tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87228210054963950392024-03-14T00:41:39.320-04:00MEFFORD ENDEAVORS FARMSTEAD, Morris CT Not your Typical Farm - Our Farmstead is Eclectic and we do a little of everything from raising chickens, to making clothes pins. Stop by and see what we are up toMefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-28104499466039427312020-01-04T11:00:00.002-05:002020-01-04T11:00:41.419-05:00Mefford Endeavors Farm Projects 2020<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>2020 – Its about time for an UPDATE<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></u></b><o:p></o:p><br />
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Hello and welcome! A new decade is a great time to forge ahead to make difference. It feels almost like a new beginning. As we reflected on this past year, it was obvious that 2019 was one of those odd years where time flew by and the feeling that nothing got done hangs overhead. 2019 was indeed busy, and as I am learning through other endeavors, it is counter productive to look backwards. 2019 was a year of growth, and expansion. Personally, and for our property. A time of searching for what we want to become, and how we can get there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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On this date, we have committed to bringing our followers along for our ride, and to help you see what it means to be up to something most days. I am not sure a week goes by that we are not doing or making, or trying something new.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our goals for 2020 –<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Finish the Greenhouse and have our first spring flower sale.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Advertise our Vegetable sales with 25 varieties of Tomatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Host a tomato tasting event</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Remove the old Blueberry trellis, and reclaim the garden</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Replace rotten Garden beds</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Plant a huge squash Gourd patch for sale, and showing in the local fair</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Begin planting Christmas Trees on the property</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Establish a Worm farming component</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Raise Turkeys</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Build Chicken Pucker</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Put siding on the barn</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Shoot You Tube Videos as often as we can</span><br /><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">And any other project that sparks our interest or that a reader suggests.</span><br />
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Since I work full time, this list looks daunting. But mornings, evenings and weekends are available, and I am determined to make our farm a place to bring your family for a picnic, or stop and see the animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love my full time job, and bookkeeping, taxes and accounting will always be my favorite (yes, I am a weird one), but the desire to be more home oriented has been weighing on my soul in 2019 and unless I make intentional plans to improve our farm, it simply will not get done. The list will be a springboard for us to organize our time and work out a time management plan to “Get er done”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome back! and stay tuned for many grand adventures to come!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Be sure to come see us on You Tube !! Subscribe so you do not miss any of our adventures!</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgxyYddDauD44bfH3G0FMWg?view_as=subscriber">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgxyYddDauD44bfH3G0FMWg?view_as=subscriber</a></div>
<br />Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-25989705884820226442015-08-08T10:54:00.000-04:002015-08-08T10:54:19.372-04:00Creating a milk and egg refrigerator from a discarded freezerAs winter faded into spring and spring slipped into summer we found that we have a problem. An egg problem... we have about 45 layers and that tends to be 30-36 eggs a day. those eggs need stored in a refrigerator. three dozen times 7 days is 21 dozen eggs or way to many for the dormitory size refrigerator we were using to hold those eggs for sale or eating. We needed a solution, A big solution! Not only are we blessed with eggs but the cow is due to calve in late summer and we will need to store the 3-4 gallons of milk she gives us twice a day, and the butter and then there is a garden full of produce and maybe a cold refreshing beverage or two. <br />
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What we do not need is another refrigerator/freezer. what we do need is an upright fridge! They do make upright refrigerators, but they are WAY out of our financial grasp. This is when a friend called and offered us an upright freezer! FREE! Great! Sort of... we need it to be a refrigerator. First we tried turning it up to refrigerate but not freeze. That sort of worked. It was not consistent enough for what we needed. Sometimes everything was just right and other times the contents would be frozen solid or warm to the touch, No good! I did some research online and found a solution, we would need to change our analog freezer into a digital refrigerator! so I ordered the part on Amazon and in a few days I had the part I needed! <br />
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The installation was really straight forward and I made a video of it that you can watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKiMeE9usQw" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The analog thermostat is really just a temperature sensitive on/off switch that was unfortunately not sensitive enough. <br />
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I unhooked the old thermostat, two wires and then took a good look at what I was in for. There were two wires from the compressor. two wires from the thermostat and then the three wires coming from the wall. It all breaks down about like this... three wires from the wall, hot, neutral and ground. Ground goes to the metal case of the freezer. Neutral was already connected to one of the compressor wires, the other compressor wire is connected to the Hot wire from the wall thru the thermostat switch.<br />
So this is what I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Docooler%C2%AE-Temperature-Controller-Thermocouple--58~194%C2%B0F/dp/B00F05UI8O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437927050&sr=8-2&keywords=digital+thermostat+control+unit" target="_blank">a digital thermostat from Amazon</a><br />
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As you can see it has a temperature probe that comes with it and if you look on the back, that is the six wires that need hooked up. two are for that thermostat, two are for AC power in and the last two hook up to the original thermostat wires. I had to splice AC power in, to power the new controller and then just hook the two old thermostat wires to the new digital thermostat and the two wires for the new temperature sensor. </div>
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The video really shows it all much better so go ahead and watch it by clicking <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKiMeE9usQw" target="_blank">HERE.</a> don't forget while you are over on youtube to give it a thumbs up and subscribe! </div>
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a few more pictures...</div>
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As you can see we are using it so it must work! it only has one real drawback...Condensation! I imagine it will be better when we get out of the heat of the summer but right now if you put anything cardboard in this refrigerator it comes out sopping wet. I have ten gallons of water in it to represent the milk that should be there, and some kale salad, and coffee creamer....</div>
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Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and remember if you are not comfortable and knowledgeable of working with AC power THEN DON,T! Call an electrician or a friend that has the knowledge and the tools. A mistake could cost you!</div>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-42887183910464938202015-02-27T13:06:00.000-05:002015-02-27T13:06:23.440-05:00Our adventures in videography!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Video's</h2>
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I found a free book about how to make money on you tube, So I downloaded it to my kindle. </div>
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It was a really quick read, even for me... but I will save you the time. The book said to post videos. Lots of videos, about whatever it is that you do. You can have multiple channels, pretty much any content that would suit a general audience. There is how to videos, book review videos, people doing funny or stupid things. Whatever you find on television, you can probably find it on you tube.</div>
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So... make videos... ok... but its hard to figure out what I want to make a video of... I told the kids, whatever I am doing remind me to make a video! Let other people figure out if its cool or not. The very first video I made was of me reviewing the contents of my mothers clothespin basket. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q_uF_lVmUY" target="_blank">To see that first video click here.</a> Not real exciting, but it got the ball rolling, so next I did a series of seven videos about building a "CANJO". A Canjo is a simple one or two string instrument that uses a can as a sound resonator <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcPLsWbOuFc" target="_blank">You can see video 1 in the series here.</a> That set of videos was sooooo much better than the first one, I changed camera persons, We worked with my lighting a little and got a bit better at using the video editing software that came with our computer. </div>
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All these next pictures are "oopsies" from the Canjo series. it seems the camera person forgot to change the camera to video or there was stuff in the way or whatever. This is a really low budget operation there is no fancy equipment. We tried to use my old Olympus camera, but that was really grainy. then our old Kodak digital, the zoom was broke and it made a terrible noise. All these video's were shot using my iPhone 4. if you are into iphones you know they are at iPhone 6 now, so my 2+ year old iPhone 4 that I paid $.99 (yes ninety-nine cents) for when iPhone 5 came out is the best video camera we have in the house!<br />
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In this candid shot you can see our "monopod" that steadies the camera for filming. Yes it is a can of aerosol glass cleaner - use what you got! We have no microphone so I just spoke as loud and clear as I could. <br />
We took this video in our "dining" room. which at this point still had craft fair stuff and Christmas gifts in the background. (you can see Gramma's wind chimes to the right of my head, Which I hit more than once in the videos, and there is a walking stick, even the horseshoe coat rack was made by my son as a gift!) We filmed from either side of the table and tried to edit out as many goofs as was possible.<br />
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I think after it is all done that we could have edited more out, but I really wanted the viewer to see the whole process. I hate it when you are trying to learn something and there is a big piece of important information that was left out....</div>
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I am unable to really play any music whatsoever, so I do not really play, I more kind of plunk along to a melody. Two strings are my max, and I don't play them both at the same time!</div>
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The canjo is a very interesting instrument, it is a play by number thing. you count down from the tuner to which fret you need to press and then pluck that string. For example, twinkle, twinkle is played 0 0 4 4 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 The "0" is open you don't hold any fret down. If this sort of homemade music interests you, I suggest watching video 7 first. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Ou5sNbgCw" target="_blank">You can find it by clicking here. </a></div>
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So now we are in the movies, the small screen, really really small screen. What will we do next? I think some hydroponics stuff, Kratky system I think. Maybe some woodworking? maybe I should do a series on making homemade clothespins. Suggestions are always welcome.</div>
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Until next time, </div>
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May God bless you all!</div>
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The Chicken Run!</h2>
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The truncated elongated icosahedron poultry exercise facility! </h2>
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The Chicken Run!</h2>
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I sometimes like to build scale models of my upcoming projects. This is especially true if it is a complex first time project like we are going to build here. </div>
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I have always been intrigued by geodesic domes. They have a simple complexity that I am captivated by. I would like to build a dome like structure and why not use it to put the chickens in? I got the process started with a paper dome model that I found online. I printed out 4 of them and cut them to pieces to make an elongated dome. </div>
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<a data-slb-active="1" data-slb-group="6795" data-slb-internal="0" href="http://www.domerama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/color_complete.gif"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-6796" data-id="6796" src="http://www.domerama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/color_complete-1024x1003.gif" title="color_complete" width="695" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GjFfuCmp4B0/VNPhMilcAgI/AAAAAAAABBQ/0m-pHKgpq9s/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GjFfuCmp4B0/VNPhMilcAgI/AAAAAAAABBQ/0m-pHKgpq9s/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
This is the dome after cutting it out and taping it together. But it needed to be longish not roundish. So I went looking and found a website that sold plans for an elongated dome...I'm not a fan of buying plans,... and they had a picture,... so I read the picture and googled "hexagon graph paper" and "soccer ball pattern". The hexagon graph paper showed me that the center section is just whole and half hexagons. The soccer ball pattern showed me that I only need pentagons to make the ends close in!<br />
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This paper model helped me visualize what I had thought to be the solution to my problem of an elongated dome. Now it was time to get serious about this scale model!</div>
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That's right, break out the drinking straws and the fishing line! Small scale production is about to Begin!</div>
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I started with my hexagon center section idea to validate the concept.</div>
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Then, armed with my paper model, I went right to building a 1/12th scale model of the structure! I chose 1/12th scale because the math is easy...1 inch = 1 foot. The struts are going to be 18 inches long which is 1.5 feet or in scale... 1.5 inches! I cut a LOT of 1.5 inch lengths of straws...158 to be exact! </div>
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I am only going to use the perimeter of the hexagons and pentagons which makes this dome more of an elongated truncated icosahedron...ish thing. </div>
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This is the beginning of my second try at this model, 4 hexagons</div>
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Now there is more to see, notice the pentagon in the center of the straws? I used a single run of fishing line that runs thru the whole structure! I kept adding lengths with surgeons knots so I could keep tension on the whole thing with one string.</div>
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The End is starting to look like something! There are 3 pentagons on each end of the structure. The pentagons essentially pull the hexagons tighter together on one side making the structure round out a bit. Note to self, pentagons do Not touch each other! (if they do you have to tear it apart AGAIN!)</div>
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One end nearly complete!</div>
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Now I am working down one side, the half hexagons on the bottom edge are 3 - 1.5 inch pieces and 1 - 3 inch piece, yes exactly double, there are ten of the double length pieces in the entire structure.</div>
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I was amazed that the model supported itself at the half built stage!</div>
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how's that for a rookie modeler? Another great thing about using 1/12th scale is that I can take measurements off of the model to check things like overall height, length and width! I only had to build it twice to get it right! <br />
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If it is self supporting with straws and fishing line, how much better will it be full size with steel struts and bolted at every joint! We are very excited to get this project started and I will be bringing you updates thru the whole process! </div>
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Speaking of the whole process, have you been to our web store lately? <a href="http://www.meffordendeavors.com/">www.meffordendeavors.com</a> is where we fund our projects from, so please head on over there and take a look around...The chickens and I Thank You!</div>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-27684864226364827792014-12-11T19:52:00.003-05:002014-12-11T20:39:40.075-05:00Triple Barrel feeder for the chicken Taj Mahal!<h2 align="center">
The "Not Your Typical" Triple barrel Chicken feeder!</h2>
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This is where we start our build today, PVC and a 2x6! I enjoy working in pvc except when the people at lowes ask me what I am working on and I tell them I am building a chicken feeder and then there is that awkward silence and puzzled look.... They will get over the shock -eventually!</div>
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The pvc I am using for this project is actually drainage pipe. I am using drain pipe for two reasons. 1. It is a lot cheaper especially when you start buying fittings and elbows and stuff! 2. My Sister had some lying around and asked me to get rid of it, So I did! The drain pipe is a lot thinner walled than the regular schedule 40 stuff at lowes but for what we are using it for it will be more than okay. </div>
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The new coop was built with the studs 16" on center which means the space between the studs should be 14 1/2" and that is where I will start. I grabbed a piece of scrap 2x6 in the workshop and found my 4" hole saw and got busy putting three 4" holes in the 2x6. The holes were not quite big enough so I worked them over on the spindle sander to get the pipe to fit the holes. </div>
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The pipes were all leftovers so I figured out a pipe length that I could get three equal length pieces out of what I had on hand. I made mine as long as I could for the space and with the pipe I had. Next was the trip to lowes, I always try to take a sample pipe with me to get plumping supplies, it generally helps to make sure you come home with the right stuff. I got three 4" STREET elbows and three 4" 45 degree couplers. </div>
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Getting "street" fittings makes it so you can add the 45 degree right after the 90 degree fitting. Basically using a "street" elbow makes it so that the two fittings attach to each other without using a piece of pipe.</div>
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So that is all my parts except for a box of #8x 1/2" self tapping pan head screws. </div>
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LETS BUILD!</div>
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I started from the top, putting three screws thru the pipe into the 2x6.</div>
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Repeat for all 3 pipes. The tops of the pipe is level with the top of the 2x6.</div>
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Next I put the three 90 degree elbows onto the pipes, I angled the outside fittings out a little to give the ladies some wing room at the feeder.</div>
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The 45 degree fittings slip right onto the street fittings and then...</div>
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I screwed it all together with three screws in the 90 degree fitting into the pipe and only one screw down from the top on the 45 degree fitting. I decided to use screws instead of glue because then I can take it apart for cleaning or repairs or whatever. </div>
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My feeder now looks like it might be something! The little girl is Camilla, one of my distinguished helpers!</div>
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Next I went out to my workshop and I made a top/ lid box thing...but I forgot my camera so it looks like this....</div>
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The box just sets on the top of the 2x6, it will get screwed into the studs in the coop so it stays put. Speaking of the coop, It's time to install the feeder! </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amGUrOBmuRg/VIo02GFVsgI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/9YyEi81ki1g/s1600/IMG_2039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amGUrOBmuRg/VIo02GFVsgI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/9YyEi81ki1g/s1600/IMG_2039.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KS6WYhDoE_o/VIo026ZsyMI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/la242KZ89cA/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KS6WYhDoE_o/VIo026ZsyMI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/la242KZ89cA/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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It fits snuggly between the studs and easily holds a 50lb bag of feed. The lid should keep out unwanted critters and stuff. Just one note on filling the feeder...put a scoop or two in the bottom first! If you just dump in from the top the feed quickly exits the bottom! But if there is feed in the bottom already then it fills the tubes. In the last picture there is about 30lbs of feed in the feeder and the tubes are not quite half full! The Ladies of the coop are a well fed group!</div>
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If you have any questions or comments please leave them below! </div>
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May GOD Bless you all!</div>
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Thomas</div>
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<a href="http://www.meffordendeavors.com/" target="_blank">Check out our New improved Website!</a></h2>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-15859362541304675912014-12-04T15:50:00.001-05:002014-12-05T13:01:55.306-05:00Newly Released "Not Your Typical" Stuff<h2 style="text-align: center;">
New " Not your Typical" Products for the Fall of 2014</h2>
This has been a great Fall here on the farm! I was able to spend some time in the shop working on some exciting new projects!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-_nEUO9XQg/VH5syuyh1HI/AAAAAAAAA5I/wHEY7dcd-6A/s1600/PC020006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-_nEUO9XQg/VH5syuyh1HI/AAAAAAAAA5I/wHEY7dcd-6A/s1600/PC020006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>First is our "Not Your Typical" Salad tongs! An all wood design that uses the flexibility of the wood to spring them open! they have been very well received and get rave reviews from our product test family!<br />
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Next is what we like to call "Not Your Typical" bagel tongs these were conceived after our store bought pair of toaster tongs broke in half while removing toast from the toaster! So we took the idea to the drawing board and came up with our "Not Your Typical" Bagel tongs these are all wood and are much wider than the made in china ones that we had been using. Made of Sugar Maple, finished with beeswax and mineral oil these should last Generations! Our product test family of 5 told us that they were fantastic! included in the picture is a pair of "Name Brand" tongs, made in china.... they didn't make it a week around here! The bagel tongs we make are still going strong and they are American made!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3LIEkIiDKEU/VH5s1QFYxNI/AAAAAAAAA5o/nxAkrdzDID0/s1600/PC020010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3LIEkIiDKEU/VH5s1QFYxNI/AAAAAAAAA5o/nxAkrdzDID0/s1600/PC020010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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While we were working on kitchen utensils we thought it might be a good idea to redo a dining room staple and put our "Not your Typical" twist on a trivet! We already have way more trivets than we can use. What we don't have is great ways to store our trivets because they are so big! What we need is a trivet that is big enough for Mema's lasagna and yet small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer. So we Happily introduce the "Not your Typical expanding trivet". Small enough for a pot of soup, Big enough for lasagna, and compact enough to fit in a kitchen drawer!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made in Sugar Maple, Mahogany and Walnut</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soup size and Lasagna size</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y3kE4mjPxYY/VIDD1R1BL4I/AAAAAAAAA7I/Y5xMRJZTk2U/s1600/P1010049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y3kE4mjPxYY/VIDD1R1BL4I/AAAAAAAAA7I/Y5xMRJZTk2U/s1600/P1010049.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwx8IoQQXE0/VIDD3zt2unI/AAAAAAAAA7g/Ph10BiPq80M/s1600/P1010052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwx8IoQQXE0/VIDD3zt2unI/AAAAAAAAA7g/Ph10BiPq80M/s1600/P1010052.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrinks down to just over 2 inches to fit in a drawer!</td></tr>
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We have some bamboo utensils that we use regularly in our kitchen and we have been trying to come up with something made at the home workshop that would be as good or better than the made in china bamboo utensils that we are using right now. We are pleased to bring you Made in Morris, Ct steam bent hardwood kitchen spatulas! We have made these from various hardwoods such as ash, maple, red oak and walnut. they are as useful as they are naturally beautiful. We sent samples to our product test family (chosen for their BRUTAL honesty) with the question what would you use it for? they said everything! stir fry veggies, cook eggs, stirring the slow cooker, it is a kitchen multitasker!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu4TnbOJ8b4/VH5s51hAJbI/AAAAAAAAA6o/g74KukGMt9Y/s1600/PC020018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu4TnbOJ8b4/VH5s51hAJbI/AAAAAAAAA6o/g74KukGMt9Y/s1600/PC020018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wow that's a bunch of kitchen stuff! We do have something new that you can use in every room of the house. it is inspired by a book loving Mom that has some tendonitis or carpal tunnel problems. She said reading softcover books made her hands hurt because of the way she held the book. So we made her something to help with that! we call it a "Book Bird" they are a clever little thing, you can put your thumb in the hole and hold your book open single handed, read outside in a light breeze without your pages fluttering by, read that suspense thriller with one hand on the book and the other tightly clutching your blankie or just give it as a gift to your favorite book lover!<br />
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Yup we have been busy around here! We still have more to come, but that will be in another post!</div>
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Remember GOD is Love!</div>
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<a href="http://www.meffordendeavors.com/">MEFFORD ENDEAVORS STORE</a></div>
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-6017258793523199032014-12-02T20:49:00.001-05:002014-12-02T21:15:13.095-05:00A New Home... For the Chickens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When we decided to enlarge our barn, we had decided that all the animals should be under one roof. That sounds pretty smart right? I thought so, but doing that put all the animals several hundred feet away from the garden, Again, sounds good...I mean we do have goats and goats are generally not overly fence shy. This was a good plan for almost two years until we all watched this <a href="http://vimeo.com/28055108" target="_blank">Back to Eden gardening</a> video. Then we decided to move the chickens to the garden and that they would need a new house. This is the building of that new chicken house!</div>
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The foundation is 6x6 pressure treated post with 2x6 pressure treated floor joists set 16" on center. The size of the floor is 8'x8' to keep everything in nominal lengths. (and 8' boards fit in a minivan) The floor sheathing is 3/4" tongue and groove flooring. Later we painted this floor with 2 heavy coats of enamel paint to protect it.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iE9nAXuaYyY/VHzr4X8wLAI/AAAAAAAAA24/WCUkzSE3lqc/s1600/IMG_1922%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iE9nAXuaYyY/VHzr4X8wLAI/AAAAAAAAA24/WCUkzSE3lqc/s1600/IMG_1922%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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The first wall we put up is the back(north) wall. It is a full 8' long but only 4' high. I did this for several reasons, First it costs less to build that wall shorter, the chickens are not that tall anyway. Second, that is the north wall our prevailing winter winds come from the north. Third, we will get to later... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLVJPOYSebw/VHzsGt0H97I/AAAAAAAAA3A/tBaGLD1eF00/s1600/IMG_1923%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLVJPOYSebw/VHzsGt0H97I/AAAAAAAAA3A/tBaGLD1eF00/s1600/IMG_1923%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
Next came the front (south facing) wall. This wall is 7' tall and has 2 big windows that were removed from a travel trailer that was retired. They are simple to install with just screws, they all crank open and they were FREE!!! The space at the bottom eventually holds the nesting boxes so we can gather eggs from the outside. You can see my pretty yellow floor!<br />
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After the front and rear walls are all squared up we moved onto the rafters. The rafters are 10' 2x6's. This is where the shorter rear wall helps us out. with a 10' length it left about 18" hanging over the front wall of the coop. The theory is that as the sun gets higher in the summer then it will shade the windows allowing for a cooler coop. The lower the sun gets in the winter the more sun will enter the coop for heat and light. I will keep you updated on how that works out.<br />
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The sides are simple, we just filled in the space with 2x4's and covered with OSB sheathing! Then we installed the door from the same travel trailer that the windows came out of! It even has a screen door and the window opens!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uAHsoYoG_8g/VHzs_-KqqLI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/y6TQz9xZsnY/s1600/IMG_1927%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uAHsoYoG_8g/VHzs_-KqqLI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/y6TQz9xZsnY/s1600/IMG_1927%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
Here we are almost getting close to having it all buttoned up, we need to install a little more sheathing, build the nesting boxes, do the roofing, and siding.....I said almost getting close...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X36bLvxcV0I/VHztP_wc0JI/AAAAAAAAA3g/NxEkmLcTOlk/s1600/IMG_1931%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X36bLvxcV0I/VHztP_wc0JI/AAAAAAAAA3g/NxEkmLcTOlk/s1600/IMG_1931%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
This is an inside view looking at our three level roosts with center supports. that's a total of 24' of roost length...and they still fight for the top bar!<br />
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If you want to get eggs in the winter you have to give the birds some artificial light. These lights are 24 volt LED strip lights. There are 4 36" light bars. The picture does them no justice, they are really bright and waterproof!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2yPUeo6iFg8/VHztwLvw-CI/AAAAAAAAA34/L10Sbr9h65M/s1600/IMG_1946%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2yPUeo6iFg8/VHztwLvw-CI/AAAAAAAAA34/L10Sbr9h65M/s1600/IMG_1946%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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A nighttime view of the "almost" finished coop.</div>
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I hope this inspires you to build some luxury housing for your poultry! By the way, our farm goose "Oscar" will not go into the coop unless picked up and carried in. I have no idea why? He sleeps with the ducks in a calf hutch nearby.</div>
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May GOD bless you and yours this holiday season!</div>
Thanks for reading! ThomasMefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-90000599067055541542014-09-13T20:15:00.002-04:002014-09-13T20:15:49.720-04:00Fall Craft Fair Season and NEW WEBSITE STORE!!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG7XVnjALTQ/VBTd2nEK_tI/AAAAAAAAA18/x4p-QWsYwg8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG7XVnjALTQ/VBTd2nEK_tI/AAAAAAAAA18/x4p-QWsYwg8/s1600/photo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Good Evening! Fall is definitely in the air. Our family has been hard at work this year working on expanding our garden, developing new wooden products and preparing for the fall Craft Fair season.<br />
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Let us first highlight our newest products:<br />
100 % Hand Made in the USA Clothes pins!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oXF08v_rNrA/VBTb2wVdgcI/AAAAAAAAA10/OtGuSXKrZW8/s1600/CLothes%2BPin%2Barray.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oXF08v_rNrA/VBTb2wVdgcI/AAAAAAAAA10/OtGuSXKrZW8/s1600/CLothes%2BPin%2Barray.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
These began as a standing sugar maple on the farm and have now been transformed into clothes pins that will last for generations. Heavy duty Stainless steel springs makes these out perform the store bought competition. <br />
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Our website is fully operational with almost all our items finally listed and available online for purchase.<br />
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To see our products, go to <a href="http://www.meffordendeavors.com/">www.meffordendeavors.com</a> and explore our FARM STAND PRODUCTS. <br />
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We will be at many local craft fairs this fall. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on our website to see where we will be. We would love for you to stop by and say hello!!!<br />
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Nina<br />
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<br />Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-48689259629895018932014-02-02T19:57:00.002-05:002014-12-11T20:40:30.957-05:00Garden Harvest Basket<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Handmade Garden Harvest Basket</h2>
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From The Mefford Endeavors Woodshop</div>
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We have had some questions about our Garden Baskets, so I figured I would post a blog about how we make them right here on the farm.</div>
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It all starts on our Portable sawmill. We use the sawmill to cut logs into 1" thick slabs that are ready to go into our woodshop...</div>
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Our design is different from any others we have seen. Our basket is an all wood design with the handle placed at an angle across the basket, What we found is that we can fit larger items in the baskets with the angled handle without the handle being awkwardly tall! The first thing people comment on when they pick up our baskets, is how well balanced that they are!</div>
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How about Capacity! With the offset handle we can fill them right up! As added bonuses they stack on top of each other with out crushing your harvest! In case your harvest is dirty, just leave it in the basket and spray it with a hose! When the harvest is all collected the baskets can stand on end for compact storage!</div>
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We have found so many uses for these baskets that half of the first production is in our house! They have been full of apples, black walnuts, peppers, onions, garlic, toys, garden tools, and even just plain old "stuff"!</div>
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<a href="http://www.meffordendeavors.com/shop/article_600/Garden-Harvest-Basket.html?sessid=WA3fEl5nPNFYuGaWPm6Xxi3E9sB0O0tpfM9ApWHrML41Jz4inMuVvnIGLIJaZWQJ&shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D600%26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Need a Basket? Just click here!</a></h2>
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Thanks for reading and May GOD Bless You and yours!</div>
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Thomas</div>
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-56689182198536262932014-01-29T20:11:00.001-05:002014-01-29T20:14:10.371-05:00Simple, Cheap, Hydroponics on the farmHydroponics...is a subset of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroculture" title="Hydroculture">hydroculture</a> and is a method of growing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant" title="Plant">plants</a> using mineral <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient" title="Nutrient">nutrient</a> solutions, in water, without <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil" title="Soil">soil</a>. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root" title="Root">roots</a> in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite" title="Perlite">perlite</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel" title="Gravel">gravel</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar" title="Biochar">biochar</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_wool" title="Mineral wool">mineral wool</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-clay" title="Ex-clay">expanded clay</a> pebbles or coconut husk. Or at least that is what Wikipedia says!<br />
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That Definition is good but it sounds expensive so my translation is... Growing food in pipes with fertilized water. That sounds a little more do-able to the self reliant farmer! The system that I am going to show you is a blend of two other system types. I am using an Aeroponics type plant support and drain with the top feeding system similar to a Dutch bucket. There are many videos online that show similar systems. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8J6tgR0tnMg/UuQOu563QlI/AAAAAAAAAcE/1JeDdSPEMnE/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8J6tgR0tnMg/UuQOu563QlI/AAAAAAAAAcE/1JeDdSPEMnE/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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This is my beginning parts pile, I know it looks like a lot but when I was shopping for all this I kept the budget in mind. All these parts I got at Lowes. My local Home depot has the plumbing parts but not the irrigation stuff. </div>
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The Pipe I used is 4" plastic drain pipe it is much less expensive than 4" schedule 40 pvc pipe. For this little project I need 2 pieces of pipe 36" long, lucky for me I have some of this stuff laying around so I did not have to buy it!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUNqh8RXvdk/UuQfKeN4XBI/AAAAAAAAAcc/GgGXwC3M75E/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUNqh8RXvdk/UuQfKeN4XBI/AAAAAAAAAcc/GgGXwC3M75E/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ISih-cHXF8/UuQfJC_SLtI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zQ6zDAkWSLo/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ISih-cHXF8/UuQfJC_SLtI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zQ6zDAkWSLo/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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The pipe on the left of these two pictures is what we are going to make. It is really simple with a few tools. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8vJM9klxWQY/UuQfKsBOZKI/AAAAAAAAAcg/W_pP5h8K8_s/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8vJM9klxWQY/UuQfKsBOZKI/AAAAAAAAAcg/W_pP5h8K8_s/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I measured my pipe and marked the center, 18" then I measured from the center 5" to the left and 15" to the left. Then repeated the measurements to the right of center. You should have 4 marks each 10" on center. If you look closely at the marks above you will see that the center mark has a circle around it...that does not go there! Whoops!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snd3PijBHwc/UuQfLofQiYI/AAAAAAAAAcs/I6_FkFY0SxA/s1600/IMG_1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snd3PijBHwc/UuQfLofQiYI/AAAAAAAAAcs/I6_FkFY0SxA/s1600/IMG_1237.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I used my corded drill and a 2" hole saw for these holes.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3leAjnp2enA/UuQfMJSUVHI/AAAAAAAAAcw/326FLQTnKsw/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3leAjnp2enA/UuQfMJSUVHI/AAAAAAAAAcw/326FLQTnKsw/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Carefully center the bit...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wP5iymEsIeo/UuQfMT0K-CI/AAAAAAAAAc4/E1iwpYocok0/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wP5iymEsIeo/UuQfMT0K-CI/AAAAAAAAAc4/E1iwpYocok0/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Go slow, take your time..</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_nCkCMLx5Ms/UuQfM6IUQkI/AAAAAAAAAdA/9dSIuUfX2Vw/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_nCkCMLx5Ms/UuQfM6IUQkI/AAAAAAAAAdA/9dSIuUfX2Vw/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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One done! Three more to go...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkmmhBRv0jk/UuQfNu4_YRI/AAAAAAAAAdI/q6XT9OFeC4A/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkmmhBRv0jk/UuQfNu4_YRI/AAAAAAAAAdI/q6XT9OFeC4A/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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There we are, all drilled and ready for the next step...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D6I_O6KIDQA/UuQvg4FeebI/AAAAAAAAAdg/42_mbLXQ2eY/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D6I_O6KIDQA/UuQvg4FeebI/AAAAAAAAAdg/42_mbLXQ2eY/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I cleaned up the holes with a razor knife, I had plastic burrs on both the inside and outside, it all needs to come off because later in this setup we will have a pump circulating water and we do not want to plug the pump up with plastic shavings!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jR-263g1pDA/UuQviJRP6WI/AAAAAAAAAds/gpGQRG22wH8/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jR-263g1pDA/UuQviJRP6WI/AAAAAAAAAds/gpGQRG22wH8/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Now to make the second end cap, I used my trusty corded drill and a 7/8" spade bit for boring holes in wood.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pXPOPd4f_yo/UuQx96xza9I/AAAAAAAAAd4/rDym7u8QJv4/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pXPOPd4f_yo/UuQx96xza9I/AAAAAAAAAd4/rDym7u8QJv4/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv7dxFKV5Rk/UuQx9ljCQ4I/AAAAAAAAAd0/PploCYfEMAo/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv7dxFKV5Rk/UuQx9ljCQ4I/AAAAAAAAAd0/PploCYfEMAo/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I started the hole on the inside using a piece of scrap pipe to make sure I was not to close to the outer edge... after the hole was drilled i cleaned it up and enlarged it with a razor knife.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d00yJ6iaBfk/UuQyACvIhgI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ZESBHgIAUMQ/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d00yJ6iaBfk/UuQyACvIhgI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ZESBHgIAUMQ/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Then I put the heat to it! I just needed to soften the plastic not really melt it...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WELgFfjXquY/UuQyAB6pvXI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/UjWMsHqOWPc/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WELgFfjXquY/UuQyAB6pvXI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/UjWMsHqOWPc/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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After it is softened up, I screwed the fitting into the end cap and let it cool.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YP9GRmDRnYs/UuQyAIdXqYI/AAAAAAAAAeM/SKq6sKY_H9s/s1600/IMG_1272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YP9GRmDRnYs/UuQyAIdXqYI/AAAAAAAAAeM/SKq6sKY_H9s/s1600/IMG_1272.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Now that all the drilling is done the system starts to come together pretty quick, </div>
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Next we will construct the "Drain Manifold"</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75cLXGlVk30/UuQ1cY3JoxI/AAAAAAAAAes/MJKZF7ADlHc/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-75cLXGlVk30/UuQ1cY3JoxI/AAAAAAAAAes/MJKZF7ADlHc/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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This is simple, (2) 4" pieces of 3/4" pipe, (4) 2" pieces of 3/4" pipe, (4) 90 degree elbows and a tee. Simple right? If not, make it look like this...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyprrMR-VMw/UuQ1btlUHfI/AAAAAAAAAek/nBqqDCTOEQ0/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyprrMR-VMw/UuQ1btlUHfI/AAAAAAAAAek/nBqqDCTOEQ0/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I said it would shape up quick didn't I? Now that is all set and dry assembled we can move on to the irrigation side of things, We will seal all the white plastic as we set it in its final resting spot.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KulYE-FtRN8/UuQ5PK1dmnI/AAAAAAAAAfA/oz0We6HJfXw/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KulYE-FtRN8/UuQ5PK1dmnI/AAAAAAAAAfA/oz0We6HJfXw/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I am going to start with the bigger pipe. it is 1/2" irrigation line from Lowes. I cut a piece off the roll that is 36" long. I attached the 1/2" line to the table with some duct tape and screws to hold it straight then I plugged one end.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zzQkXD6bm-0/UuQ5PtVoR7I/AAAAAAAAAfE/jNCEo-6k4F0/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zzQkXD6bm-0/UuQ5PtVoR7I/AAAAAAAAAfE/jNCEo-6k4F0/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60gosvoXkEI/UuQ5QM7lhNI/AAAAAAAAAfM/v5stRzSTMiw/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60gosvoXkEI/UuQ5QM7lhNI/AAAAAAAAAfM/v5stRzSTMiw/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I used Teflon tape to seal the threaded end. and a hose clamp for the hose to the black fitting.</div>
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Now I am cutting 8 pieces of the smaller irrigation line to 10" long. Each line will feed one cup in the system.</div>
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The 1/2" line needs holes in it for the individual cup feed lines I need four sets of holes about 10" apart, I bought the tool that is sold at Lowes with the irrigation parts to make the holes.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bvB5oC6OfpM/UumbiMJ0XJI/AAAAAAAAAh8/-QkEXMd4OIM/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bvB5oC6OfpM/UumbiMJ0XJI/AAAAAAAAAh8/-QkEXMd4OIM/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IYalUK5D9oI/UumddtmHjPI/AAAAAAAAAiY/FNAKLj71X5E/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IYalUK5D9oI/UumddtmHjPI/AAAAAAAAAiY/FNAKLj71X5E/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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The instructions to use the tool are on the inside of the package, it was easy to use and it saved a lot of wear and tear on my fingers!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ESB5ji8TLis/UumbeSKzUQI/AAAAAAAAAhM/5fU2Daktn98/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ESB5ji8TLis/UumbeSKzUQI/AAAAAAAAAhM/5fU2Daktn98/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0drtfo6MNVs/Uumbd9UplBI/AAAAAAAAAhI/XZ_oOkFftfY/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0drtfo6MNVs/Uumbd9UplBI/AAAAAAAAAhI/XZ_oOkFftfY/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Put the part in the tool, and then the hose onto the part...the tool adds leverage.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7P3dHQpGmPg/UumbfkgprVI/AAAAAAAAAhc/bDWCWcX0Wkk/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7P3dHQpGmPg/UumbfkgprVI/AAAAAAAAAhc/bDWCWcX0Wkk/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K18-i3ZvCOg/UumbfaWK5XI/AAAAAAAAAhY/5aYeOGj0SaI/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K18-i3ZvCOg/UumbfaWK5XI/AAAAAAAAAhY/5aYeOGj0SaI/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Then you turn the whole operation around and put the tube in the tool and again it adds leverage to get the fitting into the holes in the 1/2" pipe!</div>
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The adjustable drippers go onto the other end of the small lines and into each little net pot.</div>
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My system is looking almost complete! all that is missing is a fountain pump, an air pump and plants! But we will wait for all that until next time! I have started some lettuce in peat pots and some in Rockwool, when the plants are big enough to transplant I will pick up where I have left off! </div>
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Please feel free to leave questions and comments below!</div>
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May GOD bless you All! </div>
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Thomas</div>
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-42077147083805104332014-01-20T15:48:00.000-05:002014-01-20T15:48:51.943-05:00Making Butter on the Farm<div style="text-align: center;">
We try to teach good stewardship of everything we are given in life to our family. Our family milk cow "Dolly" Gives us just one of these teaching moments! Dolly gave us a heifer (girl) calf last fall and we started milking her at that time, It is a really BIG commitment to be at the barn at 6am and 6 pm EVERY day! So you can see that we do not want to waste any of what Dolly provides for us, Which is about 1.5 gallons of milk twice every day! That is a LOT of milk! We cannot consume that much so we have to find other uses, we have made ice cream, some cheese, milk wine and a family favorite BUTTER. Dolly is a Jersey cow so about 25% of the milk she gives us is heavy cream -perfect for butter making! So with all that background we should get to making some butter. Emmy, Our oldest Child is in charge of the dairy cow at age 15, She is the one who made this butter for us.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_o5mg4Kk_vY/Ut1jAYg3YdI/AAAAAAAAAWk/My1Aa3XxgmE/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_o5mg4Kk_vY/Ut1jAYg3YdI/AAAAAAAAAWk/My1Aa3XxgmE/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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The Kitchen-aid mixer on the right is what we use to make our butter in, It is the 8 quart commercial model, on the left is our old 4 quart model after 15 years of service we are sending her to semi-retirement, she will get a little TLC and become our back-up mixer.</div>
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Moving on to the next step with a clean mixing bowl and The wire whisk attachment we add no more than 3 quarts of heavy cream to the 8 quart mixing bowl.</div>
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During our learning curve with butter making on this scale, we found the you have to have a lid to make butter in a kitchen-aid! We made ours from a piece of corrugated plastic that we picked up at home depot.</div>
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The plastic cover helps a lot with the splatter of butter making. The cream is in the bowl with the whisk on and bowl covered, Now we crank it up to 5 or 6 and let it go! Depending on the temperature of the cream, the volume of the cream and the mooood of the cream will tell you how long it will take to become butter. The cream should not be ice cold or it will take longer, But when it starts to look like this...</div>
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You have made whipped cream! (if you add confectioners sugar to sweeten it you can put a dollop on your pie!) Whipped cream is the last thing you see before butter comes...</div>
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Once the butter arrives we like to drain off the buttermilk, and change to the paddle. This helps to remove more of the buttermilk from butter.</div>
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When the butter has given up most of its liquid it is time to separate the buttermilk from the butter, To do this we will need 2 bowls and a piece of butter cloth. (we use a piece of 100% nylon sheer curtain that was cut to size and hemmed, the butter does not stick to it very much IF you Don't squeeze it!)</div>
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Let your butter drain and then it goes into its own bowl, without the butter cloth. </div>
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Now the butter needs worked so it will release more buttermilk, We do this with a bamboo rice paddle and/or an antique butter paddle. Firmly pressing the butter to the sides of the bowl will release the extra liquid, this step really improves the texture of the butter!</div>
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Now that all the buttermilk has been remoooved we add a touch of salt to our butter,</div>
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We add about 1/4 teaspoon to each 1/2 pound of finished butter, this batch was just over a pound and a half so 3/4 of a teaspoon will do just fine!</div>
We use small freezer bags to store the butter, I will let Emmy show you how it is done!<br />
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That is all there is to making your own homemade butter! Now I will answer a few Questions about REAL butter,</div>
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Yes that is the color of natural butter, no coloring was added at any step</div>
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Yes that is how thin real buttermilk is- non cultured real buttermilk is naturally low fat</div>
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The color of the butter will change according to what the cow is eating, the breed of the cow and how long she has been milking.</div>
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You can make butter in a mason jar with store bought heavy cream, just shake -it up!</div>
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You do not have to add salt to your butter, that is just our preference.</div>
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If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the comments box at the bottom of the page!</div>
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and Thank-you Emmy for your butter making pictures!</div>
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May GOD bless you All! </div>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-32511946613432808142014-01-16T18:13:00.000-05:002014-01-16T18:13:34.666-05:00Wood Splitting The HARD way<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tommy splitting wood</span></h2>
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Many things in life stand before you in the form of decisions, Like splitting wood for example, you could use any number of tools here on the farm to get the job done, like</div>
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Gas powered wood splitter</div>
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Monster maul</div>
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Splitting maul</div>
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Axe</div>
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sledgehammer and wedges</div>
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Tommy, Our 14 year old boy thought the gas powered splitter was going to be too difficult for a few larger pieces of wood So he took it upon himself to find another way!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dad This is WAY easier"</td></tr>
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The boy felt that wedges and a sledgehammer was the way to go! His sister was there to help him, She is the one taking pictures and laughing...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I set the wedge with a few taps"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Then I can hit it harder"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"See Dad its easy"</td></tr>
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Well, He did get it done... after he broke a long handled sledge, And then hit himself in the shin with a shorter handled sledge, Then he broke the short handled sledge....THEN he listed to Dear Old Dad and started up the splitter and was done in ten minutes!</div>
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-59043359003019977902014-01-15T20:27:00.000-05:002014-01-15T20:27:02.200-05:00I found this list...<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I found this list on an older post and I figured I would update what really did happen since this list was written just before maple season 2013 and now it is a year later.....</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here are the plans we have set before the LORD, and we will see what he blesses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maple Syrup production </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>-2013 was our best year so far in production!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maple Syrup Cook Book </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>- Nope</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Release Tom’s How to Build A Red Wagon Book</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong> - Nope, BUT we did publish the How to bottle water e book on amazon!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Goat Milk Soaps </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>-a banner year for Nina's soaps, new molds, Scents good sales!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chain Mail Jewelry or trinkets </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>-Emmy and Cammy took on this one and sold several pairs of earrings and also made a necklace for Mema and a few other things.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">v<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Turkeys and Meat Chickens for sale </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>- YES we sold one duck, several chickens and a turkey!</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As I reflect on 2013, I remember all the things that did get done that were not on this super list, like building the wood shed...</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Making wooden garden harvest baskets for sale...</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Doo-9tbY5FQ/UtbA_XsbMEI/AAAAAAAAAKM/j1PS73stKAM/s1600/IMG_0893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Doo-9tbY5FQ/UtbA_XsbMEI/AAAAAAAAAKM/j1PS73stKAM/s1600/IMG_0893.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2nQ7Ks100w/UtbAlrYXzzI/AAAAAAAAAKI/94WuQHpXzJA/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2nQ7Ks100w/UtbAlrYXzzI/AAAAAAAAAKI/94WuQHpXzJA/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Courier New;">The big apple harvest, and apple cider, and apple sauce, and hard cider, and milk wine, and two big house/barn clean outs, And the sawmill trailer.....and and and and......</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Courier New;">So with all of that now behind us, We look ahead to 2014, we should make a list! It seemed to work for us ok last year!</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Just remember that we do not know what the future holds BUT we know who holds the future!</span></strong><br />
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-5196898260862969162014-01-15T11:08:00.000-05:002014-01-15T11:08:38.082-05:00The New Sugar Shack!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The New Sugar Shack!</h2>
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Normal? Normal is a dryer setting, not a building code!</h3>
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About 10 years ago I found a picture of this style of building in a chicken supply catalog. It is called a starplate building system. It is 5 sided and looks a little different, but it is very lumber efficient! The kit was around $100 and consisted of 11 starplates and an instruction booklet. It can be built in many sizes, we chose the biggest recommended size and the 25 2x4 framing pieces are 9 feet long. That gives it a floor area of 140sqft and an overall height of 13 feet. Each triangle is 7 3/4 feet tall. It may look a bit odd but it seems really sturdy!</div>
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The sheathing on this thing has a dramatic learning curve! I am sure that there are not 2 pieces of sheathing on this thing with the same measurements! We struggled with this part for two days! (remember I have a brain injury and cannot concentrate very long) The instructions that came with the kit are pretty good, but it was still a bear to figure out.<br />
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The walls have to go on first, if not then you cannot get them attached under the eaves! The instructions come with cutting templates for the studs and braces inside the building, They help a lot! I had to keep Tommy or Emmy at my side and talk out the cuts to get them right!<br />
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This is as far as we got, all 5 upside down triangles are sheathed and braced inside. The braces for the roof are cut but not installed and that one lonely window is just hanging there on a couple of screws swinging in the breeze. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_saZcWCZjM/UtXrARsw6uI/AAAAAAAAAH8/yaKZFefDaK4/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_saZcWCZjM/UtXrARsw6uI/AAAAAAAAAH8/yaKZFefDaK4/s400/IMG_1042.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 15, 2014 This is where it is at, maple season is 4-5 weeks away!</td></tr>
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No Rush, I mean maple season is like forever away (40 days) no worries it will come together! of course the evaporator is in the farm stand still, the stovepipe isn't even bought yet, the cupola for the roof is not drawn on paper yet, we do have the windows- none of them are the same size or style but they are here! God Willing we will boil sap in this building for the 2014 season and beyond!</div>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-40898923660248505122014-01-14T20:52:00.001-05:002014-01-14T21:50:51.710-05:00My first Blog<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<em>My first blog</em></h2>
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<em>1/14/14</em></h2>
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"Normally" My lovely bride would do the posting BUT its been kind of rough around here since the last blog entry in Febuary of 2013... So let me catch you all up...Quickly...</div>
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March - Nina's sister died after a week in ICU</div>
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April, May, June, July- We got two more kids! (The human kind) our nieces 13 and 15 years old</div>
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August - took a breath of fresh air, Nieces are with their father now, first cut hay is in.</div>
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September- Bethlehem fair! I hit myself in the head (really Hard) (the hit, not the head... ok so both) I was diagnosed with a "traumatic brain injury" It turns out that head injuries are cumulative over your lifetime...Hmmm who knew? I have been unable to return to work, I manage to do some puttering on most days, other days, not so much</div>
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October - I don't remember much about October, lots of Doctors visits, and a visiting nurse twice a week until Christmas. Oh and my electric wheelchair.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hit myself in the head with the top of a potbellied stove</td></tr>
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November - just like October just colder.</div>
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December - diagnosed with Cronic Lyme with Co-infections! still out of work, some ok days some really bad days, I need help to do a lot of everyday things like get dressed.... I am seeing two doctors for the lyme, a regular MD and a naturapathic DR, Lot of drugs, weird side effects, not a lot of fun. I have been crocheting a lot lately though, I've made a lot of "stuff" and it was a Homemade Christmas here at the Mefford house..(for the most part)</div>
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January 2014</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Knit hat for Emmy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Prayer shawl for Mom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cross stitch for MEMA</td></tr>
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Now that 2013 is in the past we are looking eagerly to 2014! our new sugar shack is at least standing, not finished or anything but it is standing! My bride received a Greenhouse for her birthday! so we have some very exciting things brewing on the homefront for 2014! </div>
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Stay tuned for more of what we do!</div>
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Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-80891157064116096492013-02-01T07:58:00.001-05:002013-02-01T07:58:45.975-05:00
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, it’s that time again! The days are warming up nicely
and soon I will be spending my days boiling sap!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is amazing to me how our operation has
grown over the last 4 seasons. The first sap year in NY we tapped maybe 18 taps
at a good friend’s house about 20 minutes from where we were living. It was a
haul, but it got us started. We gathered about 4 gallons of finished sap that
year. We learned a lot and were very excited and had definitely caught maple
fever. In 2011 we tapped 25 holes again at our friends home and were ready for
a banner year in our book. 2011 was looking to be fantastic, but Tom’s father
was very sick. William passed away and we ended up having to abandon the
season. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got a few gallons finished
but certainly not all that could have been. In late 2012 we moved back to CT to
the family farm. No more driving to get maple sap, its all right here. In 2012
we set about 45 taps, but many were in old maples that just are not in great
health. I don’t have a final count for finished syrup as we sold it as fast as
we could make it. My best guess would be 8-9 gallons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here we
are in 2013. The buckets are up, and once we are done tapping we should have 67
taps in. We already have preorders for syrup and that alone is really exciting.
The barn is coming along and the Farm Stand will be opening this spring. So
much activity here! Mefford Endeavors goes live and we think it will be a busy
but productive season for all endeavors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here are the plans we have set before the LORD, and we
will see what he blesses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are currently building new soap molds, and will be posting our progress on many of these projects. SO STAY TUNED!!!</span></div>
Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-21432685306301792392011-10-11T11:39:00.001-04:002011-10-11T11:41:42.462-04:00The fall has begunWell, it is fall and my goal and hopes to inspire others with gardening info... well it did not happen. It has been a very busy year for us here on Emtoca Farm. I have lots of photos of the garden this year. We tilled an entire new section and tried some great new varieties. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COdRyfk2B9g/TpRhw0qN-iI/AAAAAAAAADg/3ip-t94gjYA/s1600/Garden2011J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COdRyfk2B9g/TpRhw0qN-iI/AAAAAAAAADg/3ip-t94gjYA/s320/Garden2011J.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We used the raised beds as in the past, but also added a large area for tomatoes and corn. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7bpaM8qcVF4/TpRiBG6DZ4I/AAAAAAAAADo/67J88zdwZJQ/s1600/garden2011L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7bpaM8qcVF4/TpRiBG6DZ4I/AAAAAAAAADo/67J88zdwZJQ/s320/garden2011L.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuCFsRX370g/TpRiFt75CFI/AAAAAAAAADw/qwxtnbA02bA/s1600/Garden2011H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuCFsRX370g/TpRiFt75CFI/AAAAAAAAADw/qwxtnbA02bA/s320/Garden2011H.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is my VOLUNTEER squash patch that self seeded right out of the compost pile. I had to find a new place to pile my compostables. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mDAcMkJaNnQ/TpRiY5E49UI/AAAAAAAAAD4/G3tyojSRdXw/s1600/garden2011F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mDAcMkJaNnQ/TpRiY5E49UI/AAAAAAAAAD4/G3tyojSRdXw/s320/garden2011F.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chh20jXNBo4/TpRiyfOJESI/AAAAAAAAAEA/pqfljriMLic/s1600/garden2011D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chh20jXNBo4/TpRiyfOJESI/AAAAAAAAAEA/pqfljriMLic/s320/garden2011D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are the goats.. Cleaning up the mess from the season of bountiful harvests.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will need to work on getting some more info put in... Stay tuned!</div>Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-15611672766252023862011-10-02T18:06:00.000-04:002011-10-02T18:06:25.001-04:00WE ARE MOVING!As a family, we have done many things over the years. 3 years ago we bought a house in MExico NY and declared. WE ARE NEVER MOVING AGAIN. This was it, our homestead to retire on. We have put a lot of sweat into this little peace of land. We have built 2 barns, created a 1500 sq ft garden space and reclained at least 1/3 of the land that was scrub and weeds. We planted fruit trees and flower bulbs... But in God's Timing, and for God's plan, we are moving back to CT. William R Carr passed to be with the Lord in April of this year. My mother in law, whom I love and admire, is a very stong capable woman. The dilema arises when one realizes just how much MANLY stuff Bill occupied himself with between 2 homesteads. If he was not mowing the grass, or brush hoging the field, or fixing this, tinkering with that. He kept 2 households in repaired and brought in wood for the winter. He is very much missed. We will be relocating to the family farm, to pick up all the THINGS that need to be done. I personally am thrilled to be back near my family and am excited for the adventures to come. <br />
So stay tuned. I am sure this move will be with many worthy tales to be told. Have the meffords ever done anything that did NOT result in a story to be told by TOM.... So stayed tuned.... ........Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-12269868814233919182011-05-26T19:52:00.000-04:002011-05-26T19:52:21.698-04:00Soap Making BluesOh the joys of learning to make soap. My journey began last summer. I had a friend who sells soap and I LOVE her soap! It is creamy, smells good and lasts quite a while. Having pondered soap making before, i decided it was time to try my hand at it. How hard can it be really? Oh how little I understood. Making soap is like baking bread, or making cheese, or painting. When you start you keep it simple, and then experiment from there. SO I bought a book that had pictures for each and every step. I got my gloves, goggles, and all the other safety stuff. But I was scared to death of the lye. In fact my first batch I made barefoot. BIG MISTAKE. I glob of liquid slipped to the floor and landed on my foot. I did not really notice, until my foot started to have a burning sensation. OPPPS. I panicked and over reacted as usual. My dear husband, bless his heart, had read that vinegar counteracts the lye... I think he saved my life. (LOL). Some how I missed that note. <br />
So Meticulously I followed the directions. I weighed everything, measured, oh heavens I was over cautious. After about 3 hours I had my first batch in the mold. WOW... I was not sure this was for me. The killer is that you really don't know what you have until 3 weeks from when you make your batch. SO 3 weeks later I had made several more batches and all were curing on window sills, pantry shelves, or where ever I could find. I even gave some away!. Once I started using my 100 percent vegetable oil soaps all made from this one recipe, I found out I did not like the soap! REALLY... it dissolved pretty fast in the shower and formed a goo on the counter where it rested. Most of the bars smelled wonderful, and they would get you clean, but I needed to go back to the drawing board. So I tried a different recipe this time which included beef tallow. Others had said it made a harder bar, and my soap making friend used it. I went scouring for a recipe and found one in my goat products book. I had only recently started using goat milk as a liquid.. that is another entire story! <br />
So I found a castille soap that is mostly olive oil and some beef tallow and coconut oil. I made an 8 lb batch. DO you know how much soap that makes??? We are still using it 5 months later... Which is fine, if you like the soap. Again, it had problems. The soap turned out very hard, and I felt like the Lye amount was really high. Being a novice I really have no clue. I made three fragrances of this 8 lb batch. I have Irish Tweed, a divine scent for men, Clean Cotton, which was really strong and is better as an air freshener than as soap, and Madagascar Vanilla, a wonderful warm tropic vanilla scent. The bars were oddly shaped, but fragranced well. After waiting 3 weeks.. I finally tried them. Hmmm. The soap was hard and slimy. Not gooey, but slimy like having bleach or oil on your hands. I didn't like that at all. Of course I had already given bunches away based on looks and smell alone. I finally finished my first bar of Clean Cotton when I tried the Madagascar vanilla which looked like chunks of fudge. To my horror, upon using the first bar, i noticed that it ran... it looked like melting chocolate running down the side of the bathtub! <br />
I was pretty defeated at this point. Frustrated that each batch posed it's own set of problems. Between scent, molds, goat milk, and colorants I was fit to be tied. <br />
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I WILL NOT GIVE UP! I WILL NOT GIVE UP! <br />
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I joined a few Yahoo groups hoping to find someone to help me. I knew there is something I was not getting and the books were not helping me. I would scour recipes for soap and not understand why they used the ingredients they did.. or how do you know how much lye or water to use. I could not continue making batches of soap that I did not like and would not use. SO I began asking questions and I am here to tell you... I have more knowledge and feel much more confident. I decided to stick with Lard and Tallow based soaps. They make a harder bar and I can get tallow free. *(Thank you my dear hubby) I also missed the lather in the last batch so i wanted coconut oil in my soap. After reading and playing around with the soap calculator recommended by one member, I came up with a recipe that I think will be fantastic. <br />
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PRESENT DAY:<br />
It is 7pm. I just finished making a 4 lb batch of Tallow, Lard, Coconut, Olive, and Castor oil soap. I selected 3 fragrances and decided to use some goats milk in the soap. Everything is prepped and the soap making begins. In hind sight it all went really smooth. UNTIL I poured it into my molds. I am using PVC gutter downspout material since I like the way it shapes the bars. I carefully duct taped the bottoms after attaching parchment paper.. the 3 tubes were positioned in a 5 gallon bucket waiting to be filled. SO I poured, tapped, poured the next, tapped, poured the last,.. OPPS not enough room... tapped the bucket on the counter to remove air.. AH more room.. There it all fit... THEN the horror! The duck tape had let loose and the bottom of my bucket is filled with 3 scents of soap.. all swirling around and intermingling every time I rapped the bucket. Deflated does not begin to express how I felt when I realized what had happened. Defeated again... The good news, is regardless of how strange the soap may end up looking or smelling.. it will still be soap that a person, our family, can and will use. So I did not waste my time entirely, but I learned yet ANOTHER lesson in soap making. Mr Edison made many failed attempts before he invented the light bulb... Some day I will arrive with enough botched batches of soap being made and finally have it all figured out. At least I hope that is how the story turns out! <br />
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Good day and Good night!Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-82425473611902090932011-03-02T14:23:00.000-05:002011-03-02T14:23:30.662-05:00Goats... so much to learnIt is a cold and very WINDY day here at EmToCa farm. We were blessed with our second set of goat babies this year. Our doe Lucy gave birth around 6pm yesterday. Except for the weather being so cold, everything seems to be just fine. It just simply amazes me to see a mama goat who knows just what needs to be done. I had read in an article that after a doe gives birth that a nice bucket of warm water with molasses in it would be greatfully accepted. This is so true. My doe was all done getting the kids cleaned up and she had a full bucket of clean water and feed if she wanted it. However when I arrived with that warm bucket of sweet water, you could almost hear the sigh of satisfaction as she sucked it all down. I guess it is my way of comforting her for all the hard work. <br />
So far both babies, of which we are not set on names yet, are doing just fine. We keep checking on them with this cold weather to be sure they are warm enough and getting milk.<br />
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My neighbor has not been so lucky. He had a sanaan doe that had triplets. All three babies have now died and mama is in dire straights. The thing about owning goats is that if you come into it as a novice, you soon become very knoweldgebale. Things that you thought would not happen often do and it sends one scrambling for information. I am so blessed to have a husband to keep me grounded and level headed. I hear myself talking about goat items and think to myself, WOW, I guess you have learned a thing or two. Not to say that I am an expert.. Oh far from it. But I do the best I can, pray for wisdom and leave the rest in God's hands.<br />
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We are so lucky to live in the times that we do. 20 years ago the internet what not there for information. If you did not have a book on hand, or a knowledgeable neighbor or friend you were stuck. But with the internet you can search, research, ask others questions, learn from other's mistakes and have information at your fingertips that was not available before. Personally I am very thankful. I can order goat books, supplies, ask advice all without leaving my warm cozy house. Life is good.<br />
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On a seperate note, our first Goat baby named Logan went to live with is new parents. It was a bittersweet parting. I miss the clip clop across the floor and the sight of a baby goat jumping on the couch.. ( I am a pretty tolerant person)... but thankfully he went to a wonderful family where I know he will receive lots of love an affection. I think that made the parting easier. Luke is still here with us, waiting to go to CT to live with family. My children are thrilled with that idea. They can go visit and see an animal they know. <br />
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Well, I need to get back to the farm and check on he new babies. Thanks for stopping by to read. Hope to see you soon.Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-32242757666257763092011-02-12T11:29:00.000-05:002011-02-12T11:29:54.637-05:00BABY GOATSWell the anticipated day finally arrived! We have baby goats. Wow.. I got myself so worked up for the blessed day by reading everything I could about goats having babies. What amazed me was that depending on who the author is, the procedure can be anything from Hands off, to VERY HANDS ON! To vaccinate or not, bottle feeding, kid care.. My head began to spin and I became very nervous that I would not be ready for the day there were born. My husband, the seasoned farmer in the family was so patient to put up with all my questions, all my nervousness and worry. In the end, I did worry a lot over nothing. When the day arrived, and I checked EVERY day for 4 days straight before she was REALLY ready to have her babies, I was not even home! I went to the feed store to get some straw, since I was pretty confident that today was going to be THE DAY!. My phone rang, and my daughter says,"We have 2 babies!".... I was only 10 minutes away and I missed it! <br />
In the end the mama did everything she needed to do. We helped clean up, and offered her some greatly appreciated nurishment once the kidding was all over. Our WILD doe became very gentle and allowed us to get the pen cleaned up, and help dry off her babies. A week later, she is back to her old self and decided that she only wanted one of the 2 babies. We are bottle feeding the rejected one in the house and learning how cute baby goats can be! <br />
Our hopes were to end up with a Nigerian/Pygmy doe, but we ended up with 2 bucks. <br />
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As I look back over this past week, I still shake my head at all the information out there in books and on the internet that tell you THEIR WAY IS BEST. So far we are navigating though and doing just fine. <br />
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The good news is that one buck is already sold, and we have had interest in the other. I am not sure if the human kids in our family will be ready for the bitter sweet parting of selling the little guys. We do not have room to keep every baby born on EmToCa farm, so go they must. <br />
Here are some pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LqYlgDBjODI/TVa1YAdqvQI/AAAAAAAAADY/KdeRfoBs5Yk/s1600/Luke+and+Logan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LqYlgDBjODI/TVa1YAdqvQI/AAAAAAAAADY/KdeRfoBs5Yk/s320/Luke+and+Logan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dyIBn1ryU5A/TVa1c82WVOI/AAAAAAAAADc/o0X5T5zjXUY/s1600/Logan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dyIBn1ryU5A/TVa1c82WVOI/AAAAAAAAADc/o0X5T5zjXUY/s320/Logan+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-16602706844051033632011-01-29T16:28:00.000-05:002011-01-29T16:28:12.930-05:00SEEDS - Not created equal~I was at the local Feed store today and to my delight there before me was a rack of garden seeds. I happened to have a 10% off my entire purchase coupon, and I just recently finished my WISH list of seeds for this years garden. I had gone so far as to price several different suppliers of heirloom seeds in an attempt to spend as little for seeds as I could. So, here I stood.. OH LOOK! There were several varieties I had wanted to order. I quickly put them in my cart, but the packet did not seem to contain a lot, so I put a second packet in my cart. I even happened to learn something from a fellow shopper who shared some wise gardening wisdom with me! OH I LOVE to talk to other gardeners, you can learn so much. Like, why my pickles may have turned out mussy. This was a mystery to me up to this point, and I was going to forgo dill pickle making this year. It turns out that the burpless cucumbers are, in this womans opinion, not the best for canning. So I asked her what she used and bought those. You see I tried to make dill pickles,.. I was SOOO frustrated when some jars were laced with smushy pickles, and some were fine. I had not thought that the cucumbers I used were some burpless, and some regualr. HMM.<br />
OK, back to my original thought process. I brought my seeds home to log into my excel spread sheet of seeds. (yes I tend to be OCD with my garden records) It was then that I noticed. These seed packets , that were about 1/2 the price of those from other companies online, were containing a lot less seeds! I get annoyed buying toilet paper when all the companies vary thier pack sizes and sheets so to make a nightmare trying to figure out which is ACTUALLY the least expensive. I am aware that yogurt companies made their containers smaller while leaving their prices the same. The same goes with TUNA, have you noticed the cans are now 5 oz not 6? I sure have noticed. But for some strange reason, my brain dissconnected when I saw the seeds and I forgot about that marketing ploy. So yes I still saved money by not paying to have these seeds shipped. I plan to save a lot of seeds this year, but I am now much more aware of why seeds are cheaper at some locations. The pack size and number of seeds in each packet are less. DUH! Still frustrating though, that the sizes are not at all uniform from company to company. <br />
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My head now hurts, so I am putting my seeds away for a few days.Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722821005496395039.post-5857442693962045462011-01-02T19:32:00.001-05:002011-01-02T21:30:06.473-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">John 3:16 have you read it lately?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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EmToCa farm is our family Homestead. EMmy, TOmmy, and CAmmy are our three children who are learning to run the farm so that they can learn valuable life skills and hopefully earn some college money in the process. As a home school family our farm is our greatest extracurricular experience. We are very active in our church, 4-H and in our community. Any purchases made through our farm, help to fund new projects and future education. We love to teach others as we learn a skill ourselves. Keep coming back to see what the kids have posted, or what our latest project may be. <br />
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Questions are welcomed and will certainly be answered! We hope to offer classes for others to learn gardening, soap making, maple syrup production, and so much more!<br />
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<strong>How did it all begin you might ask? </strong><br />
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If you come over for a visit, you will find we have many bookcases. Over the years Tom and I have read a lot of books and tried many projects. Sometimes we like the outcome, sometimes we admit defeat. It started years ago when we were driving truck and did not yet have a family. Tom took a coorespondance course while we were driving to learn how to repair small engines. I guess we have always been looking for the next challange to see if we can tackle it. As truck drivers, you end up with down time in the oddest places. We just LOVE to learn new things. <br />
Once we finally settled down, bought a house and began raising a family, I guess we never stopped adding new skills. I began compact gardening in Oakland Nebraska.. I got a LOT of strange comments from neighbors who could not wrap their minds around why anyone would compact garden in the wide open spaces of Nebraska. But it was there that I learned so much about how to spend less time weeding, and more time harvesting and canning. a 4' X8' raised bed garden could turn out an amazing amount of tomatoes, beans and lettuce. (even if all that farmers told me I planted things too close).<br />
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Over the years we have aquired many skills. We moved from Nebraska and for many years we rented and could not pursue the things we really wanted to. Now we are in NY and have just enough land to tinker, but not too much to overwhelm us. <br />
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Thank you for stopping by, we will be updating as often as we can. <br />
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May God bless you and your family!Mefford Endeavors, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443507305092069390noreply@blogger.com0