First Cache of 2011: Firewood
by Rachel Tayse • April 6, 2011 • Home & Family, Preserving • 3 Comments
Where's your flannel, lumberjack Alex?
Our family spends countless hours harvesting and preserving foodstuffs for times when they are unavailable fresh. We preserve tomatoes, cook up jam, press cider, can applesauce, and dry herbs summer through fall.
Our winter stores for 2011-2012 began Sunday, just as the winter of 2010-2011 violently passed on. Alex chopped and I hauled ash wood from generous friends who had to remove the dying tree. We went back today and will make one more trip to fill our wood pile. We believe with this week of hard work we will have enough fuel for our wood stove to last the whole winter next year.
What are you planning to ‘put up’ in 2011?
This is the year I learn to preserve/can food instead of just tossing it in the freezer where 96% of the time I forget about it. I signed up for your jams & jellies class (along with my mom) in early May- can’t wait! I’m also looking forward to whatever you have planned down the road for preserving other foods like tomatoes and veggies.
I still have frozen fruit from past harvests and U-pick, so I’m making double batches of jam (with Pomona’s pectin). I read somewhere that wood is easier to split from the ‘bottom up’ – I assume that means turning the piece ‘upside down.’ I’m curious to know if it’s true…
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