Happy New Year Slideshow! What our Free Range Quest has taught us so far…

HAPPY 2014! We took our biggest leap in 2013 — selling our home and giving away all of our possessions to document amazing farm and energy innovators, culinary pioneers and off-gridders across the continent, while searching for our own piece … Continue reading

The Myth of the Vacation

In the immortal paraphrasing of Slack Master Ferris Bueller – leaving our jobs, selling our house, and liquidating most of our possessions to live in our bus may seem a little childish and stupid, but then, so is the rat … Continue reading

DIY sliding, barn-style door for our bus/RV conversion — UNDER $30!

I created a sliding door ALFie’s bathroom for under $30! Some of these barn-style door hardware kits are hundreds of dollars, I wanted to find a way to simplify and slash that cost drastically (Later we added a custom stained-glass … Continue reading

Sandor Katz visits Free Range Quest!

We at Free Range Quest are blessed to meet so many who motivate, inspire, and teach us. Sandor Katz has been called evangelical in the way he speaks about fermented foods. It has been said that he “has become for … Continue reading

Free Range Quest: “Put Your Poultry in Your Pantry” by David Von Kroug

See on Scoop.itFree to Leave

City Folk Learn to Dispatch and Dress Chickens!

See on homestead.org

Recipes on the Road: Chocolate Chia Fudge

While traveling through the incredible city of Louisville, KY, my brilliant filmmaker friends, Roni Jonah and Jason Crowe, took us in and lavished us with some SUPER tasty meals that happened to be raw, vegan, and packed full of protein! I became … Continue reading

The Road to Gonzoville: Part IV — Tapping Minnesota Maples + A Giveaway!

For more from our Free Range Quest, subscribe to this blog or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. _________________________________ “The thrust is no longer for ‘change’ or ‘progress’ or ‘revolution,’ but merely to escape, to live on the far … Continue reading

The Road to Gonzoville: Part III

For more from our Free Range Quest, subscribe to this blog or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. _______________________________ “Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase … Continue reading

The Road to Gonzoville: Part II

You can help to honor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson and be part of GonzoFest 2014 by clicking here and donating a couple bucks to this epic grassroots event organized by family, friends (such as legendary writers and poets Ron Whitehead and Frank Messina) and fans to … Continue reading

The Road to Gonzoville: Part I

“I was never trying, necessarily, to be an outlaw. It was just the place in which I found myself.” -HST Paris Review, 2000 Dave was born a Kentucky boy. Some happenstance had transferred his father to the bluegrass state for … Continue reading

How to cure a hangover in Hollywood (in 30 seconds flat)

Life is all about balance. When the balance is disturbed, you do what you have to to regain it immediately. It was early in the valley on the sunny, warm morning of my birthday when I awoke to my wife’s … Continue reading

El Bosque Farm: Life in the Land of Enchantment

After seven months on the adventure road, we took a pause for the past few weeks in the beautiful Embudo Valley, New Mexico, at the El Bosque garlic farm. Noted author and off-grid farmer Stanley Crawford (A Garlic Testament) and … Continue reading

Today is the Day! Steak for a good cause!

Greetings from Amarillo, Texas! Free Range Quest is raising funds for FamilyFarms Charities by taking The Big Texan Steak Ranch Challenge TODAY! This means Kristina will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Joey Chestnut and a 500 lb. bengal tiger by eating a 72 oz. … Continue reading

Still Illegal: Confessions of a Moonshiner

I’ve been a moonshiner For seventeen long years And I spent all my money On whiskey and beer And I go to some hollow And set up my still If whiskey don’t kill me Lord, I don’t know what will … Continue reading

The Toilet That Will Change the World!

Living full-time on the road and in the woods has put our survive and thrive priorities up front – instead of paying someone else to take care of our needs, the basics take up a good chunk of our time. … Continue reading

A Taste of ‘The Dirty Life’ at Essex Farm

In the Adirondacks, overlooking Lake Champlain is Essex; a small town of a little over 600 people where from fertile ground and a lot of dirty work sprouted one of the most inspiring farms in the world. We put our … Continue reading

There is only ONE way to roast a turkey (and it’s EASY)!

Every year I see the media barrage of new and interesting tips and tricks to roast a Thanksgiving Turkey. I’ve read so many silly recipes over the years that basically instruct people how to make a soggy-skinned death trap in only 78 … Continue reading

Stone Camp: An off-grid, zero-waste, self-sufficient paradise!

-Click here for more photos, self-sufficiency stories, and updates from the road!-   Adventure could be defined by how many times you find yourself saying “I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this one.” We have been … Continue reading

WIN Tickets to the next Mother Earth News Fair: A hands-on, sustainable lifestyle event!

Free Range Quest cruised across the prairies, hills and fields all the way from Portland, Oregon to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs PA 2013 to find loads of inspirational people working with real food, natural healing and all types … Continue reading

Rollingstone Chèvre + A GIVEAWAY!

The best stories we find on the road are those of the people who made a decision, packed up, and set out to start again. Karen Evans’ husband Chuck was a college art department head in the town of Winona, … Continue reading

Where is Von Kroug Farm? | Free Range Quest

Where is the Von Kroug Farm? Maybe you can tell us —

von kroug farms3

Fishpeople of the Pacific Northwest: Pure, sustainable, delicious.

As long as Free Range Quest is on the road, finding healthy, fresh and local food (especially meat and fish) is an important part of our day… and sometimes it can be tough! So we were really excited to discover … Continue reading

The Chef’s Table: locally-sourced dining in Sacramento, CA

While hanging out at Hook and Ladder in Sacramento, waiting for the first leg of repairs to be completed on our recently rear-ended ALFie, we told the story of our Free Range Quest to our server Micheal and handed her … Continue reading

Detour: Stranded in Sac

Dear friends – we have discovered three tiny, raised-bed garden boxes here at our corporate, business-class hotel. Farm-to-table at…. The DoubleTree?!? The chef uses all he can from the fresh herbs, tomatoes, corn and even squash in the cuisine served … Continue reading

Daily Organics in Los Angeles

Once a model for some of the top fashion houses in the world, Renee Gunter traded in her jet-setting lifestyle to provide the most gorgeous and delicious fruits, veggies, and natural products available to Los Angeles residents — all from … Continue reading

A Real Olive Garden + A GIVEAWAY

OJAI OLIVE OIL In the land of the grapes, from which great civilizations have sprouted, we must not forget its counterpart in climate  – the mighty olive! Before leaving Portland, our own olive tree began to fruit after three years … Continue reading

The Rhythm of the Road

“We saw that painted bus coming and we thought ‘oh no, here come more of those dirty hippies,’” the Ranger told us at the park gate. “But we were wrong, the bus looks great – and you guys don’t smell … Continue reading

Day 1 on the road: Decompression

Click HERE to like us on Facebook for more photos and updates from the road, including our first rolling home-cooked meal and daily travel essentials! _____________________________ On our last day in our old house, we awoke to a classic hot … Continue reading

That’s a wrap! From school bus to cabin on wheels!

It’s an unwrapped wrap! We got a call Thursday morning – For the first time with ANY vendor we have worked with on the bus conversion project, something was done ahead of schedule! A Little Further’s exterior makeover was complete! … Continue reading

Traveling the country with Portland Nutcases and our new (very affordable) Citizen folding bicycles!

I was 10. I had a 3 speed pink banana seat with handlebar fringe… It was a cruiser-looking thing with no fenders that left a mud track up my back as I sped through puddles. I had no fear then. … Continue reading

Wine cork floors! -or- How being drunken hoarders helped us remodel our bathroom!

Normally we are anti-hoarding, but in this case, it helped us! We had been saving wine corks in a vase for a few years for no particular reason. Between our collection plus that of a friend and our parents we … Continue reading

Bus aromatherapy: Sealing our cedar walls the natural, DIY way!

Chemical based sealers will often peel as the natural cedar oils degrade them, so finishing or staining cedar walls isn’t recommended. Sanding the walls with a fine sandpaper will revive the cedar scent as the aromatics dissipate over time.  Another food-safe, non-toxic, … Continue reading

Recipes on the Road: Orange Elk Stew For Two

Here is a recipe for elk stew that I made in my mini slow cooker — the perfect size to cook with in an RV to make a simple and delicious meal** for two: Ingredients: 1 lb. elk steak or … Continue reading

Simple, inexpensive roll-up bus/RV curtains

Here’s a little DIY curtain project for our awkwardly sized bus windows, they are easily removable and totally convertible — We added a screen print of one of our favorite band posters from Saint Jude to dress it up, but … Continue reading

Kitchen counter and storage install part 2 + Bathroom walls!

The short bus conversion in progress! Subscribe here or follow us on Facebook to see more updates as our project moves ahead! Night and day (in below freezing temperatures and with multiple layers of clothing) we installed the kitchen countertop and sink, … Continue reading

Kitchen counter and storage install part 1 -or- Our remodel, frozen in time!

We have rain, freezing temperatures, and back-to-back illnesses — but we persevere! Luckily, we have ALFie’s mini cube fireplace to keep us warm while we continue to rehab our 1999 diesel GMC bus into the perfect rolling cabin. Right now … Continue reading

Traditional Plum Pudding – Von Kroug Style

There are a few classic comedy staples in our household. Always sure to get a laugh: ANYTHING involving a rubber chicken, a banana peel, an ottoman in a footpath, or the pinnacle of holiday hilarity — Fruitcake. Plum Pudding, a … Continue reading

Unraveling the Mystery of Ikaria – The Enchanted Island Of Centenarians

The Island Where People Forget to Die – NYTimes.com.

Unraveling the mystery of why the inhabitants of Ikaria, an island of 99 square miles that is home to almost 10,000 Greek nationals, live so long and so well.

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As usual, a clean diet and strong social circle seem to contribute to a long life —  “Even if you’re antisocial, you’ll never be entirely alone. Your neighbors will cajole you out of your house for the village festival to eat your portion of goat meat.”

 

 

Free Range Quest: A Healthy Bus is a Happy Bus

A core of our project is about being “Free” – and although we are striving for independence and self-sufficiency, we recognize community building and cooperation are obvious essentials that align with our principles. So while we have not yet mastered … Continue reading

Leap of Faith: Why we are selling our 3-story home (and moving into a bus)

“Look back to where you have been, for a clue to where you are going” -Unknown “I sure hope not.” -Me I said to my wife the other night, “In the last decade of my life, I can clearly mark … Continue reading

Investments in Adventure, Part I

Hard work in exchange for a life filled with love, adventure, and a wealth of great memories is my idea of a great profit. For me, the most interesting and desirable returns come from money, energy, and time invested so … Continue reading

Bus conversion slideshow! Passenger seat installation – AND the bed platform is DONE!

David, working himself to death!

The navigator/passenger seat that we converted from an old office chair is now mounted with 360 swivel action! Carefully calculating the space we had to attach the seat without disturbing anything in the undercarriage was a daunting task! Dave spent … Continue reading

Recipes on the Road: Jackfruit Tacos with Cashew Cream Sauce

Jackfruit taco filling looks sand tastes very similar to chicken and with cashew cream sauce is addictively delicious. I found this original recipe by Taylor Duty on the Evolve Vegan blog (go there!); where a wealth of healthy vegan options … Continue reading