The Woodsman's Journal Online

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Tallow©

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

Have you noticed lately that what’s old is new, and old-fashioned things are now trendy? Has everyone forgotten how things were done less than 100 years ago? It’s like we have a collective case of cultural amnesia!

It doesn’t matter what you think of RFK, it can’t be denied that he has started a conversation on tallow. I’m old enough to remember when ALL fries were cooked in beef tallow and frankly, they tasted awesome! I’m also old enough to remember veterans of the World War II home front, saving animal fat in one pound coffee cans on the back of their stoves.

Old School...

Tallow, no matter what the source, has been used by humans since ancient times. Archeological evidence suggests that humans began rendering and using animal fats as far back as 10,000 years ago.

That was during Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) at the end of the last Ice Age! Our stone age ancestors prized tallow for its ability to store energy, as a fuel to provide warmth, as a preservative for foods, like pemmican, and as the base for salves.

Later tallow was the main cooking fat used in medieval Europe, because of its high smoke point (ability to withstand heat without oxidizing), its long shelf life, its ability to lubricate machinery, its use in soap making and as a fuel for candles, rushlights and slush lamps, to light the dark of night.

It wasn’t until the early 20^th century that tallow was replaced by cheaper vegetable and seed oils. The hydrogenation process, discovered by Paul Sabatier in the 1890’s, used nickel as a catalyst for the reactions adding hydrogen to the fat molecules. Hydrogenation led to the development of shortening and margarine, after Wilhelm Normann further refined the process and patented it in 1902.

What is tallow and what can it be used for?

Tallow is rendered (melted, skimmed and strained) beef, sheep or hog fat. It is the belly fat, also known as suet, which surrounds the animal’s vital organs. The tallows from different animals have different properties and uses, some being better for baking, frying or candle making.

· For cooking, because of tallow’s high smoke point, the point at which it begins to oxidize or burn, it can be used to fry food at higher temperatures without breaking down into harmful compounds.

· As a flavor enhancer, beef tallow has a beef flavor, while bacon tallow will have a bacon taste.

· To season cast iron, condition wooden cutting boards or waterproof and condition leather.

· As the base for soap and candle making.

· As an industrial lubricant or as a moisturizer for skin or hair.

· As a food, tallow is a key ingredient in pemmican, a traditional food source high in fat and protein, that has a long shelf life.

To render your waste fat into tallow

To render the suet that you have bought from the butcher or the waste fat from cooking, you can use either of the two methods promoted by Britain’s Ministry of Food, during World War Two.

Some tips for making tallow; cook it low and slow, avoid overheating it, and stir it regularly. One pound of beef suet will yield between one and two cups of tallow.

The rendered tallow should be strained into a clean, airtight glass jar or container. Store the jar in a cool, dark place or in your refrigerator.

And now you know how to recycle something that most modern folk waste by throwing away or pouring done the drain. This should make both the “Zero-wasters” and the “Frugal” happy!

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site. I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Author Unknown; “The History of Beef Tallow (2025): From Ancient Cooking to Modern Kitchens”, December 19, 2024, https://www.cookingwithtallow.com/, accessed May 3, 2025

Burdeos, Johna, RD, LD; “Beef Tallow: Health Benefits, Cooking and Skin Care”, Feb. 4, 2025, [2025 © U.S. News & World Report L.P], https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/beef-tallow-health-benefits-cooking-and-skin-care, accessed May 3, 2025

Google AI, “hydrogenation process history”, https://www.google.com/search?q=hydrogenation+process+history&sca_esv=d9f7a720ad400a91&sxsrf=AHTn8zpTmbYL4-0-suYCVn-YE0plARpmnQ%3A1746297937973&ei=UWQWaMWWO5zS5NoPzrfzmQU&ved=0ahUKEwiFg4_i-oeNAxUcKVkFHc7bPFMQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=hydrogenation+process+history&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHWh5ZHJvZ2VuYXRpb24gcHJvY2VzcyBoaXN0b3J5MgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAFIuBpQzARYgRVwAXgBkAEAmAG0AaABmAiqAQMwLji4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgmgAqQJwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICDRAAGIAEGLADGEMYigXCAgUQABiABMICBhAAGBYYHsICCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFwgIFEAAY7wXCAggQABiABBiiBMICCBAAGKIEGIkFmAMAiAYBkAYKkgcDMS44oAf_LbIHAzAuOLgHmgk&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#vhid=HMpWdqvcGlb6NM&vssid=l, accessed May 3, 2025

Ministry of Food; “Making the most of the Fat Ration”, 1939-1945, From the Folkestone Museum Collection, https://learn.folkestonemuseum.co.uk/objects/leaflet-making-the-most-of-the-fat-ration/, accessed May 3, 2025

Sunday, April 27, 2025

The Ears Have It!©

This skull, pierced with an iron nail, belonged to a young man who died in the late 3rd century or early 2nd century BCE, aged between 16 - 18

I know, I know, I promised you an article on tallow this week, but unfortunately this past Sunday I woke up with a serious pain in my head, almost as if someone had driven a really big nail, right through my skull. Kinda like the poor guy in the title picture above. So, on Tuesday I ended up going to urgent care, which says a lot, since I avoid doctors like the plague, and it turned out I had sinusitis and otitis media, otherwise known as a middle ear infection. Oh, ... how fun!

The urgent care doctor was kind enough to send me home with a couple of prescriptions and a few sheets of instructions. The part of the instructions that caught my attention the most was this line “Otitis Media, right ear (H66.91) – High risk of morbidity without treatment”.

Say what!? It’s an ear infection, what is this high risk of morbidity stuff? Medically speaking, a “high risk” percentage is a probability of an event or situation occurring that is greater than the average risk; a lifetime risk of 20% or greater is considered high. Wow, that means as many 1 out of 5 cases of untreated otitis media can lead to death! Yikes, although, if you look at it in a backwards way 80% of sufferers survive.

I did a little research and besides the risk of deafness, unchecked middle ear infections, can lead to mastoiditis, an infection of the spongy mastoid bones containing air-filled spaces called mastoid cells, and meningitis.

I had a great plan to write an article about how our resourceful ancestors combated this grim diagnosis in the days before the advent of antibiotics, which began February 12, 1941,when penicillin, the first commercial antibiotic, was first used to treat a human infection. I had thought to write a cool bit of historical reporting, which would be useful in a grid-down, prepper, civilization gone situation.

However, before the advent of effective antibiotics in the early 1940s, the treatment for otitis media was primarily focused on prevention, relieving pain and promoting drainage of accumulated fluid, either through the eustachian tubes (also known as ear canals), or through the outer ear canal; by spontaneous rupture of the eardrum, or through a surgical intervention called myringotomy (the cutting a small opening in the eardrum).

Most middle ear infections come as an after effect of a respiratory infection, such as colds, measles or other contagious fevers. Respiratory infections can irate you eustachian tubes and cause swelling and fluid buildup in your middle ear, causing pressure and pain to increase. The bacteria or viruses causing the respiratory infection (fungi can also cause ear infections, but that is less common) can travel into the eustachian tubes and middle ear, where they begin to set up shop. So, the best way to prevent ear infections is to prevent, or least reduce the severity, of colds, coughs and sneezing. Dr. Anh Nguyen-Huynh recommends the following... (for more go HERE)

· Drink warm liquids, like tea with honey. This will soothe swollen membranes, and swallowing should help to open the eustachian tubes.

· Stay hydrated. Drink lots of fluids.

· Irrigate your sinuses with saline solution or a neti pot.

· Take decongestants to shrink the swelling of the nasal membranes which are blocking the drainage.

· Get plenty of extra rest.

Many times this will prevent a middle ear infection, but if it doesn’t, the good news is, that if caught early, most ear infections clear up by themselves. But if they don’t, you can try these to help with reducing the inner ear pressure and pain.

· Use hot and cold compresses, alternating every 30 minutes.

· Use ibuprofen or acetaminophen to reduce pain.

· Change your sleeping position, if your ear infection is limited to one ear, try sleeping on your other side, so that your affected ear is up. If both ears are affected sleep on your back. In either case use more than one pillow so that your head and ears are higher than the rest of your body. This will help to drain fluids.

· Loosen and stretch your neck muscles, since when you have an ear infection the muscles around your ear canal can swell, adding to the pressure and pain in your ears.

Ø Rotate your head in slow circles.

Ø Drop one ear towards your shoulder. Then drop the other.

Ø Shrug your shoulders up and down.

Ø Gently open your mouth as wide as possible and hold it for a few seconds.

If the ear infection doesn’t clear up within two to three days, if your ear is very painful, or if you have a fever over 104^o F (40^o C), Dr. Nguyen-Huynh advises contacting your healthcare provider.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Baisas, Laura; “New clues to the ‘nailed head ritual’ uncovered in Spain”, Popular Science, February 25, 2025, https://www.popsci.com/science/nailed-head-ritual/, accessed April 24, 2025

Clendening, Logan, Dr.; “Earache Always A Warning Must Never Be Neglected”, The Daily Times, November 6, 1941, page 11, https://books.google.com/books?id=cKE1AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=earache&article_id=3610,1933270&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAsIPsuvGMAxVvEGIAHVrHLKc4FBDoAXoECAwQAw#v=onepage&q=earache&f=false, accessed April 24, 2025

Derrick, Matthews, Dr.; “Middle Ear Infections”, Baltimore Afro-American, December 3, 1983, page 5, https://books.google.com/books?id=V_kmAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA23&dq=ear&article_id=5338,4869734&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPiJOtxPGMAxUAE1kFHXHpJ8g4HhDoAXoECAcQAw#v=onepage&q=ear&f=false, accessed April 24, 2025

Nogrady, Adam, Dr.; “Straight Talk: Here’s An Explanation of Otitis Media”, The Evening News, April 16, 1989, page 1C, https://books.google.com/books?id=UOVGAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA11&dq=otitis+media&article_id=4341,1336593&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihkezVxvGMAxVnLFkFHdciIBcQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=otitis%20media&f=false, accessed April 24, 2025

Nuyen-Huynh, Anh, Dr.; “Home Remedies for an Ear Infection: What To Try and What To Avoid”, March 28, 2024, Cleveland Clinic, [© 2025 Cleveland Clinic], https://health.clevelandclinic.org/home-remedies-for-ear-infection, accessed April 24, 2025

Peden, R. G. Dr.; “Ear Infections Common in Children”, Times Daily, February 2, 1993, page 4A, https://books.google.com/books?id=Gk8eAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3&dq=%22it+is+very+important+to+recognize+the+symptoms%22&article_id=5402,103468&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPpcLAzPGMAxWfFFkFHQe-POsQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=%22it%20is%20very%20important%20to%20recognize%20the%20symptoms%22&f=false, accessed April 24, 2025

United States, Surgeon-General's Office; The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War, Vol. XI, Part Two, [Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1924], page 768, https://books.google.com/books?id=CojF9fsg3xEC&pg=PA767&dq=otitis+media+treatment&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVhMr78PGMAxVrnokEHUKgCysQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=otitis%20media%20treatment&f=false, accessed April 24, 2025

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Because of the holiday, I am a bit behind the eight ball/easter egg. So, your regularly scheduled article is going to be delayed a week.

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Tallow ©”, where we will talk about beef tallow, since it has been in all of the news lately.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sunday, April 13, 2025

The roots of the Anglo-American military style of fencing grew out of two separate traditions: the broadsword traditions of the Scottish Highlands and the English style of post renaissance fencing.

The English backsword method was built around the Medium, Inside, Outside, St. George’s and Hanging guards, as set out in English civilian manuals.

The Scottish traditions of sword-play, which were influential in the development of all later Anglo-American sword-play styles, were brought to the literary world with the publication of Anti-Pugilism or the science of defence exemplified in short and easy lessons for the practice of the Broadsword and Single Stick, (1790) by a ‘Highland Officer’, who has been identified as Captain G. Sinclair of the 42^nd Blackwatch.

The Scottish broadsword systems departed from the English backsword method in three areas. The three areas thought to be part of the Scottish Highlander’s broadsword tradition, are as follows:

The way in which the Medium guard is held. Captain Sinclair taught that the Medium guard is to be held with the elbow bent and the point directed upwards at approximately a 45 degree angle. When held in this fashion, the Medium guard is limited in its ability to defend and has little offensive capacity, it is simply “between the inside and the outside”.

This is contrasted with the way the earlier English sword masters had taught the Medium guard, or as they called it the ‘Unicorne guard’. They taught that the Medium guard was to be held with the arm fully extended and with the point threatening your opponent. In this manner the guard was used to keep your opponent at bay.

The second difference is the in the way that the Hanging Guard is held. Captain Sinclair taught that the Hanging Guard is to be held on the Inside line, guarding the swordsman’s left side. This manner of holding the Hanging Guard is similar to how George Silver taught that the ‘True Guardant’ was to be held.

English sword masters taught that the Hanging Guard should be held in an extended fashion, on the Outside line (the right side of a right handed fencer). This manner of holding the Hanging Guard was later described as a ‘hanging guard in seconde’. This was the guard that George Silver describes as the ‘Imperfect Guardant’.

The third difference is in the use of the Spadroon Guard, a guard that was designed to protect against a low cut or thrust, towards your left or inside, or the inside of your wrist. This guard is similar to the later Half Circle Guard, it differs only in that the Spadroon Guard is held lower, with the blade held more horizontally. This guard, makes use of the basket hilt, a hilt that is considered to have been developed in the Scottish Highlands, to make a single-time, thrust-with opposition attack.

If you enjoyed this introduction to sword fighting, look for the next chapter of The Practical Swordsman’s Pocket Compendium coming soon.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Amberger, J. Christoph; Officers and Gentlemen: On the history of fencing at the U.S. Naval Academy, http://www.swordhistory.com/excerpts/corbesier.html, accessed March 7, 2005

Bertrand, J. Mark; Teach Yourself Swordsmanship (In a Lifetime of Easy Steps), Sword Forum, http://SwordForum.com, accessed March 7, 2005

Hagist, Don N.; “Donald McCraw of the 42nd Regiment Wields his Broadsword”, March 4, 2019, [Journal of the American Revolution © 2025], https://allthingsliberty.com/2019/03/donald-mccraw-of-the-42nd-regiment-wields-his-broadsword/, accessed April 12, 2025

Gross, Noah; The Walking Stick in Mandatory Palestine and Israel, by http//www.savateaustralia.com, accessed March 7, 2005

Mitchell, Russell; Reconstructing the Use of Medieval and Renaissance Hungarian Sabres, [SPADA, Vol 1, 2003]

O’Rourke, Matthew J.; A New System of Sword Exercise, with a Manual of the Sword for Officers, Mounted and Dismounted, [New York, George R. Lockwood, 1873]

Page, Thomas; The Use of the Broad Sword, [M. Chase, Norwich, 1746], https://archive.org/details/page-broad-sword, accessed April 12, 2025

Rowlandson, Thomas; “Outside Guard, St. Georges Guard, Inside Guard”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, September 1, 1798], The Metropolitan Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/739542, accessed April 12, 2025

Rowlandson, Thomas; “Half Circle Guard, Medium Guard”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, September 1, 1798], The Metropolitan Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/739522, accessed April 12, 2025

Rowlandson, Thomas; “The Guards of the Highland Broadsword as taught at Mr. H. Angelo's academy”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, January 20, 1799], https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1856-0913-240, accessed April 12, 2025

Wagner, Paul and Rector, Mark, Highland Broadsword: Five manuals of Scottish Regimental Swordsmanship, [Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004], p 50

Wroughton, Captain Frederick; The Broad Swordsman's Pocket Companion, Volume 1, [Chigrey, London, 1830], https://books.google.com/books?id=YbFn6-NJV7IC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, accessed April 12, 2025

About Me

I live near Buffalo, New York and have more than 25 years of experience in the outdoors. I enjoy being in the wilderness, paddling a canoe or exploring the woods, when I am not researching survival, woodcraft, camping skills or life on the Old Northwest Frontier of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I am a published author and I have been a guide for Birchbark Expeditions and an Outdoor Skills trainer for the Boy Scouts since 2014. I am also a martial artist, having studied several different combat arts over the past 30 years. Currently, I am the author of The Woodsman’s Journal Online and BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.

The Woodsman's Journal Online

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Sunday, May 4, 2025

Tallow©

Sunday, April 27, 2025

The Ears Have It!©

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 13, 2025

The Practical Swordsman’s Pocket Compendium, An Introduction, Part Two©

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