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Post by mnjrutherford on Oct 16, 2010 20:09:46 GMT -5
We went out to our seafood house today. The kids had a blast and I got some GIANT shrimp and fresh scallops. We hung out for awhile because there were some interesting goings on but eventually, we had to go. As we were leaving, Gig took Mike off for a couple minutes and when he came back he was waving a giant plastic, grid bottomed tray. He asks me, "What does this look like to you?" "A drying and curing tray!" was my immediate response! "Are there any more?" "Yep, and we can have them all!" So, our brand new dehydrating and curing station is off to a brilliant start. Now, we REALLY need a BAF!  |
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Post by wildseed57 on Oct 17, 2010 11:32:58 GMT -5
good score on the trays, my dehydrator crashed last year and I really need to make or buy a new one although, buying one that is big enough to handle all the stuff I want to dry is hard to find and quite expensive, could build one that will be big enough to handle everything and then some for a whole lot less. I just need to find a few more things like a small ceramic heater and a small fan. For the Cabernet I can get some plywood and some 1x1's along with some metal screen to make the trays. The biggest part is just getting myself to build it.
George W.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Oct 17, 2010 12:50:15 GMT -5
Have you checked out "Novosel"? Check out this link: www.novoselenterprises.com/products/single.asp?ID=3325 We got about 20 of these. We have a square table that is positioned over an AC vent and we loaded up these trays with garlic, bean seed, little bits of tomato and peppers, and everything else I could think of to dry. We had a small fan, $15 from Wal-Mart, on one side and we just let it fly. It did a great job. I'm kinda thinking that you could use the same trays and have a cabinet that had little "arms" stuck to the sides and maybe even the back that would allow you to slide the trays in and out like little drawers. If you had a set up like that, you might not have to top or bottom mount the fan? Perhaps having it at a slightly upward angle at the bottom where the wind would hit the back of the cabinet then bounce upward would provide sufficient circulation? That's kinda what I'm envisioning for our big trays. Though, with the larger trays I'm thinking we'll need a larger fan. There is a company called "Big Ass Fans" which I am going to contact. Here's a link: www.bigassfans.com/ There fans are supposed to move a lot more air using much less energy that a regular fan. The dream would be to have a dedicated PV and battery supplying energy to the fan so that it could run 24 hrs a day thus minimizing cost to use and minimizing the cost of the things curing/drying. |
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Post by wildseed57 on Oct 20, 2010 23:12:09 GMT -5
Thats pretty close to what I had in mind I was thinking about a 6ft tall X 2 1/2 ft. wide and 2 1/2 deep with sliding screen drawers that would slide in and out of the Cabernet with a door that could be closed to keep the heat and air flow right. I have some digital temp gages along with some manual ones so that I can fine tune the whole thing. I have a fan now that would work just fine for a heat source along with a window fan I got both for $5.00 they were like new so I just need to finish one other project which is a good size Rabbit hutch for my grand daughter, and a 9ft long plant table with florescent lights.
George W.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Oct 21, 2010 6:46:26 GMT -5
I like the plan! I tell you what though, I haven't yet found a real need to apply heat. So, I'm interested to hear how you end up doing that part. I'd like to have it for doing meats and sausages. It would have to be a very low heat though, less than 125F. Also, how are you going to mount the fan? I'm thinking top or bottom. Keep in mind that you will want easy access to remove the blades and clean them as well as the casing. Nuthin' worse than dusty fruit leather!
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Post by seedywen on Nov 28, 2010 23:05:49 GMT -5
Found two new sources of junk to use this past year.
I've always collected free wooden pallets and used them around the farm for this and that. This spring I pulled down some old rotten trellis that supported a bunch of suckering wild growing roses. Wanted to support and get the roses contained near the base so at least then they would tend to climb up a near evergreen and apple tree. Then I saw a picture of where someone tied pallets together to make a compost pile. I can always use another compost pile!
So now I have pallet/supported a number of the roses while using them as temporary compost piles.
Also have scored lots of reinforced large plastic pieces that are used to keep loads of lumber dry during transport. As much as dislike using plastic, I dislike weeding big areas more. Plus I often grown peppers, tomatoes and squash in holes in plastic more.
Was buying pricy strong wide landscape fabric for mulching purposes but now use this free stuff.
Taken up dumpster diving at the building supply center!
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Post by seedywen on Dec 5, 2010 17:59:27 GMT -5
Carrying on, with the (palette) theme.
Saw pictures of someone using wooden palettes as an easily assembled and moveable, cold frame. The palettes were assembled into three adjoining 'box' sections, tied as I do, with baling twine(another of those readily available recycled materials) Thin boards, again recycled were slid between the palette slates to make 'shelves'.
The outside sides had plastic attached. The back piece of clear plastic was long and wide enough to extended over the entire box frame either as one or several pieces. Flats of seedlings could be grown on from either indoors or greenhouses until planting out.
I'm thinking of rigging this palette 'cold frame' over emerging the rhubarb patch so it might do double duty, as a cloche. Much depends on spring weather but given that both my indoor kitchen 'grow-op' and the greenhouse are generally bulging capacity, before general garden conditions permit planting out, this might help in the interim. Wish me luck!
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Post by lavandulagirl on Dec 9, 2010 23:31:30 GMT -5
That sounds like a cool idea, Seedy. Every time I drive by a pallet storage place, I think "I should make stuff out of those". I saw a chicken coop that used pallets as a frame, not too long ago.
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Post by cornishwoman on Feb 7, 2011 11:40:32 GMT -5
There is more benefits than I thought to having a baby in the house,shes precious just all on her own. Any how ,seeing my daughter got 3 diaper pails at her by shower I snagged one and turned it into a compost bin.I had a fish tank for the longest time,finally gave the angels who had grown far to large for the 50 gallon tank to a aquarium shop,kept the charcoal filters,glad I did as cut in half they fit quit snuggle inside the lid of the pail,not so much as a whiff from the pail,I see these pails at goodwill all the time going for around $5 ,I think they are about $25 new.  |
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Post by lmonty on Feb 8, 2011 16:09:24 GMT -5
i would kill (ok, thats a little strong- just maim! LOL) for a working cream separator. goat milk is so naturally homogenized you really need one to make butter. cant believe you just found one, DSR, and are using it for "art" arrgghhhh!!!
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Post by synergy on Feb 11, 2011 18:28:08 GMT -5
I am thinking of using discarded brown cardboard boxes for mulching the ground where I walk between mounded rows of strawberries i am starting , does this sound reasonable?
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Post by grunt on Feb 11, 2011 19:06:19 GMT -5
What's your slug and earwig population like?
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Post by synergy on Feb 11, 2011 20:03:34 GMT -5
I seem to have a plethora of both earwigs and slugs here in the lower mainland with wet temperate climate. But I thought of getting a pair of Khaki Campbell ducks for tour of duties doing garden patrol and supplement their egg laying .
I just realized I do a lot of odd reusing of objects , I just don't think about it much, excerpt from other thread ;
"Mixed in with beasties and veggies , fruit etc. I can only get about twelve hazelnut total, everything here is very synergistic with areas serving dual purposes, hence the thought that fungi and nut trees are a good partnership. They grow innoculated oak and willow too. The problem with oak is the leaves are toxic if ingested by my animals so I am reluctant to plant them as I mix the use of so much of my land. I even use my pergola for summer shade for beasties though the horses will eat the grape leaves so I put temporary 'gates' (made of discarded headboards from beds held in place with chains between the upright posts of the pergola to restrict a small area for shade in the heat of summer under the kiwi portion of my pergola. I must say the headboards look super nice and moving them later is a snap and I store them under an eave in fall when the animals are not allowed there. Futon frames work fantastic too as sort of alternative small scale fencing that is free and easy to move (now you guys know I am a crackpot ) "
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 11, 2011 21:11:17 GMT -5
Futon frames work fantastic too as sort of alternative small scale fencing that is free and easy to move (now you guys know I am a crackpot ) That's what I use wooden pallets for... |
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Post by lavandulagirl on Feb 13, 2011 9:12:14 GMT -5
I got 3 pallets from Andre's plant, and I am using them to make a compost bin at the school, where I run the Garden Docents program. The kids learned last Monday that the pallet wood is quite beefy. We'll need to finish this week, when we drill som pilot holes. 
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