Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Bartering Opportunties Sought


Since we are spacial challenged a fair amount of our produce is either bartered or gleaned for. Our most successful method to establish local contacts is that old stand by a hand written index card.
Quick and to the point our card states what we need & what we have to offer. Repair of antiques, yard work, house cleaning, for gleaning rights. Fair trades in potted plants. Instruction in old time skills such as spinning. Apple pressing in exchange for a share of apples.
Handing out our cards have often given us an opportunity to start a dialogue with someone about the concepts of simple living in an urban setting. Chance to make a new friend.
I originally got this idea from my Mom who would always hand a notebook sized piece of paper to the person holding a tag sale. The paper had columns of items listed that Mom was interested in buying such as boys size 6 pants or yellow patterned drapes 78" long. Often that spurred the person to send a family member into the house to retrieve the items which of course had never been considered before. She also use to leave her contact info in case they ever came across those drapes.


~~ pelenaka ~~



Solar Dehydrator


This is a close up of the solar dehydrator that DH built me last year for about a dollar in materials. Missing are the trays which come from all my old Roncho electric dehydrators.
The air is drawn into the bottom of the intake (area that resembles a black slide). As it is heated it raises coming out the area that is white (square resembles a table).
On the slide is scraps of plexi glass snatched from a trash bin @ his job hence why there are horizontal lines instead of just a whole sheet of plastic. Glass could be substituted also but would add to the weight.
I sewed a mesh cover for insect control out of sunblock material I had in my scrap pile. A close weave cheese cloth would also work well.

~~ pelenaka ~~