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Post by raymondo on Nov 20, 2012 2:11:31 GMT -5
I dropped shop class as soon as I could. That was after a single year of it. I took Latin instead! I can conjugate a verb but fix a pedal bike? Not on your nellie!
Great little machine. I want one.
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Post by MikeH on Nov 20, 2012 14:15:38 GMT -5
Hmmm. Maybe low no tech is better. My newest method allows me to sit down on the job and use my feet. I use an old bread tray and insert a piece of 1/2 “ hardware cloth, but you could make a frame of 2×4’s with a 1/2′” hardware cloth bottom. I lean the tray against the picnic table bench as shown, sit in the chair in front of it, and use my feet to shuffle against the grain heads. The wheat seeds land all in one spot behind the threshing tray. You can see the bundles of wheat on one side of the chair and the threshed straw on the other. I wear clean shoes that I save for that job only. As before, I also used a sheet under everything so that I could gather it up and pour the grain and chaff into a container for winnowing. That frame with the hardware cloth will come in handy to hold vegetables for rinsing right in the garden. You can just spray them off and let them drain.The first line got my immediate attention. The only improvement that I can see to setting up under a tree would be to add a nice oaky chardonay or whatever tickles your palate ........ After winnowing, she washes her grain. Inspired I think. I put the grain in a large bowl and add water. Any remaining chaff, underweight seed, insects, etc. will float to the top. You might even find a bird dropping that you threshed out of the straw. It happens. Pour off what has gathered on top and fill again, giving the grain a stir to release more stuff. Once you are rid of what floats off, you may notice some grit in the bottom of your bowl. That is from dirt you’ve harvested with the grain. Pour it all through a strainer or colander that will keep the grain in and let that grit out. Having different sizes of sieves and colanders is good for using with many seed saving activities. Watch for them at yard sales and thrift stores and build your collection so you can accommodate the different sizes of seeds you will be saving in the future.
Now for the drying. I first pour the grain out onto towels to air dry, then I put it in large cake pans or wooden bowls and let it set out until I’m sure it’s good and dry, stirring it around when I think about it. When I’m sure it’s dry, I put it in glass jars. There are faster drying methods, but that’s how I do it. I put the jars of grain in the freezer for three days to ensure there will be no insect problems. Then I store the jars in the pantry.
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Post by raymondo on Nov 20, 2012 19:24:15 GMT -5
I heard about washing onion seeds and thought it inspired. This is an easy way to really clean up smallish amounts of grain.
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