Byron Gagne

What about a version of the food dehydrator that is featured here on the site.  I’ve always just hung my clothes outside in the line in the summer during the winter they get on a rack by the fire.  But double duty the rocket mass food dehydrator when it’s not being used for food?   Hang on hangers and load it up.

That’s a crazy story!   I’m glad you made it through!  All the reason to join Jijitsu.   I would hate to have someone grab me with my two livestock dogs around they would quickly become Maremma sandwiches.  Sorry you had to go through with that!

Hi Kaarina,

There's all kinds of different ways of being prepared, we all have different levels of comfort here.    A big one is community.  As I read through the replies from other folk, I noticed not much mention of community.  

This I think is your weakest link here.  When your down and out,  to have a group that will come and help out while your recovering, this would have made a world of difference.  

I broke my wrist last winter and just moved into my new place, in a brand new community.   I had only a couple connections one was the medic that I met when he took me to the hospital, and the other a old friend.  Because I moved in late fall start of winter I didnt have time to put up any wood.  But between these 2 wonderful beings they kept my house warm all winter.  As I recovered and sat by the fire.  

I always leaned on the side of being a lone wolf.  I can look after myself, always had and always got by.  Then finally I was taken down by something I thought would never happen.   I just got lucky I had two connections that stepped up and got me through the winter.  

There's no way of preparing for every possible situation.  But having a strong community around you is number one.   One person has certain skills, that you need.  Another has time to stop in help with firewood, deliver chocolate.  Another has equipment, tools, that you can rent, borrow, and such.   You in return give back when there in need with what you got to offer.

After my experiance last winter Ive decided to get into my community, to build a more resistant community.  Im stepping out of my comfort zone next week.  I'll be going to the local Juijutsu club.  Get off my little piece of heaven head out in to the world meet people I would have never met before.  Learn to defend myself, get in shape, have fun, but most importantly network with people I've never met before.  Maybe there not permies, but that dont matter after meeting me hopefully they get inspired to grow a garden, rain water harvest, heat with wood, turn there lawns into food!  Worse case I gain customers for my surplus.   I'll have friends to stop in while im down and out, I'll be sure to do the same when they or.  

The lone wolf way of thinking never works.  You can stock pile chocolate, wood, and what ever you think you might need.  But sooner or later it'll run out.  Im not saying not to have a buffer, a little insurance, year or two ahead on wood, groceries for 3 days, a month or a year, thats just smart.  But also dont forget to stock pile and build community, the neighbours or the ones that will really get you through, and be there for you!

February 4 2021.  We started with a mild winter rarely below-15 here.   But the last few days we have been below -30 some nights as low as -40.  That’s we’re my didgital stops.  This am was -35 I decided to climb in and get a reading was above 0 for sure and a ready of 8 would be conservative.  

That’s good there is a draft free environment got 15 on one side and 4 sows and my boar on the other

Eliot Mason wrote:Wow! indeed!  

28 F would be a big difference, but 28 C is nearly incomprehensible!

For those of us stuck in the non-metric world ... that's a swing from -18F to 46F.

And yes, once we stop celebrating we will ask you to measure with the same or comparable thermometers to avoid measurement error.  : )

I feel you don’t believe my results?  I reported what I got with what I have.  First thermometer is mounted in my house and for curiosity I grabbed my compost thermometer as it was handy.  21 pigs in a 3 ft tall room 8 ft deep 16 ft long would be able to create enough heat to easily create this temperature difference.  

Yes I’ve thought about this also to go down.  But I’m afraid of water !   Being totally flat here all buildings I plan on having the floor at least at grade if not higher.  Just to play it safe.  

The use of the building will be for 10-20 hogs a year.   Maybe a couple moose, buff or bou hanging to age.   Not a high use facility.  As far as the butchering is concerned.   More freezer storage and fridge that doubles as a place to cool meat before Cutting and wrapping.

Maybe I should build the butcher shop on grade as a attached building and have access into the fridge freezer from there.  Then I could build it as high as I want and. It worry about berm if dirt so high.

Yes I hear you about making the ceiling as high as possible in the butcher shop.  My plan is to have a skinning pole outside then slide it into the shop.  We’re it would be parted out on a table, cut and wrapped there.  The cooler would be for hanging hogs and wild game that come in.  I will think about changing the ceiling height.   I always said now matter how big you build it you always fill it!

I do have to earth berm all this so keeping the ceiling as low as possible is a huge benefit.  But it still has to be useful.

-20C here this am!   The only thermometer 🌡 I could find was my compost one lol.  So I feed out to the piggies and climbed in.   Bedding was dry and so warm inside.  I measured 8C!  28C difference!

Here’s a quick sketch while the creative juices or flowing

Alright I just finished my wofati inspired pig shelter.  It was -20C here this am and above zero and toasty in the pig shelter!!!

So speaking of -20.  This coming summer I would like to attack a wofati inspired freezer, cooler and possibly a butcher room on the end.

Here’s my thoughts
Build on grade because my farm is totally flat.  If I had a hill I would do it differently but stay with me here....

On grade I’m thinking of building a pole barn out of 8x8.   Be 8 feet wide, 24 feet long, and 8 feet tall.
This would be shored with full demensional 2x6 walls and ceiling on the outside.  

Earth would be Bermed up all the way around except one entrance.   The earth will have earth tubs in it to freeze the surrounding earth around the structure hopefully creating a perma frost.  

The structure will have three 8x8 rooms inside.   The deepest hopefully will remain frozen year round.  The middle room acts like a cooler/buffer and the outer room be a 8x8 room for processing.  Meat saw, grinder and work table.   The unit will have hanging beams and tracks installed to move the animals through.  

If I can get the deepest room to remain frozen year round I could use it as a freezer the middle room will be a fridge/“ freezer in the spring” And outer room work area and buffering.  

I’ll run the in ground runs tubes in the back.  The earth berm will extend out to 20 ft alll the way around and insulated from the heat of the summer.  In winter the tubes will be opened allowing the 8 months of cold that we get to cool and freeze the mass.  Hopefully I can mimic perma frost here.

Already?
Should I use foam insulation for the mass?
Or so thing different and ideas?

I have a sawmill so my logs go a lot farther and building is easier then using rounds.   That’s why I like beams and 2x6.

Our winters or quite cold.  Last here had a good week around -50C. We often hit -30-40C.   When it does get warm it’s -20-15C

Our summers can be warm 21-35C day time temps But cool nights.  May June July aug or the warm months

Sept Oc starts freezing at night

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Definitely winter!

April freezing at nights.  Warmer to cool days

Basically I got 5 months below freezing guaranteed.  2-3 months of buffering temps. Hi

I feel we cold store enough cold in the earth to pull this off if it’s properly designed.

Planning stage at the moment please give me your 2 cents!

I will draw up a sketch when I get a chance