Living Primitively

Ears is yet another of those resources with great potential, that people invariably overlook. The ear is a ready made pouch, you just have to remove the cartilage inside it. This may sound really simple, but the skin on the ear is really thin, so you will need to be extremely careful not to rip or pierce the skin. I have tried doing this with an ordinary metal knife and it will actually be slower than if you use a fairly blunt bone knife.

Depending on how large you want the pouch to be, cut the ear off as close to the skull as you want. If you cut it right next to the skull, the initial skinning will be difficult, since the membranes are looser there and some meat will be attached. To start the skinning, poke the bone knife into the membrane and start cutting the membrane along the skin. Try to leave any flesh on the cartilage. Skin on both sides, before you free the edges.

The edges sit a little better, cut with a sharp edge, knife or flake to free it, before you roll the skin down the cartilage. Continue skinning down. Free the edges from carefully as you work your way down. Rippage happens most easily there. I don’t leave any cartilage on the skin at all, but if you do, that isn’t a problem.

When you have skinned it, you an either tan it or use it in a rawhide state.

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