Our Farm Adventure

Cooking With Cardboard

2008-11-25T22:10:39Z

(or, how I built a solar oven)

Recently, I had to do a project of my choosing for Permaculture class. My friend Jessica and I decided to build a solar oven out of cardboard and other cheap materials, just to see how much it would cost and what the outcome would be (i.e. could we actually cook anything in it?). This is the how-to guide that we used:

“Minimum” Solar Box Cooker

Here are the results. This is a PDF version of our PowerPoint presentation:

The Cardboard Solar Oven Project

Building A Cheap Solar Oven

And this is a short paper that I wrote about solar cooking in general:

Cooking With Free Solar Energy

In the end, it didn’t bake the bread as we had hoped. Maybe we just didn’t leave it in there long enough, or perhaps it was just too cold outside when we tried. But it did give me hope that a serious effort to build a solar oven — using wood, glass, insulation, and proper reflectors — will succeed. I definitely think that solar ovens have the potential to cook a large portion of the food that we now prepare with fossil fuels (either directly or indirectly).

If you are interested in this topic, be sure to check out the solar cooking wiki linked below. It is packed with information and advice.

The Solar Cooking Archive Wiki

Prius + Inverter = AC Power

2008-11-21T04:09:32Z

Over the past couple months we’ve been thinking about how to have electricity while we’re building our house. We’ll need it for operating circular saws, drills, and other power tools. One solution is to buy a gas-powered electric generator. But this means purchasing another complicated piece of equipment — one that is loud when operating, costs at least $700, and is probably overkill for our requirements. We prefer simple things, remember?

I wondered if there was any way we could utilize the battery power in our Prius. I went on the Prius Chat message boards and found a few people who had installed standard 110v AC electric outlets by using an inverter. It looked relatively simple and cheap, so I bought a Xantrex Xpower Plus 1200 watt inverter and had it installed. In addition to serving the power tools that we’ll need while building our house, AC outlets will also come in handy when we want to charge our cell phones, laptops, and other devices while we’re on the road.

The total investment was $150 for the inverter, $66 for the installation (parts and labor), and $14 for a 15′ heavy-duty extension cord to run from the rear hatch up under the carpet to the front passenger seat (where we can plug in things). There’s also another spare outlet at the inverter, which is installed under the cargo floor, that we can use to plug in external devices such as the power tools.

Some things to keep in mind:

The car must be on and started for the inverter to work properly or it will drain the 12v battery. In the Prius the 12v battery is the size used in motorcycles, about half the capacity of a normal car battery. While the car is “on”, the electric power comes from the main hybrid battery pack which is a whopping 200 volts. There is a DC-DC stepdown converter that changes the 200v to the 12v to which the inverter is connected. In theory, while the car is on, the hybrid system supplies all of the power to the inverter so there should be no issues — if the hybrid battery pack gets low, the car will start the gas engine to charge it.

You must know the watt and/or amp ratings of the devices you wish to use. It’s probably not a big deal for low power devices like laptops and cell phones, but once you get into using devices that either a) have a motor or b) generate heat, you must be sure to not overload the inverter. Most items are labeled in watts or amps. In the case of watts, just make sure that the amount of watts used by the devices don’t add up to more than 1,000 (or whatever the rating of your inverter). For amps, you must multiply amps x 110 (volts AC). So a 6.5 amp device would use 715 watts, for example.

Prius Inverter Installation Pictures

Mushroom Logs

2008-11-17T18:39:59Z

Ben’s permaculture professor at NC State, Will Hooker, has been kind enough to allow me to tag along on some of their field trips and workshops. Yesterday the class was invited to his home in Raleigh (just down the bike path from where we live) to learn about mushroom logs and how to make one.

We started with 3′ wide, 4-6″ diameter hardwood logs and 1″ long dowel plugs that are pre-colonized by shiitake mycelium. The logs we used were sweetgum and oak, but you can use any hardwood for shiitake as long as the bark is thick and tough. It is important to use logs that are only 4-6 weeks old (from the time the tree was cut down). If you use logs right away, the natural defenses in the wood will kill the shiitake mycelium. If you wait too long (past 6 weeks), other undesirable fungi can colonize the log first.

To begin, take each log and drill 1.5″ holes with a 5/16″ drill bit about 6″ apart in a row along the length of the log. Continue drilling the rows of holes in a “diamond” pattern, covering the entire log. Then, take the dowel plugs and hammer them into the holes, making sure they’re flush with the bark.

After all the dowel plugs are hammered in, paint over the plugs, each end of the log, and any blemishes in the bark with melted beeswax to create a protective seal. Stack the logs in a shady area and keep them moist by watering them once per week.

Plugging the logs with the dowels and keeping them moist encourages the mycelium to colonize the entire log. Once the colonization is complete (about one year), mushrooms can be “forced” to produce by soaking the logs in water for 24-48 hours. After the soak, stand the logs up against some kind of support so the mushrooms have room to grow. Will mentioned an alternate method which is to beat the crap out of them with a mallet (but don’t break the wood); this simulates the effect of the tree falling in the forest.

The best time of year to make the logs is a few weeks before consistent overnight frosts, so the mycelium have enough time to start growing before the winter months. You can yield a few harvests (called “flushes”) of mushrooms off each log during the spring and summer.

A mushroom is ready to be harvested when the outside of the cap is still slightly pulled in, like an umbrella. (Ones with the edges starting to fan out are still edible, however.) It is recommended that you cut them off instead of pulling them out so that the plug stays in place.

In a little nook in his back yard, Will had several logs with shiitakes that were ready to harvest. He cut them off and cooked them for us to taste and they were just about the best mushrooms Ben and I have ever eaten. :)

Making Mushroom Logs

These sites have more detailed information about making mushroom logs:

Natural Log Shiitake Mushroom Production and Processing

How to Care for and Fruit Your Shiitake Mushroom Log

Order Mushroom Plugs at Fungi Perfecti

Solar Hot Water Heating

2008-11-13T22:20:54Z

Three weeks ago Ben and I went to a local meetup to hear a talk on several residential solar hot water heating systems. We were presented with information about three different systems and were shown data on the costs, efficiency, and temperature averages of the hot water (dependent on climate).

The cost range for the systems presented was between $2k and $6k, and the presenters agreed that the average non-batch closed loop system for a typical home costs around $6k. (I believe this includes a backup system.) The least expensive system that was discussed (~$2k) was a passive system, which was basically a solar oven collecting the water on the roof.

Each of the residents had different goals and budgets to work with, but all had a backup electrical system running in the case of several cloudy days in a row. Ben and I are both of the opinion that overall, people generally prefer hot water on-demand at any point in the day and in any amount, which is why they require a backup system. It would be nice to opt out of a such a system, not only because we balk at using fossil fuels for this project, but also because we’re embracing the changes in our daily routine that we will be necessary to make if our hot water is in limited supply.

The US Department of Energy explains the different types of systems pretty well and provides resources for further reading.

EERE Consumer’s Guide: Solar Water Heaters

Darrell Edgley was one of the presenters at the meetup. He is experimenting with all sorts of resource-saving methods at his home in Durham, NC, and records data from his solar hot water system daily. (Scroll down and click the “solar data” link.)

Darrell Edgley’s Solar Data

The information we took in from the meetup was valuable in that we were introduced to solar hot water heating and heard some good discussion on mechanical and cost differences between the three systems. I’ll be writing more about solar hot water heating once we begin to make some decisions on our budget for the water system.

Local NC Cohousing Communities

2008-11-09T16:14:43Z

Yesterday, my Permaculture class went on a field trip to the Arcadia Cohousing Community in Chapel Hill, NC. It is basically a planned neighborhood of 33 individually owned homes that are clustered together in a way that promotes interaction and cooperation. Instead of clearly defined lots and divisions, there are peripheral parking spaces and many houses are connected by either common doors or breezeways. Sidewalks link the homes to the central green space, common house (including a commercial-style kitchen, and rooms for guests), and the creek. The development is 6 acres, with another 10 acres set aside for wildlife, recreation, and a community garden.

The main difference between this and a commune is that Arcadia is simply an intentional neighborhood. People there have regular jobs, aren’t very “granola” (there were few solar panels), and aren’t required to perform any type of community work.

Overall, it was interesting to see and honestly it would be wonderful if more neighborhoods had this type of arrangement. Every family in Arcadia knows everyone else, and several even serve together on community committees. How many of you can say that you know 32 of your neighbors?

Check out the photos, especially the ones of the green rickshaw-type bike. It carries two people side-by-side and has a small electric motor to assist on hills. Pretty neat, although the pricetag (including upgrades) was over $3,000.

Arcadia Cohousing Information

Arcadia Photos

After Arcadia, we did a quick drive-by of the newer Pacifica community right down the road in Carrboro, NC. It seems to be denser, comprised mostly of townhomes and condos, with very few individual homes. I liked the funky colors. See photos.

Pacifica Cohousing Information

Pacifica Official Site

Pacifica Photos

Last, but not least, we visited the Pickard’s Mountain Eco-Institute which is run by Tim Toben and his wife Megan. Nobody was around to give us an official tour, but it looked like they were doing great things. We got to go inside part of the Toben’s house which was unbelievable. It wasn’t anything I’d ever want to live in, but it was interesting to see what some people view as “eco friendly” when the budget is in the millions of dollars (Tim is the former CEO of a dot com company).

Tim Toben Interview on Treehugger

Pickard’s Mountain Eco Institute

Pickard Mountain / Toben House Photos

Download Free Eco Books

2008-11-09T15:59:12Z

Free versions of some books that are on our book list. As far as I know, these are legitimate and legal. Enjoy!

The Humanure Handbook

Capturing Heat: Earth-Friendly Cooking

The Cob Builder’s Handbook

Helpful Books We’re Reading

2008-11-10T01:57:52Z

In the near future I plan to do full reviews of some books that we’ve been reading. This will probably be a once-a-month feature geared towards explaining what the book has to offer, its relevance to our project, and why I think it is particularly useful to us. To begin, I made a list of the books that are currently on our bookshelf that we think may have something to offer. If you’ve read any of these, or have any other recommendations, please let us know your opinion in the comments.

Note that we are looking at a good mix between older and newer books. We’re not aiming to be on the cutting edge, or to necessarily reinvent the wheel — although sometimes it might seem that way since we are planning to do many things that few people have done before. A wealth of excellent information exists that is decades old, and may even be somewhat outdated, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be inspired by it, learn from it, or maybe even dig out a nugget of gold that all of the newer books have missed.

Our Book List

The Design, Still A Process

2008-11-01T15:27:42Z

If you saw my previous post on the blog design, you’ll note that some of the elements I discussed are now either missing or unclear.

I decided that Short Bits and the commented Recent Links were too similar, so we merged them together. The Resources page is hidden from the main navigation because I’m in the process of organizing and designing it still. I hope to have it up by next week.

We created a flickr account and twitter account now associated with this site. The Current Status area in the middle column is pulling the newest tweet. The photos are still being migrated from our personal flickr accounts to the new, merged account. The photos feed in the right column will be updated to pull from the new feed next week as well.

There are now clearly designated links to the flickr photo sets for each entry that has an associated group of photos. The link will appear at the end of the entry. Also at the bottom of each entry is a new Related Posts area. As we continue with the project this area will populate with links to articles that have comparable content. We’re also in the process of streamlining the Categories and Tags so the site is a little easier to navigate.

I think we’re almost there… Stay tuned! :)

Family Land Photos: Then and Now

2008-11-10T02:03:18Z

This photo was taken on the land sometime around 1930.

Pictured are, left to right:

Top row - Hoyt, Glen, Lois, Paul
Bottom row - Henry, Nina, Annell, Ola

Henry and Ola are my great grandparents. The others are siblings. Annell is my grandmother; I call her MeeMa. Nina is my great aunt. They are the only ones still alive (see second photo).

Two years ago, I went to the land for the first time with some of my cousins who own adjacent property. We brought MeeMa and Aunt Nina with us — they hadn’t been back to the land in quite some time (they lived there for a few more years into the 1930’s, then the family moved closer to town). MeeMa will be 87 years old this coming December, and Nina is a few years younger. Both of them are still sharp as a tack.

MeeMa is up front holding the hat, Nina is behind her.

Old Land Photos

On the Land in 2006

Eco-Friendly Laundry Options

2008-10-29T20:48:56Z

One thing that we try to keep in mind when planning our sustainable future is to avoid thinking “How can we do what we do now, but do it in a sustainable way?”. Initially, this is the temptation: to continue the status quo with less impact. It’s like buying a Prius when we should really just forget car-based transportation and ride bicycles instead.

What we’re looking for is a shift in ideas. How can we take this task, turn it on its head, and do it differently?

Recently, I’ve tried to figure out how we might wash clothes without resorting to using traditional washer-and-dryer appliances. They’re a wasteful use of energy and a complicated set of products controlled by computer circuitry. The initial costs are expensive and so is the maintenance. For us, this is unacceptable.

So how can this process be simplified without going back to the old, backbreaking, washboard technique?

I found three simple products that, when combined, will allow us to do laundry in a timely, efficient manner with minimal effort, environmental impact, energy use, or cost. Please note that we have not tried any of these. It is just a sample of the type of solutions we are looking for.

The “Breathing” Mobile Washer - $17. Yes, it looks like a plunger but the design actually pumps water through your clothes with ease. User reviews say that only a few minutes of agitation are needed to do a large load of laundry. It’s cheap, easy, and obvious.

Bio-Kleen Cold Water Laundry Liquid - $0.12 per oz. This clothes cleaning liquid is environmentally friendly, is not tested on animals, and does not contain any bizarre fragrances, dyes, or toxic chemicals. That means we can recycle the wastewater and use it for irrigation. It is also available in 5-gallon buckets, which fits our requirement that any consumables must be available in bulk. Each load requires only 1 oz of cleaner; at a current price of $77 for 5 gallons (640 oz) that’s $0.12 per load and it will last us at least 6 years.

Spin Dryer - $135. It’s a centrifuge for your laundry. With a spin rate of 3200 rpm, clothes are nearly dry in less than 3 minutes. The only thing left to do is hang them outside on a clothesline for an hour or two (sunlight is also a good sterilizer).

In the end, we may decide on something different, but compared to the complexity and price of a normal washer and dryer, solutions like these just make sense.