Heat wave! Projects, News, and Ideas

Well, those younger-tougher-than-me folks that came to build chicken coops on Saturday, during our first extreme heat wave, did very well. I, on the other hand, was wrung out from the heat. Here's a photo of, not just a chicken coup, but a "Poulet Chalet" (in progress):

It has a ramp to a lower level that will be enclosed with hardward cloth; A main floor with a continuous nest box (and outside doors for gathering eggs); And it will have a roost running the length, 2' under the peak. It will have a metal roof that lifts open for easy cleaning. Each of us are doing different end-wall siding. I'm using leftover scrap yellow pine tongue and groove flooring. We didn't finish, of course...but we at least got them framed up.

Speaking of heat, ...the lettuce supply from my garden will probably blow out by the end of this week from the 95+ degree weather. This is the last week I'll have it in my cooler for self-serve customers. As other crops come into fruit (cucumbers, summer squashes, onions, etc.) I'll continue to harvest extra each morning, as I can, and hopefully will continue to have in-season produce available to my "regulars." So, if you're going by, don't hesitate to see if there's something fresh, organic, local, and tasty available. It will be priced by-the-bag, as before.

When Mother Nature gives us "weather", we may as well use if for good purposes. This is great weather to make solar tea (any sunny day is, actually..but it's much appreciated to drink now), or break out your solar oven, so you don't heat up the kitchen so much (nor add to the pollution haze). Today, I also plan to put out my black enamel pot with chunks of tallow in them to make my famous "driveway soap"...no electricity needed. ...A year's supply of soap made in 10 minutes with the sun's energy! Yesterday I cooked a whole leg of lamb, (mutton actually), in my pressure cooker. It takes far less energy and time, and it makes tougher cuts of meat very tender and delicious. It only takes about 30-40 minutes in a pressure cooker for a whole leg of lamb, verses hours conventionally. And for a number of days, I have cooked meat ready for easier dinners. Stews, soups, and almost anything else can be pressure cooked for speedy more energy efficient cooking. Of course today's factory farmed meats are injected with tenderizers, antibiotics, "natural" basters (usually soy, plus other stuff) and are grown so fast that the meat is soft (and pasty ...with no taste)... compared to the slower growing heritage animals and flavorful breeds.

If anyone has any other heat related (and/or energy-saving) methods they use to survive (and maybe even benefit from) heat waves, pass them along. I'll share them with others.

p.s. I put shallow pans of water in the shade for my chickens and turkeys to stand in... It cools them down and helps them cope with the heat too. I also have been having my sheep graze during the nights and bring them in the cooler shady barn during the day. It's riskier, because of predators, but they seem to appreciate it for this extreme heat.