I got hands on ultra-fresh and beautiful pork belly lately and decided to make cured an smoked bacon again. Didn’t do that for what feels like an eternity and I’m really up for it. I have time at the moment and I can do everything the most relaxed way – finally some cooking fun again 🙂
Dry Ager 2.0 – First Tasks
Tentative progress on the new Dry Aging Chamber. I finished designing/planning the electrical wiring and now started the realization. I also made the necessary installations.
Made a fan and an air vent:
A 12V ⤷ computer fan will hopefully do it’s job inside the fridge, mounted with an angle of 45° and engabeable from the future control board on the top. A closeable ventilation hole with a mesh weave in the fridge’s door will allow for internal as well as external air flow.
Dry Ager 2.0 – A new Approach
A new project begins! Unfortunately, the last dry aging chamber I made didn’t even see real action before the second hand fridge I used to build it put it’s feet up. I found another pre-used and reasonably prized one on eBay classifieds now and I want to try again.
To ease things up a little I will omit some of the functionality the first one was planned to have, but rather keep the option of upgrading it later. A materials list will follow as soon as I have an idea on how to implement everything in detail. So here’s the state of play so far:
Solar Power for the Greenhouse
It was already last year that I started planning a simple solar power system for the greenhouse, since the next power outlet is a tad bit away. After much back and forth, I finally dug up enough time and nerves to complete it by the end of may.
Spring Pasta Recipe
This is a recipe my old friend Steve (who is half italian) taught me well over 20 years ago. It’s a light and fresh pasta dish for a warm spring day’s lunch, foolproof to make with just a few ingredients and very delicious. Steve used “Farfalle” noodles which I didn’t have at hand but it tasted great anyway.
How to: Grow Basil at Home
I sincerely love Basil. Best used fresh, this herb an enrichment for for a lot of dishes from pesto to all kinds of pasta, also poultry and countless sauces and even soups. Always a great addition.
Unfortunately, Basil a is a little diva-ish to have around and grow. I f***ed up numberless times when I tried to grow or even just maintain my basil plants, but finally, meanwhile I seem to have developed at least a little knack for it. I have actually managed to germinate as well as propagate, grow, perpetuate and correctly prune several basil plants on my southern windowsill! Here’s what I can share:
Compost Tumbler
I’ve read about rotating compost bins already two or three years ago, but had neither time nor energy enough to dive into the matter more deeply. There is a vast variety of makes and models available, but they’re all super-sphisticated and expensive and I didn’t want to spend this money for a first test.
Now I found a cheap plastic drum from a marine equipment store on eBay and decided to give it a shot – not much effort and a simple homemade construction. I don’t have any experience with this type of composting, but since I expect to have ample need for compost this summer, the project is worth the time as well as the (little) money to me.
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