White thanksgiving

ER-mah-gerd! Sner!

Seeds

We at Erb's Garden have some small qty of seeds available.

Garlic chives; Coleworts; Radish, Spanish Black; Acorn Squash; Skirrets; Dill

Black walnut is my favorite wood

So said Matthew McCann. Well here is a big hunk of it, looking to be crossbows...

The froe helps the wedge go in, the wedge helps the froe come out

The split is perfect, the wood is beautiful

Clay and fire

So I had a good wood fire going yesterday, and threw in 5 clay balls. They are still warm this morning (it didn't get above freezing). No idea what temp they got to. The balls are very light weight.

We also had success with kiln firing, to cone 016, which is about 1500. Thanks to Lisa Roll Pottery for the kiln time, and the 'after' picture. Https://www.etsy.com/shop/LisaRollPottery


Note the color changes, the gray clay fires up red.

Woodcarving

Woodcarving by the fire. Intending to make a mold for clay tiles. Some clay marbles are in the fire to see how that goes. They were a bit damp when I put them in so I'm expecting a few failures, but I've tried to ease them into it.

I've also enlisted a potter to do a firing for me, wont be able to get more than one before Saturday.

18nov2014 weather report

First day it did not get above freezing. Brr

Cuneiform

What else to do with clay...

Woody works

Olives

In honey
In must
In brine
With limes
In oxymeli
In water

17 nov 2014 Clay usability testing

Pots made from clay
0- batch 1, pinchpot
1- batch 2, pinchpot
2- batch 2, coil pot
3- batch 3, pinchpot
4- batch 3, coil pot
5- batch 3, pinchpot
Batch 3 is from the green bag. All are cracking and fracturing when worked. Adding water helps this bit Simon said the stuff has too much silt and isn't plastic enough.

These pots will be left to dry, and some will be fired if I can get a kiln.

Cementarius

Achievement unlocked

14 nov first snow

We got a little snow last night. No accumulation to speak of but a frosting in the grill and the cold side of the compost heap

Clay

Here are three bags of clay. The settled water poured off the top, the blue and green were allowed to dry up a bit the black is pretty fresh, it's the dirt from the white bucket which (I'm pretty sure) is the dirt from the garden.

Autumn

Though the first frost have come and gone
The garden chores are not yet done
The dead plants must be removed
The seeds for next season saved
The chard and coleworts still produce
And here a radish, Spanish black.

Olive update

The ones on brine have mold on top, others are oxidizing black where the touch the air.

The ones in must are fermenting rapidly.

The ones in honey are fermenting, the honey has separated, and though they are softening they are still very bitter...

Cider

Well I haven't fermented anything in a long time. But this cider, from apples plucked by hand, ground and pressed, are bubbling along nicely now..

Olives - in oxymeli

The ones in oxymel I have developed these strange spots, perhaps where the salt was touching?

Clay process - site A

This has cleared nicely, though I think very little o this is actually usable