Month: November 2019

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ENERGY 3

FIRE.

We are surrounded by fuel, a fact that looms large on our summer time consciousness. I was a volunteer firefighter for a number of  years, and so well aware of the risks of fuel loading in what is termed “the wild land/urban interface”.

 

Before

After

In the past dozen years I have used a small chainsaw to gather wood. Before that we relied on hand tools, and day or 2 of generous assistance from a neighbor with his chainsaw.
 
With my own saw I have been thinning the fast growing Douglas Fir trees around us, reducing dead, dying, & fallen trees, and re-establishing some open spaces we have watched close in with an overgrowth of seedlings, coincidentally creating fuel breaks in the areas that the goats aren’t allowed. The goats do a good job of reducing fuel loads, and much of the brush that results from the chainsaw work.
 
I was dubious about acquiring the chainsaw. Noisy and dangerous it may be, but it has proved to be incredibly efficient, in both fuel use  and work done. Using a vegetable based chain oil, to reduce petroleum residues, costs a bit more, but makes me feel better about the film of oil that pumps out of the chain with every cut.
 
We acquired a wood fired cookstove that heats the house and displaces propane as our main cooking fuel for 6 or 7 months of the year. We have been transporting propane in 7 gallon tanks, 2 in rotation, ever since we have been here. apparently with the higher cost of fuel, compared to tanker delivery, this is the more economical way to deliver propane now. depending on the season, 7 gallons last us around 5 or 6 weeks, used only for cooking and to fire our very small, now discontinued, Paloma PH-5 tankless water heater which replaced our funky wood fired water heater that lived out side and took a little planning and dedication to make a hot bath or shower. Abundant hot water really changes things, during the winter the Paloma, can only get the icy incoming water so hot, and takes so long, that we heat up pots on the wood stove to help fill the tub. I have always intended to engineer a good solar water heating  system, but only have gotten as far as building an out door shower for the sunny days of summer. The wood cookstove finds us using more wood then we used to, even so a small 6’x6’ woodshed, with an added tarp covered pile of around 1/2 a cord mostly gets us through the season. Making use of small diameter limbs as fast burning cooking fuel reduces the need for splitting every log. Wood is the fuel that warms you several times: once in the cutting, once in the transporting & splitting, and finally when converted to heat in the stove.

And then we inherited a funky old log splitter.

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ENERGY 2

After the inherited CAT battery finally failed we bought two new mid size 6 volt deep cycle batteries, wired in series for the 12 volt system, added a small charge controller and continued on with our limited loads until their demise about 5 years later. They had started to show their weakness during the last year, and clearly were abused by the deep draw down of winter.

When we upgraded our pump system we added the older panels to the house for an array of approximately 200 watts, and then upgraded to two larger capacity 6 volt batteries. which worked well for their average rated life span of 7 years, by then we were using more lights, and had acquired a turntable (with a preamp to drive  it through he auxiliary input of the boombox), both of which I converted to 12 volt DC with transformer-ectomies. When these batteries needed replacement we again upgraded to a higher capacity, ‘premium’ set, anticipating a longer life yet.

Over the years our lighting evolved, we  used several 0.7 watt 12VDC multi-Light emitting diode (LED) “bulbs”  for after dark navigation. A big breakthrough in illumination was  a 4.3 watt 99 LED spot light in the kitchen. before the industry really changed over to sophisticated LED bulbs We had a hodge podge of  task oriented lights, a few old automotive brake lamps, a couple of 12 volt halogen’s, and 1 compact fluorescent.  Low wattage LED technology has helped us weather the dark days of winter without abusing our batteries too much, but as time passes, other technologies have caught up with us too.

We lived without a phone in the house for 15 years, as the cellphone industry grew around us, our Mothers both lobbied for telephonic potential. We got connected with a phone, which of course requires energy to maintain. (For electromagnetic safety, we take the precaution of using an old style handset plugged into the phone). the phone battery is still holding after almost six years, but the numbers are wearing off the buttons.
Several years ago we were given a portable DVD player with a 7” screen. We have always been movie fans, and had spent a lot of time in our local movie theatre, hardly an energy efficient operation, local meant 30 miles round trip. so we put heavy use on the new device, and being cheaply made, it failed after 2 years. by then we were hooked and got a 9” model to replace it, which again, after a useful, but all to brief life, died. the problem was the small player’s mechanics. The next upgrade was huge: By then we had acquired a 25 watt stereo amp to power 2 small heavy donated studio monitor speakers, this is an AC device, so I added a 300 watt inverter. This made other AC loads possible, our entertainment upgrade came as  a 16” LED HDTV and a separate DVD player, which combined, used 35 watts 120 AC. when the sound system is used for movies, it becomes a 60 watt+ experience. although used in smal doses of a couple of hours at a time, it is our largest load.

At this point it was clear that adding loads meant we should add some power, I found an inexpensive 55 watt panel, to create a 250 watt PV array. And then  THE COMPUTER!  came!

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WATER 3

The SLOW PUMP performed well, but it was, well, slow!
Even with an upgrade of the linear current booster, when conditions were less than ideal, the volume was decreased dramatically. Over time there was a higher volume of water delivered, but the filter  was easily clogged  with silt and needed   a lot of attention.
 
We began using more water as our garden expanded, and we now had a couple of sinks and a shower. The beauty of the solar direct system is that demand and availability coincide during the long dry days of summer, but, this pump was efficient enough to outpace the gravity flow into the spring tank during the shorter, days of late summer, when the spring flow was at it’s nadir. 
 
A 2,500 gallon Poly tank was acquired for the house & garden, and the olive tank we had been using up the hill was was relocated to the spring collection site, doubling the available water for the pump.

This system got us through the next couple of years, with a 2,500 gallon tank for the house, and another 2,500 gallons added for the garden, at a slightly lower elevation, for faster filling, we were doing well. That is of course when all went well, with interruptions of pumping from silt & air locks, and low flows, we were just keeping up with demand and ending the season with little reserve,  and feeling a little vulnerable.

One positive aspect of a direct solar system is that pumping is confined to day light hours  and  subject to tapering volume as day lengths change, so over pumping of the available source is pretty unlikely.

We successfully worked within our hydro budget,  but our tanks were less than full when a little cushion would be nice to have. It was time for the final upgrade. Research revealed the pump we  wanted. Together with the needed photovoltaic panel upgrades it seemed an extravagant expense to our shallow capital pool. But, an unexpected gift earmarked for important and durable acquisitions  made it feasible,  and the Frances Golden ( my paternal Grandmother) Memorial water system was built. Adding to the fund, the perfectly serviceable old pump was sold with its pump house, fittings and filter for a good price .

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WATER 2

Trials & Tribulations
We had lots of difficulties with the water supply our first year.

The spring had a poorly built concrete  enclosure around it, that leaked like a sieve, the former owners idea of a spring box.  Apparently their plan had been to build a reservoir to pump out of.

Our predecessor had a dispute with the neighbors who had established water rights from the same spring, that led to a court order prohibiting the placement of pumps, and their toxic drippings in the water channel, And applied to us as well. We had no problem complying. An early task was dredging out the deep silt from the icy cold water. At first we tried to establish a gravity flow from the box, but, as the dry season approached it became obvious that we needed to go deeper. 

 

Clearly there was more water below the spring box than could be contained above ground. I buried a food grade plastic bucket, drilled with 1/4” holes, fitted with a 1” pipe coupling for the gravity line, and covered it with rocks. That worked, but the flow was tenuous, the contours of the terrain made a simple gravity flow into a siphon, which meant that any bubble or minor blockage, shut the flow down. There was a lot of pipe flushing, tank hugging, and frayed wits that first year. Our neighbor shared that a screw with a neoprene washer, used for fastening metal roofs,  made a handy air release valve for the high spots of the line were air bubbles accumulated.

Our small FLOJET Diaphram pump, got us through the first summer. With a small garden and no indoor plumbing, our water supply needs were modest. Some would say inadequate. Our first up-grade was a so-called SLOW PUMP, a sophisticated positive displacement, vane pump coupled to larger electric motor that of course, demanded more power.

Photo-voltaic panels were pricey back then, and we were on a low budget, but, David Katz, and his helpful crew at ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENGINEERING pointed us towards some used panels- the first commercial 32 watt model made by ARCO, salvaged from the largest solar power plant in the world, on the Carrizo plains.

Apparently, the new owners of the site determined that  more income could be made by dismantling and selling the 100,000 panels, than by selling the power that it generated. The panels had been installed with experimental reflective concentraters that baked the backing a bit, but they were much cheaper per watt than new PV panels  and still worked well, demonstrating the durability of the technology.

We wired 4 panels together in a 24 volt string, hooked up some recycled 4 gauge multi-strand  copper wire and were in business. This pump was quite sensitive to particulates, and was only serviceable by the factory- its precision components were designed for idealized settings- industrial fluid handling, beverage processing, dialysis machines and the like- places unlikely to encounter silt and insects shells! A step up from a carpet cleaner pump- but add regular filter maintenance to the schedule.

 

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GARDEN 3

The Garden takes a lot of work,
but it is not a hardship.

Tending growing plants is a joy. But defending them from predators can be a challenge. With our first small gardens, things went well, we did learn early on that anything accessible to Deer was going to get nibbled down – A good fence is a necessary item. insects didn’t seem to be that much of a problem until our work resulted in a large moist, nutrient rich, complex biological habitat. It roars with life, insects beneficial and otherwise congregate en masse.

Slugs can be a big problem, mice, moles, gophers, and voles are in a class by themselves; the bane of the would be farmer. It is hard to justify slaughter to solve the problem, the only practical alternative is to work around them. For me, that has meant barriers.

The method I have settled on is to create a cage of 1/2 inch galvanized steel hardware cloth embedded in the soil anywhere I want to grow high value, especially vulnerable crops, such as; carrots, beets, onions, garlic, potatoes, peas. And, lots of over planting to withstand the inevitable loss. It is heartbreaking to see a large maturing plant disappear over night, the loss is only partly mitigated by the Russian roulette of plants selected by the underground hordes. I am not certain it works but the other tactic I use is harassment. I have taken to using cayenne powder, or crumbled peppers sprinkled liberally in transplant holes. I figure it has got to be annoying, and I make wind spinners that give blustery evenings a spooky sound scape of tones and squeals transmitted to the ground by their mounting posts. A pair of hunting cats with a little back-up from the dog has slowed predation of plants considerably.

Most everything I plant is started in pots or flats. This allows for easier protection of vulnerable starts, earlier germination, and control of plant spacing. Starting seeds before the planting beds are prepared is possible, and timing is more adaptable with a nursery of available specimens at the ready.

 

Attacks from above are in the form of foraging birds, slugs, and in the last few years rabbits.

Small birds especially early and late in the season will destroy seedlings either by scratching the soil or directly eating tender shoots. Then there are the wild turkey’s. Although it is nice to have them passing through, when they linger, can do a lot of damage. They love large crisp leaves of the brassica family and can strip a plant pretty quickly. our 6 foot fence is no barrier to a wing assisted hop and jump, so our main defense is to discourage their presence in the garden with the dog being allowed the sport of barking and chasing them into a low flight over the fence, and for young plants, covering them with turkey/rabbit resistant cages for those early morning assaults. Juggling the cages between beds minimizes the size of the fleet needed, but collecting hardware cloth armored beds is on going, the 19 gauge wire seems to last for many years, none has rusted yet.

Small slugs love the wild nature of the garden, with its abundant habitat, without early controls, they soon overwhelm, and become quite a pest. After years of picking them for the chickens, baiting them with beer, and protecting plants with sprinkled ash, all with limited impact, a new product hit the market- sold as Sluggo, or Escargo, a pelletized form of iron phosphate, a fairly benign plant nutrient with organic certification. Apparently it causes digestive problems, and becomes their last meal, though the vision of the fairly amazing, innocent mollusks quietly holed up, dying of constipation, or starvation, is not pleasant, I have been pleased with the results of a modest use in early spring, applying it at likely areas of congregation and breeding, and around vulnerable new plantings early in the season seems to reset the population to a manageable load.

The latest slug intervention has been a growing flock of free ranging Bantam Chickens. Their smaller stature make their foraging less intrusive to established plantings, but has created a new challenge for seedlings.

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GARDEN 2

Winter seems like a good time to begin writing about the garden. It is time to think about the future. Seed catalogs arrive, tempting thoughts of planting. Fair weather prowling for garden chores, pruning, and cleanup, reveals what has already been planted by nature.

In the soup season. Onions and Garlic, harvested in July are used daily, stored Potatoes of various ages and varieties need to be consumed, Carrots & Beets, & Jerusalem Artichokes are stored in the ground where they grow, in raised beds, armored against subterranean  rodents with 1/2 inch “hardware cloth” screen. The exotic Andean tubers Mashua & Yacon have just been dug up before a hard freeze. An abundant selection of Kale; planted, volunteer, & perennial offer a spectrum of leave shapes, sizes & colors, Various Endives, Chicories & Radicchios take the cold in stride. A few lingering Cabbages continue to fill the endless Kraut jar. Brussels sprouts are still producing, and some tiny Broccoli flowers can be gleaned before the plants regenerate for an early spring burst of florets. Carpets of delicate & colorful Mustard and Arugula are spreading, Leeks  are growing, Parsley is both lingering and sprouting, Chervil is weathering well, & Celery offers small stalks & leaves to flavor the soup. Garlic planted in November is showing green shoots. Neglected Shallot bulbs should be in the ground by now, but will still produce if planted soon, in a few weeks I will start Onion seeds under glass, followed by Peas & Lettuce

Click here for Garden 3
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GOATS 3

It can be easy to find goats, on an overnight 8th grade field trip to the Hidden Villa Hostel at Duvenick Ranch, in the hills above Palo Alto, there was a Saturday afternoon auction that offered a kid goat for sale.  The opening bid was only one dollar.I was tempted, not really thinking it through at the time, what would I do with a baby male  goat? I guess  I made the right decision when I passed it up, settling for some 80 year old books with nice engravings, and a funny old fashioned stiff collared, starched front formal shirt, with snaps up the back.

While the goat barn was under construction, the search for goats began in earnest. We went to a meeting of the Humboldt County Dairy Goat Club, and made some contacts. After a few goat shows, and a goat care clinic, we started making phone calls, visited a few herds and were lucky to find an isolated herd of pure bred Nubian’s, about an hour North. The herd was being bred for quality and color, & the breeder, Daisy, who we refer to as our Goat Guru, in days past had shown goats & bred star milkers, as part of her Homestead menagerie.

On one visit she told us of her memory of the dairy trade when she was a girl, when the day’s cream was shipped out on the southbound train that ran by their pastures. her isolated Eel river valley pasture dotted with old growth Redwood stumps, barns, and old farm house, with requisite fig, black walnut, elderberry, Lilac, Daffodils, Honeysuckle, Roses, Apples, & the over grown flower & vegetable gardens, enchanted us, & with her patient, old time manner, she welcomed our questions, & enthusiasm.

Surveying the large herd with Daisy, She Identified a 7 year old pregnant doe, Adeline, who would be available after her “freshening”, the term goat breeder’s use to indicate a birth & subsequent milk production. Past her prime, when she was registered as a star milker, she was still in the running as a producer, coincidentally, born the year we moved here.

After the herd enlarged in the spring from all the freshening going on, we returned to pick out some likely kids to accompany the veteran doe to her new digs. We picked out 2 with 2 different looks. Nubian Goats Have a wide latitude of markings, coloration & coat length. Some will have beards, some won’t, that was one aspect that led us to Nubian’s, figuring that it indicates a wider genetic diversity. Nubian’s have long pendulous ears, and, so called: Roman nose’s, with characteristic bumps, they produce less milk than some breeds, but the milk has a higher fat content and is favored by cheese makers. Which we  one day hoped to become.

Nubian’s have a other reputations too. A County Fair show judge we saw in action with the usual subdued, jargon rich patois of Goat enthusiasts described the attributes of the various Swiss breeds, who stood calm & docile in the ring. When it was time to judge the Nubian’s, he intoned  with obvious amusement: “And here come the Nubian’s” as the new judging class was dragged into the ring, bleating, darting here & there, distracted & unruly as their reputation would have it; unusually loud and willful. We thought this behavior charming, as it demonstrated very goaty goats, animals that maintained their animal selves, not fully domesticated for human convenience. Once the most popular  breed in the country, Nubian’s are now on the fringe, perfect for us.

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GOATS 2

Beginnings:
As a teenager, with an interest in food and nutrition, I found a small book on cheese making and was intrigued, as much by the content, as the form of the book; a heartfelt labor of love, illustrated with simple woodcuts. It seemed ridiculous to start with supermarket milk, so I filed away my desire to produce cheese, wondering if I would ever be able to produce the milk required.
Only after beginning our homestead experience was this a viable option. Recognizing the scope of the responsibility involved with animal husbandry, it felt like an overwhelming goal. How would we integrate this into the lifestyle we led? The answer was obvious- just get started; Prepare, plan, learn, and do! The experience itself would dictate what was required, and priorities would become self defining.

Our journey to Goats began by collecting as many books we could find on Goats. Our research revealed that there are many styles of Goat husbandry, those that depend on the needs and motivations of the Goat keeper, and also, simple universal standards based on the actual requirements of the animals. This is the basic nature of domestic livestock; balancing the needs of beast, with the needs of their keepers. We learned all we could about the details of feeding, the ideals of housing & the prospects of pregnancies & milk production.
Determined to do it right, we decided the first thing we needed was a barn. A majority of the wood used for construction was salvaged from an old building at the site of an old stud mill, in the valley below us. The walls had been built by nailing studs face to face for a thick heavy wall, with plenty of vertical grain. The termites loved it. by the time it was dismantled, the usable wood; roof rafters, roof planking, & ceiling, combined with odds and ends from other demolitions, turned out to be just enough for the scaled down classic dairy barn I designed. The barn was designed to house 6 goats comfortably, store around 2 tons of hay in the loft above, and includes a small milking parlor. All confined to a 12”x16” footprint.