Went to the trade days on 431 this morning and went into Flamingos to the book stall. Talked for a bit with Lloyd, the bookseller and then got to digging through boxes and the shelves and ended up with a fair number of interesting books. Talked to a few other folks there and then sat in the truck and ate some sandwich’s for lunch that Cat had fixed before we left this morning. After eating we walked across to Bill’s flea market and got a few more books from a vendor that was packing up for the day. Most everyone was doing or had done the same so we left and went to Gadsden to Apple A Day and got some more Ribose as I will finish my second bottle either tomorrow or the next day. From there went to the Gadsden Mall and walked around for a bit. Been a while since either of us had been in there. Few folks and even fewer buying anything. Left and came back home by way of Foodland, where they had a sale on country style ribs. Should never shop while hungry. 🙄 Got about 8 pounds. 😉 Came on home and started the charcoal and put the ribs and sauce in the 14″ dutch oven and about 9 pounds of potatoes in the 12″ one. Put the charcoal under and on them to cook and came in and fixed a cast iron bean pot of baked beans, honey, salsa, ketchup, pepper, dried onion and chives. When the potatoes were done put the bean pot on the coals the 12″ oven had been on and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from burning. Moved the coals back from the pot about 15 minutes into the cooking and let them simmer for the next 15. Was all done and quite tasty. Now we have cooked food for quite a few more meals. Froze about 2/3’s of the remaining ribs and will do likewise with about half of the potatoes. Don’t know what it is but there is something about cooking food in the dutch ovens on the charcoal verses using the oven that makes stuff taste completely different. I’ve done it in the oven but it just doesn’t taste the same. Guess its the coals against the cast iron that gives a different kind of heat. Or something. What ever it sure is good… 😉
Gonna call it a night. Till tomorrow…
Went to the trade days on 431 this morning and went into Flamingos to the book stall. Talked for a bit with Lloyd, the bookseller and then got to digging through boxes and the shelves and ended up with a fair number of interesting books. Talked to a few other folks there and then sat in the truck and ate some sandwich’s for lunch that Cat had fixed before we left this morning. After eating we walked across to Bill’s flea market and got a few more books from a vendor that was packing up for the day. Most everyone was doing or had done the same so we left and went to Gadsden to Apple A Day and got some more Ribose as I will finish my second bottle either tomorrow or the next day. From there went to the Gadsden Mall and walked around for a bit. Been a while since either of us had been in there. Few folks and even fewer buying anything. Left and came back home by way of Foodland, where they had a sale on country style ribs. Should never shop while hungry. 🙄 Got about 8 pounds. 😉 Came on home and started the charcoal and put the ribs and sauce in the 14″ dutch oven and about 9 pounds of potatoes in the 12″ one. Put the charcoal under and on them to cook and came in and fixed a cast iron bean pot of baked beans, honey, salsa, ketchup, pepper, dried onion and chives. When the potatoes were done put the bean pot on the coals the 12″ oven had been on and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from burning. Moved the coals back from the pot about 15 minutes into the cooking and let them simmer for the next 15. Was all done and quite tasty. Now we have cooked food for quite a few more meals. Froze about 2/3’s of the remaining ribs and will do likewise with about half of the potatoes. Don’t know what it is but there is something about cooking food in the dutch ovens on the charcoal verses using the oven that makes stuff taste completely different. I’ve done it in the oven but it just doesn’t taste the same. Guess its the coals against the cast iron that gives a different kind of heat. Or something. What ever it sure is good… 😉
Gonna call it a night. Till tomorrow…
Been a long cold day, even sitting close to the heater. Not much to relate other than Steve came by and we played with hard drives for a while before giving up with the pieces we had on hand. Hope you find a board close enough to work.
Made a stew out of the left over deer and gravy. Cut up some potatoes, carrots, celery, and half of an onion, put about 3 cups of water in a dutch oven and boiled them for an hour and a half until tender. Added some basil and parsley, salt and pepper early in the cooking. Once tender I dumped the gravy and meat in with the veggies and stirred till mixed. Added another cup of water and couple of cups of cooked rice. Stirred again till mixed and then added a can of whole kernel corn and about half a cup of ketchup and yet again mixed it all up good and heated it back to a boil and simmered for another half hour. Couple of large shots of hot sauce and that was some mighty good eaten fer supper. Couple of slices of bread and a glass of milk along side did it right.
Been looking at and thinking about mud ovens again and want to build another one, but portable. Gonna have to work out some details but have most of it in my head. Now to get my arse in gear and build it. Has got to have a opening big enough to take my 14 inch dutch oven! It’d be nice to be able to put both the 14″ and the 12″ in at the same time. Stacking is no problem so height of the opening would be the only problem. I been thinking about the door and I think that a brick or mud/cement door with a metal frame and pivot hinges would allow a large enough opening for both cookers and anything else I may want to cook in it.
Tis late and I am rambling. Will type more tomorrow.
Sitting, browsing and reloading the wood stove has taken up way too much of the day. Did get up and string a rope from the doorframe by my chair as I type this to the beam in the middle of the room and put up a blanket to keep some of the coldest air from the qhut from wafting past me. Not enough to be a breeze but more than enough cold air moving by my feet and legs to chill me to the bone in short order. Am MUCH better now! 😎
Cooked up some deer steaks for lunch. Had been run through a tenderizer so I soaked them in milk for a while and then dredged them in bisqik, salt and pepper. Put oil in a frying pan and cooked them on one side till blood was running out the other, then turned them over and cooked till the juices were clear. Moved them to a dutch oven with gravy, onions and bell peppers cooking in it and simmered while I put the next batch in the pan. Took out the two tenderest, via fork anyway, and served on rice with a potato, onion, carrot, celery bake on the side. What we ate was tough, so put the rest in the dutch oven with the gravy and cooked it (lid on) on low for 3-3.5 hours, stirring and turning often. Was falling apart when we were ready for supper. Again served over rice this time with a side of lima beans. I got seconds and wanted thirds but restrained myself. 😯 🙄 Good stuff!
As the rest of the day seems to have had a food theme guess I can recount the breakfast dish this am too. Was in the mood for a stick to the ribs and warm me up kind of meal so decide on oatmeal. I don’t do the wimpy instant oatmeal but rather a off brand cook 20 minutes rolled oat meal.
Cut up an apple after peeling and coring into chunks half an inch or smaller in any direction. Added it to the 1 3/4 cups of water heating on the stove. Put in a bit of salt and brought to a boil with lid on. Cooked that way for 5 minutes or so, just till the apples were about half translucent then added the cup of oats. Brought back to a boil and cooked till the apples were almost all translucent then turned to a simmer. Added a bit of cinnamon and a couple of heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar and cooked on low for about 20 minutes.
Good stuff and good for you… 😉
20.8 °F here at 7:11 pm cdt. That temp is taken on the north side of the building under the canopy over the new front door. Probe is duct taped to one of the conduit roof supports. 20 inches or so from anything but the conduit.
Angel community is currently reporting 27.3 °F and Weaver is reporting 25.3 °F so we are much colder than other places within a few miles both north and south.
20.5 °F at 7:19 pm so it’s dropping quite fast and I am typing and thinking slow… 🙄 😉
Think I am gonna check the feeds and email and reload and poke the fire and read a bit so will close this disjointed missive for the nonce… 😎
Was taking it easy again today as I said in yesterdays post, when close to noon there is a knock at the door. I answer and there is a guy from the water department who tells me that we has a leak. Wonderful says I. How much so far? Over 40,000 gallons says he. 😯 Shit! says I. Yea says he. We looked and see nothing but the last two times this has happened it has all gone underground so this makes 3 times. I shut the water off at the meter and he leaves. I get the shovel and dig the area out around the valve to the qhut and upon cutting it off there the meter stops turning. So it’s between the qhut and the drive and that’s only about 15 feet. No water inside the valve hole so must be in that area. I clear the crap away in the middle of the area and finally remember the place I patched back in May or June of last year that I was supposed to get a fitting and repair properly. You can guess where this is going, right? Yea, that connector had broken in the freeze last week but the patch I had put on it had kept it from doing more than spraying a bit, so we didn’t notice a drop in pressure. And there must be a hell of a sink hole right there cause the water was within 5 inches of the top of the hole but not overflowing anywhere, just soaking in, all 40,000 gallons. Went to Jacksonville to Warren Ace Hardware and got a connector and returned and put it on after cutting the old connector out. Tightened it up with pliers and tis done. Now to dread the bill… 😥
Tomorrow I got to cut wood. Think we are about a week from out but even standing dead wood needs to air dry a bit before trying to burn it. There is a 10 year dead oak on top of the hill that I can get a truck load out of that I need to finish cutting. Just so big at this point I have to cut through one side and then go around and cut the other. And then splitting it is a real pain at that size. Several standing dead I am gonna get soon. Just need a couple of truck loads for the next two or three weeks.
Still procrastinating about the heater move/mod. And have failed to produce a drawing as well as not built anything. Will try to get to the building supply and see what is available in ceramic flue liners. If they have tees I’m gonna start with two. Depending on the price. May be cheaper to build it all in brick.
Think I am gonna sit by the fire and read a bit and call it an early night. Firewood awaits in the am… 🙄 😉
Needed a table to use with the dutch ovens so got to looking at an old propane grill that had already been gutted and used as a charcoal grill. Checked the fit of the 14″ DO and it just fit. Removed the plastic side shelves/tables and replaced with 2 pieces I cut from a metal shelf. Found 2 broiler tops and with minor modifications screwed them to the inside of the grill body. Put a metal box underneath the catch ashes and plan to test it out this afternoon/evening. Next will be a shelf on the bottom to store the ovens and accessories. I think it will serve well, and it even fits into the camper with room left to squeeze past to get to stuff.
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New cast iron/camping cooking forum. Not much there yet but it’s just getting started. There are some tips on seasoning and cooking in dutch ovens that are quite good.
Gonna have to get/build a metal table that I can use to cook on when on the road/not around a campfire. Just not up to spending $140 + for one of the Lodge ready mades…
Just been either busy or camping. Or both.
Last weekend was an airsoft weekend and we had food too so was quite a busy time for yours truly. Also added into the mix was that it was the first time in the camper. Pulled it to the site late Friday afternoon and set it up. Stayed in it that night but with just the futon was not quite up to my old bones or I was not up to it or something. Saturday night was spent at the house. Sunday was back to the camper and the addition of our camping foam pads. Tis good enough but would like another inch of foam or something.
Cat picked up a 12″ Lodge dutch oven Friday. I seasoned it somewhat and cooked some chicken and veggies that night for lunch on Saturday and they were pronounced good as most of them were eaten just after taking off the coals. Saturday she went back and got a 14″ too. With the two of them I think we can cook just about anything. I also have a smaller piece that I think is a bean pot for cooking over coals. Will get a pix of it soon. And of the other stuff. Made a lid lifter but after seeing pix of another one today will be making some major changes to it or just building another all together. Also made a couple of different lid holders.
Got to get the forge back in operation so I can make some other stuff too. Moved all the blacksmithing stuff inside the side shed of the barn. Will try to get a shed built over the area this week so I can get it up and working again. Am gonna build a propane fired forge for small stuff. Got most of what I need and the rest can be bought or built.
Took some old fiberglass tent rods and modified them to help support the canvas at the back of the camper. Will get pix of that too. Too much to try to explain. Rained tonight for the first time in ages. No puddling on the canvas at all. Now need to make side walls with mosquito netting covered windows with zip shut shutters and a zip closed door. Got another old tent or two I may be able to get parts for them from.
Got a lot of organizing left to do to be ready to go camping for real. Figure we’ll make a few more dry runs over here prior to the real thing. Got changes to make to shelves and storage now. Bungies hold the drawers shut fine. Another thing I need to get a picture of.
Spent the last couple of days at the campsite. Have gotten (somewhat) the hang of cooking with the dutch ovens. Biscuits are quite good cooked in one. Did basic drop biscuits with added egg and cheese this morning. Changed the taste and texture. Did cornbread in the 14″ the other day. Burned the bottom (I know why now too) but the rest was quite good. This morning used the lid of the 14″, upside down on the lid holder, with coals underneath as a griddle and cooked the sausage and scrambled eggs. Easy way to do it. 12″ had the biscuits cooking at the same time. Took about 15 to 17 minutes to cook both and be ready to eat. Just got to get the fire going to get the coals first. Will get some charcoal brickets and try cooking with them soon.
Moved the camper back up here to the house to finish the trim and wiring and all the other little details. Took about 15 minutes to put the tarp up. Gonna make some changes in the way I do it but need a couple of rubber straps first. Just got it up when the rain started so sat and watched it run off for a while. Started blowing a bit and came in. May stay out there again tonight. Just testing things out.
And over and out…
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