This would be very labor intensive and was used mostly for ceremonial objects. Milkweed is a totally accurate portrayal of the horrors the jewish people lived and died in under hitlers rule, yet it is presented in a fictional way that children can understand. Nice repurposing of the hemostat, when i first saw it i didnt imagine it was part of the presentation. And the page about cordage mentioned it could be made from milkweed.
This dry brown swamp milkweed plant was harvested in a ditch near a lake last october. Dogbane stalks apocynum cannabinum, also known as indian. To read this book, you dont have to be a fan of historical fiction or wwii. Take a freshly cut milkweed plant, remove the leaves and lay it on a hard surface. The book itself as a tool for learning any of the 100 skills is completely useless. Asclepias syriaca, commonly called common milkweed, butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallowwort, and virginia silkweed, is a species of flowering plant. Milkweed is a 2003 young adult historical fiction novel by american author jerry spinelli. Making cordage from common plants is a forgotten skill. Bitter seeds milkweed book 1 kindle edition by tregillis, ian.
The story is sad and depressing because its about all of the terrible moments of world war ii and the holocaust. It tends to be more aggressive than some of the other milkweeds, but not excessively. Books similar to milkweed meet your next favorite book. This material is often used by woodsman as tinder for starting fires. Hes a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels.
I would often use the outer fibers on the stalk to make a serviceable cordage i still enjoy doing this and i learned to use the seed down but it wasnt until i was a bit older that i learned how wonderful this plant is as a wild edible. Milkweed books is an independent bookstore located in minneapolis. Dec 26, 2014 american indians even made fishing nets out of milkweed fiber. Mar 18, 2018 milkweeds actually get their name from this milky sap that secretes when the plant is injured. Look at hilary stewarts 1984 book cedarfor an excellent description of traditional rope making by native american women of the northwest coast. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading bitter seeds milkweed book 1. This species is native to southern canada and of much of the conterminous eastern u. As well, milkweed strings can be woven into course fabric. For cordage, harvest the dead, black milkweed stalks in the fall on a dry day after their fruits have ripened and the seeds are drifting away. The seed pods of common milkweed are filled with a fluffy, silklike substance that helps carry the seeds through the air. The cordage is used for making fishing nets, woven food storage bags, clothing, bow strings, etc. The book is about a boy in warsaw, poland in the years of world war ii during the holocaust. Milkweed may be toxic when taken internally, without sufficient preparation. How to identify milkweed plants quickly and confidently.
Dec 07, 2016 milkweed identification, harvest and use pertaining to 2 ply reverse wrap natural cordage. In the north, the roots of the spruce tree are used to make good, strong cordage. You can find instruction on making cordage from milkweed here and here. Trees can supply cordage by use of the bark, roots, and in a few cases, limbs. Discuss what misha pilsudski means when he says, and so, thanks to uri, in a cellar beneath a barbershop somewhere in warsaw, poland, in autumn of the year nineteen thirty. For instance, plants in the milkweed family, asclepiadaceae, dont let the name intimidate you, secrete a milky sap except for butterfly milkweed and opposite or sometimes whorled leaves. Two boys a slow learner stuck in the body of a teenage giant and a tiny einstein in leg braces forge a unique friendship when they pair up to create one formidable human force. Being a milkweed it provides food for the larva of the monarch butterfly. Bark from hawthorn, willow, elm, cedar, juniper, and sagebrush will work in a pinch, but is not as strong as bullrush, cattails, and other broadleaf plants, although these do have a wide variety of uses in tying and. Milkweed editions is an independent book publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This book just makes you want to dive into the book and help each one of the.
Later in the story, snuck out of the ghetto to steal food to bring back to the milgrom home for janina and her family to feed on. Making cordage video on youtube with chad clifford. Hes a boy who wants to be a nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own. Thighrolling is the fastest way to make fine cordage or string for sewing. Milkweed by jerry spinelli meet your next favorite book.
These are a bit large and would have been better a week or so earlier. Moving and darkly funny, this is an ambitious debut about technology, capitalism, motherhood, and the search for meaningful art, at once a. The upright stalks growing from the leaf joints are flower stalks. Apr 08, 2020 milkweed, dogbane apocynum cannabinum, and yucca liliaceae top the list as some of the preferred plants for cordage fibers. Milkweed book characters, events, and terms flashcards. Toxic dogbane looks slightly similar, but is smaller. Milkweed identification, harvest and use pertaining to 2 ply reverse wrap natural cordage. I demonstrate with dogbane, but milkweed is a fine s. Many times youve heard me say, knowledge is worth more than gear, when i talk about the great outdoors. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The corona circle of petals around the center of the flower contains 5 hooded forms facing inwards. In milkweed by jerry spinelli, the protagonist later named misha is. Misha pilsudski, was born a gypsy somewhere in the land of russia. Eileen nechas, patty beaumont, susan cherner, charmaine leibold, laurie baty, ariel gold.
Milkweed book characters, events, and terms quizlet. When making mass quantities of cordage, it is much faster and easier on the hands to use the leg thigh rolling method. Help w splicing cordage using tree bark bushcraft usa. Through his own experiences, samuel learned that many of the wildfoods books that are out there were just parroting what others were saying, which is that milkweed is a very bitter plant that requires multiple boilings to get rid of. Ropes from twine to cables and nets are a couple of them.
First, ill walk you through the process of isolating some highquality fiber from dead plants. Sep 12, 2019 making cordage from common plants is a forgotten skill. Be sure to dry out green milkweed for a few hours for best results. You can find detailed instruction on making cordage from milkweed and other plant fibers here. There are 5 separate sepals petallike leaves and 5 fused petals. The seed pods of common milkweed are filled with a fluffy, silk like substance that carries the seeds through the air. The principle is the same, stwist, zply, but the twist is applied by rolling on the leg, rather than twisting between the thumb and finger. There are different methods of making cordage and different materials you can make it out of. Many thanks to those who helped in the writing of this book. Cordage can be made from bark, branches, roots, stems, and leaves. Sep 05, 2015 common milkweed is abundant and makes great cordage. The stems produce fiber that can be used for making cordage or even paper. Were getting a taste of the process by making simple bracelets. American indians even made fishing nets out of milkweed fiber.
Common milkweed asclepias syrtiaca also makes decent cordage, but it is nowhere near as strong as swamp milkweed. Milkweed is an historical fiction book set in the warsaw ghetto in germanoccupied poland during world war ii. In the story milkweed, the mood of the story is mostly depressing, however, it is explained in an action packed way. Hes a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. General contact information milkweed editions 1011 washington avenue south open book, suite 300 minneapolis, mn 55415 phone. In fact, the fibers from most milkweeds can be made into cordage. Milkweeds supply tough fibers for making cords and ropes, and for weaving a coarse cloth. This all changed when i read samuel thayers book called the foragers harvest. Making traditional cordage in north america, by ron. In some rare cases the seed fluff from whorled milkweed and cottonwood was wound into cordage. Closeup of milkweed stem and oppositely opposed leaf set.
Nov 16, 2006 cordage can be made from bark, branches, roots, stems, and leaves. However, one of the skills, making cordage, caught my attention. Butterfly milkweed asclepias tuberosa is the only species of milkweed without this defense mechanism. Alma and her family live a life close to the landthen, one night, she abruptly leaves it all behind. I will teach you to make extremely strong rope out of common, dead plants with no need for tools. Most people rely on paracords and all sort of modern cordage when it comes to camping. Cordage, or string, is one of those simple little things which we seldom think about but use every day and take for granted. Wilderness survival and primitive living skills scroll down the page to order dogbane stalks for making your own cordage. I have had trouble splicing inner bark tree cordage because the ends for me were not near as whispy as useful cordage plants like dogbane, milkweed, nettle and yucca. Discuss what misha pilsudski means when he says, and so, thanks to uri, in a cellar beneath a barbershop somewhere in warsaw, poland, in autumn of the year nineteen thirtynine, i was born, you might say p. Hes a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. Looks like it processes in a way similar to the majority of cordage plants ie, dogbane, milkweed, evening primrose, etc. But when you cant visit the local hardware store for more, youd better know how to make some cordage yourself. Mood is a state or quality of feeling at a particular time.
Stoner is an insult boy did the comments on that link bring up an old cloud of nostalgia. A stunning novel of the holocaust from newbery medalist, jerry spinellihes a boy called jew. Such natural rope or string can be used for many things including bowanddrill friction fires, as a snare or fishing line, as lashing in shelter construction, repairing or creating clothing, and much more. Be sure you ask permission before taking plants from someones yard. Today id like to pass on a little knowledge on how to make your own cordage, which is very important if youre in the woods and you dont have any.
Milkweed is an amazing book written by jerry spinelli that takes you on an amazing journey of a young boys life during world war ii, the holocaust. However, it is quite surprising the simplicity with which cordage can be manufactured in nature. Lightly tap the stem with a rubber mallet to break the outer layer. People have used milkweed for fiber, food, and medicine all over the united states and southern canada. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Dec 26, 2019 the book itself as a tool for learning any of the 100 skills is completely useless. Common milkweed is abundant and makes great cordage. I am able to do the reverse twist for making cordage but the splicing part when using inner bark from trees is causing me difficulty. Milkweed, dogbane apocynum cannabinum, and yucca liliaceae top the list as some of the preferred plants for cordage fibers. This skill is being kept alive thanks to survivalists and bushcraft enthusiasts.
Making cordage from natural fibers adapted from participating in nature. Severin hockberg, rabbi cynthia kravitz, rahel lerner, chava boylan, jack waintraub, marek web, peter black, my editor, joan slattery. It is, basically, a glorified annotated list with a provocative title. Thanks amazon for putting milkweed out there for all to read. The first thing youll need is milkweedyoull be using the stems.
Milkweed grows in fields, meadows and along roadsides. Located in warsaw, poland who is a young orphan gypsy. If you think you have a milkweed but are unsure, tear a piece off to look for the sap but try not to get it on your skin or in your eyes. Making cordage is a fundamental survival skill that should not be overlooked. Contents cover page title page dedication epigraph acknowledgments chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6. Swamp milkweed asclepias incarnata grows in generally damp or wet places. Extracting and spinning like in oxcart man a recommended living book here. Milkweed fiber cordage if youre a visual learner, check out this or a number of other videos on youtube. Common milkweed asclepias syriaca seedplant kansas. In milkweed by jerry spinelli, the protagonist later named misha is orphaned and must determine an identity for himself.
Over time he is taken in by a jewish group of orphans and he must avoid the nazis or jackboots while living on the streets with other orphans. Such natural rope or string can be used for many things including bowanddrill friction fires, as a snare or fishing line, as lashing in shelter construction, repairing. Survival series how to make your own cordage shtf blog. It explains how hard life was for people during the time. Eileen nechas, patty beaumont, susan cherner, charmaine leibold, laurie baty, ariel gold, hildegard veigel, kathye petrie, eva mercik, dr. A wonderful story of hannah thinks tonight passover seder will be the same as always.
1399 1040 862 86 585 1156 1028 1073 1160 963 734 1346 889 1435 1365 1248 921 365 658 1466 480 803 926 1070 1378 173 251 742