Due to our fascination with the forms of technical inventions on the one hand, and the limiting vocabulary of the modern movement on the other, our designs have moved from the realm of feeling into that of reasoning. … However, beauty is not appreciated through reason—it is enjoyed through feelings. There is no objective beauty; it goes directly to the heart—a glowing rainbow over a field of ripe wheat needs no explanation.
From the Best Made Archives: Duluth Viewmaster series
As a kid growing up in Minnesota, ‘getting away from it all’ meant heading up north. Duluth. McGregor. Lutsen. The north shore. We still love it up north. The fishing. The boating. And the cribbage, ah the cribbage. But for those days when the work starts to pile up, the emails need answering and I just can’t ‘get away from it all,’ I have my Viewmaster. A few minutes clicking through the vistas of Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, and the Silver Creek cliffs are almost as restorative as an actual visit. Almost. At least it’s enough to get me through the rest of my emails.
—Nick Zdon, Best Made Minnesota Outpost
Smoker Jumper Badges, from the collection of Best Made
“Understandably, Smokejumpers have an obsession about their equipment. Although they change from one fixation to another, equipment is nearly always somewhere on their mind, and, as they get close to the jump, equipment is about all that is on their mind. They know they are about to live or die on a man-made substitute for wings furnished by the government.” — Norman Maclean (from Young Men and Fire).
Cooking Salmon on the River, by Zachary Collier, Best Made Guide to River Rafting
People are always amazed at the meals we can create on a river rafting expedition. We bring a full kitchen complete with a 6 burner stove, firepan and plenty of cast iron Dutch ovens, so we can create delicious meals!
One of my favorite things to cook on a river trip is salmon. Here’s Dale’s recipe for Mustard, Lemon and Dill Salmon to feed 30 people:
Dale’s Recipe:
15 lbs wild Alaskan salmon
4 lemons
2 sticks butter
16 fresh dill sprigs
4 bottles Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard
1 jar mustard seed
Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil for each salmon filet. Slice one stick of butter and distribute the slices on each sheet and then put the salmon on top, skin side down. Spread the Sierra Nevada mustard on top of the filets and then sprinkle mustard seeds on top. Add a few slices of butter, then very thin slices of lemon, and top it all off with the fresh dill sprigs.
Wrap the salmon completely in the aluminum foil and then cook over a fire or a camp stove. It typically cooks after 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet and the temperature of the fire/stove. The salmon is ready when if flakes easily with a fork and the skin is just starting to separate from the fish.
Mike Burke’s Recipe: Sometimes on river trips we lose or forget to bring a key ingredient, which forces us to get creative. A simple recipe that I learned from river legend Mike Burke is to drizzle the salmon with maple syrup and cook. That’s it!
Notes: There are several ways to cook your salmon. To keep it moist, we usually wrap it in aluminum foil. Grilling salmon is always fun, and everyone likes to watch it sizzle, but this method can lead to dry fish. A hybrid method is to wrap the firepan in aluminum foil and let the salmon cook in some of its juices.
There are also many delicious toppings for salmon, and we like to get creative. Try onions, bell peppers, soy sauce, wine, whiskey, garlic, BBQ sauce, or even a simple pesto made with olive oil and herbs.
Zach is the owner/outfitter at Northwest Rafting Company.
From The Best Made Archives
Klondikers ascending the steep Chilkoot pass, crossing from Alaska into Yukon Territory. Photo by Eric A. Hegg
When you hit what you aim for, and the tool vanishes into its target, there is a moment of nothing. The force exerted continues blasting through the object, in this case wood, and the weight of your axe continues to fall but you, your muscles, are hollow. This is classical physics, matter altered by force, distilled through an axe.
The moment ends as quickly as it came and you’re at it again. The elasticity of those fractions of a second, that’s what you’re looking for in each strike — perfection is measured simply. You see each swing, each round, through and move on to the next, not stopping until there’s no pile left and the air is a mix of pine and dirt.
I recently spent a few hours chopping wood for the house with my stepdad (known as Pop) in Steamboat Springs, CO. I had brought two tools for testing: the Best Made American Felling Axe and the new Hudson Bay Axe. Not surprisingly, the Felling Axe was called into duty the bulk of the time, as the rounds, knotted by time and climate, proved stubborn. The Felling Axe is heavy but swings as accurately as its operator — what I notice is its fine balance and absolute power. If you hit what you aim for, the weight of the axe and moderate force is enough to split pine easily or, as it’s originally intended, drop a tree. It’s heavy, sure, but its force in the right hands is impressive. Its balance, achieved by way of a flawless bit and elegantly curved handle, is the true success.
The Hudson Bay Axe’s strength is in its versatility. It’s light (packable) but when used correctly can easily split firewood. Since the Hudson is light, you can take it anywhere. You can also (and you have to) swing it with velocity and precision. I was surprised with how true to my intentions the Hudson behaved, but that’s like any good tool — it becomes a part of you. The Hudson is slender, and its bit elegant; of all the Best Made tools, it is perhaps the most elegant in design. The handle, long enough to be safe, is well-conceived and it’s here that I find my favorite feature of the Hudson. The swell knob, or end of the handle, has been left thick enough to fill the palm of your hand, giving the Hudson the feel of a much larger axe when it’s in your hand.
Happy New Year.
From New York City, to the Twin Cities. To Topanga, to Telluride, and to Toronto. From Disneyland to Lumberland, and to all points in between: happy new year to everyone.
XOX Best Made,
December 31st, 2011
Fearless Frankie
A special request to all Best Made fans in the Midwest! Meet Fearless Frankie. She’s an 8-10 month old Black Lab/Herding mix, and she needs a good home. She has an amazing story.
As told by the person who found her:
I found Frankie in Northern Minnesota deep in the woods… I have no idea how she got that far into the woods. She was in an area few humans can even get to or would know about, just the occasional hunter. We came upon her in our ATV, she was pretty frightened. When I turned the machine off and talked to her, she stopped barking and nervously crawled on her belly to me wagging her tail. I picked her up and she basically collapsed in my arms. I don’t think she spent much time with humans as every noise and sight was new to her. She weighed 19 pounds after I had fed her for three days… you could see every rib and vertebrae. Frankie was very near death.
What amazed me and my dad (I’m an avid outdoorsman and Dad is a forester), is when we tried to investigate how she got there, we discovered a den that she had made. No dog would know how to do this, this is coyote/fox behavior. Her den was in the perfect spot, by water, by food (oak trees for acorns and sloughs for small game). We discovered a small pile of acorns as well. She had the smarts not only to eat acorns but bring a few mouth fulls back with her. She’s amazing.
Debriefing: The Warby Parker Holiday Spectacle Bazaar
Back in the workshop and it feels like we’ve come home from a seven year military campaign, not seven days of workshops, whiskey, and living out of our yurt in downtown Manhattan. It was our first real foray into many things - including running a brick and mortar retail experience, and holding our first ever field medicine workshop (equipped with real pig’s hooves) - but that’s the way we like it. Best Made in the flesh. And take note: we’ve got our sights keenly set on a full-time store for 2012. Let’s make it happen. Huzzzzzzah!
And be sure to check out Laura Silverman’s amazing post about her foraged cocktail workshop at Glutton for Life.
A big thanks to everyone who helped: Nick Zdon from our MN Outpost, Guide Laura Silverman, Dr. Rob Gorski, and of course our staff and interns at Best Made (Hunter, Ben, Jess, Adam, Virgilio, Martha). We would also like to thank Stranahan’s whiskey for providing the fuel to our workshops. And last but not least a huge thanks to the staff and founders at Warby Parker, and Partners & Spade: Anthony Sperduti, Andy Spade, Andrew Post, Jamie Arendt, Kaki Read, and Isabel Seely.
Winter Interlude, Steamboat Springs, CO
by Matt Beaudin, Best Made Guide to Colorado
And special thanks to Von Wilson for showing us how it’s done!
Read more about Von.
