Summer Kitchen

This is version one.

We have not, as yet done our breaker flipping experiment. I don't know if we'll do it during the semester break or what, though we are planning on starting our root cellar then.
I saw an outdoor stove prototype in Mother Earth News & showed it to Mike as one of those "This might be something nice someday down the road" type of projects. "Someday" turned out to be the next day, he got right on it.

This is version two.

We didn't use the plans; I never actually saw them until I was linking to the project just now. The firepit up front was mostly being used as a circus platform during the dog & goat races every morning. OH! I never said that we got a dog, he's been w/ us for about a month now. Meet Mr. Dog, not his real name. He's much bigger now, very sweet & lovable, completely undignified & at times improper & generally a muddy mess as he likes to wallow in the stream like a golden crocodile, especially after a bath.

The fire pit out front was dismantled & reassembled a little higher. I start a supper fire between 10 & 12 o' clock, depending on what we're having, 2 logs will get the fire rolling. I didn't take a picture from the back but he's buried the whole first & half of the second row of blocks in dirt, making it a very convenient counter height. We have some collapsible surplus field tables for prep work & it's literally a breeze. Wind & shade contribute to everyones comfort. It's averaging 80 in the house during the afternoons around supper making time & heat creates shortened tempers. Bickering & listlessness prevail until after bedtime prayers are said. But not outside!

Cooking & coffee is on.

So far my dutch oven has made us meatloaf, a roast & goat stew. The stew was the only sucessful dish, I'm not used to cooking on fire & this cooks it quick. I burned the meatloaf pretty bad; I had it in little patty pans inside the oven on top of the thing from my pressure cooker. The roast was delicious (it's been about a month since we've had beef) but all of the vegetables were burnt & unrecognizable though I kept adding water & the goat was just excellent. It's a greasy meat, not unlike corned beef. My brother in law was kind enough to give it to us, he was a problem goat & kept impregnating his mother which ended badly. He got nearly 40lb. of meat off of him though, so thanks Skeeter.

I'd like set up an eating area & figure out a water supply system for canning & then we'll be set!



Version three, perhaps as a smoker?