple beginner friendly corn whiskey recipe I developed to be extremely simple and very smooth.

    This eBook is on sale right now. 

    Buy Now

    Step Two: Mix the Mash

    Now dump the cracked grains into a 30 gallon container and stir in 25 lbs. of sugar. When the sugar is dissolved completely add 15 to 20 gallons of cold water until the mash mix reaches 30 gallons by total volume.

    Chopped corn or cracked corn with unpelletized sweet molasses feed

    Chopped corn with Sweet feed and yeast pack.

    Many of my readers told me that it can be really hard too find the unpelletized sweet feed for this recipe, so I created an ingredients kit you can purchase that has all the ingredients you need to mash a 10 gallon batch. Check it out here.

    Products


    Step Three: Add the Yeast

    When the temperature of the mash drops down to the recommended temperature  by the yeast manufacturer, you can go ahead and add the yeast. I have found that 1 tablespoon of yeast per 5 gallons of mash works well.

    A distiller’s yeast will produce the best results. I’ve found that the Red Star brand works really well and is very affordable.

    Red Star Yeast is hard to find locally, but you can buy it on Amazon here. 

    Step Four: Let the Mash Ferment

    Now all you have to do is wait. Let the mash do its thing for about a week. You’ll know when the mash is done when you can no longer see the bubbling produced by the yeast as it releases carbon dioxide.

    Once the fermentation is complete, strain the liquid to remove the spent solids and place the liquid into your still. This final liquid is called the wash. You only want to put the wash into the still. 

    And thats it! I told you it was easy!

    If you are interested in building your own DIY still on the cheap, check out my two-part video tutorial:

    You can also purchase this Vanell premade still kit for home use from Amazon.

    Get your mash started, order the still, and by the time your mash is ready, you will have your still at your doorstep! 

    Summary

    I hope you have enjoyed this article and will find the recipe easy and fun to make!

    You will really enjoy the extremely smooth whiskey that comes from this mash. 

    Just note that moonshine making is both an art and science, your first batch won't be perfect, and your second batch likely won't either. 

    However, if you stick to it and learn the nuances of your still, you can be a moonshining making pro in no time! 

    Please leave me a question or comment below in the comment section.

    Happy stilling!

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    DIY Homesteading

    How to get free materials for building projects

    Today’s post is about how and where you can get FREE or heavily discounted building materials. So, read on and learn how to make your project dollars go further. 

    Almost all the projects I want to tackle here on the off-grid homestead require building materials. These materials can get really expensive and at some point, can make a project cost prohibitive. We’ve built every structure on our property from free or very cheap materials.  

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means offgridmaker.com could earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, on the things you purchase.

    The up-side and the down-side to salvaging building materials 

    The up-side is kind of obvious, right, It’s the money. The amount of money saved by salvaging material is crazy. I’ve built so many things from free material, some of them cost absolutely nothing. The picture below is our hen house and chicken yard. I built it for absolutely nothing. 

    The hen house and chicken fence built from cedar slabs that were sourced for free from a local sawmill
    The slabs used to build the hen house and the fence were salvaged from a local sawmill for free.

    You can also feel better about using materials that where likely on their way to a landfill somewhere. Lumber especially, is so costly to us environmentally and so much of it ends up in a landfill. 

    The cabin we live in is a Gambrel style 14’ x 18’ cabin with a loft. We have running water with full kitchen, bathtub, washing machine, 8 windows, a tin roof, a small solar set up for lights and phone charging, carpet and tile. All of this we built ourselves and we don’t have $1,500.00 in it yet.  

    And now we get to the down-side. When building a project with salvaged materials it is going to take longer. It takes time to locate and gather the right type and amount of materials for any project. The larger the project the longer it will take. It has taken us 5 years to get our cabin this far and it isn’t finished. It took 3 years to get it dried in so we could move out of our 7’ x 9’ shed. Yes, we lived in a shed, but when it’s all said and done, we will have an off-grid cabin in the woods free and clear with full equity.  

    When you salvage certain items that are harder to find or have specific dimension sizes that need to be met, like doors and windows, you may not be able to find a specific style or type. You may have to accept a style or type that isn’t your first choice. We have three different styles of windows in our cabin. They’re all white in color, but they don’t exactly match. 

    Now let’s get into the reason you probably clicked here. 

    Free material sources 

    Residential construction sites 

    My all-time favorite place to get completely free building materials is new construction sites. For one thing, you can get so many different types of material from one location. You can get framing lumber, siding, roofing, brick, stone, sheetrock, insulation, trim wood, paint, nails, plywood, etc.   

    When I go to town, I will take different routes just to make sure I don’t miss a new home being built somewhere. Ideally, I like to find a home addition being built. Many houses being built in one location at the same time can be like winning a lottery.  

    I once roofed a 10’ x 16’ shed with asphalt shingles I had picked up 1 at a time around new houses that had just been roofed. I got them from a single housing addition where every house had to have the same shingle per housing covenants. 

     When a roofer is on a house and a shingle slides down the roof to the ground the roofer is not going to waste his time retrieving it. From the ground it will end up in the landfill unless you put it to good use.  

    One thing to keep in mind is custom homes (homes sold before they’re built) are typically not as fruitful as speculative homes (homes built in the hopes they will sell in the future). Custom homes already have an owner who may want to save all the same materials you want to get. Either way, remember to always get permission to remove anything from a construction site. Even taking things from a dumpster without permission can be considered theft. 

    Commercial construction sites 

    Commercial construction sites are basically like new home sites except the types of materials you will be able to get will be more varied and it will be harder to predict what you might be able to salvage without stopping to check. 

     It will be a bit tougher to get permission on a commercial site for two reasons. One, the general contractor may have very strict insurance policies regarding people other than authorized personnel being on the site. Two, these sites are more frequently hit by thieves and so there is a higher level of paranoia about letting strangers have any kind of access. 

    Remodeling companies 

    A trailer of lumber salvaged from a roof rebuild. 2 x 6 x 14 dimensional lumber plus more
    A load of lumber I got from roof repair.
    It had about 12 14′ 2 x 6’s

    Large scale remodeling companies are a great place to get used fixtures. These companies are taking out plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, cabinets, appliances on a regular basis. Sometimes these items are too old to have much good life left in them, but sometimes they may only be a couple years old. Companies that specialize in kitchen and bath remodels will have lots of fixtures they will be happy to let you reclaim. 

    The best way to get in with these companies is to call their office number and ask to speak with their site superintendent. Ask if there are any demolition projects going on where you could salvage some usable fixtures. It’s good if you can tell them specifically what you’re looking for.  

    Door, window and siding companies 

    Door, window and siding companies always have used doors and windows piling up at their shop. Again, some of these items won’t be in great shape, but some will be hardly used.  

    Fence companies 

    Fence companies always have the problem of hauling away old privacy fence their replacing. Most of them will be happy to let you haul it away. Sometimes they will sell used privacy fence panels really cheap if they’ve already hauled them away from the job site. 

    If you can agree to be on the job site on a certain day to haul away a fence that’s coming down, they’ll let you have it for free to save them the labor of hauling it back to their shop. 

    This material can be used for all kinds of things from furniture to bird houses. If a rustic theme is something you like then you can use this material for finish products like trim wood, cabinets, walls and ceilings. 

     How to ask for free materials 

    When approaching general contractors or company owners you should introduce yourself. Tell them where you live. This tells them you’re local, you’re a neighbor. Describe the project you’re wanting to complete. This can peak a person’s interest and in some cases a contractor familiar with the build process may suggest to you something other than what you’ve asked for that they are willing to let you have. Don’t be long winded with this. Get to the point and leave out unnecessary details. Be prompt about hauling things away. Always be very thankful and express your gratitude. You may want to ask for something else in the future. 

    How NOT to source free materials 

    Most of the free material you are likely to find will be waste material from new construction or remodeling sites. It’s usually obvious that this material is going to be thrown away. It will be piled up like a big trash pile or it will be in a dumpster. This material isn’t free game. It is still the property of the property owner or the contractor doing the work. If you’re seen taking waste material from the site you will most likely be asked to leave and possibly have the police called on you.  

    If, on the other hand, you take down the phone number on the contractors sign that is almost always posted on the construction site and call to ask for permission, it’s likely you will be granted permission to take what you want. 

    Contractors continuously fight theft on their job sites. They will jump very quickly to the conclusion that you’re there to steal something if you haven’t asked for permission. So, even if it’s obvious something is going to be thrown away you should still ask for permission to take it. 

    Big box stores 

    Big box home improvement stores always end up with damaged or defective goods they will usually discount these items pretty heavily. I’m sure all these stores handle this differently. For example, My local home improvement store sells their busted bags of concrete to me for .50c each. They even give me heavy duty plastic bags to put the broken bags in. 

    busted cement bags and sand bags for sale for $.50
    cement bags and sand bags for .50c each

    The same store will bundle up their damaged lumber. Maybe it has a crack at the end of the board, maybe it’s warped or damaged by a forklift. The store calls this a Cull Pack and they mark all the material down %50. You can usually get it for another %50 off just by making an offer. The down-side to this is you have to take it all. Sometimes there may be some materials you don’t need that you have to take to get the stuff you do need. 

    Cull Pack bundled up for sale
    Cull Pack. $372 retail. We got it for $40

    Labor barter 

    Another great way to get free material is to barter your labor for it. I tore down a horse coral for a lady. In exchange I got to keep the material. It took my wife and I 2 days to get it done, but we were able to build a winter greenhouse with just a portion of the material. I am currently helping demo a 400’ long commercial chicken barn in exchange for materials. These materials will help us add on another 150 sq. Ft. To our cabin. Craigslist is a pretty good place to find these kinds of offerings. 

    Conclusion 

    The techniques for salvaging materials for building projects can save a bunch of money and will make an impact on waste in consumerism. It will cost less to build something, but it will take longer. By using this information to go to construction sites and construction companies for either free or heavily discounted materials you can significantly reduce your costs for building projects. 

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    Micarta Knife Making

    How to make micarta

    What is micarta 

    Micarta is a composite material made from resin layered with fiberglass, linen, cotton, denim, even paper. It’s extremely durable; more durable than most knife handles made today. Micarta is a trade name marketed over 100 years ago by Westinghouse as an electrical insulator. 

    These composites are surprisingly simple and inexpensive to make. Build a simple press from wood. 

    Find some material (old blue jeans for example). Layer strips of the material in the press with a 2-part epoxy. Press out the excess epoxy. Let it dry. Pull it out of the press and there you go. 

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means offgridmaker.com could earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, on the things you purchase.

    The Cost 

    The most expensive part of the process is the resin. One quart of fiberglass resin will only cost you about $15 and this will make enough micarta to finish 2 to 5 knives depending on how big the handles are. Figure in another $5 for ancillary supplies like latex gloves, wax paper and a mixing cup. Now we can make enough micarta to make handles for 4 average size knives. Now we can make a one of a kind handle for a knife that will last long enough to pass down multiple generations. 

    Supplies 

    The press 

    Clamps 

    Material 

    2-part epoxy resin 

    1-quart mixing cup(disposable) 

    Latex gloves 

    Wax paper 

    The Process 

    Step 1-Building the press 

    A simple two piece press made from scrap plywood.
    The wood press before it’s loaded with material

    Build a simple wooden press. I make my presses out of wood. They’re simple to make and can be made with scrap lumber at zero cost. Decide how large you want your final piece of micarta to be. Build your press to be 1” larger by length and width because you’ll have to trim the edges when it comes out of the press. Be sure to glue and screw the pieces together so the press will last long enough to make several pieces of micarta. 

    For a descriptive step by step article about making a micarta press click the picture bellow

    a simple micarta press made from 5 pieces of scrap lumber
    Most cost effective micarta press there is.

    Step 2-Preparing the material 

    Now choose the material you’re going to use and cut it down to size. You want your material strips to take up the full width of the inside of the press so it doesn’t shift around as much during the clamping process. The length can vary as long as it doesn’t extend over the edge of the press.  

    The number of layers you’ll use will depend on how thick the material is and how thick you want the final product to be. A good way to determine the number of layers you need to use is to stack about 15 pieces of material. Using your thumb and index finger pinch the edge of the stack firmly. The distance between your thumb and finger is an approximate thickness the final product will end up being. 

    Step 3-Prepare the press 

    Line the press with a sheet of wax paper large enough to wrap your stack of material like a burrito. Place the wax paper in the press and crease the wax paper into the corners of the press. This will help keep the wax paper from shifting around when you’re stacking the material in the press. Stack the material next to the press so you can easily grab one piece at a time to put in the press. If you’re using a mixed pattern of materials have them stacked in reverse order so that the first piece you grab off the stack is the bottom piece in the pattern you’re creating. Now prep your whole area and be ready for the next step. Have latex gloves ready. Have the work space covered with a disposable cloth.  

    **IMPORTANT** 

    This can be a really messy process. Two-part epoxy or fiberglass resin is mostly permanent once it dries and is extremely hard to clean when it’s wet. Whatever it gets on it is going to stay on. 

    Loading the press with the material and resin. be sure it's wrapped in wax paper

    Step 4-Loading the press 

    I use disposable measuring cups from the paint store to mix the resin in. Whatever kind of container you use to mix the resin in just know it will be ruined when this is all over. Precisely follow the instructions for mixing the resin you purchased. Once you get to this point you must move quickly. Most resins have a limited working time.  

    The 2 part Epoxy resins you can buy at most local brick and mortar stores are a dark amber in color. This is fine if the materials you’re using are dark and you know the application of the epoxy will darken it even more.

    If, on the other hand, you are using bright or light colors and don’t want color of the final product affected by the epoxy the you need to use a clear epoxy. This is very hard to find locally, but I’ve included an amazon link below so you can check current pricing.

    https://amzn.to/2KlHfo6

    Put one piece of material into the press and with gloved hands smear and dab the resin into the material completely. Repeat this for each piece of material. Once they’re all stacked and covered with resin you need to wrap the stack of material in the wax paper completely. Now it’s a good idea to put on a fresh pair of gloves. 

    Step 5- Clamping the press 

    Micarta clamped up in the press, allowing the excess resin to be pressed out

    Put the top of the press on the wax-wrapped stack of material in the press. Start adding clamps to the press. At first, just put them in place firmly. Typically, I’ll use 2 clamps on each side of the press unless I’m using a large press, then I’ll use three clamps on each side of the press. Now tighten down the clamps so the excess resin begins to get squeezed out of the ends of the press. Make sure you tighten the clamps evenly so the thickness of the micarta is uniform across the piece. Let the piece cure for the amount of time recommended by the resin product label. 

    The final product

    Once the micarta has cured it’s time to remove it from the press. The wax paper should come off easily from most of the piece. It’s likely some small pieces of wax paper will remain stuck to the micarta, but those small pieces will come off during the sanding process.

    You’ll notice the edges of the piece are rough and ragged from where the resin was pressed out of the material. these edges can be trimmed with a saw I use my cordless circular saw, but you can use a table saw, a saber saw or even a hand saw.

    Once the edges are trimmed it’s time to sand it down. I use a belt sander and start with 100 grit then finish with 220 grit. This is a rough finish. The final finish will be done when you make your knife handle, slingshot or whatever you make with your micarta.

    It’s that simple. And as an additional bit of advice, I have more than one press and set of clamps so I can make more than one piece of micarta at a time. That way since I’m already making a mess to make one piece, I might as well make more than one piece.

    Okay, now that we have some micarta made, Let’s make a knife. Click the picture below to read a step by step tutorial on making a knife with a micarta handle. In this article I make a knife with the exact piece of micarta I just made in the article above.

    How to make a knife thumbnail

    Please ask your questions in the comments. I would love to see pics of your creations. Please post them in the comments also.

    ​Read More
    Off Grid Mindset

    4 Skills for Off-Grid Life

    In order to thrive off-grid you will need a certain set of skills to allow you a basic level of self-sufficiency. These skill sets can be learned by anyone and the information needed to learn them is abundant. I’m not saying you can’t live off-grid without these skills, but I am saying a basic level of self-sufficiency makes this lifestyle much more enjoyable. This list isn’t meant to be the end all be all list. To know yourself and know what you’re capable of is more important than anything on this list. The point of this article is to get you chasing useful knowledge. 

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means offgridmaker.com could earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, on the things you purchase.

    First aid 

    Accidents happen to everyone. Some are minor and some are serious. But when we’re talking about living an off-grid lifestyle it will typically mean more physical activities. More doing things rather than having someone else do things for you means more possibilities for an accident to occur. It’s not very self-sufficient If you have to go to someone else every time you have an injury. Most injuries aren’t serious enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room if have a solid understanding of basic first aid. You can even start learning more advanced skills like trauma first aid. How far you want to go with this topic is up to you, but at least an EMT Basic Technician level knowledge would be the first step. You don’t have to pay for a course to learn this stuff. Buy an EMT B text book and study it. Of course, YouTube videos are a great resource. 

    Building skills 

    There is always something on the homestead that needs to be built. You’ll need a new hen house or a wood shed. You might want to expand your rabbitry and need some new rabbit hutches. The point is there’s always something to be built or repaired. You’ll be able to do most of this yourself if you have a basic knowledge of building.  

    The thing about building that makes it simple is that it’s really broken down into some fairly simple tools that require some fairly simple skills. 

    A Tape measure

    There are ways to build things without an actual tape measure, but you will have to have a way of measuring things somehow. The tape measure makes this part of the building process quick, simple and precise. Reading a tape measure is really simple once you know how. Reading a tape measure is really just an exercise in fractions. For those of you who are a bit intimidated by fractions just focus on the halves(1/2), the quarters(1/4), the eigths(1/8) and the sixteenths(1/16) The fractions with these denominators are the only ones you’ll need to worry about.

    A saw

    Whether your using a hand saw, electric saw or a cordless saw the basics are the same. Learn to use sight guides for cutting a straight line. Practice and get a feel for what makes for a smooth cut and what makes the blade bind up. 

    A hammer

    Driving nails can be really tricky and it’s just a matter of practicing. Don’t expect to be good at it until you’ve driven hundreds if not thousands of nails. It’s ok if you miss the nail or bend the nail a few times. No one is going to care if that raised bed you built has some bent nails or hammer dings in it, but you will certainly be thankful for your hammering skills when you’re eating fresh veggies.  

    In construction there is a specific tool for every specific job and having the right tool for the job is a real time saver. Over time as you build more and more things and your skills improve you’ll want to invest in more tools. Just know starting out a great number of things can be built with just a tape measure, a hammer and a saw. 

    Gardening 

    The art of growing food can come easily to some while others struggle, but it’s a skill like any other. You’ll get better at it the more you do it. Gardening is an area where there is way more information than you need. It’s a lot of fun researching all the different ways to grow food, but at some point, it’s going to come down to a few things. 

    Will it grow here? 

    All foods have their preferences about what kind of soil they like, what kind of temperatures they like, how much water they like, how much sun they like and so on. Find out from the locals who’ve had gardens for a long time what things grow well in your area. Start with just a few of the most common foods that grow well locally before you go all out. 

    How much space is available? 

    Spend some time planning out the layout of your growing space. I remember when I first started trying to grow veggies, I wanted to grow everything, but I hadn’t prepared a space large enough to do that. When you start growing food for the first time it’s easy to get a little overzealous. Be conservative in the beginning. It’s better to realize you could’ve grown a little bigger garden than to realize you planted more than you can handle. 

    How much time do I have? 

    Once a garden is up and going and things are growing (especially the weeds) the amount of time it takes to maintain control of the garden is quite substantial. Be careful not to over estimate how much time you’re going to be able to commit to the challenge. Many books have been written about how to grow food with less human intervention because growing food without effort on our part is the holy grail of food production. There are techniques out there that are better than others. Permaculture, when it comes to growing food with less effort is the best option I’ve come across. 

    The important thing to remember is that growing food isn’t easy at first, but just keep trying and keep learning. The day will come when you realize you’re pretty good at providing food for you and yours. 

    Food preservation 

    There are many ways to preserve food and you don’t have to be skilled at all of them, but being able to put some food back when you have extra is a skill that puts you near the top of the list of off-griders who’ve become self-sufficient. Here are a few of the basic ways to preserve food. 

    Canning 

    Canning food is a very reliable way to preserve food, but there are some specific things to know in order to get it right. There will be an investment into equipment and supplies upfront. For a new pressure canner and the supplies to get started you should plan to spend $100 to $150 USD. 

    Dehydrating 

    Dehydrating food can be done with electric dehydrators or solar dehydrators. You can even build a dehydrator yourself so the cost to get started can be minimal. Learn the techniques for dehydrating correctly and start preserving food. 

    Curing meat 

    This process is a little more involved, but if you plan on raising your own meat or hunting then you definitely want to invest some time into learning about this skill. To be able to harvest a large animal like a wild hog then preserve a couple hundred pounds of meat is an excellent example of self-sufficiency. 

    Root cellars 

    This is one of the simplest ways to preserve food. It really only works with root vegetables, but it can preserve them all through the winter into the next growing season. Root cellars can be as simple as a trash can buried in the ground or as elaborate as a cement structure that doubles as a storm shelter. This definitely something to look into if you plan to grow a lot of vegetables. 

    Lastly, I’d like to say reading about skills and watching videos and digesting as much information as you can is a good thing, but many times we forget to physically practice the skill.  

    I’m reminded of when we first moved to the Ozarks. It was November, we were living in a tent and it was the wettest winter we’ve experienced here to date. As you can imagine we needed fire to help stay warm, to cook meals, to have coffee, but the wood was soaked. No fear, I had devoured a ton of information about starting a fire with wet wood before we moved. The problem, I soon learned, was that I hadn’t practiced that skill. I had a learning curve to overcome in the middle of the situation that required the skill. Eventually I figured it out and after lighting fires with wet wood all winter I can now do it in my sleep. 

    So, don’t forget that there’s a big difference between having the knowledge to do something and actually knowing how to do it. 

    As stated earlier this isn’t meant to be an authoritative list. I hope while you read this article it spurred an interest to start educating yourself and begin developing some useful skills. The development of skills really is the best thing you can do if you want to live off-grid.  

    For making it all the way to the end of the article I’m going to give you a great little tidbit.

    One of my favorite resources is the foxfire book collection. This collection of books includes an encyclopedic amount of appalachian folk knowledge. The collection includes 12 books in all. Each book is a huge resource alone. You can buy them used individually or you can by the set of the latest reprint. These books are packed with knowledge and well worth the purchase. Below is an Amazon link so you can check current pricing

    Check out my Recommended Books page to see some more of the books I think are beneficial in the pursuit of an off-grid lifestyle https://offgridmaker.com/recommended-books/

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