Something I've already blogged about is the new African keyhole garden. But in case you missed it . . .
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| Growing volunteer lambs quarter and cherry tomatoes |
Dan enjoys building these and is asking about where to put another one.
Something that wasn't on his list was adding another rain water collection tank. We've got quite a bit growing in the front yard, and last month's dry spell got us wishing we had more irrigation water there. The key with a gravity rainwater system is having pressure. The front yard is our highest elevation, so we can't bring water up from the other tanks which are lower. Unless we want to install a pump! But this will help tremendously.
He also sectioned off part of the buck pasture and welded a gate with bed rails and a cattle panel.
Doesn't get any more economical than that!
Dan's big project this summer is one that's been on his project list for several years - getting started on the masonry stove.
We've lived with a conventional wood heater for, gosh, almost 25 years. While we love wood heat, we also understand the inefficiencies of these in terms of heat retention and the amount of wood required. The appeal of a masonry stove is efficiency.
How can masonry stoves be more energy efficient? It's in the design. Wood stoves typically have the chimney at the top of the stove, so most of the heat goes up and out the chimney along with the smoke! A masonry heater has a thermal mass which holds the heat for hours after the fire has gone out. Combine that with a firebox designed to burn the wood gases and a chimney flue at the bottom instead of the top, and the result is an efficient, non-polluting stove that requires less firewood for more heat. What's not to like about that?
I have more photos of this project, but I need to sort and optimize them. Then I'll share them wotj you in another blog post.
On my project list is repainting the barn, but the rain and forecast for rain hasn't let this happen yet. Most of my time is taken up with seasonal chores anyway: picking, preserving, and cheesemaking. One thing about preserving and making cheese is the wait times in between steps. I need to stick close for when it's time to do those steps, but this gives me time to do other things. One of those things was to experiment with pokeberries as dye.
I found Carol Leigh's recipe for non-fading pokeberry dye last summer and started to collect and freeze pokeberries. I managed to get about a gallon and a half, or so last summer. Last month, I gave it a go. You can see more photos and read how I did it at my fiber journal.
As you can see, it's been a productive summer so far. August remains hot and humid (what else is new?), but we're able to pace ourselves comfortably. Even so, we're looking forward to autumn and cooler weather. Isn't everybody?
Anybody else making progress on their summer projects? Or maybe you get the summer project free! Do let us know, either way.
Summer Project List Progress © August 2024
9 comments:
I am super excited about the masonry stove project, something I have only read about prior to this.
Really not much progress to report due to the move, although for the first time in almost 4 months I was able to make yogurt and cheese again. Paying for yogurt is galling to me when I know I can make it so much more cheaply.
TB, I'd say that finally getting to a point where you can resume a routine after all the changes in your life is pretty big! Yay for homemade yogurt and cheese!
Really looking forward to seeing the build on that stove. Wow...the colour you have achieved with the pokeberries! So, is that a new rain water collection tote beside the greenhouse, and how will that effect the water collecting for the greenhouse barrels?
Not really getting the outdoor work done this summer, but the master bathroom was completely painted, and now we have hired a guy to repair the broken shower tile (has been fixed before, but not the correct way, and grout washed away {a family member did the job}. The daily chore for me is to had remove squash bugs daily, to try and get a few more squash this year. It's been a huge battle despite using neem spray. Tomato harvest is a bust, so the garden harvest has not been so productive. We still have purging the garage on the list, and we too want to get the barns painted. It's been a very hot and humid summer for us. Oh, we had someone bring equipment to dig out all of the old raised beds, and it was too "hot" to work that day. It looks as if you are getting much more done on your list. Looks good!
I think there will always be another project in front of you, even now that the main infrastructure is done. I love the frugal fence! Near here there used to be a solid garden fence made from doors.
As someone who grew up with wood heat, I'm really looking forward to seeing posts on the masonry stove!
I didn't have a lot of projects on my list for this summer because I knew it would be a busy one and it has. I have started preserving tomatoes. I turned the last batch into soup and when I get enough, the next batch will become paste. I'm going to try a different method as I wasn't really happy with the paste I made the last go around. I've also been picking and shelling my dry bean crop which gives me an excuse to watch some of the Olympics while I shell them.
Rosalea, the pokeberry made a stunning dye, didn't it?
The new rainwater collection tank is being fed from the same gutter and downspout as the greenhouse tanks. The amount of water coming off that roof is way more than the 2, 55-gallon drums can hold, so there's plenty!
Kristina, with your heat and humidity, I can see why you aren't doing much outside right now! I'm guessing that dealing with the squash buts is more than enough outdoor activity this summer. Sounds like you're making progress in the house, which is great!
Liz, very true! Especially being married to an idea guy. :) He keeps saying all he wants to do is nothing but putter around the garden, but the ideas and projects keep coming!
I've seen pictures of the old-door fences and I love them. Couldn't convince Dan though.
Ed, sounds like you planned wisely. Preserving the harvest is a huge job and always a priority. I like jobs like shelling beans for a similar reason, but I use the time for watching videos or listening to a book on CD. A great way to feel like I'm accomplishing something!
Wow. I have been “gone” for a few months. OK, more than a few months. :-) You guys have been busy. And I love love love that red dye. Such a rich color.
RT, that red is truly glorious, isn't it? From what I understand, it has to do with the processing temperature. Next year I'll try for magenta or purple!
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