After the melt survey

Just had the family get together yesterday.  All went well except for poor Katherine not being able to attend due to a bad cold.

Anyway, weather has turned warm after a snowy and cold time last week.  Since Friday, temps have gone up to above 40F and 4 inches of snow melted off.  Strong thunderstorms and heavy rains have helped melt the snow and drench the place.  I snuck out between rain showers this morning to survey the farm.  Here are some pictures:

This is the front garden.  The radishes are still alive!  Amazing!

The big patch.  Radishes are in rough shape where I need them the most!  Oh well. 

Notice the erosion?  This is the big patch, just above the clay region.

More of the clay region in the big patch.  The erosion is more apparent here.

The bad region is very apparent in this picture of the big patch.

The 'pond'.  It's actually the old horse drinking hole.  It's finally got some water in it.

Just below the drinking hole.  Still not up to "stream" status.

Pawpaw patch.  Plenty of water here!

This is the lower end of the pawpaw patch.  Seems to be right over an underground stream.

The upper portion of the pawpaw patch.

The front patch, with the pawpaw patch in the background.

Front patch.  Notice the brussel sprout? (I think its a sprout - some kind of brassica).

Movie of the 'elderberry' stream.  It was dried up for past couple of months!

Here is a movie of the underground streams that form near the pawpaw patch and the apple orchard.

The walipini hole.  Holds water surprisingly well!

Bandsaw delivered

I spent most of Friday clearing a space for the bandsaw in the shop.  The lathe was placed a little too close to the doorway so it had to be moved back a bit.  I got some 3/4" black pipe (bought 3 10' pieces at Home Depot and had them cut each in half - so I have 6 5' pieces) and placed them on the floor to use as rollers for the heavy machines.  After cleaning the garage a bit i was able to use the tractor forks to help lift the lathe up onto the blackpipe rollers.  The forks couldn't lift the lathe really, but took enough weight off so that I could use a prybar to work the lathe pallet onto the pipes.

The UPS delivery guy finally got here about 4:30pm on Friday.  He had to call several times to get directions.  He pulled up out front with a full sized tractor trailer.  I took the tractor down to the road and used the forks to lift the bandsaw out of the truck and haul it back to the shop.  The bandsaw seems so small compared to the lathe and milling machine!  I had to move the forks in close together so that I could engage the bandsaw pallet.  Was a bit nervous moving the bandsaw on the forks since the bandsaw is so tall and thin.  I went very slow and didn't make any quick moves taking it from the road and into the shop.

Here is a picture of the bandsaw as it was Friday evening on the shop floor:

Ordered bandsaw and other stuff

I finally got the nerve to order the grizzly bandsaw today.  I bought it off of the grizzly site because they were cheaper and had what looks like a nice wheel base kit for it.

I spent considerable time outside today. Couldn't take this cabin fever any more!  I built a small fire brick version of a rocket heater near the wood pile and started it up.  I am surprised but the thing actually works fairly well.  I would have had to come back inside often to thaw my hands today because it was so cold, but the little fire place did the trick!  I think that if I put a heat deflector over it that I could then use it to heat the little plastic roofed greenhouse I got earlier this year.  After I got the fire going I went to work splitting wood.  I got several large pieces split.  I was keeping an eye out for wood that I could use to make a mallet.  I found a couple pieces that looked suitable and pit them aside until tonight.  After dinner I went out and started turning down one of the pieces to form the mallet head.  I used a technique that I saw on YouTube what a guy uses a router instead of the lathe tools to cut the wood.  I did try using the tools, but because I was turning the wood so that the grain was perpendicular to the rotation axis, the lathe tools were not doing very well.  The router was a little scary to use at first, but once I turned the cylinder down a bit, the lathe ran smoother and I calmed down.  Using the router was great!  It took smaller chips off and cut much more uniform than a larger tool would have.

I didn't take pix tonight, but will add pictures tomorrow when I can!

My Conclusions about my woodworking needs

I have been looking at these portable band-sawmills for years now and after LOTs of consideration and thinking, planning, etc. have come to these conclusions:

1. The chainsaw mills that I have (the mini-mill and the slabbing mill) are ok for what I want.  
2. The chainsaw mills waste a lot of wood and are far slower and harder to use than the band-sawmills, but I have concluded that I am only interested in making beams and cants from trees - not boards!
3. Bandsaw mills work well - but you would need to NEED lots of lumber to make them worthwhile.  I am not going to build a large compound or going into the wood-working business (or running a small lumber mill business).
4. I can probably get by with just the chainsaw-mills that I have for my lumber needs for fine wood IF I get a large-ish bandsaw.  I am looking at a grizzly right now.  Although this model doesn't have a foot brake.  I might get the next model up (with a foot brake).
5. In any case, no matter which mill approach I adopt, I will need a planer and a jointer to do fine wood work.  
6. I think I can get dad's old delta planer fixed up and running with a set of shelix blades - its fairly small planer but I don't plan on making massive pieces of furniture!   The shelix replacement is NOT cheap - about $450!
7. Tony Huffert has a Sunhill SM-204 8" jointer that I can get for $400!  It will need shelix blades as well.  Its model info: Sunhill SM-204 (note that sunhill company is gone and product is no longer supported).  However, there are shelix blades that I can use - for $350). Note that I have to pick up the jointer before Jan 7(?) with my trailer to get this deal from Tony.
8. Other plans I have are to buy all of dad's woodworking stuff from mom.  I have a list that I am making to make sure siblings are ok with the purchase.  The only thing that I really want is dad's planer.  everything else I either don't need or don't want.  Just getting the stuff out of the garage so that it doesn't get lost in the estate.  Also, I think I can get the auxiliary tools for a good price from her, which may save me some time in buying them piecemeal as I need them.

Last harvest of the season

Parsnips!

Soil was actually frozen about one half inch down this morning when I harvested these.

I have never cared for parsnips.  Katherine says they are good roasted. I grew these just to see if she can make something tasty out of them!

more preserving!

I baked and pureed pumpkin today.  I have 8 pints in the freezer and 4 quarts in the fridge.  Katherine made a crustless pie with 2 cups and there is 1 cup left int the fridge to use (I am thinking of making some pumpkin soup tomorrow).   So , all told, about 2 gallons of pumpkin.

Also, here is a link to a recipe for pickled cabbage that we are going to try with the cabbage I harvested from the garden here in silver spring (we got a whopping 5 lbs! - LOL).

pickled cabbage

Leaning maple tree down!

I finally got around to cutting down the maple tree that was leaning toward the farm house.  That same tree was probably the tree that was sending roots into the septic tank.  I climbed up the ladder that I leaned against the tree and used the electric chainsaw to cut off the lowest limbs.  Then, after cutting the lowest limbs off, I pushed the ladder up higher into the tree and tied a rope as high as I could.  Then I attached the rope to the tractor and pulled to put some tension on the tree in the direction that I wanted it to fall.  I climbed up the letter and then cut a notch and then back-cut the tree.  I left a good 2x5 thickness of wood uncut to be sure the tree wouldn't fall before I had sufficient tension on the rope with the tractor.  I got down off the letter went to the tractor started up and pulled very gently until the tree came down.  I did this for two sections of the tree.  Then all that was left was the main trunk which I cut down a couple days later.

Here are some pictures:

I ground up some of the brush using the chipper but a key broke (or was thrown?) on the feed gear and I had to stop.  I got a new key at Ridgeline hardware but I didn't have time to install it before I had to come back home.  The key looks small so I will have to shim it I think or else it will just vibrate out again.

While at the farm I also cleaned up the red barn some more.  I screwed down a lot of loose roofing and installed a lockable hook on the door.  At this point my plan is to make a pair of sawhorses for general use and to make another rolling door so that I can close the barn up entirely.  I am considering putting an electric line out there so that I can use the red barn for wood working and the old garage as my metal shop.  We will see.  I haven't even got the electricity into the two nearby garages yet!

Speaking of electricity installations, I have figured that I need a distribution wire of quadraplex, 2-2-2-4, aluminum - 136 feet for the new garage and 25 feet for the old garage. from article " If you install a 100 amp breaker 240 volt in the dwelling, then you may use a 2 awg four wire URD aluminum cable from that dwelling’s panel to that garage disconnect. "  Each garage needs its own ground rod to which the service ground connects.  The neutral from the service is ISOLATED from the ground in the garage boxes (unlike the neutral in the main box, where ground and neutral are connected).  

Also, a note to myself about the lighting needs:  consider getting LED lights!  They don't burn out as fast and don't have the issues of fluorescent lights!

Digging in drainage, and other stuff

Well, work on the Walipini is on hold while I fix up the backhoe, so I will regale you with my other tasks around the 'farm' in the meantime!

First I replaced a old GFCI breaker in my house main circuit panel.  As I suspected, the breaker was the one that controlled the outdoor outlets.  So, now, with the new breaker in place, I have my outdoor outlets working again!  Yay!

I decided that GFCI does sound like a good idea, but instead of the outdoor receptacles, I want to protect the outlets by the sinks inside the house.  Therefore, I added one GFCI outlet near the kitchen sink, and plan on adding another near the bathroom sink.  The bathroom sink has a shared switch cover plate, so I will have to wait until I can find the right cover plate before I can install the GFCI outlet there.

Besides screwing around with the electric system today (and agonizing about how I should install the 2 100 amp garage panels that I bought last week), I also laid out and started digging the front drainage ditches to catch runoff from the house roof and the sump pumps.  Here are some pictures documenting the progress so far:

Note to self: the post seen here is exactly 16 feet from the corner of the house (the south-eastern corner).

I am using the quick-spade thing on the forks of my tractor to dig because using the backhoe here is NOT a good idea.  Besides the fact that the backhoe is leaking hydraulic oil, it also weighs about 9 tons!  There is a sewage line running under this section of the yard that I would rather not have to repair just yet!  The quick-spade is good enough to dig this shallow ditch - only going down, at most, 2 feet.   I do use the pick and shovel to cleanup the ditch after the quick-spade goes through.  The quick-spade doesn't dig near as good as a backhoe - but it digs wonderfully compared to a pick and shovel!  Especially with all the rocks around the foundation of the house....

useful stuff

just some stuff i found around the web:

food stuff:

http://joybileefarm.com/preparing-emergency-food-for-your-bug-out-bag-think-camping/

http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2012/03/can-me-up-over-50-canning-recipes.html

Van Norman stuff milling machine stuff):

http://www.repair-parts-inc.com/index.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~rchaskell/metalworking/VanNorman/index.html

Plans for greenhouse

I drew these up before I started, but just found them again today!

I found my laser level and packed it for next week. 

I gave the backhoe a quick look this morning before I left.  It's possible that the leak may simply be a house to the loader.  I saw a lot of oil on one of the hoses, but didn't see alot anywhere else.  I figure that if the implements where lowered, so that there was no force on the cylinders, the leak would stop if it was a hose.  I need to do some more investigating.

Catching Up

Haven't put any food up for awhile, but I thought I would post a status of whats been going on, on the farm.


During the federal furlough, I did work on removing the remaining accessible stumps from the trees I removed to install my fruit trees this spring.  I also cleared the land around the red barn so that I could clean up that barn and also to prep for the measuring and digging of the walipini (underground greenhouse).

Stump removal and land clear

Here are some pics of the stumps before, after, and during.

That area, between the cherry trees and the persimmon trees now is nice and clear:

Greenhouse

I have been working on maintenance of the backhoe (trying to make sure it lasts until I get my greenhouse dug!)   So far, here is what the greenhouse looks like:

Actually, as of tonight, its a bit further along.  I just don't have current pics!  A big issue I have is WHERE TO PUT THE DIRT!  Also, because its so hilly and rough over by the barn, i have trouble finding a place to safely plant the backhoe while I dig.  So I have been moving much of the dirt that I dig up to form flats that I park in while I dig.  Lots of moving dirt from one place to another.

Out of fuel!

I ran the backhoe out of fuel, AGAIN, today!  ARggg.  Its a pain when a diesel runs out of fuel because its difficult to get the fuel back into the line and into the cylinders to start again.  Last weekend I ran out of fuel while running and I drained the battery trying to start it again.  I ended up connecting the battery charger to the generator - that worked - for about 10 mins.  Then the generator stops producing power!  I need to go back and see whats wrong with it - hopefully just a fuse or something that needs replacing.  Anyway, I then had to run extension cords from the garage to the backhoe - and CRANK and CRANK and CRANK!  Finally, it started up last weekend and I just moved it back by the garage.  I recently found that the way to start the backhoe is to turn the key, hit the glow plug button for about 30-60 secs, put the throttle full on, and then hit the starter button.  Works well, when you haven't ran it out of fuel first, that is!  Anyway, today I thought I would do what the manual says to do when that happens  - vent the fuel line.  Unfortunately, the manual I am referring to is for an 1973 3600A - mine is a 1978 - and there are differences.  However, I kinda figured out what they were saying to do and tried it.  The venting seemed to help - but I did still need to run the extension cords for the battery charger.  It started much more quickly though - much less cranking this time - maybe due to the venting - maybe due to the correct method of starting the vehicle.

Hydraulic Leak

I ran the backhoe for a couple of hours this afternoon - I was running the front loader hard - and I noticed that there was A LOT of oil pooling up under the tractor.  I went ahead and moved it back to the garage to check it out.  I determined that it was hydraulic fluid that was leaking out - and it was leaking out quite quick.  I put a bucket under the leak (seems to be under the battery area).  After it cooled a bit, I no longer saw much oil coming out - maybe it stopped.  I looked it up online and people are suggesting that maybe a hydraulic pump is bad or a seal on the pump or valves.  I need to get in there and see exactly where its leaking.  It was about 4:30 pm though and I was tired so I decided to wait until next weekend.

LASER level

I need to bring the laser level up next time to see where "level" is for the greenhouse.  Its tricky when you are digging!  I also need to keep an eye on the area around the greenhouse to make sure it drains correctly.  I did block the front drainage ditch today when I made an access ramp to get into where I needed to dig.  If it rains now, its going to make a mess!

LATHE & MILL DELIVERY

I will be coming up again this Friday to take delivery of the lathe.  The crappy trucking company called me last Friday (I got up early and rushed up here just to be ready to take delivery!) morning - around 10:10am, right after I finished putting the heavy mower on the tractor so I would be counter balance to use the fork lift to lift the lathe off the truck!  Oh, and while I was rushing I ran the tractor over the air hose and destroyed the outlet fitting - need a new hose! - GRRR  Anyway, guy is from trucking company and wants to know when I want it delivered!  I said "today" - he said no way - trucks where already out and wouldn't be back until too late.  So i said Monday, he said they could get it here LATE Monday!  GRRRR  So I said ok, how about next Friday?  They said ok.  So I am back here next Friday.  Maybe the company it shipped from can arrange to get the mill loaded on the same truck so I can get them both next Friday.  We will see.  Not real happy about the delivery issues - I hope sitting on the truck doesn't hurt the lathe.   The lathe was bought through ebay so it should have buyer protection.  However, the mill wasn't bought through ebay - so I really hope that the mill is OK!    I want to get these machines set up and figure out how to use them (and what else I need to equip them with to actually use them!).  I might need them to fabricate parts for the backhoe!  I have already noticed that the dipper stick "pins" are kinda loose and could do with replacement.  A lathe would make short order of making a new pin!  (assuming I can find a decent piece of steel big enough to machine to size!)

Applesauce

I bought 1 bushel of "deer apples" at mile level market yesterday.  Deer apples (not related to road apples!) are seconds from the orchard - perfectly fine apples, but with blemishes and maybe a bit past their prime.  A whole bushel only cost me $10!  I also bought a peck winesaps for eating while I'm up here this week - was $5 for peck.  Got new windshield wipers at auto zone while I was in Bedford.  One of the wipers I had been using was falling apart.

Anyway, today I processed the whole bushel into applesauce.  Made 20 quarts!

Wine

Finally bottled my white zinfindle wine!  I bottled 19 750 ml ez-cap bottles!

I drank a half a glass and its good!  Even got a bit tipsy!

I figured it would cost me about $43  but making out from a kit cost me $68!  But, next time I don't need a kit! 

Furloughed and canning

Well the furlough kicked in Thursday (yesterday) and I have been trying to keep busy around the house.

Yesterday l prepped and canned the last of the green beans I picked last weekend.  I put them in point jars this time. I got 8 pints!

I used 6 cups of the green beans in vegetable soup (ball recipe) along with 6 cups of cubed potatoes and 8 cups tomatoes (all from our garden!).  I canned the soup in pint jars too.  Got a total of 16 pints from the recipe (8 quart).  It is delicious!

Today, I finally got the nerve up to open up the fermented pickles.  They actually fermented ok, but there was significant mold on a section of the top that got exposed above the water level.  I think they are ok.  I skimmed the mold off and the pickles taste ok.  They are not slimy.  So I went ahead and canned them.  I got 7 x 1.5 pint jars and 2 quart jars canned.  The brine is cloudy, even though I ran it through paper towel filter.   I canned them in water bath for 15 minutes, so they will not be crispy - but with the mold on top I really wanted to make sure they were safe.  They still have kind of a yeast flavor.

Additional pickled beets and carrots

Add to the list four 1.5 pint jars of pickled beets and five pints of pickled carrots.  Sliced, breaded, baked, and froze the rest of the eggplant.  No produce left in house in Silver Spring except some squash and pumpkins.  Nine pounds of string beans picked from farm and brought back for processing.

Tore out remaining plants in paw paw patch and patch in front of house.  Tilled, manured, and put in cover crops.

Wild Ginseng in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Ginseng Law and Regulations

Green Tomato Relish

Started with about 70 pounds of green tomatoes.  Lost some due to damage.  Here's a picture of the ground tomatoes, peppers, and onions:

26 pints of finished relish with a dab left over.