The Great Outdoors

Gardening Tip

2009-06-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

Hey, I know this is a blog about the great outdoors so you're probably thinking about camping, fishing, hiking, and even maybe mountain biking. If you're a true outdoors enthusiast, then you're also thinking about your back yard. More specifically, most outdoors enthusiasts (whom I know of) consider an overall healthy living as part of their "outdoorsmanship" - let's face it, not everybody who hunts and goes fishing uses the outdoors as an excuse to drink a few beers and get away from everyday life (or their significant other). Many of us promote a healthy living style.

Near the Pocono Mountains (where I reside) and places north of the region in the continental United States, homeowners are thinking about a hobby that can raise produce as well as save money on their food bill: the vegetable garden. Late May and early-to-mid-June is an ideal time to start thinking about planting an abundant harvest of vegetables and herbs that will yield more vitamins that you can pack in a GNC supplement.

This weekend, I began tilling my garden to plant a variety of vegetables and herbs that my family enjoys consuming. This year, however, I expanded the garden and moved the herb garden to a more strategic location: next to the entry door by the kitchen. I figured it would be better to plant herbs that I use for cooking (yes, I prefer fresh grown herbs to store bought brands) right next to the back door of my house instead of hiking it to the garden (located near the rear of the back yard). I had a spot next to the bilco doors to my basement that was pretty much covered in grass. Rather than mowing it every week or hitting it with the weed-whacker, I decided to cultivate this small area for a few choice herbs I use when I cook: oregano, basil, thyme, and cilantro.

Thinking that it was a great idea to use a small useless space of my yard for an herb garden, I decided to share my technique with other gardening and/or outdoor enthusiasts for the purpose of maybe giving someone an idea to raise an herb garden of their own (especially those people who have the stereotype that an herb garden requires an abundance of space).

Before I dive into the preparation aspect, I want to make mention that if space is an issue, you should first consider which herbs you use most often and limit your choice to those herbs. Secondly, please make note that it doesn't take a green thumb to grow herbs - just a little bit of Miracle Grow (or generic alternative) and water. You'll find that herb gardens are relatively low maintenance. Once your garden is planted and you're plucking herbs, you'll notice a more savory and distinct flavor in your cooking.

The next preliminary step is buying the herbs themselves. As a small business owner, I prefer going to local nurseries for herbs. However, Lowe's has an edge over the local retailers in that they generally sell their herbs in bio-degradable containers. All you need to do is rip off the bottom of the pot and plant the herb. the bottom of the pot can be thrown into a compost pile or some section of your back yard where is can degrade without being thrown in a landfill.

Once you select the herbs of your choice, pay attention to the spacing requirements on the little plastic tags that accompany the herbs. Generally, most herbs require a spacing of 18", which means that plants need to be spaced 18" from each other and 9- 18" from the edge of your garden (if you're pressed for space use the smaller of the two). WARNING: if you choose mint, keep it in a pot - mint grows like a weed. all you have to do next is choose a spot in your yard to plant.

I have several suggestions as how to go about breaking the ground for your new herb garden. These depend on the location of your yard (which will require at least a half day of sunshine). If the location already has been tilled and had garden plants growing in it, all you need to do is use a tiller or a shovel to break the ground by turning over the soil. However, if you're dealing with "fresh" garden soil (meaning that there was no existing garden bed), then you have a little work to do. Fresh garden soil will require that you use a shovel (or preferably a pitch fork) to remove all existing grass and/or weeds). A pitch fork is preferable simply because you can remove the roots from existing vegetation and start your garden immediately. Just drive the fork into the ground and dispose of the top growth into a wheel barrel, box, or other container. If you do not have access to a pitch fork, you will need to use a shovel (which requires more time and a greater deal of work). Using a shovel also means that you have to wait 24-48 hours before progressing to the next step: tilling. when you use a shovel, you often break roots and vegetation that remain on or in the soil. This basically means that you left nitrates in the ground which can kill fresh plants.

Once the ground has been broken (and you waited a day or two for the nitrates to dissipate if you used a shovel), you need to till the soil. If you use a shovel or pitch fork, simply dig 6-8" and turnover the soil. A garden tiller will be quicker. A second tilling will require a bit of topsoil. Add some topsoil, and till the garden area once more. When tilled, the soil is soft and your herbs can be planted.

For those of you who are novices to planting gardens, simply dig the freshly tilled soil with a garden spade, pour water in the hole until the hole is at least halfway flooded, put the plant in the watered hole, and cover the hole with dirt. Afterward, use a fertilizer mixture (such as Miracle Grow) to water the plants.

I recommend watering the garden with a fertilizer mixture daily (on the entire garden - soil and plant) for the first two weeks, pulling any weeds that may come up in the meantime, to ensure a good harvest. After the first two weeks, water the garden daily and just use fertilizer once a week.

I hope this info helps. Here's a pic of my small herb garden.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:51:00.001-05:00

...just reminding everyone that no matter what goes on in life, there's always something to be thankful for. Take a minute today to think about and count your blessings.

I, for one, am thankful that I live in the greatest country in the world, that deer season starts Monday, and that I am not eating at my in-laws today.

Rifle season for deer checklist

2008-11-18T05:51:00.002-05:00

If you're a serious hunter, you probably already scoped out the areas you hunted in the past, strategically hung your tree stands, and dusted off your guns like a million times. For those of you who only hunt once a year, here are a few pointers to make your hunting trip a safe and enjoyable one:

Take the time to get to know the woods that you plan to hunt in. This will help you get more familiar with the areas where deer feed and travel, and it will lower your chances of getting lost (especially if you're going to hike to your tree stand at night).
Exercise. Hit the gym and work the elyptical machine for 20-30 minutes a day, take a daily hike in the woods, take a few spin classes, etc. Being in shape will hep you carry that deer if you get one, or track one down for hours if you get a gut shot.
Inspect your gun. Make sure it's functioning properly. Clean and grease it up well.
Take a few practice shots. Any avid hunter will tell you that you should practice your aim before heading off into the woods. Yes, we kill animals when we hunt, but we want to make sure that our kill is as humane as possible. Why force an animal to suffer? Make the kill quick by hitting the right part of the body (heart or head).
Let others know where you plan to hunt. Accidents happen, and if you don't let a friend or a loved one know where you're going they may get worried if you don't come home that afternoon.
Cell phone. If you're lucky enough to hunt an area where you get reception, bring a cell phone with you (keep it turned off) in case of an emergency.
Pack a first aid kid with you.
Remember firearm safety and read up on the hunting laws. If you're a little rusty on either or both, you may want to take a hunter safety course. There's no shame being an adult and taking the free class with a bunch of 12 year olds. You're setting a good example for them.
Leave the beer at home. Alcohol and guns don't mix.

If you have any other tips you'd like to share, feel free to add them in the comments below.

My son's first fish

2008-10-06T19:14:00.002-04:00

What a view

2008-10-06T19:13:00.000-04:00

Fun on Lake Wallenpaupack

2008-10-06T19:09:00.002-04:00

Here's a good looking bass

2008-10-06T19:07:00.001-04:00

5.5 lbs - I threw it back after taking these pictures so that someone else may have a chance to land it:

A few weeks late, but...

2008-10-06T19:05:00.004-04:00

I promised to share some of my pics from my outdoorsy borthday getaway weekend, so here they are:

My Birthday

2008-09-08T11:25:00.001-04:00

Today is my birthday, and although I don't believe that it's a national holiday (yet), I'm taking the remainder of the day off to enjoy some other aspects of life like trout fishing :)

A fishing weekend coming up!

2008-09-05T12:09:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, with so many outdoor projects at home (landscaped the front lawn, putting a deck around my pool, laying a paver stone walkway in the backyard, built a rock wall and a playground for the kids), I haven't had any time to really enjoy the great outdoors the way I'd like to. My outdoor experiences were limited to a fishing trip to Cape May, one camping trip, and a few mountain bike rides.

My birthday is Monday, and I'll turn 34. As part of my bday present, my wife reserved a weekend trip at Lake Wallenpaupack so I can do a few days of fishing, knowing full well that the only thing I cared to do for my birthday was to do something outdoorsy.

Hopefully, when I return, I'll have some great pictures to share with you all.

Archery season starts soon!

2008-08-18T12:26:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but I'm gearing up for archery season. Like any avid hunter, I'm making sure that my bow is sighted properly so that there are no mistakes in firing that arrow. After sighting, I'll be practicing about a half an hour a day to make sure that my shots are accurate. The best rule in hunting is make sure of your shot - you always want a humane hunt.

Camping essentials: dryer lint

2008-08-18T12:17:00.003-04:00

There are many fire starters to use when getting your campfire going. Some people prefer to have available some newspaper, toilet paper, or some other burnable material. Oh, and if you're not aware you can also use the bark from a birch tree.

One thing I like to take along with me is dryer lint (I store mine in a zip lock bag). It's extremely flammable.

Backpack essentials: pepper spray

2008-08-18T12:05:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading last month's Field & Stream and found an interesting article on preventing bear attacks. One essential you'll need to have is pepper spray. Surprisingly, it has been proven to be more effective against bears than guns. Pepper spray was proven to be effective 92% of the time, when firearms only proved to be 66% effective. Personally, when I'm hunting I would prefer to have both available :)

How I surf fish

2008-08-17T13:41:00.004-04:00

This post is for all you novices who aren't really sure how to fish from a shore line. Next time you visit the beach, try this technique and you might find yourself reeling in more fish than anyone else around you.

I took this approach by taking a mix of trout fishing using live bait and bay fishing (from a boat) techniques.

What you'll need:
3-way fishing swivel
Saltwater rod
Size 1 saltwater hooks
3 oz saltwater sinker
squid bait

First, cut the squid bait in a trapezoid shape similar to the way you see it below:

The trick is to cut the squid about 4" - 5" long, about 1/2" - 1" wide at one side and down to 1/4" - 1/2" on the other side.

Next, set up your rig as follows:

Note: the line from the swivel to the sinker should be between 8" - 18", and the line from the swivel to the hook should be between 12" - 18".

This rig works because when the sinker settles to the ground, the current will make the bait flap around in the water above the ground. I use a similar rig in freshwater areas like rivers and streams where the current is stronger than usual (like after rain).

When you bait the hook, you want to make sure that you put the thicker end of the cut squid through the hook. Put two pieces of squid on the hook!!!! Most fishermen put only one squid on the hook, but putting two pieces will make the fish more curious because the bait is presented differently. Plus, putting two pieces on the hook makes the bait look more realistic under water. Note: hooking on two wax worms in trout streams is just as effective, especially during the hot summer when the fish don't want to bite and near the opening day of trout season. But in trout waters, it's best to use a small treble hook. Last time I went trout fishing, I caught a 2 1/2 lb. trout near Tunkhannock, PA (most legal size trout are too small to weigh) using 2 wax worms on one hook.

When fishing the surf on the beach, I usually try to cast about 20 yards out and leave just enough slack for the line to settle. Count to 60 (slowly) and reel in a little bit of line (this best works by tipping the rod up and reeling in slack). Count to 20 (slowly) and reel in a little more line again. By the third or fourth time around if you have no bites, recast. Last time I used this rig, I caught 4 legal size flounder off the coast of Cape May in less than 30 minutes.

Stripercam.com

2008-08-17T11:55:00.002-04:00

This is not an endorsement, but I thought it was cool for you to check this site out. The owner of a bait and tackle shop in Cape May, NJ put this site out there for you all to see live fishing action around Cape May.

Outdoor fun in Cape May, NJ

2008-08-17T11:26:00.008-04:00

Last weekend, I went to Cape May, NJ with my family to enjoy the beach. I'm not the type of guy to law down on the beach and do nothing, so I decided to take a fishing trip on the Lady Chris and do some surf fishing afterwards. My daughter went with me, too. Despite being caught in a severe thunderstorm, it was a great weekend for fishing.

Ruger SR9 Recall

2008-08-17T10:51:00.003-04:00

As an outdoor enthusiast, I admit that I am not a big gun enthusiast. However, I do own a few guns for hunting purposes even though my primary choice for big game is archery. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania now allows archery hunters to carry a handgun for protection. This spring I bought a Ruger SR9 for that very reason. I had it for about 5 months and never fired it.

If you own an SR9 and haven't heard about the recall, you may want to check out the link which gives you more information about this very important safety retrofit. According to Ruger.com, "some Ruger SR9 pistols manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008 can, under certain conditions, fire if dropped with their manual safeties in the "off" or "fire" position. The pistols will not fire if the manual safety is in the "on" or "safe" position."

More specifically, the guns that are affected have a serial number of "330-29999 or lower." Also, you will know if your gun needs to be retrofitted because the trigger assembly looks different.

Before retrofit, your trigger assembly looks like this:

After retrofit, your trigger assembly looks like this:

If you're unsure about whether your gun needs to be retrofitted, you should call the SR9 recall hotline at 1-800-784-3701

You should also call the hotline if your SR9 needs retrofit. There is no cost to you, the consumer. Ruger is replacing all parts for FREE.

To participate in the recall, you may go online to the recall page or call the the recall hotline number. Once Ruger is ready to retrofit your pistol, the company will send you a box to ship your pistol directly to their factory free of charge. They promise to return your pistol within 2 weeks at no cost to you and send you an extra magazine. In the mantime, Ruger advises that you do not use your SR9 until it is retrofitted.

I just received my retrofitted SR9 (still haven't fired it) 4 business days after it was sent back to the factory for recall. They did send the extra magazine, as well as a Ruger hat and bumper sticker back with the repaired pistol. I also found that the customer service staff was extremely friendly and helpful during this process - something rare these days (Jeff Quinn, editor of gunblast.com agrees - see his article here). Even more rare is that the customer service staff spoke English and were not outsourced to some company in southeast Asia.

If you want to know specifically which parts are being replaced, you can view the PDF of the retrofit changes here.

Please note that this post merely serves as a public service to owners of the SR9 and is not intended to serve as a means to argue for or against gun ownership rights. This post was neither solicited nor approved by Ruger.