Saturday, March 20, 2010

TRX and Pemmican

I've got to keep this post short because I've been assigned raking duties this afternoon by my mother. Yes, apparently you're supposed to rake in the spring. This was news to me.

Anyway, I got to really put my homemade TRX to work yesterday. It's a dynamic tool and I'll be getting more accustomed to it. It weighs practically nothing and fits in my backpack easily. I was feeling adventurous, so I put in a little challenge at the end of my workout: complete 3 rounds of push-ups, knee raises, and rows on the TRX following a 21-15-9 rep scheme. It took me 6:54, which is a good number for me to beat. It wasn't too grueling, so I may find some other exercises to substitute in.

My mom came up with the idea of selling them. A normal TRX sells for $150, but I can make a nearly identical one for $20 in less than twenty minutes. I don't know where I'll be selling them, but they have been getting popular in some fitness circles. The one obstacle between me and the vast fortunes that await me is that I need to convince people to spend their money on a product made by a 17 year old. Easier said than done.

The other big news in my life was the completion of my biggest cooking accomplishment yet (and there have been many, such as the time I learned how to crack an egg), making pemmican. It was messy and a little chaotic, but we got it all done. Last night I rendered the fat, ground up the beef jerky in a food processor, and mixed them together in hopes that they would form a perfect marriage. Our hopes weren't exactly met. Nor were we completely let down. It might taste a little like dog chow, but, at least to me, it was a promising start. I plan on making a large batch before I leave for school, so I can gross out my friends.

I'll be leaving tomorrow to visit colleges and see some extended family. That's a winning combination.

2 comments:

  1. Grats on the pemmican. Simple as it is, it's a bit daunting until you actually sit down and get the hang of it. Taste kinda grows on you =), goes great in a soup like concoction too.

    And, don't know how relevant this is to you, but pemmican is by far the ultimate 'survival' food =). Make plenty!

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  2. I've made pemmican. So far I have only used bison suet and bison meat.

    Here's how I rendered my suet: http://paleofood.com/suet.txt

    I used a food processor only once to grind my jerky. It left chunks. After that I used my KitchenAid blender in small batches. I expect a Vitamix would be ideal.

    If you use tallow, like most people, it comes out much softer than my hard as rock pemmican. I have pictures of my end result here:

    http://donwiss.com/pictures/#food

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