tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784870440984439192024-03-17T21:03:10.070-06:00The Homestead LaboratoryA Somewhat Methodical Approach to Sustainable HomesteadingJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-82913389555903267572016-06-28T08:30:00.000-06:002017-03-11T21:04:07.304-07:00Cherry Pitter Hack for Nanking CherriesIt's generally accepted among scientists that Nanking cherries evolved to be smaller than regular cherries so that standard-size cherry pitters wouldn't work on them. The rationale is that the smaller size would cause humans to be less likely to collect them, and as a result, Nanking cherry seeds would be spread further and wider by birds and squirrels. (Don't bother looking that up, we only surveyed household scientists.)<br />
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Fortunately, humans are capable of evolving as well, and have now provably adapted to allow efficient predation on Nanking cherries. Evidence: a primitive modified cherry pitter tool. Fortunately for future archeologists, the development of the tool was captured in this equally primitive blog post.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTJlR5Fvzvog7Nu1NYymAhvZWrYnQMztUT9QkE37oCiaW6NfCly1TxRv3A_dF5yKaDo-Sqj22hpVimIS6aGMB5Rhr9p8g40VpaBYwTuaOAtETX5TaTK3DXu0rpEVXY8FW11y8sTYGBMk/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Glass with Nanking cherries" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTJlR5Fvzvog7Nu1NYymAhvZWrYnQMztUT9QkE37oCiaW6NfCly1TxRv3A_dF5yKaDo-Sqj22hpVimIS6aGMB5Rhr9p8g40VpaBYwTuaOAtETX5TaTK3DXu0rpEVXY8FW11y8sTYGBMk/s320/IMG_2353.JPG" title="Glass with Nanking cherries" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We picked nearly a cup of these tasty-dactyls last week.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvsAD0_hs9CumRWkzKb3ibTRHsdJCNBjP-P6NHsyKdckTHHpZqlmDUcAMAI78HB9Mea-imwz68ONKRi9s4I5nuGWGeHSY-n_snK5EUcdCjdocUNv5Ee0KVnvdxujF7bSzsydANuDnFeQ/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nanking cherry in cherry pitter" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvsAD0_hs9CumRWkzKb3ibTRHsdJCNBjP-P6NHsyKdckTHHpZqlmDUcAMAI78HB9Mea-imwz68ONKRi9s4I5nuGWGeHSY-n_snK5EUcdCjdocUNv5Ee0KVnvdxujF7bSzsydANuDnFeQ/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" title="Nanking cherry in cherry pitter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But they're too small for our cherry pitter!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Sy6cA61OAoLSkOmhLs3mox7xc3ZYhZmkgQVOboRejOQv02sFG2eHucECqxWDQj9Tmm17H-VK-peijcaB-r9bbf7qY9u4arMSfIuAnMKtzMU0PJaEZfGj_mfdJkZJjX3ICzKm_lZkRvU/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Washer in cherry pitter" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Sy6cA61OAoLSkOmhLs3mox7xc3ZYhZmkgQVOboRejOQv02sFG2eHucECqxWDQj9Tmm17H-VK-peijcaB-r9bbf7qY9u4arMSfIuAnMKtzMU0PJaEZfGj_mfdJkZJjX3ICzKm_lZkRvU/s320/IMG_2355.JPG" title="Washer in cherry pitter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rummaging around in the garage, we found a washer that fits inside the cherry pitter, with a small enough inner diameter to hold the Nanking cherries but large enough to still let the plunger through.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIHrm1ZSkZaw-s58-FGrxfQ0O_uOsSQRaLwRAqxf9RYxX__xheRUY49ke8IdSrFcQVMl_7b1bszNGDbgB5PcOjgbSvzAPFQ3o5myjjy98FUREGsujQqOfgJbVIapz7LvdLBf1gyisQm4/s1600/IMG_2359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pitted Nanking cherries" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIHrm1ZSkZaw-s58-FGrxfQ0O_uOsSQRaLwRAqxf9RYxX__xheRUY49ke8IdSrFcQVMl_7b1bszNGDbgB5PcOjgbSvzAPFQ3o5myjjy98FUREGsujQqOfgJbVIapz7LvdLBf1gyisQm4/s320/IMG_2359.JPG" title="Pitted Nanking cherries" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the batch we collected, there were no survivors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5crX_4_KWiORwcS7UgPoU8jcU2dB6GGZMGUlSlKtendrqsSxCN6Q15KpGz_36hxeOFiZDJatYXMXKEe3U0AxUXogmJZD8IS5etbuquNQocBWpyx3Uy9duFlpvdLixirroCRADAj3KTNM/s1600/IMG_2360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nanking cherries on ice cream" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5crX_4_KWiORwcS7UgPoU8jcU2dB6GGZMGUlSlKtendrqsSxCN6Q15KpGz_36hxeOFiZDJatYXMXKEe3U0AxUXogmJZD8IS5etbuquNQocBWpyx3Uy9duFlpvdLixirroCRADAj3KTNM/s320/IMG_2360.JPG" title="Nanking cherries on ice cream" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We shall honor their passing with great reverence...and plenty of ice cream. (We also scattered the pits through the chicken pasture so the Nanking cherries, as a species, don't get too mad at us. Ahh, symbiosis!)</td></tr>
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How do you process Nanking (or other small) cherries?<br />
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<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-92107569210194963412016-06-25T08:30:00.000-06:002016-06-25T08:30:15.896-06:00Homestead Happiness, June Week 1-ishThis post is actually a couple weeks late, but it's still a relevant tour of our June yard. Nature is at peak biomass production this time of year both for weeds (boo...) and garden plants (yay!) Fortunately, we've been more on top of the garden this year than last and most of the tree fruit survived the late snow storms, so things are looking good!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tBUICha-TDB4RP_bTMel6NE6PkCG94BjgVDvOI5_Ty6X4M-Lopbetw6YjqU0IuNPfTUZxAzpKGO-_QzkkApVa2UlZTb2Kmyym_tMZ4OiPSuvhYuGVmqukXRyYgMexe-sp4V-3qiTguc/s1600/IMG_2339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="June garden" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tBUICha-TDB4RP_bTMel6NE6PkCG94BjgVDvOI5_Ty6X4M-Lopbetw6YjqU0IuNPfTUZxAzpKGO-_QzkkApVa2UlZTb2Kmyym_tMZ4OiPSuvhYuGVmqukXRyYgMexe-sp4V-3qiTguc/s320/IMG_2339.JPG" title="June garden" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got the garden in and mulched, and the drip irrigation set up. It's crazy how much the tomatoes (left) and potatoes (right) have already grown since this photo was taken.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9oodJ3GxZYnLv9pntdk4zGuWwy7gFzT9oIdj-e1B3HH39STOrP7BjVp2qjdJT18nLOI0jILMBkd7ffcZnehO3k68kmpvVo9a3VT9v2PwTCLM_XmDxHKltN9b3d6v-tbzWq0yhyphenhyphenBUEPs/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Healthy rhubarb" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9oodJ3GxZYnLv9pntdk4zGuWwy7gFzT9oIdj-e1B3HH39STOrP7BjVp2qjdJT18nLOI0jILMBkd7ffcZnehO3k68kmpvVo9a3VT9v2PwTCLM_XmDxHKltN9b3d6v-tbzWq0yhyphenhyphenBUEPs/s320/IMG_2331.JPG" title="Healthy rhubarb" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After two years of struggling, it looks like our rhubarb has finally turned the corner! The likely culprit for its struggles: a quack grass root right through the center of the crown. If you have a rhubarb plant that's inexplicably struggling, make sure it's not being assaulted by quack grass.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMggZJ7WT99GpLbwfrICWk4chJFtTT34Hjbod5SaCh4OGHYtP4lPuMwSuLi9hE7b1kYyUEyF04Hwqf5zH-Ca3ieDiUNZo1Y996W667vVepW-O-8mQhtukr55O_0eCsoVGlCQXInblpW80/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="New rhubarb" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMggZJ7WT99GpLbwfrICWk4chJFtTT34Hjbod5SaCh4OGHYtP4lPuMwSuLi9hE7b1kYyUEyF04Hwqf5zH-Ca3ieDiUNZo1Y996W667vVepW-O-8mQhtukr55O_0eCsoVGlCQXInblpW80/s320/IMG_2328.JPG" title="New rhubarb" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some new neighbors put up a fence, and in the fervor of their construction, ended up tossing part of a rhubarb plant into our yard. What else to do but plant it? The leaves it already had died right away, but it was sprouting new leaves from the root within a week. Jake's mom has another story about a piece of rhubarb root left out in a garden shed over the winter, and rediscovered in the spring, frozen and dried out. She put it in the ground and it's growing now! Respect. May we all be as resilient as rhubarb!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bzWQS6cQ7ytS1JocDFlqoHrEGEgKJHS0RcXQP0mIRjqikkE1A5wDyjFPPqP66AzQ_7_x85CNuIYURyPkQZG70a0_clSLFMWqy1RAEzHNgQGvNi_DVJnIm9zBXtZQTBIau7tKZLO-6UY/s1600/PreFruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Unripe fruit on trees" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bzWQS6cQ7ytS1JocDFlqoHrEGEgKJHS0RcXQP0mIRjqikkE1A5wDyjFPPqP66AzQ_7_x85CNuIYURyPkQZG70a0_clSLFMWqy1RAEzHNgQGvNi_DVJnIm9zBXtZQTBIau7tKZLO-6UY/s320/PreFruit.jpg" title="Unripe fruit on trees" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have our largest variety yet of pre-fruit this year--the black raspberries are finally bearing (they were fall-planted in 2013), while the peach tree bloomed for the first time and a few of the fruits survived the late snow storms. The apples and crab apples survived, too! We could have also added wild plums and sour cherries to this picture. It's going to be a busy August/September around here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjDXpOSH2sT2mONghjtxgeL8nzvCuyQHjr3R4hXzf-mOH6aud1L1WPyxEX9_oa8QzxEVP8dPZ2JIuSUEDcxp97a30uO0KCNtL7FheliOKtmyVNau3DTIdRE0f-bkuokROQG6YOIyWFRY/s1600/IMG_2342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nanking cherries" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjDXpOSH2sT2mONghjtxgeL8nzvCuyQHjr3R4hXzf-mOH6aud1L1WPyxEX9_oa8QzxEVP8dPZ2JIuSUEDcxp97a30uO0KCNtL7FheliOKtmyVNau3DTIdRE0f-bkuokROQG6YOIyWFRY/s320/IMG_2342.JPG" title="Nanking cherries" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other hand, the Nanking cherries are just about ripe. More on that soon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tdqCRYZTZ1uHAf3HpKDd0kOHoDYtU9RDCsKCSQvFnPho_3Frf_yA9rPvPR0H0lR3r6ON_sSb5PjIwxp8ytKXPiVB5Sd49CydFw97xk53eQqRTsC4nsjrQ4L02eNrdSMINpaO7-elRf4/s1600/IMG_2330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Volunteer chard and potato" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tdqCRYZTZ1uHAf3HpKDd0kOHoDYtU9RDCsKCSQvFnPho_3Frf_yA9rPvPR0H0lR3r6ON_sSb5PjIwxp8ytKXPiVB5Sd49CydFw97xk53eQqRTsC4nsjrQ4L02eNrdSMINpaO7-elRf4/s320/IMG_2330.JPG" title="Volunteer chard and potato" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've been mulching with aged chicken bedding, and it's sprouted almost as many volunteer garden plants as weeds because of all the kitchen and garden scraps we gave the chooks. You can see Swiss chard and a potato plant in the photo, and just outside the photo is some borage. We had an empty space where we relocated some strawberries to hedge our bets against marauding squirrels, so it's a nice surprise to see it fill in with edibles! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzVm4cI_5BLeK_zBxA6XdXTOCqWh7fEjpGcWBQXnFMWadhjCoHqzCqbi7KnZdN09WmMf8IGB1fVva4CAkkmQhQPo9uQAupRYVOVCCsfBij7lwRfzgavXAWdIdGaRSye9fKuYpWsSkn0s/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chives and volunteer catnip" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzVm4cI_5BLeK_zBxA6XdXTOCqWh7fEjpGcWBQXnFMWadhjCoHqzCqbi7KnZdN09WmMf8IGB1fVva4CAkkmQhQPo9uQAupRYVOVCCsfBij7lwRfzgavXAWdIdGaRSye9fKuYpWsSkn0s/s320/IMG_2327.JPG" title="Chives and volunteer catnip" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of volunteers, we were disappointed when the catnip plant we planted last year died. But one of its offspring has taken its place! Nature seems to be granting all our plant-related wishes this year.</td></tr>
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What made your homestead happy this week?<br />
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<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-77075304671381143472016-06-23T08:30:00.000-06:002016-06-23T08:30:48.603-06:00Pollinator PartyThey say that once you have honeybees, you look at flowers differently. You wonder if a flower is a good source of nectar, of pollen, or both. You wonder if the pollen is good nutrition for the bees, or junk food like <a href="https://wasba.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/8-Pollen-Master-.pdf">pine pollen</a>. You might wonder if a flower has been sprayed with a pesticide of some sort. At the very least, you become more aware of what's blooming at any given time of year and wonder if your bees are hitting it up to make you some honey. <br />
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If you also happen to be a <strike>huge bug nerd</strike> amateur entomologist, you might notice that some times of the year there is only one kind of flower blooming in a given area. And as a result, that patch of flowers becomes a veritable smorgasbord of pollinators. We <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2015/06/homestead-happiness-june-week-1.html">noticed it last summer</a> on our hawthorn tree. A few weeks ago, we also noticed it on a blackberry patch while visiting family in Wisconsin. (For what it's worth, blackberries make <a href="http://beesource.com/resources/usda/honey-bees-preference-for-and-nutritive-value-of-pollen-from-five-plant-sources/">junk food-like pollen</a>, but may be a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_American_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees">good source of nectar</a>.) <br />
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Shrugging off the puzzled and slightly concerned glances of our relatives, we grabbed the camera and started snapping photos...let's see what we found!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkOtSNH0XrA5hTES-WChDMHSbQ3ZtMt92nBk5E8UAo8x4LD3POT8UWJ_pJzuQmWPNauay4JWtITd_Fcz6P5jA1krZr8NCTURgOgwEVv8skIP57US5kovOqaRujF5imakNT9YsGooU5No/s1600/IMG_2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Blowfly on blackberry blossom, Syrphus ribesii" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkOtSNH0XrA5hTES-WChDMHSbQ3ZtMt92nBk5E8UAo8x4LD3POT8UWJ_pJzuQmWPNauay4JWtITd_Fcz6P5jA1krZr8NCTURgOgwEVv8skIP57US5kovOqaRujF5imakNT9YsGooU5No/s320/IMG_2142.JPG" title="Blowfly on blackberry blossom" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were plenty of hover flies hanging out (including this <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/681408"><i>Syrphus ribesii</i></a>), but they weren't very cooperative as far as landing on flowers with good lighting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz_vhHcFv_TRFh45QHWCrzLLIGg-llXBh6BL672nXbnllX5rcgqM9JaSUWBh4sv6jRa-OrS6bFUyqz5AZKn4vSi7QYDW-SBvmY0prEzXLRZJXi0PfTAVRkS2nYC8Daw9QJglX7E2zP6Y/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mason bee on blackberry flower, Osmia lignaria" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz_vhHcFv_TRFh45QHWCrzLLIGg-llXBh6BL672nXbnllX5rcgqM9JaSUWBh4sv6jRa-OrS6bFUyqz5AZKn4vSi7QYDW-SBvmY0prEzXLRZJXi0PfTAVRkS2nYC8Daw9QJglX7E2zP6Y/s320/IMG_2135.JPG" title="Mason bee on blackberry flower" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fancy blue metallic bee was slightly more accommodating. We're pretty sure it's a blue mason bee (<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/479212"><i>Osmia lignaria</i></a>), but the midsection looks kind of thin and the abdomen looks not very hairy compared to other photos online.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7VA6N27Tu-qpHY3v12HGwNBDcrQeJsa54I6SD62H7dJtYz3oHalUE4EISWYRxFyOnf0ktryaK03NsgeXwFNvqVAuHYO93lzqupe8DlCb2MyTWhIRO_taaZjrEo_JiXnf27-uTM7mdwQ/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paper wasp on blackberry flower, Polistes carolina or Polistes rubiginosus" border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7VA6N27Tu-qpHY3v12HGwNBDcrQeJsa54I6SD62H7dJtYz3oHalUE4EISWYRxFyOnf0ktryaK03NsgeXwFNvqVAuHYO93lzqupe8DlCb2MyTWhIRO_taaZjrEo_JiXnf27-uTM7mdwQ/s320/IMG_2137.JPG" title="Paper wasp on blackberry flower" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This paper wasp was our best customer, as it was willing to be in focus and was visiting only the most attractive flowers. We think it's a <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/50540"><i>Polistes rubiginosus</i></a>, or <a href="http://cjai.biologicalsurvey.ca/bmc_05/72p_carolina.html"><i>Polistes carolina</i></a> but it's hard to be sure. They're very similar, and neither one is normally found as far north as Wisconsin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjrwHRGPHeSLjehq6fQnPAJp_howOGwH1B-OrzidcmXEycKvZ2ql0CqZ9ZaEj1TJV3bEtOUDGLwkiyq7dzAzYwEkmpkRTkPPNEo8oRnv7p8gYektG-oin8U6LYhU-TvXULWtdKEkiJD4/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bumble bee on blackberry flower, Bombus griseocollis or Bombus impatiens" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjrwHRGPHeSLjehq6fQnPAJp_howOGwH1B-OrzidcmXEycKvZ2ql0CqZ9ZaEj1TJV3bEtOUDGLwkiyq7dzAzYwEkmpkRTkPPNEo8oRnv7p8gYektG-oin8U6LYhU-TvXULWtdKEkiJD4/s320/IMG_2132.JPG" title="Bumble bee on blackberry flower" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An aptly-named bumble bee was also buzzing drunkenly from flower to flower. Looks like it's probably a Brown-belted Bumble Bee, <i> <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/3538">Bombus griseocollis</a></i>., but possibly a Common Eastern Bumble Bee, <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/56797"><i>Bombus impatiens</i></a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqs9BCSAwIsFJ7eyKPgs_4lKACf8ZeJwgCQ0BXPjEbeGrPLmUzdKOe8hmvrse8ESEW1p_u-mlOnrqIcFXopT0D_ElWhklV1lS-HCeB9RuqimhyphenhyphenV4JD_2Jh39OvE4ZWwVCK97b6cP6Au8/s1600/IMG_2128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Butterfly on blackberry flower, Boloria selene" border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqs9BCSAwIsFJ7eyKPgs_4lKACf8ZeJwgCQ0BXPjEbeGrPLmUzdKOe8hmvrse8ESEW1p_u-mlOnrqIcFXopT0D_ElWhklV1lS-HCeB9RuqimhyphenhyphenV4JD_2Jh39OvE4ZWwVCK97b6cP6Au8/s320/IMG_2128.JPG" title="Butterfly on blackberry flower" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a butterfly (we think it's a Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_pearl-bordered_fritillary"><i>Boloria selene</i></a>) was getting in on the action!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There were probably half a dozen other species that wouldn't hold still long enough to get their picture taken, but we'll have to check out this blackberry patch again next year! Not sure if we'll be back in time this year to enjoy the fruits of these pollinators' labor, but hopefully our relatives will remember this post and have a greater appreciation for these fine fellows while they're munching on delicious blackberries later this summer.<br />
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Where are the pollinator parties in your neck of the woods?<br />
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<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-43776954302236090792016-05-27T08:30:00.000-06:002016-05-27T09:46:57.928-06:00Reminder: Marshmallow Roasting Contest!This is just a quick reminder that if you're going camping this weekend, don't forget your marshmallows and camera! Those are two of the most necessary things to enter the <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/04/first-annual-marshmallow-roasting-world.html">marshmallow roasting world championships</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/homesteadlaboratory/posts/1133450933366221">contest on our Facebook page</a>.<br />
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To whet your appetite, here's another one of Katie's masterpieces, from a couple weekends ago. The evening was just too nice to head back inside after the <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/05/turbo-braised-campfire-chicken.html">turbo-braised chicken</a> was done!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKJK3uLU4v4pC-LqmrraAtcTK8Ez3OwaW6FhlQJ0f_2ilypIlBloP4SzLXp8r7Rrsb2w7l8c7ObnvO42YbOc7l94kQsq7d2PuN9lNrH4Ww1rJ__gL3f-2jBwcSK6U7j4HHocfwWo0Mqc/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Marshmallow roasting on rocket silo campfire" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKJK3uLU4v4pC-LqmrraAtcTK8Ez3OwaW6FhlQJ0f_2ilypIlBloP4SzLXp8r7Rrsb2w7l8c7ObnvO42YbOc7l94kQsq7d2PuN9lNrH4Ww1rJ__gL3f-2jBwcSK6U7j4HHocfwWo0Mqc/s320/IMG_2038.JPG" title="Marshmallow roasting on rocket silo campfire" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie's getting pretty good at this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Looking forward to all your entries--happy roasting!Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-78450939513194542372016-05-23T08:30:00.000-06:002016-05-23T08:30:01.753-06:00Turbo-Braised Campfire ChickenBack in November, <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2015/11/homestead-happiness-november-week-2.html">we noted</a> the serendipitous discovery that the bottom grate of a smokey joe grill fits perfectly in the bottom of our 8-quart cast iron dutch oven.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxKwdaBOIjgvn5SsVH5x7PFy0KgMxWftFdfjKKqgiJy9a_7sRkXQe2GF7KCkhhzsA3S7XRdZN8NYsZbI25lyZjtzEi6Lxxx1O4M6MLc2qJMRuIiwF3dUOf3NTctHwC_JYTZolu9HQZ_w/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grill grate in dutch oven" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxKwdaBOIjgvn5SsVH5x7PFy0KgMxWftFdfjKKqgiJy9a_7sRkXQe2GF7KCkhhzsA3S7XRdZN8NYsZbI25lyZjtzEi6Lxxx1O4M6MLc2qJMRuIiwF3dUOf3NTctHwC_JYTZolu9HQZ_w/s320/IMG_0828.JPG" title="Grill grate in dutch oven" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stones are a low-thermal-conductivity support to keep the grate off the bottom of the pan and hopefully prevent roasting chickens from burning. Also, they allow you to call your food products stone soup!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We further speculated that the setup shown above would be ideal for cooking a chicken. This weekend, we tested that hypothesis, and we're happy to report that our hypothesis was supported.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9lVUmSs_a_farqDnNaznl3lCD8msQrBkzfegs616RW28hULgPeCRVKGsLCH1yh21Ww15lf8FfJtrwf1w9IZz08yZPDKbOZCOnxmkQzc-WkYKdgJOPLV5M0WuS23iezOT27Vy0nwCyLg/s1600/IMG_2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Frozen chicken in dutch oven" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9lVUmSs_a_farqDnNaznl3lCD8msQrBkzfegs616RW28hULgPeCRVKGsLCH1yh21Ww15lf8FfJtrwf1w9IZz08yZPDKbOZCOnxmkQzc-WkYKdgJOPLV5M0WuS23iezOT27Vy0nwCyLg/s320/IMG_2046.JPG" title="Frozen chicken in dutch oven" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided to do more of a braising than a pure roasting, but we started with a frozen-solid chicken, set it on the grate, and added a couple inches of water to the bottom. Then we seasoned lightly (depending on your definition of 'lightly') with salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onion powder, cayenne pepper, and something called 'pizza seasoning.'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhildZK6CQlO39BGcZwftTCzxwpwBTJ1zjGXJHcwCyBxMXjutO5JQ2wq8Du6hO3JcgsxErVBNI453nAH87ZbcLMQ0CL0Pu3XdhJj16Nd2MLIU4q6jQqDFesP9pXKc5_g0K0qJ-VGeQJvkE/s1600/IMG_2052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dutch oven on fire" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhildZK6CQlO39BGcZwftTCzxwpwBTJ1zjGXJHcwCyBxMXjutO5JQ2wq8Du6hO3JcgsxErVBNI453nAH87ZbcLMQ0CL0Pu3XdhJj16Nd2MLIU4q6jQqDFesP9pXKc5_g0K0qJ-VGeQJvkE/s320/IMG_2052.JPG" title="Dutch oven on fire" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We used the top grate of the grill on our sap-boiling-configured rocket silo, and set the dutch oven over a relatively high heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOCX_BTwA1hYJHBpbRIXGQy4kRHjsqbWpfkKC50HPgNK0mG387x2FOnyFckdR2lgUpnZvkeGZ3RUVBoiQAd0zbXGVRuhc61SO4F66gOdhdn8cvVei-n5KLa2k8Wb81dA8jWcLcOVWQvU/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cooked chicken in dutch oven" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOCX_BTwA1hYJHBpbRIXGQy4kRHjsqbWpfkKC50HPgNK0mG387x2FOnyFckdR2lgUpnZvkeGZ3RUVBoiQAd0zbXGVRuhc61SO4F66gOdhdn8cvVei-n5KLa2k8Wb81dA8jWcLcOVWQvU/s320/IMG_2053.JPG" title="Cooked chicken in dutch oven" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Within a couple hours, the chicken is cooked all the way through, tender, and moist. We were happy to see that the high heat didn't burn the chicken at all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This is the generally the same technique we use in the crock pot, but there it takes five or six hours to finish cooking. So, the dutch oven is about about three times faster than the crock pot. We don't have a comparison for braising a chicken on the stove or in the oven inside, but taking a whole chicken frozen to finished in less than two hours seems like it would be hard to beat. We suspect that the weight of the lid turns the dutch oven into almost a bit of a pressure cooker, which would definitely speed things up. The campfire-dutch oven method also gets us outside on a nice day, uses a renewable heat source (wood), and creates a valuable byproduct in the wood ashes (that we can use for <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/03/wood-ash-leavening-biscuit-baking-time.html">baking</a> or <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/02/historical-lye-making-part-2.html">soap making</a>).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwztdLlTxKtC1iqBuHpgFPioIxHJRbb4CB6V6bmJgZnU-xkk_RR0ya5zupwxKgHICbneiBqmgc0WI4HTzSmDtLeeL27-i6Sv87JSRS58hAUMd3W0OCmpxtak-1pxTYZ-kQje-STuO91Hs/s1600/IMG_2062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chicken broccoli carrot cheese soup in dutch oven" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwztdLlTxKtC1iqBuHpgFPioIxHJRbb4CB6V6bmJgZnU-xkk_RR0ya5zupwxKgHICbneiBqmgc0WI4HTzSmDtLeeL27-i6Sv87JSRS58hAUMd3W0OCmpxtak-1pxTYZ-kQje-STuO91Hs/s320/IMG_2062.JPG" title="Chicken broccoli carrot cheese soup in dutch oven" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With all the time saved, we might just be motivated to take out the grate and stones (leaving the broth), toss in about three cups milk, four grated carrots, and four chopped broccoli heads and stalks, cook them until tender, pull the chicken meat off the bones while the veggies are cooking and return it to the pot, then thicken the stew with a half cup of flour, remove the pot from the heat, and stir in a pound of grated cheese to make a big pot of broccoli-chicken-carrot-cheese soup!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What's your favorite way to cook a whole chicken outside?<br />
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<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-58065776639154693152016-05-17T08:30:00.000-06:002016-05-17T08:30:12.318-06:00Foil-less Hobos for EightWith several weekend nights suitable for outdoor cookery already in the books this year, we've been practicing some of our favorite camp recipes. One of our all-time favorites is what we've always known as "foil packets" or "hobos." Evidently named after those migrant workers who moonlighted as professional campers and camp chefs, hobos (the food) are hard to beat for simplicity and flavor. The dish is just a delicious pile of root veggies, seasonings, butter, and ground meat (if you got it), sealed up (generally in a folded sheet of aluminum foil) and cooked slow over a campfire.<br />
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The only thing we find disagreeable about hobos the food is the soiled foil that must be disposed of after the meal. The foil is hard to reuse because it tears easily, and it's hard to recycle because there's often times caramelized bits of food stuck to it. Fortunately, we can do better if we hypothesize that our hobo friends (the people) could have come into some cast iron cookware in which to prepare their food.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq__IFlffaLpqXMc3eN8zTq2kDgUasw5i-KgvVFApzgg_6MGaQGcGNxqLLoPVoGYtA40fA7UcGASz3MH4UFh_9sgsjgM_oBoQqGdSKAXi0dMtoZpzlZYQZVTe3alGS-A-EdkB_m-fkcI/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dutch oven hobo fire configuration" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq__IFlffaLpqXMc3eN8zTq2kDgUasw5i-KgvVFApzgg_6MGaQGcGNxqLLoPVoGYtA40fA7UcGASz3MH4UFh_9sgsjgM_oBoQqGdSKAXi0dMtoZpzlZYQZVTe3alGS-A-EdkB_m-fkcI/s320/IMG_2027.JPG" title="Dutch oven hobo fire configuration" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our foil replacement in this case will be a big dutch oven. It turns out that brick spacing required for sap boiling pans is also about right for a full-sized grill grate. Sorry we didn't get a picture before cooking commenced--we just tossed in cubed potatoes, carrots, and green onions, a stick of butter, a pound of ground venison, and seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. The green onions (Egyptian onions--thanks <a href="http://www.waldeneffect.org/">Anna</a>!) were something we hadn't tried before, but they worked great!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EMXX7NHNtwj5ssxP8nxL59tPcH2KzHj3R7U-PS9XY3i6QqP_ysquZU2YfV_aegUNMN4v2rEITfp7NCx2IhQugRK4s0VspdMScCvS-_CQ8uxwIb4iPRWD2dEC-JjN1bXQCENMPKuTJQk/s1600/IMG_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hobo cooking in dutch oven" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EMXX7NHNtwj5ssxP8nxL59tPcH2KzHj3R7U-PS9XY3i6QqP_ysquZU2YfV_aegUNMN4v2rEITfp7NCx2IhQugRK4s0VspdMScCvS-_CQ8uxwIb4iPRWD2dEC-JjN1bXQCENMPKuTJQk/s320/IMG_2029.JPG" title="Hobo cooking in dutch oven" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lid of the dutch oven makes enough of a seal to bathe the ingredients in steam during cooking. The steam is released like a flock of doves when the lid is opened. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6jsHCfRYz9fws21tcCRMq-tLvqRUEXdqF-yZUIfafYj9MQTrOruhhyphenhyphen-ngeqZylPTD3bKHGLu1mlas6nBpkAOWKnXCOxvrB3DcIgILgiW1OOEbrqd0Xdndo04IWFVmJFTDCZIuchaEmQ/s1600/IMG_2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Caramelized veggies" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6jsHCfRYz9fws21tcCRMq-tLvqRUEXdqF-yZUIfafYj9MQTrOruhhyphenhyphen-ngeqZylPTD3bKHGLu1mlas6nBpkAOWKnXCOxvrB3DcIgILgiW1OOEbrqd0Xdndo04IWFVmJFTDCZIuchaEmQ/s320/IMG_2032.JPG" title="Caramelized veggies" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ideally, there is a thin layer of caramelized veggies along the bottom and sides, and a bit of excess butter to keep things from really cooking onto the surface.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dkm2NCs2TMatWikHvCUdeoN8Ic4a-HfAPhuXfVPg63uhG9hHNo1mAs2OAFL6lIVRZ8-NO6yIWCHDrrtfdgEwS4aOWu8tbMjiUuUa4wfTNOWfhgwPR8bCLRoCE7X96QBdYAl6Yq9pQb0/s1600/IMG_2033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hobo with cheese and toast" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dkm2NCs2TMatWikHvCUdeoN8Ic4a-HfAPhuXfVPg63uhG9hHNo1mAs2OAFL6lIVRZ8-NO6yIWCHDrrtfdgEwS4aOWu8tbMjiUuUa4wfTNOWfhgwPR8bCLRoCE7X96QBdYAl6Yq9pQb0/s320/IMG_2033.JPG" title="Hobo with cheese and toast" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If we also hypothesize that our hobo friends (the people) may have some cheese (and a cheese grater) on hand, our hobos (the food) become a food fit for kings. Finally, if we hypothesize that our hobo friends (the people) have some bread, we can make some toast on the fire, the crumbs of which are suitable for politicians. (Also, it's a scientific fact that bread toasted over a campfire is at least ten times better than bread toasted in any other way.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What's your favorite way to make hobos?<br />
<br />
<br />
This particular iteration used the following recipe:<br />
11 medium potatoes, cubed<br />
10 medium carrots, cubed<br />
0.25 lb green onions<br />
1 Tablespoon salt<br />
2 Tablespoons each pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil<br />
0.5 Tablespoon cayenne pepper<br />
1 stick butter<br />
1 lb ground venison<br />
<br />
Toss everything into a 12-quart dutch oven, crumbling the venison on top of the other ingredients. Set over a hot campfire for 30-40 min, depending on how hot. (Setting the pot directly on the coals will probably cook the bottom too quickly.) When it starts to smell done, check on the meat and veggies near the top of the pot. If they are close to done, put the lid back on and let it go another 10-15 minutes. If they are not close to done, stir the pot such that those pieces will be close to the bottom. Check frequently to ensure that an appropriate amount of caramelization happens on the bottom. When done, scoop into bowls and top with cheese (or ketchup, if you must). Best eaten outside with a glass of homemade wine while watching the sun set over the garden.<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-69817181548255316782016-05-16T09:39:00.000-06:002016-05-16T23:47:10.456-06:00Righteous Anger About Wood ScrewsWe've been stewing over something for a long time, and it came to the surface again this last week while building our <a href="https://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/05/picnic-table-benchesfinally.html">picnic table benches</a>. So, we're going to do something we don't normally do in public: passionately rant about mundane objects. After all, it's time someone just got it out there: Phillips-head wood screws are stupid. They're not as stupid as the flat-head screws they were designed to replace, but they are not much better. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PhA5oa5g5iLQo_Piycz41G5ObW8e4vvD4EO1nGPcYe4MC25tIGv82VqFjBjMCQBXGC4REje6rREOi0MbwaNtCAGggHmVKIF8RVIbh7Tqq4rT8b2_pjE4dtR8pd62KSHidcfJ0FLwAaw/s1600/StupidHeads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Types of screw heads" border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PhA5oa5g5iLQo_Piycz41G5ObW8e4vvD4EO1nGPcYe4MC25tIGv82VqFjBjMCQBXGC4REje6rREOi0MbwaNtCAGggHmVKIF8RVIbh7Tqq4rT8b2_pjE4dtR8pd62KSHidcfJ0FLwAaw/s320/StupidHeads.jpg" title="Types of screw heads" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes, preschoolers have the most appropriate terminology.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
What's the problem, you ask? Let's play a game. Raise your hand if you've ever tried driving a Phillips-head screw longer than about three inches into a piece of wood without a pilot hole. Keep it raised if you were able to drive that screw all the way in without the bit slipping out of the head. Any hands still up? Ok, keep it raised if you were able to do ten in a row without destroying any screws or any driver bits. No hands up yet? Good! We knew we weren't alone. And thank you for being honest.<br />
<br />
So, why are they so hard to drive consistently? There are at least three reasons. First, consider that the job is a lot easier if you drill a pilot hole because the screw itself has to push a lot less wood out of the way (i.e., a lot less torque is required to keep the screw moving into the wood). Now, consider that the diameter of the screw shank is normally pretty thin, and the drill bits that match are normally pretty short. The correct-diameter bits in our set, for example, will only make a hole about 2" deep. That is to say, a four-inch long Phillips-head screw with a 1/8" shank diameter has no place in a civilized society. Philips screws shorter than 2.5" are slightly more functional, but if you're building a deck or a picnic table (and not doing fine woodworking), do you really want to drill pilot holes for every dang screw? Ain't nobody got time for that.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPJgfJkBr7TVmjbWltrRV4qUNGMFos91RBUWwx2LU2u2VWw1ghUNLUBYmozgGvxxKmvZVD_aPww_MT8ohJea7zC_C0qzLQ0fl0wR6JVKYaLCscrYFHQxTwBFTeWH0DYzezEdzpCIxkZQ/s1600/IMG_2042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Phillips head and pilot bit" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPJgfJkBr7TVmjbWltrRV4qUNGMFos91RBUWwx2LU2u2VWw1ghUNLUBYmozgGvxxKmvZVD_aPww_MT8ohJea7zC_C0qzLQ0fl0wR6JVKYaLCscrYFHQxTwBFTeWH0DYzezEdzpCIxkZQ/s320/IMG_2042.JPG" title="Phillips head and pilot bit" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, let me drill a woefully inadequate pilot hole for you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The second reason is that electrically-powered
screwdrivers (e.g., drills) are very common these days, so if you don't have sufficient
force or just the right angle, you can strip out the head or destroy your
driver bit (depending on which is made from harder metal) really
fast. You can do the same thing with a hand-powered screwdriver, but it
takes a lot longer. (Side note: we can't believe <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/49773856?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227037264510&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=58991388338&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=92125883138&veh=sem">this</a> is a real thing. Possibly the least-elegant solution ever offered by a real company. That alone suggests Phillips heads should be allowed to go extinct.)<br />
<br />
The third, most nefarious reason is that, depending on who you ask, Phillips-head drivers are either <i>designed</i> to slip out of the screw head (ostensibly to avoid overtightening), or that just happens to be a feature that someone along the line decided was marketable. Either way, Phillips <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/US2474994">put it in a patent</a>, so they have to own it now. That means it's not an accident that your Phillips driver bit has only four tiny triangles through which to apply force to the screw. (Some may say that a limited amount of sympathy is due for the relatively primitive screw manufacturing technology of the time, but the Robertson square bit <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/US1003657">was patented earlier</a> and is a much better design.) In any case, an inherent driver-disengage feature might make sense in fragile applications, but not for regular homestead-style outdoor construction. According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives">this</a> fascinating and surprisingly-well-referenced Wikipedia article, Philips has come up with some variations to try to improve matters, but they can't get around the fact that they're tied to a design that sucks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77kJYAtkMOpiyy1_TnjDetCacJKJ4qkbcnnJw8N-a_xPwe6T6wkaqeaT3ckgO6_dOHAvp6aSRS4gfywQwmXnrImPVZIbmXlKhl1NN0ZqtsDvXTRryEtEdAXnGwNyhctfiesbl7QhHUO8/s1600/ScrewForceCompare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Comparison of Torx and Phillips force application" border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77kJYAtkMOpiyy1_TnjDetCacJKJ4qkbcnnJw8N-a_xPwe6T6wkaqeaT3ckgO6_dOHAvp6aSRS4gfywQwmXnrImPVZIbmXlKhl1NN0ZqtsDvXTRryEtEdAXnGwNyhctfiesbl7QhHUO8/s320/ScrewForceCompare.jpg" title="Comparison of Torx and Phillips force application" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've always been bigger fans of quadrilaterals than triangles, even before we studied physics.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Now, we're not hardware experts around here, but we have done quite a bit of...um...we've driven quite a few screws in our day, and we plan to drive many more. The Torx (star) screws have become common enough that the prices are comparable to Phillips screws, especially when factoring in all the destroyed Phillips screws and driver bits, extra time, and tears of frustration. So, we've taken a vote, Mr. Phillips, and you are off the island.<br />
<br />
That is all. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis58GNOOV2kRRzk3kWqyIgbP5uRXln-2EY0xO303b3-rLJdAiDF_357dt8DIcgfBxNZJBakWLkW3ze_ivSFTfDZjCI0uhSn7c8obiphJmBneCGZVeAFJYhAPuLXbyni4sdgDRd7N32h7M/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Torx and Phillips screws" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis58GNOOV2kRRzk3kWqyIgbP5uRXln-2EY0xO303b3-rLJdAiDF_357dt8DIcgfBxNZJBakWLkW3ze_ivSFTfDZjCI0uhSn7c8obiphJmBneCGZVeAFJYhAPuLXbyni4sdgDRd7N32h7M/s320/IMG_2044.JPG" title="Torx and Phillips screws" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a tip as a reward for reading this rant all the way to the end: the Torx screws are so much better that if you've already got a supply of really long Phillips screws, you can use a Torx screw of similar length to make a decent pilot hole for the Philips screw. That way you don't have to throw anything out or make an unethical business choice to sell the Phillips screws at a garage sale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-77930998721645511982016-05-11T08:41:00.002-06:002016-05-11T08:41:55.075-06:00Picnic Table Benches...Finally!Last winter, we <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2015/02/homestead-happiness-and-progress-for.html">spent one snowy day making a picnic table</a>. It's a nice table, and we've gotten a lot of use out of it. But our benches, according to at least 50% of household correspondents, were more eyesore and lawn-mowing inconvenience than rustic and charming.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH7knJ9w0_JqprcmDYC2I8k1csEKTxhVjUC17iVebLgTPPwRXGZY3c9NdtFyju1Mj9S7TgbNdd7logQ9QHyrYuRGDwbuFtURO3e4bsqaT4VvAbbv5O35igzdsVEdAD22wq0Ff4z3l9MQ/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picnic table with snow" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH7knJ9w0_JqprcmDYC2I8k1csEKTxhVjUC17iVebLgTPPwRXGZY3c9NdtFyju1Mj9S7TgbNdd7logQ9QHyrYuRGDwbuFtURO3e4bsqaT4VvAbbv5O35igzdsVEdAD22wq0Ff4z3l9MQ/s320/IMG_1007.JPG" title="Picnic table with snow" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original version was 2 x 6s on top of logs. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Aesthetic debate aside, the original design was simple and sturdy. Under the logs was a reliable source of fishing bait. But despite those practical advantages, it's true that the hassle of moving them every time we mowed was a bit of a drawback. So, making a set of proper benches got added to the to-do list. And now, a mere 12 months later, we get to cross it off!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefJ_AntU2DSQ6bDi8Dwy2zxx80XwUP_6Gvo2cGQQi9w2vECcPvZWE5K4sZi2Nwhu91eWyNob7reaZl8FSfbQEoS8r6zi7sXl3PIhbBitqSaR43wFMtLZ9GraBsdjWoLlvUjNmdt8_p_c/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picnic table bench end view" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefJ_AntU2DSQ6bDi8Dwy2zxx80XwUP_6Gvo2cGQQi9w2vECcPvZWE5K4sZi2Nwhu91eWyNob7reaZl8FSfbQEoS8r6zi7sXl3PIhbBitqSaR43wFMtLZ9GraBsdjWoLlvUjNmdt8_p_c/s320/IMG_2022.JPG" title="Picnic table bench end view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like we did for the picnic table, we used our <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/06/gate-brace-math.html">gate brace math spreadsheet</a> to calculate the angles on end pieces--the width is 11" (two 2 x 6 boards-worth) and the height is 16", which turns out to be just about right for our picnic table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mUppl4zZ8gv_3Hp2JtMnxiGu7CVbYq38Yq2hL_Z0lBZYzIUAdj_5PUgnPxh6LZFambUwikkt7A_-ZsOUyW6scpeY7y70Ttc50sKHy3jGja4EBYBu0hZ0qOUWggCyC8g-2eeyGtKXdUE/s1600/IMG_2021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picnic table bench support" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mUppl4zZ8gv_3Hp2JtMnxiGu7CVbYq38Yq2hL_Z0lBZYzIUAdj_5PUgnPxh6LZFambUwikkt7A_-ZsOUyW6scpeY7y70Ttc50sKHy3jGja4EBYBu0hZ0qOUWggCyC8g-2eeyGtKXdUE/s320/IMG_2021.JPG" title="Picnic table bench support" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We added a 2 x 4 to keep the legs from buckling and an angle piece for extra stability. The span between the legs is about six feet, so the middle bows a little when we sit on it. We'll add a 2 x 4 block to help with that if the flexing boards become too unnerving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhwWlHSDZH2D9pgQple_446z7tBYUc4YgqyxrI_jxiSs1WFiV3D2MeLskG6rrnJX0jQSV6XrrbLeDcD9dDRiRZEcHQ2Cy-OBgLGlgGILrwPhlSZfJnKmAxdy3CQXf8vyq8cIZpFZCOg0/s1600/IMG_2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picnic table with benches" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhwWlHSDZH2D9pgQple_446z7tBYUc4YgqyxrI_jxiSs1WFiV3D2MeLskG6rrnJX0jQSV6XrrbLeDcD9dDRiRZEcHQ2Cy-OBgLGlgGILrwPhlSZfJnKmAxdy3CQXf8vyq8cIZpFZCOg0/s320/IMG_2020.JPG" title="Picnic table with benches" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admittedly, the aesthetics of the complete set may also be slightly improved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
What do your picnic benches look like?<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-38638911894552147632016-05-02T09:31:00.000-06:002016-05-02T09:31:01.530-06:00Bee Package Box SifterAs we were doing some spring cleaning in the garage the other day, we came across some old screened boxes that had previously contained packages of bees. They were this kind:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUtNIRzdL8bzA-mzS9UvwB3jtaNzTBQmHk-Q0NNQzlP84u_sXvyhrIoPEIa50VseA3zSSHSJd5_qJhUfmgqXaGt0NieA9l_Z68EuCVxniqaffK4RWxgplyRePixuOzXgfgLsGBc1hbWg/s1600/IMG_2000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bee package boxes" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUtNIRzdL8bzA-mzS9UvwB3jtaNzTBQmHk-Q0NNQzlP84u_sXvyhrIoPEIa50VseA3zSSHSJd5_qJhUfmgqXaGt0NieA9l_Z68EuCVxniqaffK4RWxgplyRePixuOzXgfgLsGBc1hbWg/s320/IMG_2000.JPG" title="Bee package boxes" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now featuring garage dust!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The originators of the boxes had no desire to get them back and, as we are definitely not in the bee package business, we clearly had no use for them. At least, not in their current form. We were pondering what we might do with such a contraption (other than throw it out) when we realized the screens had openings of useful dimensions. With 10 minutes and $4 of parts, we figured we could turn them into sifters!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT14HuCDbfii3fD6riasXaXYlaBMXe0S4vMon3Z-rszYVfNpWJ3yRVpOvMW3nhyphenhyphenYECwlPP9qPN-lWUHKVLyBiaudUN5GPsmZnVCOp-sCHpusunHJjGDoElDuvTIcJC9EeBy3ym9iteck/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Package boxes on the half shell" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT14HuCDbfii3fD6riasXaXYlaBMXe0S4vMon3Z-rszYVfNpWJ3yRVpOvMW3nhyphenhyphenYECwlPP9qPN-lWUHKVLyBiaudUN5GPsmZnVCOp-sCHpusunHJjGDoElDuvTIcJC9EeBy3ym9iteck/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" title="Package boxes on the half shell" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First step: saw them in half the long way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIWXvaz482oJpG29FJt2qPpHj5IJxiR4DLy6X8qvj-Q8ICf-bVG0-4jmOUZ19gJJ8cnSYxgPn8nXec5RqmH2Lpn2fWpzGGGdExj-8JjOSNeNflIerFM4rFHECIjrQd3tsKTxBUcrtQlY/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sieve bolts" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIWXvaz482oJpG29FJt2qPpHj5IJxiR4DLy6X8qvj-Q8ICf-bVG0-4jmOUZ19gJJ8cnSYxgPn8nXec5RqmH2Lpn2fWpzGGGdExj-8JjOSNeNflIerFM4rFHECIjrQd3tsKTxBUcrtQlY/s320/IMG_2010.JPG" title="Sieve bolts" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second step: drill holes and bolt them together. 3/4" bolts are too short; 1" bolts work fine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI-tVnjpEy-HMLvBV__7zVxdddfVwnS0ozMv9oMC8vk6Nth0Ndqby4gnE_RMm1Hk8qyEzopUpHrsc9bzRW-tl8u4EG5L_PYSuZcMGB0fx1dhau3CURrVggTuPBmi7xO9m9XU6Xv6gtc0/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sieve orientation and bolts" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI-tVnjpEy-HMLvBV__7zVxdddfVwnS0ozMv9oMC8vk6Nth0Ndqby4gnE_RMm1Hk8qyEzopUpHrsc9bzRW-tl8u4EG5L_PYSuZcMGB0fx1dhau3CURrVggTuPBmi7xO9m9XU6Xv6gtc0/s320/IMG_2011.JPG" title="Sieve orientation and bolts" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did two to each side, and it feels a smidge flimsy for heavy sifting jobs. More bolts would help. Also, make sure the hole that was previously in the top is in the center or a lot of what you're sifting might spill out the sides.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5E_Pk6K_yAZiO1rW8LhdvjfERLN2NrtnRQLQCq9kuczQr6cKWMkqseHbJCffaOHe2aRinnOM3vQDk7hLPgVo21790DcKg_S6TGJQj625ZIpbH4C5b71erdHrQcVRcXlum6wOQ3CR8us/s1600/IMG_2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sieve on plastic tote and biochar" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5E_Pk6K_yAZiO1rW8LhdvjfERLN2NrtnRQLQCq9kuczQr6cKWMkqseHbJCffaOHe2aRinnOM3vQDk7hLPgVo21790DcKg_S6TGJQj625ZIpbH4C5b71erdHrQcVRcXlum6wOQ3CR8us/s320/IMG_2012.JPG" title="Sieve on plastic tote and biochar" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our immediate use for the sifters was for processing biochar. But you could also use them for sifting compost, large quantities of powdered sugar, or whatever else you have on hand!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55eF89V9SfMWgldBZitNZ2Bn9anl_O1WfOaMCyD1P1iZD7vMu1T4m0kARmmwqjUdqVx8pNfjlA2PG3OD3WWD-nBYui-BOqEPazeN9hAWgaxmw5RBBba97nmtVgIOBycUE2usJzIE_iX8/s1600/IMG_2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Washed biochar" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55eF89V9SfMWgldBZitNZ2Bn9anl_O1WfOaMCyD1P1iZD7vMu1T4m0kARmmwqjUdqVx8pNfjlA2PG3OD3WWD-nBYui-BOqEPazeN9hAWgaxmw5RBBba97nmtVgIOBycUE2usJzIE_iX8/s320/IMG_2013.JPG" title="Washed biochar" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just sifting gets rid of a lot of the ash, but a little hose water really cleans it up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55b_gfiR73XB9KkHx48eCJqryhcoDviTmMtVxR6hLztkaBhDGcWSpT1E5kmWBdBv3p4ZhavsFDORTCEmcfQ_scGYybENdy2q191A-DrJ1stWbcgXs98ngOPI1m4uiA0IkyUtf3uFhGWQ/s1600/IMG_2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Washed biochar closeup" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55b_gfiR73XB9KkHx48eCJqryhcoDviTmMtVxR6hLztkaBhDGcWSpT1E5kmWBdBv3p4ZhavsFDORTCEmcfQ_scGYybENdy2q191A-DrJ1stWbcgXs98ngOPI1m4uiA0IkyUtf3uFhGWQ/s320/IMG_2014.JPG" title="Washed biochar closeup" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the dirt that came along with it is easily washed away, too (except a few pieces of now-kiln-fired clay), leaving a nice shiny batch of black charcoal for whatever we want to use it for.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What do you do with your old bee package boxes?<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-3537763056866479352016-04-25T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-26T08:28:39.125-06:00First Annual Marshmallow Roasting World ChampionshipThe summer season is nearly upon us, which means it's time to practice up for roasting marshmallows. We <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-science-and-engineering-of-smores.html">covered the theoretical aspects</a> of marshmallow roasting last summer, but we thought it would be fun to host a friendly competition among our readership. Coincidentally, we conceived of this notion while initiating the 2016 marshmallow roasting season on a perfectly idyllic Sunday evening, yesterday, in our yard. So, we hereby announce the start of the first annual Homestead Laboratory Marshmallow Roasting World Championship!<br />
<br />
Here's how it works: roast a marshmallow, take a picture of it, and upload it to our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/homesteadlaboratory/">Facebook page</a> as a comment under the marshmallow competition post. Add a caption to provide some context, if you like. (People love stories!) While you're there, give a like to other uploaded photos that are pleasing to your senses, and eventually, the most-liked marshmallow photo will rise to the top. (You can also vote on the pictures if you haven't uploaded anything. Impartial judges are important, too!) There are only a couple of rules: 1. if it catches on fire, that marshmallow is disqualified (you can eat it and try again!), and 2. no performance enhancing substances, like brown magic markers.<br />
<br />
The competition runs through the end of September, and the prize for the top-ranked photo will be a fun and colorful homesteading book (title to be determined).<br />
<br />
Entry into the competition is easy, but it combines a surprisingly complex skill set: marshmallow roasting (obviously), roasting fire construction, roasting stick selection (and possibly carving), and marshmallow photography, probably in sub-optimal lighting. Yes indeed, the winner will be a truly talented individual. Let's take a look at some of the early entries!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTWcFbX0YJX_kMgvksFElsJZMbyfUkYkTKYELSRTny-9IESImpO_hHYMBU0mWQxmciL3xX4cQ15g04T8anB1RlU4CubbQd_0A8ZheR1QMsI3rm31y6SCeTwmaftEpFCrULDOx0X6Vy98/s1600/20160424_200746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Melty roasted marshmallow " border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTWcFbX0YJX_kMgvksFElsJZMbyfUkYkTKYELSRTny-9IESImpO_hHYMBU0mWQxmciL3xX4cQ15g04T8anB1RlU4CubbQd_0A8ZheR1QMsI3rm31y6SCeTwmaftEpFCrULDOx0X6Vy98/s320/20160424_200746.jpg" title="Melty roasted marshmallow " width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jake's got things started here with an evenly-colored, good-looking specimen. It's clearly going to be delicious, but the 'mallow looks a little sad and saggy on the stick. The inside is nice and melty, too, which we know makes a top-notch s'more, but it's going to cost him some points in the photography department. Yep, he should have held the stick horizontal for the photo, but he's in first place for now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Vu3glxdaP7t69lE1WZvsxam1y19nVRl0GYdCVYBl2XMN7x7UdvtnChxDrWrY7ykGiNYYmSaM45WeJPHqVK2tYSRUD1oQhCGKCqlwFUe8omke-LdHxrDGzl05bLs9_M-xHeE_2vBhxo/s1600/IMG_2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Roasting marshmallow from afar" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Vu3glxdaP7t69lE1WZvsxam1y19nVRl0GYdCVYBl2XMN7x7UdvtnChxDrWrY7ykGiNYYmSaM45WeJPHqVK2tYSRUD1oQhCGKCqlwFUe8omke-LdHxrDGzl05bLs9_M-xHeE_2vBhxo/s320/IMG_2007.JPG" title="Roasting marshmallow from afar" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's this? It looks like the first challenger is entering the contest! It's Katie, who has selected a nice cherry-wood stick and is slowly roasting her 'mallow rotisserie-style. Let's move in for a closer look!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GobtkjtuxOiWvy5RwMhKHrv-mopn7mKuP_J_CcrC2gXtJwvjDW8ljIQ9a_ZLPHIOcP-4PLryRrE5DbMsFgCbmfawshP8Yxug6jsNdzMx0GSYG_TdpNsbiuZ04oCmbaZ9zzjtokn04HY/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Roasting marshmallow close up" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GobtkjtuxOiWvy5RwMhKHrv-mopn7mKuP_J_CcrC2gXtJwvjDW8ljIQ9a_ZLPHIOcP-4PLryRrE5DbMsFgCbmfawshP8Yxug6jsNdzMx0GSYG_TdpNsbiuZ04oCmbaZ9zzjtokn04HY/s320/IMG_2008.JPG" title="Roasting marshmallow close up" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's off to a good start; that's some nice caramelized color she's got going there on the left side. If she can keep this performance up through the finish, she's got a good chance of taking over first place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnZlyhosA6YIgk72iBO8zxS3chUpRwh4rBs0YtoC03cSnIlKup37ZD2HPC1sFZPDCrN6lt5umGdBzpGLqyylmhY2b24GU85o1jEyLCNJq4xvPEqQo0JCJjKDI_J8qr4LXqiWWTTaT8Mc/s1600/20160424_201007_enhanced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Roasted marshmallow on stick" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnZlyhosA6YIgk72iBO8zxS3chUpRwh4rBs0YtoC03cSnIlKup37ZD2HPC1sFZPDCrN6lt5umGdBzpGLqyylmhY2b24GU85o1jEyLCNJq4xvPEqQo0JCJjKDI_J8qr4LXqiWWTTaT8Mc/s320/20160424_201007_enhanced.jpg" title="Roasted marshmallow on stick" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that! An evenly-toasted, well-structured marshmallow to make
your mouth water, and a pretty good shot to capture it. It should be
good enough to...yes, it looks like the judges have confirmed. At the
end of day one, first place belongs to Katie, with Jake a distance
second. Many other challengers are sure to follow, so she'll have to be
on her toes and continue honing her technique if she wants to take home
the prize this fall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
Well, what are you waiting for? Go get yourself some marshmallows and start training!<br />
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<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-21536480600499518322016-04-22T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-22T08:30:03.017-06:00Happy Earth Day! (and, A Fun and Exciting Citizen Science Project!)Happy Earth Day everyone! Hope you're planning to get out and enjoy yourself some nature, make your little corner of the environment a better place, and maybe, <a href="https://youtu.be/dSysjeUcO14?t=20s">save some frickin' trees</a> like Tenacious D.<br />
<br />
Along those lines, last weekend, we found ourselves trying to save some trees. More specifically, trying to save our fruit tree blossoms, many of which decided to burst forth in glory right before an epic April Colorado blizzard. (Higher elevations saw close to 50" of snow, but we barely got a foot.) In fact, every spring, we find ourselves wishing our fruit trees would bloom later so we wouldn't have to worry so much about fruitless years.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5HsbWnDL_8pRpccoYuLDfgOYprBLLO8oKhFmMWb4fQFme6Z9I0uoEcnGKgqPBBy3Ij6JYhBjvid-MetKl4Ro_OGYuMG_swc8xQGRzer2mKCOPG_HoLv1-s5qGKfaLwWadoUCD_A1lMs/s1600/IMG_1977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chicken feed bags on peach tree" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5HsbWnDL_8pRpccoYuLDfgOYprBLLO8oKhFmMWb4fQFme6Z9I0uoEcnGKgqPBBy3Ij6JYhBjvid-MetKl4Ro_OGYuMG_swc8xQGRzer2mKCOPG_HoLv1-s5qGKfaLwWadoUCD_A1lMs/s320/IMG_1977.JPG" title="Chicken feed bags on peach tree" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet another use for chicken feed bags. Not sure if it saved the flowers, but it definitely made the trees look ridiculous..</td></tr>
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<br />
It turns out, we're not alone. One of <a href="http://www.waldeneffect.org/">our favorite homestead bloggers</a> has similar annual lamentations on her southwest Virginia homestead, and has been researching apple varieties that bloom later. (It turns out that the bloom time is a <a href="http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/116/1/100.full.pdf">function of the cultivar</a> and depends on the <a href="http://articles.extension.org/pages/69068/timing-of-apple-tree-bloom">number of hours the tree spends above</a> 40 °F, after a chill period.) Unable to find the necessary data from researchers in the ivory tower of academia (<a href="http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/116/1/100.full.pdf">this paper</a> has a good list, but features mainly commercial cultivars), Anna has started a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DnUINNdLhz2djPvfqdT-CtxcTb06ZrojEJYhuZHtMYk/edit#gid=0">Google spreadsheet</a> to crowdsource the information.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Ki2Dn58dyK4OCOfJXRlHc_BZsS6j16YJ17ZxeS8WDAx_SEREIZxZoAP12KRYTru7b1aWB0ZVvuHLrkyv-_0Tn3z0rbCNWIVyqQBmh8rxV6Z2VBr14KkfE-AzshHlUM0_Fwe1EWX-Mc/s1600/SpreadsheetScreenShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spreadsheet Screen Shot" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Ki2Dn58dyK4OCOfJXRlHc_BZsS6j16YJ17ZxeS8WDAx_SEREIZxZoAP12KRYTru7b1aWB0ZVvuHLrkyv-_0Tn3z0rbCNWIVyqQBmh8rxV6Z2VBr14KkfE-AzshHlUM0_Fwe1EWX-Mc/s320/SpreadsheetScreenShot.jpg" title="Spreadsheet Screen Shot" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna's <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DnUINNdLhz2djPvfqdT-CtxcTb06ZrojEJYhuZHtMYk/edit#gid=0">Google spreadsheet</a>: enter your fruit tree bloom times this spring!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This is where you, dear readers, can help.<br />
<br />
Here's how it works, and it's super simple: click on the link above, and enter in your <a href="http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/">USDA growing zone</a> (make sure to get the right one; some have changed in the last few years to reflect less frigid minimum winter temperatures), apple variety, and the date it reached full bloom. Then, read through the other varieties and see which ones bloom after your last local frost or freeze date. After that, you might want to get distracted for several hours reading about heirloom apple cultivars.<br />
<br />
It's a short list so far, but together, we can help Anna make it the ultimate guide to frost-wise apple variety selection! Thanks for organizing it, Anna!<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-22899183165954742072016-04-18T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-18T08:30:35.166-06:00Glass Storage Jar Lid ProtectionGiven the need for relatively small storage containers of bulk goods in our small-ish kitchen, we've settled on two-gallon all-glass jars. They seem to be a good compromise between size, price, aesthetics, and non-plastic-ey-ness. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDQ8Zvwg-q9R7r_wZu2IER-j1rpmAjXw4sGaBBgwyT_NVZou_sGwlpwrPywEzBS36V-HDBKqHOxwWF-IoEDhKqMzEgU4n4DFA_X6KDtVOOgq4ZY9kyEtCoEMG2dC1Ev2FyzQGTxfs31U/s1600/IMG_1979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Brown sugar jar" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDQ8Zvwg-q9R7r_wZu2IER-j1rpmAjXw4sGaBBgwyT_NVZou_sGwlpwrPywEzBS36V-HDBKqHOxwWF-IoEDhKqMzEgU4n4DFA_X6KDtVOOgq4ZY9kyEtCoEMG2dC1Ev2FyzQGTxfs31U/s320/IMG_1979.JPG" title="Brown sugar jar" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They also take well to chalkboard paint labels, which is nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QYQz-m3RYzypqh2ylfpCw4LJTXL3i2arktzBBPjNIbw-Jl0PtWmPgZ-ViilQShXspiJ-ebCTVyPK4MIul_a3ABDdI0aJ_EyVCwGcYZE5hh4ACqNIhXZVxDI3Bj6AjHp4ap3_TjpZjmM/s1600/IMG_1982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chipped glass jar lid" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QYQz-m3RYzypqh2ylfpCw4LJTXL3i2arktzBBPjNIbw-Jl0PtWmPgZ-ViilQShXspiJ-ebCTVyPK4MIul_a3ABDdI0aJ_EyVCwGcYZE5hh4ACqNIhXZVxDI3Bj6AjHp4ap3_TjpZjmM/s320/IMG_1982.JPG" title="Chipped glass jar lid" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've been overall pretty happy with them, except for one small thing: the lids are fragile. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Inevitably, it happens that as we're clumsily putting them away, we'll
bump something with the jar (usually the shelf we're trying to set it
on), and the lid and jar will collide in just the right manner to break
off part of the lid's inner rim. With the sugar containers, we can dissolve the sugar in water, filter out the broken glass, and drink the sugar water like hummingbirds. (Which is awesome, but slightly inconvenient when we were planning to make something else with the sugar. Plus, Katie just loves it when Jake goes full hummingbird). But with the flour containers, we've got to just toss the broken glass-contaminated flour. Throwing food away makes us sad.<br />
<br />
So, we've been pondering solutions to this problem for a while, and this weekend (while trapped inside by a snowstorm!) we came up with something that works well, while arguably not damaging the jar aesthetics <i>too</i> much. First, we tried making a rubber o-ring with some leftover pond liner from our <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2013/08/aquaponics-construction.html">aquaponic grow bed</a>, but found it was hard to get a good fit because the inner rim of the lid (the fragile part) is tapered. Thus, it's hard to fit a sheet of rubber on to it. Fortunately, we also had some leftover silicone caulk sealant from the <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/butcher-block-counter-from-reclaimed-2.html">butcher block counter top</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWkp5UUTYf0hvuXNCWbRARAzw7L9EjtYqEMxANyL3sAOG9C0NPOWicEwrmnOg64TaCTl318PsUdTowotvWxaLMwYCCKOOheIXN-dX7OtSOGaXXUoTWNnwan8xLFLj9QnRAvp1JWXc2rk/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Padded jar lid" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWkp5UUTYf0hvuXNCWbRARAzw7L9EjtYqEMxANyL3sAOG9C0NPOWicEwrmnOg64TaCTl318PsUdTowotvWxaLMwYCCKOOheIXN-dX7OtSOGaXXUoTWNnwan8xLFLj9QnRAvp1JWXc2rk/s320/IMG_1988.JPG" title="Padded jar lid" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We applied a bead of the sealant around the inner rim, then smoothed it out with a flat head screwdriver. We're definitely not professionals, but it works. (Done is better than perfect, right?) If we were going to do it again, we'd probably tape the flat part to keep it from getting dirty, because it turns out this stuff sticks really well to glass and isn't easy to peel off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOxWZponMa1YgJxwszYMhyphenhyphenVnNtz9Pur7-2wvqs0K6nOQZO0yE8IzxNh12vylLMKwHH5rRvI_SLN317k63JTm087G6FsNA7Lh3r6hx9K9ZPgIc72JSMnMWQC_sueZI8oprgMvjK1zuClU/s1600/IMG_1989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Padded jar lid close up" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOxWZponMa1YgJxwszYMhyphenhyphenVnNtz9Pur7-2wvqs0K6nOQZO0yE8IzxNh12vylLMKwHH5rRvI_SLN317k63JTm087G6FsNA7Lh3r6hx9K9ZPgIc72JSMnMWQC_sueZI8oprgMvjK1zuClU/s320/IMG_1989.JPG" title="Padded jar lid close up" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a close-up. In the background, you can see the same stuff sealing the butcher block counter to the wall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN-OFp9a_9i77nRuG5Sw6zPhYB-lboLAIFXOcXXE843S38A-OkA9WAyoYgn0rXKBIXkjiYfxXaZMDhargYehflf0eQfb5FKNeyuOsNBK-KZZHleaxPLY_QovOifJqjFvrdYdB_iXfig8/s1600/IMG_1997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Padded lid on jar, side view" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN-OFp9a_9i77nRuG5Sw6zPhYB-lboLAIFXOcXXE843S38A-OkA9WAyoYgn0rXKBIXkjiYfxXaZMDhargYehflf0eQfb5FKNeyuOsNBK-KZZHleaxPLY_QovOifJqjFvrdYdB_iXfig8/s320/IMG_1997.JPG" title="Padded lid on jar, side view" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it's on the jar, it's hard to tell it's there from most angles. (Other than the fact that putting the lid on the jar is now much less...well, jarring.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie37lvxsCVjIkRTz-KK8zYWWl7cedgZh_lcvuDLGLiE91qIrU1K-yQ0KI01m5suLlLuZSXL8XV8i8InUJDm6siHXBvd7wG27R2aFt9XWHnNz1dCS8EFpy45fDCHVjocH2TV7ATz8Qonyg/s1600/IMG_1999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Padded lid on jar, top view" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie37lvxsCVjIkRTz-KK8zYWWl7cedgZh_lcvuDLGLiE91qIrU1K-yQ0KI01m5suLlLuZSXL8XV8i8InUJDm6siHXBvd7wG27R2aFt9XWHnNz1dCS8EFpy45fDCHVjocH2TV7ATz8Qonyg/s320/IMG_1999.JPG" title="Padded lid on jar, top view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even looking straight down, it's not that noticeable. If we were starting from scratch, we'd probably get the clear silicone sealant, but for the sake of whatchagotics, we're glad the white doesn't look too bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Have you protected glass lids on your jars? How did you do it?<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-51097550569432708292016-04-13T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-13T08:53:45.484-06:00Book Review: Personality Tests for Your Soil by Anna HessOne of Anna’s most valuable skills as a writer is taking the information
in long-winded and highly technical textbooks and distilling the most
interesting and useful parts into concise, practical advice for
non-scientists. This eBook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Personality-Tests-For-Your-Soil-ebook/dp/B0182KLXPK">Personality Tests for Your Soil</a> (Volume 1 in her Ultimate Guide to Soil series), is yet another outstanding exhibit of
exactly that. For example, did you know that the base of your soil’s
personality was set in place thousands or even millions of years ago?
Maybe it’s just us, but it blows our minds to think that the types of
rocks that formed when the earth’s crust was solidifying, or that were
ground up when the glaciers receded, impact how our garden is growing
today. (At least, it blows Jake's mind. Katie is often times more interested in keeping Jake from transferring that dirt into the house at a slightly-higher-than-glacial rate.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE7Kn-h-VPfUr4c5Qot7UNVOa7DZv8Io03ZDe6GW5X1f4FUdkUKCQWg-aT0XLA4xYYQnwXIzlN1A5214hL4bTG6DHeIHluv4nH5y8bHbpUF3P3tTtNR8o7-10QUtybOpYXB897XOVYco/s1600/Book1Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="BookCover" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE7Kn-h-VPfUr4c5Qot7UNVOa7DZv8Io03ZDe6GW5X1f4FUdkUKCQWg-aT0XLA4xYYQnwXIzlN1A5214hL4bTG6DHeIHluv4nH5y8bHbpUF3P3tTtNR8o7-10QUtybOpYXB897XOVYco/s320/Book1Cover.jpg" title="BookCover" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It turns out soil has a personality. If you can convince your dirt to be easygoing and gregarious, and yet have some hoarder tendencies, it will grow good vegetables for you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We loved this book, but before you buy it, you should know this: if your
garden soil isn’t producing like it should, you can probably remedy the
problem by adding organic matter. It’s like a Snickers bar when your
soil is hungry, and you can probably figure that out with a few minutes of internet searching. But if you want to know HOW to add that
organic matter, Anna’s got you covered (although some of her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Humus-No-till-Permaculture-Gardener-ebook/dp/B00B1G9HOC/">other books</a>
have more details. And if adding organic matter doesn’t work, e.g., if
you happen to have an extreme underlying mineral imbalance, Anna tells
you in this book how to confirm that with a professional soil test, and
she promises to tell you how to remineralize your soil in Volume 3 of
this series.)<br />
<br />
If you also want to get to know your soil better,
which we hope you do, Anna tells you in this volume how to interpret what
your overwintered broccoli stalks, your carrots, your soil color, and
your earthworms are telling you about your soil. (The worms are probably the most articulate in that sense, with their number, size, and
architectural designs all telling you something.) She also gives a
number of tests to help you find out your soil type, including the
online Web Soil Survey. The brief tutorial on the Web Soil Survey is
especially helpful for the very useful, but not-very-user-friendly web
app. (Although urbanites, with their highly-disturbed soils,
might not get as much value from the Web Soil Survey as more rural
folks. For example, our canning jar test looked just like Anna’s—about 7%
clay—but the soil survey said we should have about 30% clay in our
Nunn-Urban complex. Fortunately, we realized from reading this book that we should trust the canning jar test more!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB3ffhs7BkPS72qAxh1bv-Fm-jCv98sBFMRKrBG9YdjBX7HC1lz7tBLmRghK4WCaOd8snlNmSoGFEy1q4r2e_FfUpP3FTrPrezvIjP0UWazjVdSU1ybPrg3s75JmRcZ0d2JoPJhFbXTI/s1600/SoilPic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB3ffhs7BkPS72qAxh1bv-Fm-jCv98sBFMRKrBG9YdjBX7HC1lz7tBLmRghK4WCaOd8snlNmSoGFEy1q4r2e_FfUpP3FTrPrezvIjP0UWazjVdSU1ybPrg3s75JmRcZ0d2JoPJhFbXTI/s320/SoilPic.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We learned that many gardeners assume they have clayey soil when it's actually improperly-curated silt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Overall, this book is
a fascinating and quick read, and a very useful reference guide. We love it when an eBook tells us how to harness geology, biology, environmental chemistry, and
materials science to help grow food, and even though we received a
free copy in exchange for an honest review, we would have gladly paid the
price of admission for the information Anna has crystallized in this
eBook.Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-68220087233729866512016-04-11T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-11T08:30:28.818-06:00April FlowersWe've noticed a few new types of flowers in our yard this year, and we wanted to post them here to remind ourselves of relative bloom dates and note the identity of the ones we didn't immediately recognize.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CpFtpkav5yMPMF8acMRTQYcGe1k47-UakcQd7iPKJqVzfAThMBvvV4Y52aRxty9UKvf7G-THz2Ao_6IFx0OphPMGasP_-NjppHMKu4qxwXxj5CZDyXHC5pD6oQIcMPnZj8tL921YuQ/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dandelions" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CpFtpkav5yMPMF8acMRTQYcGe1k47-UakcQd7iPKJqVzfAThMBvvV4Y52aRxty9UKvf7G-THz2Ao_6IFx0OphPMGasP_-NjppHMKu4qxwXxj5CZDyXHC5pD6oQIcMPnZj8tL921YuQ/s320/IMG_1959.JPG" title="Dandelions" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For example, we're told these flowers are called 'dandelions,' and are delicious.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglY3XfQW1knKwboiWAhO4cErlxzXQIwluz7pMNPgAsRShg-yxPtEfJeTqGFqyAvlnhU59UvN4pfQO-f4n8huzjtFxjq_wc-vfe9oDV-OQmMFb0GJzad29THgHcLEbQhUR7gPjF8hPDdQ/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Violets" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglY3XfQW1knKwboiWAhO4cErlxzXQIwluz7pMNPgAsRShg-yxPtEfJeTqGFqyAvlnhU59UvN4pfQO-f4n8huzjtFxjq_wc-vfe9oDV-OQmMFb0GJzad29THgHcLEbQhUR7gPjF8hPDdQ/s320/IMG_1963.JPG" title="Violets" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We noticed <a href="http://tallcloverfarm.com/219/violets-the-sweet-scent-of-springs-arrival">violets</a> this year for the first time. They're apparently <a href="http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/garden-to-table/edible-common-blue-violet-for-your-supper-plate">edible</a>, too, but we probably won't get to them, what with all the dandelions that need eating. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ozZ0CB1oGn3Z1T02KTu7VymRARiXUMXY3IxLKRStGz4GM_VqgcJALezeKacRWk1t72MmakLxWn_f-GpHe5P9T7jpWkt1llD_ZrQD4WRqPQRCJ1pAUf0SP8vpmeyjRUhZG2Mqp39qjlI/s1600/IMG_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Siberian Squill" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ozZ0CB1oGn3Z1T02KTu7VymRARiXUMXY3IxLKRStGz4GM_VqgcJALezeKacRWk1t72MmakLxWn_f-GpHe5P9T7jpWkt1llD_ZrQD4WRqPQRCJ1pAUf0SP8vpmeyjRUhZG2Mqp39qjlI/s320/IMG_1965.JPG" title="Siberian Squill" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy we might have seen last year, but couldn't find a record on the blog. Looks like a <a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/siberian-squill">Siberian Squill</a>, which are apparently invasive, and not yet known in this area. It sprouted from some dirt we had piled up alongside the garden. Apparently we unearthed a bulb somewhere and unleashed this menace upon the landscape. Oops. At least it's pretty!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtA8kqTNkEqYSptsqcpwPNqhTbKLzUh_76o07PoTzRbPSm7jFsA_AY3gkQmaNXbf-2H9asnlb89imV86_yCbR-AbsqSZEkVzhdBPIH2FDYbTbmQv0HVnSxB6ZCD44IuSaQqOjOOBy5pec/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Peach blossoms" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtA8kqTNkEqYSptsqcpwPNqhTbKLzUh_76o07PoTzRbPSm7jFsA_AY3gkQmaNXbf-2H9asnlb89imV86_yCbR-AbsqSZEkVzhdBPIH2FDYbTbmQv0HVnSxB6ZCD44IuSaQqOjOOBy5pec/s320/IMG_1967.JPG" title="Peach blossoms" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've also got peach blossoms! Neither our apricot tree nor our peach tree had bloomed since we've been here, but this year both did. And while the apricot blossoms <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/04/homestead-happiness-april-week-1.html">got wiped out by a snowstorm</a>, the peach tree is small enough that we can probably cover it if (when) snow or freezing temperatures threaten again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxrKDjEa2Q1Y2rm20mv_G6W5M6WUiv1yoAN2deCRFNn-WZXWPkzSN3Vff2-I6T-p3XMUKBsMrTS1haHoXlWdHulP_5ixLXfLhOvQG4piScDzjsQlSAYP5NHleZUR3SG-C29SaxxiHi3s/s1600/IMG_1972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crab apple blossoms" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxrKDjEa2Q1Y2rm20mv_G6W5M6WUiv1yoAN2deCRFNn-WZXWPkzSN3Vff2-I6T-p3XMUKBsMrTS1haHoXlWdHulP_5ixLXfLhOvQG4piScDzjsQlSAYP5NHleZUR3SG-C29SaxxiHi3s/s320/IMG_1972.JPG" title="Crab apple blossoms" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One type of crab apple is starting to bloom. We haven't fully identified this cultivar yet (it matches Radiant or Robinson most closely, but there are <a href="http://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/JFS_CRAB_CHART.pdf">so many possibilities</a>!). The Dolgo crab apple that <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-fun-with-crab-apples.html">makes delicious fruits</a> is still pretty tightly budded. The regular apples are just starting to bud, but the Bradford pears are about peak right now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2TsWJk6Cn1LjqhTL2x_hQGcoQFD4b0mMF73ZffdoJP-3hw7POCHZOO1gmYRLRgTDtbqOy9XWr3PS6PzudE0ma2Hd8aiwxVKtRRV8OCvAHfRurxTWcvKUz38vi18C4JjZkpQoaDRo_C0/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nanking cherry blossom" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2TsWJk6Cn1LjqhTL2x_hQGcoQFD4b0mMF73ZffdoJP-3hw7POCHZOO1gmYRLRgTDtbqOy9XWr3PS6PzudE0ma2Hd8aiwxVKtRRV8OCvAHfRurxTWcvKUz38vi18C4JjZkpQoaDRo_C0/s320/IMG_1973.JPG" title="Nanking cherry blossom" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The feral Nanking cherries are already starting to fade a bit. Meanwhile, our <a href="http://www.eburgess.com/detail.asp?pid=6223">dwarf flowering cherries</a>, which don't yet look anything like the linked picture, are still tightly budded, but if they make fruit, this will be the first year for them! One of the wild plums is also blooming, but none of the others even look close (or the wild cherry, for that matter), which is good because it's still too early if we want fruit. We're trying to temper our expectations of an epic stone fruit year, but it's really hard. Fingers crossed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
What's blooming on your homestead this time of year?<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-7794079337332062022016-04-07T08:30:00.000-06:002016-04-07T08:30:05.145-06:00Sap RecapWith overnight lows consistently staying above freezing, it seems like the sap flow is pretty much wrapping up around here. That means it's time to look back through our notebook and write up the results!<br />
<br />
How did it go? Overall, not particularly well. But we did get about three cups of syrup, and other reports we've heard from different parts of the country have said they also didn't have a very good year. The 2016 spring weather just didn't cooperate. But, we definitely got some informative results, and we can put at least one data point out there on the internets for future reference.<br />
<br />
In general, the box elders were the only trees in our yard that produced a useful amount of sap. We got about a gallon (total) from the smaller elm, about a quart from the Lombardy poplar, and about a pint from one of the Bradford pears. The Tree of Heaven, the other elm, and the other pear didn't produce anything. The box elders were also running earlier than the rest of them--they were dripping when we tapped them on February 7, and had pretty much wrapped up by the end of February, which is when the elm got started. The elm and poplar are actually still flowing now, but now that we know what the sap tastes like (see below), we probably won't bother collecting the sap any more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcev_fn_nm_pdWH273EKBhoxRNUgMeBZPqFoJ87CR4IOYx1b_pK0gyei1qGkl3nEZEU0Z0TL7k5n41JrbD7eFM1GhtkgdR-XKMHC9fIHn7spBwtrnib5UJA4-TZwgGaY-xEqznPbYuYQ8/s1600/SapFlowGraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sap flow graph" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcev_fn_nm_pdWH273EKBhoxRNUgMeBZPqFoJ87CR4IOYx1b_pK0gyei1qGkl3nEZEU0Z0TL7k5n41JrbD7eFM1GhtkgdR-XKMHC9fIHn7spBwtrnib5UJA4-TZwgGaY-xEqznPbYuYQ8/s320/SapFlowGraph.jpg" title="Sap flow graph" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box elders started out strong, but petered out by the end of
February. The dates with the symbols are when we harvested (except 2/7, which was when we set the taps). We should
have been harvesting more frequently; <a href="http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/forestry/maple-syrup-production">this site</a>
recommends collecting sap every two days to keep the quality of the resulting
syrup from degrading and/or to keep microbes from moving in and eating the precious
sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Early on, we harvested the box elders about once a week because the three-gallon buckets were full; the long gap between the end of February and the end of March was due to us waiting for a usable amount of sap to accumulate. As noted in the caption above, we should have collected more frequently and stored the sap in the fridge, which would have both mitigated off flavors and given a better estimate of when the peak run was. But, we've got some sap now, so we might as well analyze it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYiDfGHh_A51IUdn3wXEwdSFWpIbeH-271EeVE7tLkF4KUQ45IyAe6-b3Z0TJBtACEwFljgpMeYC-y-Azp3yJL-BAexBaMIDfHHtlCsBY96mSC87i2vB-9nWE4Q9SFro0zQjL94jcXv4/s1600/SapColorsSugarContent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sap sugar content and color" border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYiDfGHh_A51IUdn3wXEwdSFWpIbeH-271EeVE7tLkF4KUQ45IyAe6-b3Z0TJBtACEwFljgpMeYC-y-Azp3yJL-BAexBaMIDfHHtlCsBY96mSC87i2vB-9nWE4Q9SFro0zQjL94jcXv4/s320/SapColorsSugarContent.jpg" title="Sap sugar content and color" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Test #1:</b> the 'sugar' content. The box elder was showing about 2% sugar, which was slightly down from the <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/syrup-update.html">earlier runs of 2.5%</a> (it was also cloudy, when earlier runs were clear). The Bradford pear was at about 0.7%, the Siberian elm was also at about 2%, and the Lombardy poplar at about 2.5%. However, most of that increase in density relative to water was probably due to dissolved stuff other than sugar, because...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeXmEwgVnHPgWvY2WFDmSlaDOWq1DtUhJ1YcyxmehypUNZcAbmDsLZFNQVUwap4-1Kox3MoBWEmbmsM37JU3FnWqNl1j3b3jRQx054srFiUsqtBvUsdy0ACyZ-RAnAdlsU1jw5BBZXEM/s1600/SapColorsCups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sap in cups" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeXmEwgVnHPgWvY2WFDmSlaDOWq1DtUhJ1YcyxmehypUNZcAbmDsLZFNQVUwap4-1Kox3MoBWEmbmsM37JU3FnWqNl1j3b3jRQx054srFiUsqtBvUsdy0ACyZ-RAnAdlsU1jw5BBZXEM/s320/SapColorsCups.jpg" title="Sap in cups" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Test #2:</b> the taste (and color)! To be frank, they all tasted gross. The earlier runs of box elder actually had a detectable sweetness to them, but not this time. They did all taste slightly like the wood smells when you cut it. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Or, in other words, here's our best description of the flavors:<br /><ul>
<li>For the box elder, it's sort of astringent and mildly acidic, </li>
<li>For the pear
it's...not much of anything, but it still somehow off-putting,</li>
<li>For the elm it's sort of like wet leaves in the
fall, but somewhat more phenolic (if that helps...), </li>
<li>For the poplar it's more strongly astringent and more earthy than the box elder. Also,
really bitter. </li>
</ul>
<br />
It's possible that the flavors changed while sitting out for almost a month, but we did try fresh elm sap that only sat for a day and it wasn't any better.
The colors didn't change much on sitting, and they smelled about the same, too. Katie tried the elm, but none of the others, and generally concurred
with the above assessment. Actually, her response was something along
the lines of, "if you already knew what it tasted like, why would you
ever want me to try it?!" (For science, of course!) <br />
<br />
Needless to say, we didn't bother making syrup out of any of the non-box elder saps, and we won't bother tapping any of our trees other than the box elder next year. But now we know, and now you know, too!<br />
<br />
How did your sugaring season go this year?<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-61518126729173019332016-04-02T12:31:00.001-06:002016-04-02T12:31:11.755-06:00Homestead Happiness April Week 1Spring is definitely in the air here at the Lab, with our seven chickens laying normally at least five eggs per day, the grass in the yard shrugging off the latest snowfall and threatening to need mowing in the same day, and the sap season winding down (more on that on soon!). Here are some other signs of spring that made us happy this week.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33rImfvO4sYpzikoXb0DvY3fGKAx0qkBvP337CadZIcu8q7k6UUsL0SL7hjM4_tD2XSKdyFWzyvr2BaJEwLk3xgC3tmD-z2PH2Hv8-cGgXqAuzbdO42RGpA6KBfbqx__XDvVFXUsA1L8/s1600/IMG_1930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Empty basket root cellar" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33rImfvO4sYpzikoXb0DvY3fGKAx0qkBvP337CadZIcu8q7k6UUsL0SL7hjM4_tD2XSKdyFWzyvr2BaJEwLk3xgC3tmD-z2PH2Hv8-cGgXqAuzbdO42RGpA6KBfbqx__XDvVFXUsA1L8/s320/IMG_1930.JPG" title="Empty basket root cellar" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our root cellar over the winter. We used up the last of our
winter squash this week, which means we made it through our whole stash and lost only one to spoilage. It also means that we found a corner of
our house that works as a root cellar for warm-storage crops with
little modification. The trade-off is that it's just a corner of our
living room, with no additional isolation. That is, it stayed at a
steady 50-60 °F all winter while the thermostat was set to 67 °F, so our
house is probably not very well insulated and our heating bills are
probably higher than they could be. But still, only spoiled squash!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ijfWQG_3lgWSlY2CgpEZx4UQFLIuKz-6Nig8XKiOSHnteHd5EkUEleh5KO_zYy6BbdIp2OEgNwX3zDj3ly69AN6S2U0OJB4kjQkxcbu_45ZWrk86Xt-sO05nZ0zZGfPE7GOOdm4nZho/s1600/IMG_1931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tulip and Iris first leaves" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ijfWQG_3lgWSlY2CgpEZx4UQFLIuKz-6Nig8XKiOSHnteHd5EkUEleh5KO_zYy6BbdIp2OEgNwX3zDj3ly69AN6S2U0OJB4kjQkxcbu_45ZWrk86Xt-sO05nZ0zZGfPE7GOOdm4nZho/s320/IMG_1931.JPG" title="Tulip and Iris first leaves" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulips and irises pushing through the mulch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kbnCiw6ebpAWB2Mx4-IQ5ZT48hq_iLh6QsuWJvjNFOKpM41Dpeg3rOyGN5thseWEfNQZQY4XbDmR8I9uRCw3cknclIrfRvFlhi81i_As-2kDpA1v9P5yXhmCzRlwBLH_iEPEajTl9Hg/s1600/IMG_1946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dandelion" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kbnCiw6ebpAWB2Mx4-IQ5ZT48hq_iLh6QsuWJvjNFOKpM41Dpeg3rOyGN5thseWEfNQZQY4XbDmR8I9uRCw3cknclIrfRvFlhi81i_As-2kDpA1v9P5yXhmCzRlwBLH_iEPEajTl9Hg/s320/IMG_1946.JPG" title="Dandelion" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first intrepid dandelions are blooming!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH9PWEQnzbFCPIPu9GfvlTE6X2C2ydZyb2lLYmKQnAKu6lUsDKXqtttGFExvboq6YHzohxQShC5ydZLnMSqHgMvIAgu53P3oH6bu_zyDm73RV80XPGfHjIfIBYLGCk-_QS2sOBIUn0PY/s1600/IMG_1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freeze-killed apricot blossoms" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH9PWEQnzbFCPIPu9GfvlTE6X2C2ydZyb2lLYmKQnAKu6lUsDKXqtttGFExvboq6YHzohxQShC5ydZLnMSqHgMvIAgu53P3oH6bu_zyDm73RV80XPGfHjIfIBYLGCk-_QS2sOBIUn0PY/s320/IMG_1935.JPG" title="Freeze-killed apricot blossoms" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our unknown mystery tree is almost certainly a decades-old apricot.
This is the first time it bloomed since we've been here. Unfortunately,
as soon as the flowers opened, we got a foot of snow and all the blossoms died. But now we know
that it would be worth trying to propagate this tree and give its
offspring a more protected locale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXBmlfbt-qWbIDXahrE2kLoeOwL0raJrDXGO6ER8jfDmHADOEGUf-sGOafsbnZeAxmQnuznY75aDMi-c-bQQjSvRMvFDIMYBnaratZBO6FcLs8nXbyQhnOb2uZivrZpeZJfdmMb8yRk4/s1600/IMG_1942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bradford Pear almost blooming" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXBmlfbt-qWbIDXahrE2kLoeOwL0raJrDXGO6ER8jfDmHADOEGUf-sGOafsbnZeAxmQnuznY75aDMi-c-bQQjSvRMvFDIMYBnaratZBO6FcLs8nXbyQhnOb2uZivrZpeZJfdmMb8yRk4/s320/IMG_1942.JPG" title="Bradford Pear almost blooming" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, the Bradford pears are just now looking ready to bloom, so they should do alright. (Unless we get another foot of snow...)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O9EfqrsI0YlZzOfXEB9mWxE0Zr6DTpbQQZKrjSwtXeH14vTDSYyNv196WwoI7PIr5K6qGvhsZ2Pa8icAbhYqOefMPp23yh6dCU7qNYGqgf6jf7-YRHEo1RgAY8cfn5uEUdqgK30fktE/s1600/IMG_1949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Young strawberry plants in container" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O9EfqrsI0YlZzOfXEB9mWxE0Zr6DTpbQQZKrjSwtXeH14vTDSYyNv196WwoI7PIr5K6qGvhsZ2Pa8icAbhYqOefMPp23yh6dCU7qNYGqgf6jf7-YRHEo1RgAY8cfn5uEUdqgK30fktE/s320/IMG_1949.JPG" title="Young strawberry plants in container" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Transplanted strawberries looking good. We're going to get some before the squirrels do this year, just you watch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVfzYQJunmF9kCzgMgrJfEyRAcj_V_GCEWXMquTqEVe3kL1M5KL-DPkfF6xMopI_HxEYEjo33VdxQ_GXVOojHPgAKFIs9Oei4-FCc43seJBiVTHG1uFd79R-rtAL9wv3BgKPihK4UdOA/s1600/EgypOnions-Chives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Egyptian onions and chives" border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVfzYQJunmF9kCzgMgrJfEyRAcj_V_GCEWXMquTqEVe3kL1M5KL-DPkfF6xMopI_HxEYEjo33VdxQ_GXVOojHPgAKFIs9Oei4-FCc43seJBiVTHG1uFd79R-rtAL9wv3BgKPihK4UdOA/s320/EgypOnions-Chives.jpg" title="Egyptian onions and chives" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally, Egyptian onions (left) and chives (right), ready to start adorning our
morning eggs! Time to start the harvest counter for this year's garden!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
What made your homestead happy this week?<br />
<br />
Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-2641981280871087302016-04-01T10:28:00.002-06:002016-06-23T22:49:11.615-06:00Spring Pears?We've got a big secret to get off our chests today--something we've been waiting over two years to share.<br />
<br />
Here goes: we've been conducting an experiment on how to get pears to fruit in the spring AND the fall, and this year we've got proof that it works! It's two pear crops per year for us from here on out, and we're super excited.<br />
<br />
The trick, it turns out, is to graft local pear scion wood onto root stock from the opposite hemisphere of the world. Fortunately, the homesteading corner of the blogosphere is an international community, and we were able to score some Red Anjou pear root stock from a <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com/">friendly blogger in the Land Down Under</a> (thanks, Farmer Liz!).<br />
<br />
A little <a href="http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6971">whip and tongue grafting</a>, using Bartlett scion wood, and we managed to get one out of five grafts to take (which was much better then our <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2015/05/rooting-pear-cuttings.html">Anjou rooting experiment</a>!). And for the last two years, we've been loving and massaging that little tree <a href="https://youtu.be/xUA2EzzWAC4?t=1m24s">like a pretty new pet</a>. And since we managed to avoid killing it, the Aussie-rooted-Yankee-topped pear tree decided to reward us with a single pear this spring. <br />
<br />
At the same time, we were testing other methods, too. It doesn't work to grow the seeds from the southern hemisphere or transplant a whole pear tree from there--those trees fruit ONLY in the spring. We haven't tried it with northern hemisphere root stock and southern hemisphere scion wood; it's possible that combination would work, too.<br />
<br />
In any case, have a look!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rR_S5S8ibJs7JUguR_7l13c07DTP9eKvABt8elX4Q_TGwRFklLRsKwG9EqqJGU6kR99o2x1HeShLOPMwD9OVYVIK1_keDF-j5ejNR3amHWgsgqjttz8iTJunBmaVXGIR3QaYWuP1qZA/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pear on tree" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rR_S5S8ibJs7JUguR_7l13c07DTP9eKvABt8elX4Q_TGwRFklLRsKwG9EqqJGU6kR99o2x1HeShLOPMwD9OVYVIK1_keDF-j5ejNR3amHWgsgqjttz8iTJunBmaVXGIR3QaYWuP1qZA/s320/IMG_1914.JPG" title="Pear on tree" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There it is...dangling all ripe and delicious-looking from our custom pear tree. Just underneath the pear, you can see blossoms starting to form, which we hope will give us some more pears in the fall!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB2s7fgNMJKuG4t0i77hBAE2oacILP8I7V5C0y2vdqBswhKGsPeeTTg8VaMU48k81aVhSSFKdr_EdUOIWLd_yOS1_8CCRKGftMvsc3QsgBdzVBWlBWmuVvtV313I7OKlLCtlQKlLV7Dc/s1600/IMG_1913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pear on counter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB2s7fgNMJKuG4t0i77hBAE2oacILP8I7V5C0y2vdqBswhKGsPeeTTg8VaMU48k81aVhSSFKdr_EdUOIWLd_yOS1_8CCRKGftMvsc3QsgBdzVBWlBWmuVvtV313I7OKlLCtlQKlLV7Dc/s320/IMG_1913.JPG" title="Pear on counter" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once picked, it certainly doesn't look any less ripe and delicious-looking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11HI7aOw8TDMDU8fNvibNwogwnJdJvBodXSFXwM7e_OFszhHL5yzJbhskOYao4u231iqDwx59WtcEhbrzzdIhCQRhXz7WbIkKLSAb6-D56goQ4U_Kg8AcOO5cimZv4hWabtBILHhLPEE/s1600/IMG_1927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pear cut in half" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11HI7aOw8TDMDU8fNvibNwogwnJdJvBodXSFXwM7e_OFszhHL5yzJbhskOYao4u231iqDwx59WtcEhbrzzdIhCQRhXz7WbIkKLSAb6-D56goQ4U_Kg8AcOO5cimZv4hWabtBILHhLPEE/s320/IMG_1927.JPG" title="Pear cut in half" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, the inside looks as good as any pear we've ever had! Yum. Look, Doyle, <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/909385">there's a tasty-dactyl</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What kinds of fruit are you eating this spring? Let us know in the comments section below!<br />
<br />
Also, happy April Fool's Day! (Props to ck, who figured it out on her own!)<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-42099438890046642722016-03-28T08:30:00.000-06:002016-03-28T08:30:07.986-06:00More Stuffed SquashIt's the time of year when the winter squash stash is waning and overwintered greens are just maybe waxing enough to start harvesting some nibbles. (We don't have any such greens in our garden this year, but last year we did!) What better way to celebrate the start of a new garden season than to take a winter squash and stuff it with some of that new growth? If you liked our <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/cheesy-venison-stuffed-squash-boats.html">stuffed squash boats</a>, you'll probably dig this version, too. (If not, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vrot01/4786328744">thbbbt</a>!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MSJvB19kmsvaPjiS08t44NScFF1msIP1pSkOdAIkpdhaIdKKJaM-yxP7WCxG1pfKAetludw_eEkjBFfLTXQ7TkSZ3tG3k1tiGkrKxLASahdSzf8Jlp0NT5LbOgtSjVXsXnioPVmI4AQ/s1600/IMG_1846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kabocha squash, venison, kale, and lentils on a cutting board" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MSJvB19kmsvaPjiS08t44NScFF1msIP1pSkOdAIkpdhaIdKKJaM-yxP7WCxG1pfKAetludw_eEkjBFfLTXQ7TkSZ3tG3k1tiGkrKxLASahdSzf8Jlp0NT5LbOgtSjVXsXnioPVmI4AQ/s320/IMG_1846.JPG" title="Kabocha squash, venison, kale, and lentils on a cutting board" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ingredients: a 2-3 lb Scarlet Kabocha squash, 1 lb ground venison, 1 lb kale, and 1 cup lentils (more than 1 cup pictured here). NOTE: We only needed about a third of that filling to stuff this squash. Also, we had to buy kale from the grocery store! Oh, the humanity...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht30Qbr-ZhWK05QUhyphenhyphenjfz77MWfWnZ9lhw3O0JKUJXqaPu2cFL87T1f31K0b4W3Cn2tLvxcJmTzVM20mbinteYzqzcnFtBb_YQOJSXA_hzAGhfmg_3mp8d3n-zsfYVCAUG7z6WXUXmWtlo/s1600/IMG_1848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Roasting a kabocha squash" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht30Qbr-ZhWK05QUhyphenhyphenjfz77MWfWnZ9lhw3O0JKUJXqaPu2cFL87T1f31K0b4W3Cn2tLvxcJmTzVM20mbinteYzqzcnFtBb_YQOJSXA_hzAGhfmg_3mp8d3n-zsfYVCAUG7z6WXUXmWtlo/s320/IMG_1848.JPG" title="Roasting a kabocha squash" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut the squash in half and scoop out the guts, then set the halves cut-side-down in some water on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 min until tender. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We got the squash in early November and had it stored in a corner of our
house that was 50-60 °F all winter; it was still in pretty good shape
here at the end of March, but some of the seeds were looking like they
were about to go all Kylo Ren on us (as in, turn to the dark side, not
necessarily fight us with a light saber). The Johnny's Seed catalog
suggests storing this variety at 60-65 °F, so our slightly cooler temps
might have decreased its staying power a bit. Fortunately, the squash
meat was still delicious.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkMN40utmcoETLXWf00jLyoBBgtGawc-_QXRRybVfJn2DEEXY7bhrB0-CAgRitE5g86OocgrQ6AJpktuBmyADMMxkCEMUeVgej8HD57MWP_KmbisNa7bIJ3WiYNBcxaaZMGgQaMdMq4Q/s1600/IMG_1851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Browning venison" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkMN40utmcoETLXWf00jLyoBBgtGawc-_QXRRybVfJn2DEEXY7bhrB0-CAgRitE5g86OocgrQ6AJpktuBmyADMMxkCEMUeVgej8HD57MWP_KmbisNa7bIJ3WiYNBcxaaZMGgQaMdMq4Q/s320/IMG_1851.JPG" title="Browning venison" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of meat, while the squash is roasting, start browning up that venison...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MjCTKPIDajA_MeVo9oZ1AbzEz3CD7UTz0jI8gOQPIesEBvmJ68_CSXZgmApLqGVuHVobrHzgoiA_GUmwh2JBC4jjCBDG3G1umFbdKM97u2j9V0nXfDalMA4KtwwT9uXWEamQE17WTUs/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cooking lentils" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MjCTKPIDajA_MeVo9oZ1AbzEz3CD7UTz0jI8gOQPIesEBvmJ68_CSXZgmApLqGVuHVobrHzgoiA_GUmwh2JBC4jjCBDG3G1umFbdKM97u2j9V0nXfDalMA4KtwwT9uXWEamQE17WTUs/s320/IMG_1854.JPG" title="Cooking lentils" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and cooking those lentils.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ6XVutgO470IE5lvRghL_1Tnj_NVFP4p0g1JBozrHNYP0ggBOpzrhcuDefb98ZglKO5UWq04Pb2nyYYmtO_VsYKieagmXj3Iss96SZ2-wSCjmEjHVPdvmNBegdx6jW6_zonIjUlwLYU/s1600/IMG_1858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sauteing kale" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ6XVutgO470IE5lvRghL_1Tnj_NVFP4p0g1JBozrHNYP0ggBOpzrhcuDefb98ZglKO5UWq04Pb2nyYYmtO_VsYKieagmXj3Iss96SZ2-wSCjmEjHVPdvmNBegdx6jW6_zonIjUlwLYU/s320/IMG_1858.JPG" title="Sauteing kale" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the venison is done, put it in a bowl and saute the kale in the frying pan. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When the kale and lentils are also done, add them to the bowl, too.
Season the whole shebang with salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onion
powder, plenty of sage, some lemon pepper, and something labeled <a href="https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/chicago-steak-seasoning/c-24/p-658/pd-s">Chicago steak seasoning</a>,
to taste. Our proportions were probably 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 0.5
teaspoons each of lemon pepper, and steak seasoning, and 1 tablespoon
each of everything else.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3n9lgYZzwMYf97rNMNd-_yuMneE-y2r3lT3I13oZE3Ipqcsptj7-2TUxF8jOnLunpitGmNs08JC2sjcl6uS7HMfmzAkgCU-xMVmev4-O7wM9tKe2RfMWZ_WTza5-G-2lFBA-KCX_b_U/s1600/IMG_1861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stuffed kabocha squash, with cheese" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3n9lgYZzwMYf97rNMNd-_yuMneE-y2r3lT3I13oZE3Ipqcsptj7-2TUxF8jOnLunpitGmNs08JC2sjcl6uS7HMfmzAkgCU-xMVmev4-O7wM9tKe2RfMWZ_WTza5-G-2lFBA-KCX_b_U/s320/IMG_1861.JPG" title="Stuffed kabocha squash, with cheese" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the squash are done, season them with salt and pepper, too, and stuff them full of the venison-kale-lentil mix. Pile some shredded cheddar cheese on top. Katie says, "Hey! Aren't you going to put cheese on that other one, too?" Maybe if you tell me where you hid the Easter candy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dUY8Wi-W9OcV37Uc4g5W6TxmMk4ySMgNg98zgHX9wBFtn39zdDcq7XUov1v36AQketou4f8E6VRxCgwuKQ7bepo0sKb_43pV4a7_EN0q2XeY9oyV3lraeF_twwu-_3DPzkyFPApMGbw/s1600/IMG_1872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stuffed kabocha squash, cheese melted" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dUY8Wi-W9OcV37Uc4g5W6TxmMk4ySMgNg98zgHX9wBFtn39zdDcq7XUov1v36AQketou4f8E6VRxCgwuKQ7bepo0sKb_43pV4a7_EN0q2XeY9oyV3lraeF_twwu-_3DPzkyFPApMGbw/s320/IMG_1872.JPG" title="Stuffed kabocha squash, cheese melted" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found it! :-) Ok, put the squash back in the oven to melt the cheese, like so.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcAH4a7_e8fnZnyPWIsFhGgGacS1oW4qDWfyuVPDynKgzwoOn38pkzem485gw1GN0UY3jiGt_CCAU9AdMAg_kMFC0ZVc_J53uMRzhe_pi3E3ovxHaFIIsi93YZKE9uKFC-d4Ld6E_-V8/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stuffed kabocha squash, with toast and fruit salad" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcAH4a7_e8fnZnyPWIsFhGgGacS1oW4qDWfyuVPDynKgzwoOn38pkzem485gw1GN0UY3jiGt_CCAU9AdMAg_kMFC0ZVc_J53uMRzhe_pi3E3ovxHaFIIsi93YZKE9uKFC-d4Ld6E_-V8/s320/IMG_1874.JPG" title="Stuffed kabocha squash, with toast and fruit salad" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As it turns out, a whole half-squash is more than a serving. Half of a half squash (that's a quarter squash, for the fractionally-challenged) is better, especially when it means we might also have room for buttered toast and fruit salad. The buttery flavor of the squash pairs most excellently with the buttery flavor of the toast. Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There you have it--now you should have no trouble using up your remaining winter squashes before the spring produce starts rolling in! How's your winter squash stash looking?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-17826525805296871722016-03-27T08:08:00.001-06:002016-03-27T08:08:12.926-06:00Happy Easter!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-r5n6dxkbOejnu_VHrt1HYRR4ttl_Sk6XIdMZoIuSEd8XUs8NOFIRvzsAQZr4THmsymC06swhTMRrrZuPQ4ifDgknfP1vhc6Ss9u7rnh2kYRMGmu1ACwFWbn8dPPCyR2u6JZbRXMFys/s1600/IMG_1896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-r5n6dxkbOejnu_VHrt1HYRR4ttl_Sk6XIdMZoIuSEd8XUs8NOFIRvzsAQZr4THmsymC06swhTMRrrZuPQ4ifDgknfP1vhc6Ss9u7rnh2kYRMGmu1ACwFWbn8dPPCyR2u6JZbRXMFys/s320/IMG_1896.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Easter from THL!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-77747775798786522112016-03-26T08:30:00.000-06:002016-03-26T08:30:00.174-06:00Book Review: Small-Scale No-Till Gardening Basics by Anna HessIf you follow Anna Hess' <a href="http://www.waldeneffect.org/">blog</a>, or if you've read her books on gardening, you know she's passionate about dirt. Especially the dirt in which she grows vegetables. As a result, she's spent a LOT of time turning an eroded, nutrient-depleted patch of ground into an impressively productive garden space on her southwest Virginia homestead.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBsWLbwzBBsvORx6Bzp06t3tFTK7gdhQ_ly8RovWDK9uZAyKEC2gOHqvnmTct-gR2huQcU08YMreLftNmaRWFcqPh9UHcAOKhx9-fpo0xAxM-xi5RZaPk6mj8R2nYcbCl8WjUcxKs9Jg/s1600/NoTillBasics-CoverImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBsWLbwzBBsvORx6Bzp06t3tFTK7gdhQ_ly8RovWDK9uZAyKEC2gOHqvnmTct-gR2huQcU08YMreLftNmaRWFcqPh9UHcAOKhx9-fpo0xAxM-xi5RZaPk6mj8R2nYcbCl8WjUcxKs9Jg/s320/NoTillBasics-CoverImage.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover shows Anna with good dirt, Anna with giant sweet potatoes, and a soybean cover crop in a solarized bed, all on a background of an oat (or ryegrass?) cover crop. That's two positive outcomes and two tools in the toolbox, if you're counting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Not surprisingly, she's learned quite a bit in the process, and is currently distilling her real-world experience and knowledge of soil science theory into an easy-to-read, highly-actionable eBook series to help you do the same for your garden. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-No-Till-Gardening-Basics-Cultivating-ebook/dp/B01A625BPU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8">Small-Scale No-Till Gardening Basics</a> is Volume 2 in the series, and is an excellent addition. By the end of Volume 1, you should know what kind of dirt you're dealing with. In Volume 2, Anna tells you how to start dealing with it in the context of no-till (or till-once) gardening, which is hands-down the optimal way to build fertility and battle weeds (that is, optimizing speed, cost, and effort).<br />
<br />
Accumulating organic matter and strategically using kill mulches are the backbone of small-scale, no-till gardening (after initially remedying things like compaction issues), but how to best deploy those tools depends on your specific circumstances. The book has very detailed advice for normal-to-overly-wet garden areas, because that's where Anna has the most experience. There aren't as many tips for dry-climate gardens (which, coincidentally, is where we happen to garden), but if you are in a dry climate and not garden-space constrained, Steve Solomon's <a href="http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html">Gardening Without Irrigation</a> is a useful complementary reference. (If you are space constrained like we are, you may have to resign yourself to installing some type of irrigation, but minimal tillage is still a good idea.)<br />
<br />
One possibly-confusing note is that the "plant-now" lasagna gardening technique mentions squash as a good option in this "shallow-roots-only" system early in the book, but says later on that winter squash are deep-rooted and not suitable for that system. We had to wonder, is summer squash ok and winter squash not ok? We couldn't find much differentiation between winter squash and summer squash root systems, except slide 93 of <a href="http://slideplayer.com/slide/5808602/">this random, 241-slide presentation</a>, which does indeed suggest that winter squash cultivars have deeper root systems than summer squash cultivars. However, the same slide includes tomatoes with the deep-rooted veggies, while Anna says they work well in the shallow-root-only system. On the other hand, <a href="http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch32.html">this book</a> lumps winter and summer squash together. So, there's a bit of ambiguity on the squash front, but otherwise things seem to check out. <br />
<br />
Finally, while there is a ton of practical advice throughout the book, we thought the recommendations might also be usefully represented as a flow chart. So, although there are many details and insights we couldn't fully capture in a graphic like this, we put together a sort of 'quick-start guide' to help you get your no-till (or till-once) garden started this year:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqVz_C4Cm9N6jfJhm3xW3A0QO1LS5Go9cJBfaYwcHC60FsKYjVpCgS5IA6pb3GxxeNJve7Tm1WsW07rStRNPFFHDae4MVSpLHF80a_JpGTeuxsCqrBCeql1LrmYfF6SCQ7BlYk0vwiTE/s1600/NoTillQuickStartGuide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqVz_C4Cm9N6jfJhm3xW3A0QO1LS5Go9cJBfaYwcHC60FsKYjVpCgS5IA6pb3GxxeNJve7Tm1WsW07rStRNPFFHDae4MVSpLHF80a_JpGTeuxsCqrBCeql1LrmYfF6SCQ7BlYk0vwiTE/s320/NoTillQuickStartGuide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're planning to break new ground for your garden, you might want to consider getting a broadfork.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our overall conclusion: We liked this book a lot, and although we received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, we feel it's definitely worth the $2.99 price of admission. There are a lot of lessons from the school of hard knocks in these pages, and for all the effort and experimentation it took to learn those lessons (and write them into book form!), three bucks is definitely fair.<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-59608743781090304932016-03-21T08:30:00.000-06:002016-03-21T08:30:23.926-06:00Corned Beast Death MatchA couple weeks ago, <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/03/corned-beast-recipe-death-pre-match.html">we wrote</a> that we were pitting the three types of corned venison we've made for past St. Patty's Days against each other in a head-to-head competition. After two weeks of marinating and trash talking in the fridge, Saturday night was finally fight night for our corned beast death match. Time for the contestants to put their money where our mouth is.<br />
<br />
The three curing recipes had identical seasonings except for the liquids; one was a dry rub, one was a brine made with whey, and one was a brine made with apple cider vinegar. The cooking process was also similar for all three recipes: empty the meat plus all the cure ingredients into an oven-safe bowl, rinse the cure bag out with water, and add additional water as necessary to cover the meat. Then bake at 350 °F until well-done (meat internal temperatures actually reached 185-190 °F); total time in the oven was about an hour.<br />
<br />
The taste tests had two parts: <i>ex-reubo</i> tasting and <i>in-reubo</i> tasting, which are Latin-sounding terms we invented to mean 'out-of-the-reuben (sandwich)' and 'in-the-reuben,' analogous to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_situ"><i>in-situ</i></a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vivo"><i>in-vivo</i></a>) and <i>ex-situ</i>. <i>Ex-reubo </i>was just a bite of the cooked beast; <i>in-reubo</i> was obviously in the sandwich, along with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on rye bread.<br />
<br />
Somewhat to our surprise, there was a clear winner in this epic battle. Which recipe emerged victorious? Read on to find out!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JIwpbke92lAsr_DFZJHC3V24Yrhi2PaLjmgMBVuMU_M5w5NK0NPg4H0PzE_0trPp1Mq2YD1VozHSDeHOH6hFw8u2_4L2zwNHoF6MDIzH_DoO30NRO3HSUtTRDKMr9ZLA1IvZxAokT8U/s1600/PostCure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Corned venison" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JIwpbke92lAsr_DFZJHC3V24Yrhi2PaLjmgMBVuMU_M5w5NK0NPg4H0PzE_0trPp1Mq2YD1VozHSDeHOH6hFw8u2_4L2zwNHoF6MDIzH_DoO30NRO3HSUtTRDKMr9ZLA1IvZxAokT8U/s320/PostCure.jpg" title="Corned venison" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh out of the cure stage, they look pretty similar. The dry rub is maybe a little darker, and the whey-brined meat is more squishy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbgrC2WYqD7JYv938InOI0A8kTatetH_Ozqj5r58UV2K2bjQO0pG-eLPmQvIZR9HKN07JWDwzxyCoJKVW4OxxEedw7AU9cW0oda_PSf4TeXx9QAG11TmtiwlQas2Xbzn2CVFF55cT__Y/s1600/IMG_1818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cooking corned venison" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbgrC2WYqD7JYv938InOI0A8kTatetH_Ozqj5r58UV2K2bjQO0pG-eLPmQvIZR9HKN07JWDwzxyCoJKVW4OxxEedw7AU9cW0oda_PSf4TeXx9QAG11TmtiwlQas2Xbzn2CVFF55cT__Y/s320/IMG_1818.JPG" title="Cooking corned venison" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here they are, warming up for the fight. A pan of roasted root veggies is ready to make sure any boil overs aren't wasted.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxCQWkqVhmTewokuzEkMcyQHeMwTTHlaY-g47TfsVVqH4RuF6E7MnSZ_TJGSLfzt0O-freL0gV6GY-PWToWio33SoBgSiOsx_5lCNVlnqbsHACtn-6f3XDV4RGse15znbRTP6Ohtk5a0/s1600/PostCook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cooked corned venison" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxCQWkqVhmTewokuzEkMcyQHeMwTTHlaY-g47TfsVVqH4RuF6E7MnSZ_TJGSLfzt0O-freL0gV6GY-PWToWio33SoBgSiOsx_5lCNVlnqbsHACtn-6f3XDV4RGse15znbRTP6Ohtk5a0/s320/PostCook.jpg" title="Cooked corned venison" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-cooking, they also look pretty similar. There is less foam with the dry rub, and the whey brine had the most. Not sure if that's significant in any way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmxtAm9TZxBr1RqGIFn2RowRZVVl3v7OtB0A-HSG2m2HxJcyrAbGpCG-r69U7ll_yiKTz0r0z3ykcmEkcoi4aU4taKumXh2n29Hu9Afzqq9hGQYCWJNFSjRNd0T8D7nK01twsKVbuNYA/s1600/FirstSlice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cooked corned venison, sliced" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmxtAm9TZxBr1RqGIFn2RowRZVVl3v7OtB0A-HSG2m2HxJcyrAbGpCG-r69U7ll_yiKTz0r0z3ykcmEkcoi4aU4taKumXh2n29Hu9Afzqq9hGQYCWJNFSjRNd0T8D7nK01twsKVbuNYA/s320/FirstSlice.jpg" title="Cooked corned venison, sliced" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The internal texture and color looks pretty similar, too, and all were readily edible in the <i>ex-reubo</i> test. No forced smiles or slipping pieces under the table to the dog were required. But the whey brine is the clear winner! It's by far the most tender. The flavors were pretty similar for all three, too, except the dry rub was more salty. To be fair, though, the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/03/homemade-corned-beef-brisket-with-potatoes-cabbage-carrots-recipe.html">original instructions</a> for cooking the dry rub called for washing off the cure ingredients, cooking it, and letting it sit in a second, less-salty liquid for several hours before doing the final cooking. For us, the extra required effort does not help the dry rub's case. The apple cider vinegar-brined meat was also quite a bit drier than the whey-brined version.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakhap7im1BVAGFXkpsoLC0rbgGBDrrT7PvGe79HhQ60Vk_exWDXYDtNjaalXrAOaw4iJVqw0j8wn1_gW-UuxeummAvUdNhwyFSL-Rzmd8yGgOsD6jYCyXTP7MCnSBIydJ-JdnNKq-WCg/s1600/IMG_1830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Reuben with melted Swiss cheese" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakhap7im1BVAGFXkpsoLC0rbgGBDrrT7PvGe79HhQ60Vk_exWDXYDtNjaalXrAOaw4iJVqw0j8wn1_gW-UuxeummAvUdNhwyFSL-Rzmd8yGgOsD6jYCyXTP7MCnSBIydJ-JdnNKq-WCg/s320/IMG_1830.JPG" title="Reuben with melted Swiss cheese" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's move on to the <i>in-reubo</i> test. Pro tip: melting the Swiss cheese with the broiler helps keeps the slices of corned beast in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJQgr5q1nxExmh2QQ64chEwwLzZPeceOO1mrDDb0fd-CJgnMppsFA58veF7RWJVOuBOKScBxMBhMC7UnqtyNhMA4hrM_mpJl6bvA3C0qmboHRNdchMr3QWXmRY0VD9kHBpi83L461usk/s1600/IMG_1832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Reuben sandwiches, cabbage, roasted root veggies" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJQgr5q1nxExmh2QQ64chEwwLzZPeceOO1mrDDb0fd-CJgnMppsFA58veF7RWJVOuBOKScBxMBhMC7UnqtyNhMA4hrM_mpJl6bvA3C0qmboHRNdchMr3QWXmRY0VD9kHBpi83L461usk/s320/IMG_1832.JPG" title="Reuben sandwiches, cabbage, roasted root veggies" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, it wouldn't be a true St. Patty's Day reuben meal without the root veggies and some cabbage to go with it. It's a lot harder to tell a difference between the different cures <i>in-reubo</i>, but the whey-brined version is still noticeably more tender. Score settled! Follow-up question: why is the whey best? Short answer: we don't know for sure. The whey has different acids (lactic and citric) than the vinegar (acetic), but also <a href="http://www.cheesemaking.com/Whey1.html">has other things</a> the vinegar brine doesn't have, like lactose and proteins. Apparently, the combination of ingredients in the 30-min mozzarella whey is a good one for brining meat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5LcO140szT7lGjWCOefMe_eTcuQdVV4vctwItg6tKp801-x3tZY3_KYl8qkDcG9EbFRVIiRA5SBey4cjpM8_BfrXzMA3lIERcsqJbtfpI8Uu_ApIGAMmLnfSyZ_hCydH6svVH380mU/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Blueberry pi pie" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5LcO140szT7lGjWCOefMe_eTcuQdVV4vctwItg6tKp801-x3tZY3_KYl8qkDcG9EbFRVIiRA5SBey4cjpM8_BfrXzMA3lIERcsqJbtfpI8Uu_ApIGAMmLnfSyZ_hCydH6svVH380mU/s320/IMG_1834.JPG" title="Blueberry pi pie" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo doesn't have anything to do with corned beast, we just didn't want anyone to think that we missed celebrating the most precise pi day in 100 years (3-14-16 → 3.1416, which is correct to four digits past the decimal point). The filling is blueberries, which are appropriate for a pi pie because they're spherical.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, there you have it. Whey brining is the best way to cure corned beast, in our opinion. What's your favorite way (or whey) to do it?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-14382954714945753542016-03-19T10:58:00.001-06:002016-03-19T11:18:01.199-06:00Book Review: How to Bake Without Baking Powder by Leigh TateOur last three posts were inspired by Leigh Tate's <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2016/01/baking-with-wood-ash-part-3-results.html">series on her own blog</a> about baking with ash water, and <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/617881">she's now got an eBook available</a>, too. The latest volume in The Little Series of Homestead How-Tos includes much more than just baking with ash water leavening, though. It's a comprehensive guide to understanding what baking powder is and how it works, and how to substitute for both the baking soda and acid components.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-Jvk9_xj6cPmVKxzFU2V3Wlc6xb9MYmYLQgIVSuc7y3WlGcdMFcUyD_rzAaWS7j0n9m5G-RilFjObuxZvJ2iBrXFoxedmVXnNvsc17lsDp1WeWhGze3z06IDFwU0ILdZAZjrK0_qoZc/s1600/CoverImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Book cover image" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-Jvk9_xj6cPmVKxzFU2V3Wlc6xb9MYmYLQgIVSuc7y3WlGcdMFcUyD_rzAaWS7j0n9m5G-RilFjObuxZvJ2iBrXFoxedmVXnNvsc17lsDp1WeWhGze3z06IDFwU0ILdZAZjrK0_qoZc/s320/CoverImage.jpg" title="Book cover image" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biscuits on a fence for the cover. We would definitely not be on the fence about eating those biscuits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since this is a unabashedly nerdy blog, we cannot, in good faith, mention baking powder without discussing the chemistry. Briefly, baking powder contains a carbonate (typically baking soda), one or two types of acid (typically sodium aluminum sulfate (NaAl(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>), various phosphate salts, and/or potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar)), and some kind of starch to keep the powder from sticking together. The acids react with the carbonate to produce carbon dioxide gas when liquid is added and/or when the mixture is heated, depending on which acids are present in the baking powder. The release of carbon dioxide is what causes baked goods to rise.<br />
<br />
So, to bake without baking powder, as the title says, you need to substitute at least the carbonate and the acid components.<br />
<br />
As you may know, your kitchen likely contains a lot of options for substituting the acid component, including vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sour cream, yogurt, whey, molasses, and honey. At least some of those you could probably make on your own if you couldn't get to the grocery store (or didn't want to), or if society had collapsed but you still wanted to make biscuits. There are also instructions for making some of them, like buttermilk (and cultured buttermilk), along with sourdough starter, which might have fit better in a future volume of yeast-based leavenings, but is nice to have here nonetheless.<br />
<br />
Your options for substituting the carbonate component with homemade ingredients are more limited, consisting of essentially potassium carbonate and bicarbonate from wood ashes. Calcium carbonate from eggshells <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/eggshell-calcium-carbonate-leavening_29.html">doesn't work as well</a>, although you might be able to <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=5qZdAAAAcAAJ&lpg=PA446&ots=RNTeCq4Urr&dq=hartshorn%20distillation&pg=PA446#v=onepage&q=hartshorn%20distillation&f=false">make ammonium carbonate from deer antlers</a> if you're not opposed to setting up a still and happen to have some potash laying around. (Who says you can't eat the horns?)<br />
<br />
Of the 54 recipes the book includes, 33 use baking soda, one uses sodium carbonate, 10 use pearlash, saleratus (potassium bicarbonate), ash water, or wood ash, and three use hartshorn (ammonium carbonate). The other seven get their leavening from eggs or 'emptings,' the yeasty residue that settles at the bottom of brewing vessels, but that, unlike most yeast-based leaveners can apparently be used in quick breads like a chemical leavener. So, in some cases, it's also possible to get by without a carbonate at all. It's worth noting that with a little trial and error, you can substitute some of the wood-ash based leaveners for baking soda, as Leigh did in the series linked at the beginning of this post.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTc8-01xl0xRvYKrZ2YSQzKIOoByZIHB5JiHTw7B9p7gju_o3nfBDjsyub3ud2BNng-av9R7obKTl_m_X_ZTQjPtJ8I0IzpV6C_BY-XokwtwwqrzN7yBaUbtRg-sJkOeE2YTeZ3aJcN0/s1600/RecipeBreakdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Recipe-Leavening breakdown table" border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTc8-01xl0xRvYKrZ2YSQzKIOoByZIHB5JiHTw7B9p7gju_o3nfBDjsyub3ud2BNng-av9R7obKTl_m_X_ZTQjPtJ8I0IzpV6C_BY-XokwtwwqrzN7yBaUbtRg-sJkOeE2YTeZ3aJcN0/s320/RecipeBreakdown.jpg" title="Recipe-Leavening breakdown table" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the recipe-leavening breakdown for the book. Saleratus = potassium bicarbonate; other includes eggs and 'emptings.' (Click it to enlarge.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It's also really cool to see recipes that are over two hundred years old compiled into the same book as recipes Leigh developed on her own modern-day homestead to make use of her own byproducts, like whey from making goat cheese, and wood ashes from her wood stove. In that way, it's sort of a living history book. Reading between the lines, there's a story that develops from 'people who realized mixing these random ingredients together made bubbles, which in turn made tastier cookies,' to 'if we mix an acid and a carbonate in these ratios, we'll produce sufficient carbon dioxide to leaven the cookies and not leave a bitter taste.' Fascinating stuff.<br />
<br />
Along the same line of thought as that latter point, one of our favorite parts of the book is the table of recommended ratios for the various household acids and baking soda. i.e., how much lemon juice do you mix with a teaspoon of baking soda? How much molasses do you mix with a teaspoon of baking soda to get the same leavening effect? That's a pretty handy resource that makes substituting ingredients much easier.<br />
<br />
The only thing we would have liked to see more of is photographs of the baked goods! There's a delicious picture of biscuits on the cover, but inside the book, there are only links for a few of the recipes that appeared on Leigh's blog, <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/">5 Acres and a Dream</a>. On the other hand, fewer pictures to drool over means a lower probability of a shorted-out keyboard, so maybe it was a good strategy after all.<br />
<br />
We should mention that we received a free copy of the book, not with any expectations of a review, but, well, for simply being interested enough in the chemistry to contribute some thoughts on Leigh's blog. That said, we would have gladly ponied up the $2.99 price tag of this book. It's clear that Leigh put in many, many hours of research on this book, and three bucks is more than fair for that effort.<br />
<br />
In summary--How to Bake Without Baking Powder is an excellent reference and we have no qualms about recommending it to everyone. Readers, start your ovens...ready...go!<br />
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<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-15665862052710319512016-03-14T08:30:00.000-06:002016-03-14T08:30:10.216-06:00Wood Ash Leavening--Biscuit Baking Time!Last Tuesday, <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/03/wood-ash-leavening-chemistry-extraction.html">we hypothesized</a>, based on historical tales, that wood ash leachate ("ash water") likely contains both potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate. On Saturday, we proved it with a titration experiment. Today, we find out what it all means with a biscuit baking party.<br />
<br />
As a recap, we calculated that the hydroxides in the ash water outnumber the carbonates nearly 3:1, and that one teaspoon of ash water should have the same leavening power as about 1/46 teaspoon of baking soda. Fortunately, baking with the ash water has turned out to quite a bit better than our prognostications suggested.<br />
<br />
This is the recipe that we used as a starting point (and a positive control):<br />
<br />
<u><b>Base recipe:</b></u><br />
0.5 cups all-purpose flour<br />
0.125 (1/8) tsp salt<br />
1 Tbs butter<br />
1 tsp apple cider vinegar + milk to 0.25 cups<br />
0.25 (1/4) tsp baking soda<br />
<br />
Mix apple cider vinegar and milk to make a faux buttermilk. Combine flour, salt, butter, and baking soda in food processor and process until butter is cut in. Combine buttermilk and solid ingredients, mix well, and form into drop biscuits on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 °F for 20 min. Yield: 3 biscuits. Serving size: 3 biscuits.<br />
<br />
To modify it for wood ash-based leavening, we figured we'd need more acid to neutralize the hydroxides. Also, based on Leigh's experiments, using dry wood ash seemed to work just about as well as the ash water, so we did started with two variations on the base recipe:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Variation 1:</b></u><br />
Same amounts of flour, salt, and butter<br />
<br />
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar + milk to 0.25 cups<br />
1 tsp ash water<br />
no baking soda<br />
<br />
<u><b>Variation 2: </b></u><br />
Same amounts of flour, salt, and butter<br />
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar + milk to 0.25 cups<br />
0.25 (1/4) tsp dry ashes <br />
no baking soda<br />
<br />
We also made a negative control, which was the same as the base recipe, but without the baking soda. This is what we got:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbvqiiSVlr9o8DPIKa5O8z6NudEdNMVuhAo2u6oFfMHDRacsRMMvu-4Cyfvk51tQ7dSifce8eep2ev3z5zCV1F2WAAMYvswj9Sm6-HDHQzWrWLAzOlSi_F9MnfyL3tyJGa4ZF4wWpfUI/s1600/FirstPassTopView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe, top view" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbvqiiSVlr9o8DPIKa5O8z6NudEdNMVuhAo2u6oFfMHDRacsRMMvu-4Cyfvk51tQ7dSifce8eep2ev3z5zCV1F2WAAMYvswj9Sm6-HDHQzWrWLAzOlSi_F9MnfyL3tyJGa4ZF4wWpfUI/s320/FirstPassTopView.jpg" title="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe, top view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'no leavening' control was the least risen of the bunch, and the baking soda was much better than the rest. The ash water and dry ash were somewhere in the middle, but, like the calcium carbonate experiments we did <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/eggshell-calcium-carbonate-leavening.html">here</a> and <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2016/02/eggshell-calcium-carbonate-leavening_29.html">here</a>, closer to the 'no leavening' than the 'baking soda.' Still, they made a good lunch, and they're very tasty with cheese.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgks_MX8XayBuuEgr5-EaIOaIdVlNdIhZHv7kcVwrkC6Wll1wTj1K1yVBBnFRhMiqDMQGpMwpNKep0Yi_pQ9-lCID2ulyangamOPyAFANkH8x-4_Uj4ie7D4JcS6ROEZED3E-r1XnI-A4/s1600/FirstPassSideView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe, side view" border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgks_MX8XayBuuEgr5-EaIOaIdVlNdIhZHv7kcVwrkC6Wll1wTj1K1yVBBnFRhMiqDMQGpMwpNKep0Yi_pQ9-lCID2ulyangamOPyAFANkH8x-4_Uj4ie7D4JcS6ROEZED3E-r1XnI-A4/s320/FirstPassSideView.jpg" title="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe, side view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see how the textures compare. No competition for the baking soda...yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When we were taste testing these biscuits, we noticed that the biscuit with dry ash had a sort of tangy flavor, suggesting that all the apple cider vinegar hadn't been consumed. The ash water one didn't, but looking back at our recipe, we realized we actually meant to add 2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar to that one, which would have given us the 6x increase on the original recipe acid that we calculated in the last post. So, we decided to make another batch with two more variations:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Variation 3:</b></u><br />
Same amounts of flour, salt, and butter<br />
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar + milk to 0.25 cups<br />
0.5 tsp dry ash<br />
no baking soda<br />
<br />
<u><b>Variation 4: </b></u><br />
Same amounts of flour, salt, and butter<br />
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar + milk to 0.25 cups<br />
1 tsp ash water<br />
no baking soda<br />
<br />
Also, as a reality check, we decided to make <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2016/01/baking-with-wood-ash-part-3-results.html">Leigh's recipe</a>, which had twice the lipid, a lot more ash water, and actually less acid:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Leigh's Recipe:</b></u><br />
0.5 cups all-purpose flour<br />
0.125 tsp salt<br />
2 Tbs butter<br />
2 Tbs milk<br />
2 Tbs ash water<br />
0.5 tsp white vinegar<br />
<br />
And since we had room on the cookie sheet for three more biscuits, we made another set of the base recipe with baking soda because, frankly, those are the only ones Katie has really liked so far.<br />
<br />
Here are the results of the second round:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgw4K8CYpMNMR48JOsYe16p3ZXfWU-LdWh5MIrWyNZHKOT1JRgIidhVXwbx3XGgAP-xoyI-eapmbqud6xhIkwm95b0SGFHMuCL3HQ3RvTerzqXAvjBmLfiFVFAPe6e0pE882X5bSReLw/s1600/SecondPassTopView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe and Leigh's recipe, top view" border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgw4K8CYpMNMR48JOsYe16p3ZXfWU-LdWh5MIrWyNZHKOT1JRgIidhVXwbx3XGgAP-xoyI-eapmbqud6xhIkwm95b0SGFHMuCL3HQ3RvTerzqXAvjBmLfiFVFAPe6e0pE882X5bSReLw/s320/SecondPassTopView.jpg" title="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe and Leigh's recipe, top view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the round two biscuits rose better than the round one biscuits. (Except for the baking soda control, that one was about the same.) Leigh's recipe beats the pants off of all the variations we devised. So, either the extra butter makes a big difference, or the extra ash water does (we're betting on the latter). We did accidentally spill a little extra vinegar into the mix, so it was more like 1 tsp vinegar instead of 0.5 tsp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF4Ub6oMClz7MMDSiRXHY80DdzYVoGrwBG2KNfFcS4Ymkpz7VBWBC927ueHCGr6KaYhOLu0C9EOV68c0Pq94j3Uv_7wNLzVM2nFdLgbnJOhL3z-bRDrrNvylEjoSrHr4Ien3rITEbD8k/s1600/SecondPassSideView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe and Leigh's recipe, side view" border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF4Ub6oMClz7MMDSiRXHY80DdzYVoGrwBG2KNfFcS4Ymkpz7VBWBC927ueHCGr6KaYhOLu0C9EOV68c0Pq94j3Uv_7wNLzVM2nFdLgbnJOhL3z-bRDrrNvylEjoSrHr4Ien3rITEbD8k/s320/SecondPassSideView.jpg" title="Ash and ash water biscuits, THL recipe and Leigh's recipe, side view" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It shows in the texture, too. Both of the biscuits on the bottom earned Katie's seal of approval.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Well, now we've got a conundrum! More ash water and less acid seems to be what it took to get the leavening effect we were going for. So, while we calculated that we would need to boost both the ash water content and the acid content in our recipe, the ash water content clearly makes a bigger difference. What gives?<br />
<br />
The first thing that comes to mind is that the hydroxides in the ash water could have reacted with other ingredients in the recipe (i.e. the the butter or the milk), taking themselves out of the equation before the vinegar even had a chance to take a whack at them. So, it's possible that doubling down on the acid in the recipe wasn't really gaining us anything. <br />
<br />
Similarly, sitting out on the kitchen counter, exposed to the air for a week, might have let the hydroxides react with carbon dioxide from the air, throwing our calculated hydroxide-to-carbonate ratio way off (and underestimating our total carbonate). We think that's a more likely possibility, because when we tried to titrate the ash water a second time several days later, it took a lot less acid to reach the end points. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLZVqPLiZNuQ1MODv9HWtZ0q4m43u6ISz2sdLfNeO9ZAq1ciEUI2MEC-3L3WkOTTOJkGZykhsRKNXiHddIbWNUUN8r8BBMSo-HbM6mfxt8eV-plZOUDDIUtgVVt8ZdLdOxUJO8u2DDuo/s1600/IMG_1690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cracked measuring cup" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLZVqPLiZNuQ1MODv9HWtZ0q4m43u6ISz2sdLfNeO9ZAq1ciEUI2MEC-3L3WkOTTOJkGZykhsRKNXiHddIbWNUUN8r8BBMSo-HbM6mfxt8eV-plZOUDDIUtgVVt8ZdLdOxUJO8u2DDuo/s320/IMG_1690.JPG" title="Cracked measuring cup" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also helped increase the surface area of the ash water (i.e., it's opportunity to interact with atmospheric carbon dioxide) by storing it in a <a href="http://www.ingender.com/forum/thread.aspx?ID=33707">polycarbonate</a> <a href="https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Bakeware/Mixing+%26+Measuring/Easy-Read+Measuring+Cup+Set/2175">measuring cup</a> one night. By the next morning, there was a crack in the cup and the ash water had run out onto the counter! Turns out, polycarbonate is <a href="http://fiboxusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ChemResV707.pdf">not compatible</a> with potassium hydroxide. Now we know!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For what it's worth, we did calculate that if we were able to convert
all the hydroxides into carbonates, 1 tsp of ash water
would have the leavening power of about 1/22 tsp of baking soda. Since
Leigh's recipe calls for 2 Tbs (6 tsp) of lye water, that's 6/22 tsp of
baking soda. 6/24 tsp would be the same as 1/4 tsp, which is what our base case
recipe called for. So, the theory sort of lines up with the experiment in this case.<br />
<br />
The only other possibility we can think of is that we did something really wrong in our titration, and we're totally not ready to entertain that idea yet!<br />
<br />
So, some final thoughts on ash water leavening: it works! Just follow Leigh's recipe instead of ours, and make the ash water well ahead of time so that it has time to pull carbon dioxide out of the air, eat through your polycarbonate measuring cups, and/or generally get to know you a little bit before you try to stick it in your biscuits.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you ever baked with ashes or ash water? How did it go? <br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-79872934454579687232016-03-12T08:30:00.000-07:002016-03-12T08:30:33.869-07:00Wood Ash Leavening Chemistry--Ash Water TitrationOn Tuesday, we established that the process of leaching ash water likely extracts both potassium carbonate and potassium hydroxide. But we also want to know the relative proportions of each because if we're going to use the ash water for leavening, we have to increase the amount of acid in the recipe to neutralize any potassium hydroxide, if it's present. Today, we're going to titrate some ash water.<br />
<br />
We can approach this task in two ways. We could 1. trudge through it with the bored disdain of an analytical chemistry student ("is it ever going to change color?"), or 2. pull out a bottle of last spring's dandelion wine, blast some banjo music, and turn this nerd party into the best date night ever! If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you know we're about to down some libations and do some titrations!<br />
<br />
Essentially, what we're doing in the titration is to take the ash water, which is very alkaline (high pH) and add a solution
of acid a little bit at a time until we get to the point where all of
the hydroxide and carbonate are converted to water (from the hydroxide)
or water and CO<sub>2</sub> (from the carbonate), at which point the water will be
very acidic (low pH). If we keep track of the amount of acid we added, we can
figure out how much carbonate we have, and then back-calculate to figure
out how much hydroxide. It's like magic, but better--it's math!<br />
<br />
The chemistry that's happening is this: first, all the acid we add (e.g., hydrochloric acid, HCl) is eaten up by the hydroxides:<br />
<br />
KOH + HCl = H<sub>2</sub>O + KCl<br />
<br />
(That's
why, if both are present in the ash water, we need to add more acid to
our biscuit recipe to get the leavening effect we want.) Next, all the
acid we add reacts with the carbonate to produce the bicarbonate:<br />
<br />
K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> + HCl = KHCO<sub>3</sub> + KCl<br />
<br />
Finally,
all the bicarbonate reacts with the acid to produce carbonic acid, some
of which will convert to dissolved CO<sub>2</sub>, and some of that will convert
to gaseous CO<sub>2</sub> and bubble out of solution (that's the leavening effect we're trying to get when we combine acid and baking soda in our biscuits!):<br />
<br />
KHCO<sub>3</sub> + HCl = H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> + KCl<br />
<br />
H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> = H<sub>2</sub>O + CO<sub>2,(aq)</sub><br />
<br />
CO<sub>2,(aq)</sub> = CO<sub>2,(g)</sub><br />
<br />
For what it's worth, the acid that reacts with KOH in the first reaction above could also be H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>, which would generate K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and, if there were enough H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> to go keep it going, KHCO<sub>3</sub>. So, bubbling CO<sub>2</sub> through the ash water, which generates H<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chatelier's_principle">Le Châtelier's principle</a> (i.e., it pushes the above reactions backwards), would help boost the leavening power of the ash water. In the absence of bubbling CO<sub>2</sub> , it can help a little to leave the ash or ash water sitting out exposed to the air before using it, because it will absorb CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere, to some extent.<br />
<br />
What are we looking for in the titration? <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=8bIWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA391&lpg=PA391&dq=barium+chloride+carbonate+hydroxide+precipitation+skoog&source=bl&ots=v1vdrVMIUx&sig=2e1AFblbYOuM8GLVpp3316DRj-U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZm-SxltPKAhXHbSYKHZtdDIUQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=barium%20chloride%20carbonate%20hydroxide%20precipitation%20skoog&f=false">This book</a>
has a great visualization of what you'd expect to see when titrating carbonates, hydroxides,
or a mix of both. The only trick is that we don't have a pH meter to
measure the titration progress directly, so we need a pH indicator
(i.e. a molecule that changes color in response to changes in pH) instead. <a href="http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/acidbaseeqia/indicators.html">This site</a>
explains that phenolphthalein and methyl orange make good indicators for
this titration, while the book linked above says bromocresol green is
also good for the second indicator.<br />
<br />
What makes an
indicator good for a particular titration is if it changes color at the
same pH as one of the endpoints we're trying to titrate (carbonates for
us). The chart below shows where the indicators mentioned above change
color in relation to the species of carbonate in the ash water. Our kitchen doesn't have any of the three indicators commonly used in the lab, but we do have some red cabbage juice, which is a cool enough indicator to do <i>both</i> endpoints. Hooray for cabbage!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dj3_sH9FIsQtxO-Oe_iX1b6Uoc5TWJ_IDd1ZcBYiSj_NusPKk4fAes2tTe9DUWkp5xRLHuqDylQ784JH8iPFPTvptgdgMfkHnxQsru7BBKZ3X746mXolFdwQjsOxA_zp-fskjXlSo4U/s1600/AshWaterTitrationIndicators.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Carbonate speciation and pH indicators" border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dj3_sH9FIsQtxO-Oe_iX1b6Uoc5TWJ_IDd1ZcBYiSj_NusPKk4fAes2tTe9DUWkp5xRLHuqDylQ784JH8iPFPTvptgdgMfkHnxQsru7BBKZ3X746mXolFdwQjsOxA_zp-fskjXlSo4U/s320/AshWaterTitrationIndicators.jpg" title="Carbonate speciation and pH indicators" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phenolphthalein
changes from pink to colorless just as all of the CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2-</sup> is used up
(endpoint 1, or EP1, at pH 8.4). Similarly, bromocresol green changes from blue to
yellow and methyl orange changes from yellow to red just as all the
HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> is used up (EP2, pH 3-4). (<a href="http://crescentok.com/staff/jaskew/isr/chemistry/indi_color.htm">Source</a>.)
Happily for us, cabbage juice changes from green to blue near EP1 and
from colorless to pink near EP2. Cabbage juice solutions don't really
go completely clear, but they become a very pale purple, and then the first
tinges of pink should indicate our endpoint. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Titrations with indicators in general are
a little tricky because the color change is always
somewhat subjective. But we can practice on a few solutions of sodium
hydroxide and sodium carbonate first, to get a feel for what we're
looking for.<br />
<br />
But before we can do that, we need a strong acid to titrate our solutions with. We
picked up some muriatic acid (HCl) from Lowe's and diluted it from
31.45 wt% (10 M) to 0.05 M (essentially, 1 teaspoon (5 mL) into 500 mL
(a little over 2 cups) of water to make 0.1 M HCl, and 1 cup of that
plus 1 cup water to make 0.05 M. NOTE: if you're following along at home, put on safety goggles and gloves before you start playing with 10 M HCl. Also, HCl doesn't get along very well with
almost any metal, including stainless steel. So, if you're diluting in
the kitchen, don't use your nice metal bowls and measuring spoons.
Plastic and glass only for this exercise!<br />
<br />
Now, we
need some standard solutions. First up: just NaOH (5 g in 500 mL water
to make a stock solution), diluted 1:10 (1 teaspoon of the stock
solution plus 3 Tablespoons water), and added 1 teaspoon of the indicator solution. Here's the math to show how much acid we
expect to need to add. The smallest plastic measuring device we have is 0.25 teaspoon, so that's what we're going to count our titrations by.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY4e25QXSTmcm2SvGcHzw5eVewmEWn-i1p9Ha5-jDsOnmO2NOy0OVVA5Od8soipvj7pTz03w_Z4f0oo7FlEjD0xAmCrdaS8FROIFfkgFYIcMc6Jcs-7pkiTBWQ8vQBOa9wAE2kZ_ihqc/s1600/Calculations-Titrate-NaOH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Titration math" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY4e25QXSTmcm2SvGcHzw5eVewmEWn-i1p9Ha5-jDsOnmO2NOy0OVVA5Od8soipvj7pTz03w_Z4f0oo7FlEjD0xAmCrdaS8FROIFfkgFYIcMc6Jcs-7pkiTBWQ8vQBOa9wAE2kZ_ihqc/s320/Calculations-Titrate-NaOH.jpg" title="Titration math" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 20<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 0<br />
<br />
Large canning jar of 0.05 M HCl, 1/4 teaspoon measuring device, small canning jar of 1 g/L NaOH in place...ok, ready, go! 1 quarter-teaspoon, swirl, 2 quarter-teaspoons, swirl, 3 quarter-teaspoons, swirl... <br />
<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 13<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 0<br />
EP 1 + 2 error: -35%<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq8J2I-LQ9KxHexIurpg2JiUF0C1xgflpRp0134QRSs9GNkqCxZA8eCRHmCynhhnCEjWXQ3qh8JBnZZKxGjgbmdlh9TpXIB7MCq7CAHYBwIwi1gkVbchPXfZf-5i_5mHncRoWgqPeCLA/s1600/Titration-NaOH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Titrating NaOH with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq8J2I-LQ9KxHexIurpg2JiUF0C1xgflpRp0134QRSs9GNkqCxZA8eCRHmCynhhnCEjWXQ3qh8JBnZZKxGjgbmdlh9TpXIB7MCq7CAHYBwIwi1gkVbchPXfZf-5i_5mHncRoWgqPeCLA/s320/Titration-NaOH.jpg" title="Titrating NaOH with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">0.05 M HCl added in 0.25 tsp aliquots. That's the smallest non-metal measuring spoon we have!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hmm...so,
not terribly accurate, (see note at the end of this post) but we would predict all hydroxides and no carbonates, as
expected. The indicator pretty much skipped the blue and purple phases
and when straight to pink-ish. <br />
<br />
Second standard
solution: just Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> (5 g in 500 mL to make a stock solution, diluted
the same way). We can to do the same math (substituting the molecular weight of Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> for that of NaOH to get to:<br />
<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 7.55<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 7.55<br />
<br />
And...the results: <br />
<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 5<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 5<br />
EP1 error: -34%<br />
EP2 error: -34%<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1TS5dmV-JmNp2wgah-i_3rlwtcZvc602M7eqVA5qeI1Gi4LRLa3yyO-77MMnXov76kfD-15V9Oxj1rFHzGvroV7dZtoePmJEmMXs19FBiSMOHOPZIEeZuOcpxDN7QDYzl_nkh6ZsmMg/s1600/Titration-Na2CO3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Titrating Na2CO3 with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1TS5dmV-JmNp2wgah-i_3rlwtcZvc602M7eqVA5qeI1Gi4LRLa3yyO-77MMnXov76kfD-15V9Oxj1rFHzGvroV7dZtoePmJEmMXs19FBiSMOHOPZIEeZuOcpxDN7QDYzl_nkh6ZsmMg/s320/Titration-Na2CO3.jpg" title="Titrating Na2CO3 with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">0.05 M HCl added in 0.25 tsp aliquots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
So,
similar errors, but again, we would conclude based on the volumes to
endpoint 1 and endpoint 2 that we have just carbonate in solution, which
is true.<br />
<br />
How about a third standard solution, with a mix of the two? 5 g NaOH + 5 g Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>, similar math to get to:<br />
<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 27.55<br />
Calculated number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 7.55<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 23<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 6<br />
EP1 error: -17%<br />
EP2 error: -20%<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP7i4TspvT5l8ckMpk8sMOPJJ-6QG-JbqX6K1lbRZXEvdveUwGjq1kwIVD2fRvQSTc8KoGOVVWPTyup8yAjf0kPYR25VUSH_A-2aTEUvuJ1zv78CkPsJSOIk8nx6opz-uEt5lTfGsrfQ/s1600/Titration-NaOH-Na2CO3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Titrating a mixture of NaOH and Na2CO3 with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP7i4TspvT5l8ckMpk8sMOPJJ-6QG-JbqX6K1lbRZXEvdveUwGjq1kwIVD2fRvQSTc8KoGOVVWPTyup8yAjf0kPYR25VUSH_A-2aTEUvuJ1zv78CkPsJSOIk8nx6opz-uEt5lTfGsrfQ/s320/Titration-NaOH-Na2CO3.jpg" title="Titrating a mixture of NaOH and Na2CO3 with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">0.05 M HCl added in 0.25 tsp aliquots. We went one past our supposed endpoint to see how pink it would turn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Better, but still large enough errors to make an analytical chemist cringe. However, feast your eyes on this set of numbers:<br />
<br />
Calculated ratio of carbonate to hydroxide: 0.377<br />
Experimental ratio of carbonate to hydroxide: 0.353<br />
Error: -6.5%<br />
<br />
Booya!
Less than 10% error is not bad for kitchen chemistry. It looks like we might be able to use this
technique with enough accuracy to figure out relative amounts of
hydroxides and carbonates in our ash water.<br />
<br />
Now for
the real stuff. We made the ash water by mixing 0.5 cups wood ash (mainly elm) plus 0.75 cups boiling water, mixed
well, and left to settle for several days (mainly because of convenience; it was well settled by the next morning). We tried one titration undiluted, but the ash water turned out to be really strong stuff, so we ended up diluting the ash water 1:10 and titrated that with
0.05 M HCl. Here's the stats:<br />
<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get to EP1: 29<br />
Actual number of 1/4 teaspoon aliquots to add to get from EP1 to EP2: 8<br />
Experimental ratio of carbonate to hydroxide: 0.381<br />
(Experimental ratio of hydroxide to carbonate = 1/0.381 = 2.625)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbG0xiw6HK9xYwDbj8V4B0LRMrTzYzTVS2REptFq71BUVqfYQbV7EsWDpYjLBX75Idnws05fqMH6WPmZj71KAvXJMe2cDvIWGMK8ynoGuB1BddcmBMQKXaXlko_ZQfDxu9jj5KSns2qs/s1600/Titration-AshWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Titrating ash water with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbG0xiw6HK9xYwDbj8V4B0LRMrTzYzTVS2REptFq71BUVqfYQbV7EsWDpYjLBX75Idnws05fqMH6WPmZj71KAvXJMe2cDvIWGMK8ynoGuB1BddcmBMQKXaXlko_ZQfDxu9jj5KSns2qs/s320/Titration-AshWater.jpg" title="Titrating ash water with hydrochloric acid using cabbage juice as pH indicator" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">0.05 M HCl added in 0.25 tsp aliquots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Whoa!
So, for every 1 molecule of carbonate in our ash water, there are 2.625
molecules of hydroxide. Or, stated another way, the leavening
power-influencing parts of the ash water are 72.5% hydroxide and 27.5%
carbonate.<br />
<br />
What does that mean for baking with ash
water? If we had only carbonates, we would have to add enough acid to convert the carbonate to the
bicarbonate, and then convert the bicarbonate to CO<sub>2</sub>. But since we
know that our acid will first react with the hydroxide, we need to
increase the acid on top of that. If a recipe is starting with baking
soda (sodium bicarbonate) and an acid, we would want to double the
amount of the acid to get the same effect from the carbonate, and then
roughly <i>triple</i> that amount to neutralize the hydroxides. Or,
overall, if we're replacing baking soda in a recipe with ash water, we
should have to add <i>six times</i> as much acid as the recipe calls for to get the same leavening effect.<br />
<br />
Also,
it's probably good to know how much bang for the buck we can expect to
get from the ash water. Although we noted that our quantification isn't great, we were consistently predicting 20-35%
less of each component than was actually present. So, for the
carbonates, our titration calculates that there is 0.000492 mol K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and
0.00129 mol KOH per teaspoon of ash water, which works out to 0.067 g K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and 0.072 g KOH. If we multiply those by 1.25 to account for the
20-30% error in our titration, it works out to 0.085 g K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and 0.091 g
KOH. Since the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has a <a href="https://www.franklinmiller.com/latest-news/material-bulk-densities/">bulk density of 801 kg/m<sup>3</sup></a>
(0.801 g/mL), and 1 teaspoon = 4.92 mL, each teaspoon of baking soda contains about 3.94 g of NaHCO<sub>3</sub>. Therefore, one teaspoon of our ash
water has about the same potential leavening power as 0.022 (1/46)
teaspoon of baking soda. (Actually, it has slightly less leavening power because KHCO<sub>3</sub> weighs more than NaHCO<sub>3</sub>.)<br />
<br />
Of course, it will only reach that
potential if we add enough acid to neutralize the hydroxide and convert
the carbonate to bicarbonate. As we mentioned above, the best way to do that would be to bubble CO<sub>2</sub> through the ash water, which will convert both the CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2-</sup> and the OH<sup>-</sup> to HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>. Ideally, we'd do that until the ash water (with a bit of indicator) turned blue. That would increase the leavening power up to about 0.04 (1/22) teaspoon of baking soda. The other readily-available way to increase the leavening power would be to boil off most of the water to concentrate the carbonates.<br />
<br />
With this knowledge in hand, we can move on to the delicious finale. Stay tuned for more biscuit trials! <br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
Ok, as a follow up, we were slightly disturbed by the absolute errors in our titrations, so we did something that we should have done beforehand--mix up reference solutions to compare colors. To get the first endpoint is easy--just mix baking soda into water and add the indicator. All of the relevant species are present as the bicarbonate ion, so the pH is right at the first endpoint. For the second endpoint, we added 0.25 teaspoons of our NaOH stock solution (5 g NaOH in 500 mL water) to 100 mL of vinegar, which should give a mixture with a pH of about 3.08 (calculations available on request!).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZdrayywjREjVHWewjI04Zpo8819xlzSrO09ioB6ITR70MepmwyPZ8Qn6ihZTi_raNzYxJ2O1hL-z9nQHfboyjqKkskFYExBHvPqu68EDJM2_ARHZcEyPsekHx9MUJjwPKNa_Nr2ZS5o/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Reference solutions at pH of carbonate titration endpoints" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZdrayywjREjVHWewjI04Zpo8819xlzSrO09ioB6ITR70MepmwyPZ8Qn6ihZTi_raNzYxJ2O1hL-z9nQHfboyjqKkskFYExBHvPqu68EDJM2_ARHZcEyPsekHx9MUJjwPKNa_Nr2ZS5o/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" title="Reference solutions at pH of carbonate titration endpoints" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That second endpoint (on the left) is a lot pinker (i.e., lower pH) than what we were calling our endpoint! No wonder our errors were so large--we should have added a few more aliquots of 0.05 M HCl to each solution before calling it done. Of course, that wouldn't help the first endpoint much; most of the solutions went from green-blue right to purple. Guess we better stick mostly to calculating ratios with this method. Also, if you ever need a nerdy gender-reveal idea for your future baby, here you go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778487044098443919.post-78379171770052422122016-03-08T08:30:00.000-07:002016-03-10T23:47:08.741-07:00Wood Ash Leavening Chemistry--An Extraction of Historical AccountsLeigh over at 5 Acres and a Dream recently did a fascinating series of blog posts on producing leavening from wood ashes (<a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2016/01/baking-with-wood-ash-part-1.html">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2016/01/baking-with-wood-ash-part-2.html">Part 2</a>, and <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2016/01/baking-with-wood-ash-part-3-results.html">Part 3</a>). The high-level overview is that wood ashes contain potassium carbonate, which can be extracted and used as leavening for quick breads, biscuits, etc., similar to how baking soda is used.<br />
<br />
Leigh made some pretty tasty-and-leavened-looking biscuits with her extracted carbonate (and with straight wood ash), but noted that they didn't rise quite as well as the control biscuit (which had baking soda). There were also a few unanswered questions on the chemistry involved, so we wanted to follow our nerdy instincts and dive into the nitty gritty of what's happening at the molecular level.<br />
<br />
First issue: what is actually being extracted from the wood ashes? Carbonates, we suspect, but is that it? In our minds, there's a controversy, since the process of extracting carbonates for leavening sounds an awful lot like the process of extracting lye (potassium hydroxide, KOH, in this case) for soap making. We're especially keen on figuring this out because if both hydroxides and carbonates are present, it will change our biscuit recipe (specifically, we'll have to add more acid to get the leavening effect). Let's compare some descriptions.<br />
<br />
The very cool Caveman Chemistry website says that the major components of wood ashes are potassium and sodium carbonates, but <a href="http://cavemanchemistry.com/oldcave/projects/potash/">says</a> this of the extract: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"It contains all of the
soluble materials which were present in the the ashes to begin with. This
could include sodium and potassium chlorides, sulfates, hydroxides,
and carbonates."</span></blockquote>
So, it sounds like both carbonates and hydroxides could be present. Another <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fO1hAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=reverberatory+furnace+potash+temperature&source=bl&ots=591y9Y5S3F&sig=OcSlQcdITed7c7m0g66lObL2HQA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwismr7RhtXKAhXDMyYKHWRRCecQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=reverberatory%20furnace%20potash%20temperature&f=false">account of potash and pearlash production from 1866</a> is generally consistent with that (despite a distinct lack of cavemen in 19th century North America), but doesn't mention hydroxides:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Carbonate of potash is generally obtained from wood ashes...the soluble constituents of the ashes are the carbonate, sulphate, phosphate, and silicate of potash and chlorides of potassium and sodium. The insoluble constituents are carbonate and subphosphate of lime, alumina, silica, the oxide of iron and manganese, and a dark carbonaceous matter."</span></blockquote>
<br />
That same account also describes the process for preparing the potash and pearlash:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"In America, the ashes are lixiviated [extracted] in barrels with lime, and the solution evaporated in large iron pots or kettles, until the mass has become a black color and the consistency of brown sugar. In this state it is called, by American manufacturers, 'black salts.' ... To make the substance called pearlash, the mass called black salts...is transferred from the kettle to a large oven-shaped furnace, constructed so that the flame is made to play over the alkaline mass. ... The ignition is in this way continued until the combustible impurities are burnt out, and the mass, from being black, becomes dirty bluish-white, having somewhat of a pearly lustre, whence the name <i>pearlash</i>. The coloring matter is probably in this case manganate of potash."</span></blockquote>
In a process flow diagram, it would look something like this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfxvPEeFT2WBZdpbDr-8KOIEd1DKcQCVsoAsIhgVcv6flomazj9_izWd16WzG9wbffZBT9BW4n_Cbo4f5vU7fcNfzrllL1T6LnXu-tGOSeuAJWpMV6OIqZW5Bvu30tRUTahmOnitIWrY/s1600/PearlashPotashProduction2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pearlash historical production process flow diagram" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfxvPEeFT2WBZdpbDr-8KOIEd1DKcQCVsoAsIhgVcv6flomazj9_izWd16WzG9wbffZBT9BW4n_Cbo4f5vU7fcNfzrllL1T6LnXu-tGOSeuAJWpMV6OIqZW5Bvu30tRUTahmOnitIWrY/s320/PearlashPotashProduction2.jpg" title="Pearlash historical production process flow diagram" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other soluble minerals (OSM) seemed like a better acronym than Minerals of Unusual Solubility (MOUS). (Warning: obscure pop culture <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOv5ZjAOpC8">reference</a>.) You can buy pure potassium carbonate these days, and it's bright white. To visualize the color of pearl ash, think of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganate#/media/File:Manganate.jpg">this color</a>, but very faint.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, no mention of potassium hydroxide in the old-time production, but that might be because of the production method. The CO<sub>2</sub> in the combustion gases that are passing over the black salts
reacts with KOH to make KHCO<sub>3</sub> (or to make H<sub>2</sub>O and K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>); any KHCO<sub>3</sub>
produced <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=i9nyvTYBQtAC&lpg=PA592&ots=DreHNrthUW&dq=potassium%20bicarbonate%20thermal%20decomposition%20temperature&pg=PA352#v=onepage&q=12.4.2.%20Potassium%20bicarbonate&f=false">decomposes</a> to K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> in the heat. So basically, if
hydroxides are extracted into the ash water, they don't make it into the
pearlash.<br />
<br />
But, compare the process of making ash water for leavening with any of several similar descriptions of the process for preparing lye for making soap. For example, <a href="http://www.downsizer.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405">this one</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Traditionally, one uses an old wooden barrel or lye hopper for this, even hollow treetrunks in some areas. ... In the bottom, put a filter made from a couple of inch depth of
twigs, and the same again of straw or hay. This helps ensure the lye
comes off moderately clear. Stand the lye barrel up high enough to get a container underneath...and fill it up with
those ashes. Add water. ... Leave it all overnight...[then] let the lye run out into your container."</span></blockquote>
<br />
Other descriptions call for adding lime (or slaked lime), which <a href="http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/02/historical-lye-making-part-1.html">we noted</a> increases the hydroxide yield by converting carbonates to hydroxides by the following reaction:<br />
<br />
Ca(OH)<sub>2</sub> + K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> = 2 KOH+ CaCO<sub>3</sub><br />
<br />
There is also a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/096085249190207Z">journal article</a> in the peer-reviewed literature, which claims the ratio of hydroxides to carbonates in their crude ash extracts is 92-to-8, and more anecdotal observations that carbonates <a href="http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=13704">don't work very well for making soap</a> (but <a href="http://www.downsizer.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405">ash water does</a>) and that crude ash extract by itself <a href="http://www.orbitals.com/self/leaven/">doesn't do much leavening</a>. Therefore, it seems very likely that the crude ash water extract contains an appreciable amount of hydroxides along with the carbonates.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
So there's the theory--probably both carbonates and hydroxides are present in the ash water. Fortunately, we don't have to just sit around, dealing in hypotheticals. We can experimentally measure the amounts of carbonate and hydroxide in the ash water through the magic of titration. (If you've suffered through an analytical chemistry class in college, we hope you didn't just throw up in your mouth a little bit.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHa4On5awjLBBn-kib1NfAcEYeJk1eYLgUt3RQiCT_0rF7S5YqFETVev12MbY1bP0GDDC7nSSW1coqCouylXRDeWd6XtDgjYbqw-lT6ynqcxxF3ilrCz4yo47Yg8WC8L5xUxUaMxXvFE/s1600/IMG_1620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wood ash and water extract" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHa4On5awjLBBn-kib1NfAcEYeJk1eYLgUt3RQiCT_0rF7S5YqFETVev12MbY1bP0GDDC7nSSW1coqCouylXRDeWd6XtDgjYbqw-lT6ynqcxxF3ilrCz4yo47Yg8WC8L5xUxUaMxXvFE/s320/IMG_1620.JPG" title="Wood ash and water extract" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O ash water, what mysteries containest thou for us to unravel by the labor of titration?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We'll give you a few days to stew over that and then hit you with a chemistry-dense post interspersed with colorful pictures. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.com3