Harvest 2013 - Where Does the Lumber Come From?

From time to time we try to make our own materials.  I guess I should really say we try to harvest our own materials.  We like to do this as you can't get much closer to your supply chain.  So a friend called and said they had a really nice walnut log and wanted to know if we wanted it. It didn't sound too big and I already had my hernias fixed so sure!

In the past we have done some projects with literally firewood.  The wood for these frames below was literally taken from the firewood pile on the family farm, so fitting we make these frames as a family gift to the patriarch and matriarch of the family.  When you have a big farm eventually trees die and so even the cherry and the walnut are candidates for the woodpile.

Firewood Picture Frames

So we are not equipped to handle mass scale logging (well really any logging except like firewood), but with a chainsaw and some time you can get a pretty clean cut.  Here are a couple shots post cut.

Walnut Slabs Ready for Their 2 Year Air Drying Process

End Grain Detail

The transition between the heartwood and the sapwood is really cool on walnut.

Slab Detail

So there's more.  Now there is the cleanup of all the sawdust.  We try to not let anything go to waste, so a little factoid to close this out.  Walnut sawdust is a natural herbicide, put this on the ground and not much will grow.  Read more about Walnut Trees.

Walnut Sawdust Pile

Lastely, check out some of the equipment that a smaller producer might use to harvest logs.

What Do Do With All That Zucchini?

ZUCCHINI!!!

Well, it's mid summer, the zucchini is coming in strong, you've strained relations with friend by trying to pawn them off....you have actually harvested them before they are the size of your arm....its not really baking season and you definitely don't want the heat in the house...what to do?





So what we do to get the most out of this crop, especially since it seems to come all at once in mid summer, is to prep these for use later.

Grating Zucchini

We start by grating these as in the picture above.  The recipe we are following is the old stand by, Zucchini Bread out of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

After grating we pre-measure these to the quantity needed for the recipe.  We use these little containers to size them exactly as needed for the recipe, then we put them in the freezer.

Zucchini prep for bread using custom cutting board that drops into sink pan. 

After they are frozen we pop them out and put a bunch of them in a freezer bag.  This way when we are ready to bake we just take one out of the bag and let it thaw as we prep the recipe mix.  

Zucchini Bread recipe mix

Of course it's hard to resist at least getting a couple loafs out of this when you harvest the zucchini.

Love the taste of the crust on this recipe!

If you have any ideas about what you do with all your zucchini let us know or if you would like for us to fashion you a custom cutting board for your sink, visit our website or our Eyrieatomy Facebook page and send us a message.