Saturday, February 20, 2010

Getting Ready For Old Man Winter

I have one more weekend of canning to do and I will be done for the year as far as canning goes. I still have dry goods to put up, still trying to work out some new ideas as for what other goods I can dry and store for the winter this year.

I have plowed and tilled the garden last weekend and purchased a bushel of winter rye which I planted yeterday for a green compost for next year.

I am hoping for at least two straight weeks of below 32F to kill the blight that robbed me of some of my foodstores this year. I bleached all my mater stakes prior to storing them.

As for firewood, I have to still fall a cherry tree that is in a very dangerous location near my house. It was struck by lighting last year and didn't make it this year. But I have cut and split almost 9 cords, just about half way there.

Again I will mention that I am spltting two extra cords this year in fear of a cold winter coming with the summer weather being so strange this year. A friend of mine says he expects this to be a cold, wet, and lots of snow this year.

Natural gas prices are 50% less today than they were this time last year, but keeping with my ss journey I still plan to burn wood as primary source for heat. I still have some coal left that I use to bank the fire off at night. I am not sure if I will use it this year or pay the cost of heating with gas.

I get my coal a a local strip mine it cost $65 a ton if I haul it. A ton will last me 6 weeks if used every night.

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