Winter 2009 Gertee Modifications

New entryway has lots of hooks, wood and water storage

Our only winter window faces south

Fred was Buzz Lightyear for Halloween

Sacajawea's soup... will keep it growing all winter
cause my helper Freddie loves it!

Soup - First day
Sautee moose in olive oil, cut into chunks
put into pot with10 cups water
add carton organic chicken stock
add basil, savory, garlic, season salt, pepper,
cayenne pepper, sugar
cup raisens
can mushrooms
can mixed vegetables
keep adding water and spices to taste
Third day
Added leftover baked caribou
fresh cut potatotes
fresh cut carrots
can corn
4 beef boullion cubes
cup barley
10 more cups water
Fourth day (today)
Add more moose
more fresh potatoes
more corn
more barley
fresh onion
more spices
more water
more beef boullion

Took the woodstove from the 20' gertee when it dropped down to 30 below overnight and I couldn't get bedroom gertee warmer than 54 degrees. The bath/shower is back there too and we needed it comfortable for our Freddie. I installed it myself, sure have learned a lot about woodstoves the last few years. Always conscious of the danger I still wish I had better stack pipe and real stoves.. but I keep the stacks clear and surround the stoves with metal and rocks in case sparks fly. Feels fabulous knowing the roof cover is fire treated and the wool in the walls is fireproof too, so if a fire every does break out my gertee won't go up poof like a lot of buildings I've seen. The fire that killed Rocky's friend Leslie in Anchorage swallowed her as she was running toward the exit. Fire is another good reason for having 2 exit doorways in each gertee.

Haven't had any time to write a response to Peter Myers yet, and it's probably good that I get to sit on it for a while before I respond. Isn't it amazing when people admit to holding the same values as Etzioni while claiming to be anti NWO at the same time? But it's SO winter now and I've been busting it out here round the clock. Plus, once I took the stove out of big gertee I had to pretty much abandon the phone line until I get a 100' phone line extension to bring it over. Right now it's all about insulating, organizing, decorating and keeping our growing boy well fed and happy. Even got my fur blanket out and started sewing it again, lining it with raw Chinese silk Edie gave me last summer and one of my most gorgeous dollmaker's strips for the edging.

Daniel got his first caribou with Tim!

Roger dropped off an ELECTRIC staple gun!!

Finally almost finished with the inside roof!

Bedroom gertee walls, recyled from the 20'

My first homemade braided rope out of strips of fabric.
All these years I wished I could afford to buy
good, strong thick heavy rope.. duh!

My rope is 60 feet long, using it to secure the new roofcover

Gertee pods working out wonderfully

Now the 20' gertee's all white

Sundown comes quick now

Another 24x24' recycled billboard cover goes up!
These tarps are still only $63.00!!! plus shipping (70lbs)

No more leaks in big gertee!

Hardly any snow yet... and 10 above today!

Little gertee and the frozen garden

Cooking bread on top of a woodstove

The Cameron Stovetop Smoker bakes bread.
So do Stoneware bowls with lids.

Fitting it all on the stovetop was a challenge.

making the dough
The dough was based on what I could remember about a recipie I used to use a lot in Seattle.

3 cups warm water,
palmful of yeast,
wait 10 minutes,
add some raw sugar,
dash salt,
few shakes of cinnamon,
dried milk,
olive oil,
cup of uncooked oats.
6 cups white flour mixed in slowly
until it comes off the sides of the mixing bowl.
pour olive oil on top of ball,
roll it over in bowl,
cover, let rise til double in size.
punch down,
knead 5 minutes, add more flour
add more oil,
roll over,
let rise again til double in size,
punch down,
add more flour and lightly knead.
separate dough into 5 equal balls.
grease all baking pans lightly with Crisco.

making the bread dishes

cinnamon rolls
smash down one ball with heels of hands,
cover with apricot jam, cinnamon, and raisens,
roll into a pinwheel tube, slice,
lay out on baking sheet and bake 55 minutes.

loaves
put one loaf in bread pan, let rise
put one loaf in a stoneware jug with lid, let rise
one loaf in another stoneware bowl with lid, let rise
times varied, approximately one hour each.

garlic bread
slice one ball into thin pieces, lay on baking sheet.
top with garlic chunks, onions, basil and olive oil.

This stoneware is wonderful to cook with. It was purchased by Tim's mom way back when each bowl cost about $1.35 each. The family donated it to me last winter when they were cleaning out all their storage bins. The great thing about homesteaders is they save everything!

Interior GerTee coming together

Took a couple days off from construction to arrange the kitchen and pull out my winter gear. It started snowing an hour after we got back from Anchorage. It's staying about 27 above so far and I can already see I should've made sure I had a 24' x 24' heavy tarp on the outside roof. I have to seal off the entire floor and should have laid tarps down first. Learning so much about important things like ventilation and how to layer the inside roof insulation. I have to create a space behind the Radiant Guard and the outside roof tarp because the roof needs to be the same temp on both sides. I'll use the parachute Ron gave me for that, then I'll staple the RG insulation over it. Don't have enough insulation left for the walls and floor and my roof sucks, but last year at this time I was in a wall tent and it was a LOT colder (by Nov 2 it was 40 below zero). If I start to feeling overwhelmed by the tasks ahead of me, I only have to look back and I'm real happy to have this funny little hut-tent this winter, even with all it's quirky problems.

I'm surrounding the woodstove with metal tables and shelves so I can keep water and food warm. I also have a place to rise bread now, making my first loaves tomorrow.

The new living area fits 4 friends. We had a little house warming party last night. I made moose pot roast and Sharon cooked up a pot of yummy potatoes. We made a gravy out of the juice. It was such good meat. Both the moose and the potatoes came compliments of friendly neighbors.

Snowed last 2 days... think I have enough coats and snowpants? I kept finding gear at garage sales for practically nothing and I figured I can't have too many dry ones if I'm going to be out in the snow all winter getting wet cutting wood, trapping, or falling off a dogsled.

The rugs sure helped inspire me. Got all three at Salvation Army for $42.