Repurposed Wood into Compost Bin = Garage Project for a Rainy Day

In preparation for the rainy weekend last weekend, we decided to make a new compost bin.  I'd been aching for a re-purposed bin of some sort and finally had an idea of what materials to use.

First we measured the space next to the coop and cut some old fence boards from a fence we tore down. Those are the sides and supports. The bottom is made from an old bench we tore out. We figured it was rotting away anyway, and we needed something (preferably free) for a new, larger compost bin.

First we put the bottom on the ground. Then we attached the vertical supports at the ends and "toenailed" them into the bottom. This means the screws went in at an angle through the post and into the bottom.

We also attached a framing piece for the door to hang on. It was half-height, and sat half-way up the front side supports and is screwed in.

Next step was to attach the back and side boards. The sides butted up to the back. These all screwed into the supports with two screws on each board and space between the boards for air flow.

After that, we made the door by screwing three planks onto two smaller size posts, making sure it would fit into the space between the side planks so it would lay flat. The smaller posts were slightly smaller than the space between the cross piece and the bottom.

Then we attached the top three boards in front. The bottom of these was attached to the front cross piece in a number of places. Then we went and bought two hinges, a handle, a chain, and a carebeaner~ made of zinc to withstand the elements. The hinges were attached to the door and bottom front plank. The handle went on the bottom. The chain and carebeaner are for the handle to attach onto when cleaning out the compost bin from the bottom. The logic here is that we won't have to turn it if there is air circulating and we can get the finished compost out from the bottom.

Here it is, after being wheeled across the yard in the wheelbarrow and hefted onto the ground and shimmied into place.

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Goat and Beet Pizza (and my toddler and husband loved it)

It only occurred to me to take a photo of this after we had devoured some, because it sounds a little, um, odd. But it tasted great and my toddler and husband ate it and asked for seconds, and for leftovers the next day. It is also slightly lopsided because we ran out of corn meal for the transfer from the pizza peel to the pizza stone, and I substituted with flour. Next time I am out of corn meal, I will use a lot more flour, or run to the store for corn meal. But I digress.

The crust is Trader Joe's herb pizza dough that you let rise yourself and roll yourself. I let it rise for half a day instead of the recommended 20 minutes and was really happy with the result. The cheese is their four cheese blend, and the pizza sauce is also Trader Joe's brand, but only a light coating. The goat was leftover goat leg from our meat club box, cut into small pieces. Any leftover meat will work. The beets were fresh organic chiogga beets from our CSA box, cut small and sauteed with an onion and their greens in butter. The tomatoes were an assorted variety from the garden, and added last. It was cooked on a pizza stone at 425 degrees for 14 minutes. Delicious!

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Kids' Cooking Idea: Challah

The PJ Library is a non-profit organization in the Bay Area that sends Jewish kids free books that are appropriate to their age level throughout their youth. We just got a new book from them called, "The Challah Book." It inspired us to take out the cookbook my brother and I wrote called, "Marsha's Kitchen" which has my grandfather's famous challah recipe in it (the challah book also has a recipe at the end).

The whole project took an entire morning; it is no wonder my grandfather used to do one step, then take a nap, then the next step...

But the little guy got really into it. He helped crack the eggs, and measure out the yeast and flour, and mix everything together. He even helped knead the dough.

You see him here, after the first rising, rolling the dough into snakes to be braided.

He also enjoyed brushing them with egg yolk and sprinkling on the sesame seeds.




I don't have a photo of it, but he also enjoyed eating them, and asked for more (and to make them again).

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Let the Sheet Mulching Commence!!

Reading about Permaculture and Edible Forest Gardening has given us some ideas about how to help change our new space and outdoor living area into more of an edible paradise.

But it all begins with the dirt... er, soil. And a LOT of ours has been covered in red volcanic lava rock over black plastic for 30 years. So I let my fingers do the walking and craigslist has come to the rescue.

People have been showing up to rake our rocks into small piles, then shovel them into their trucks and give them life somewhere else. One guy landscaped his aging father/retired rocket scientist's back yard. Another backfilled a retaining wall. Another is giving them to a school for their yard. Some people have come once, and two have come four times. Even with all of these people lending us a hand and giving our rocks a second lease on life, we still have a LOT left. I think it may be slightly under half, but am hopeful that it is a steady stream of people. I am really glad I don't have to rake and haul them to the dump myself, or hire someone to do it.


We have decided that sheet mulching is the easiest way to make our soil friable and support our new ecosystem. We are doing a very simple weed barrier and mulch method. For the weed barrier, we are using old cardboard boxes and old shopping bags. The mulch has come by the truckload from local tree services with wood chippers. I found the first tree service online doing a search for "free wood chips" and my city name. I got myself on a wood chip list and it took five weeks of waiting for the load to arrive.

The next three (yes, three) loads came when I responded to a craigslist posting for free wood chips. Turns out, they have wood chips every day. Now I have three loads of wood chips on the front lawn (this photo only shows one load, actually) and was tempted to have another delivered tomorrow (my husband talked me out of it).

We have been moving the chips in as the lava rocks are taken away. In these areas, we are only using wood chips, since there are no weeds to shade out. We are doing about 6" deep. In the areas that are next to the house, we used a weed barrier and a 6" layer of chips. On the small piece of lawn that is being converted to farmland (see top photo), we used cardboard boxes overlapping by 6", then a 6" layer of chips. If all goes well, we will be able to plant it out in a year. Over the course of that time, the chips will decompose the weed barrier and it will attract bugs, worms, and microbes~ basically, composting in place while shading out the existing lawn and weeds.

One of the best parts so far has been the neighborhood kids coming over to run up and down the pile, or to grab a rake and help move chips until they get bored.  That, and the sweet smell of the chips.  This last load is pine and smells like the holidays.

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Patch Pocket T-Shirt Tutorial

These are super-easy and cute and my toddler loves wearing them. He notices all of the designs and really enjoys putting things into his pockets.

To make these, I got a bunch of t-shirts from cheaptees.com. Then I cut rectangles of coordinating fabric from my stash. These I folded in half, right sides together, and stitched around, leaving a 1-2" opening on the longer side for turning. I turned them right side out, and pushed out the corners (I used small scissors but you can use a proper turning tool if you have one). I topstitched along one edge, then pinned them onto the t-shirts with the topstitched side up. You can see that I did some in the middle of the t-shirt, and some on one breast. Then I stitched around three sides, closing the turning hole as I passed it and making sure to only stitch on the front of the t-shirt (duh). Oh, I also added my label (from worldwide label on eBay) before stitching the pocket onto the shirt. You can hardly see it in the photo, but on the red long-sleeve shirt, I added another lengthwise seam to the pocket to make it into two pockets. It was really long, and I didn't want any treasures to fall out!

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Kids' Cooking Idea: Indian Chipatis (flatbreads)

For our budding chef/ scientist, we play lots of kitchen games. We like to drop everything in water and see if it sinks or floats before eating it. We like to see if it tastes different dipped in water. And we like to cut things apart. This time, we have found an activity that puts something together.

My son is now 2 years and almost 2 months old. He loves to help in the kitchen and garden, and takes a strong interest in whatever my husband or I am doing. Making chipatis, or Indian flatbreads, is really fun with him, and he likes to eat them, too.


We got the recipe from my favorite Indian cookbook, called 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. It is 2 cups of flour (1 1/2 c. whole wheat and 1/2 c. rice flour is what we use) mixed with a teaspoon of salt, then water is added and mixed until it feels like dough. You then let it rest for a bit (10 minutes or so is fine). Then the fun begins.

We set the little guy up facing the stove but away from the heat on a barstool. He insisted on a napkin to keep his lap clean (I am not kidding~ see 2nd photo). Then we brush the counter with flour, and split the dough into 8-10 small balls and give him one at a time. He uses his small rolling pin from his play kitchen from Ikea but I am sure he could manage an adult tool. I showed him how to make one, then he was good to go rolling it and flipping it and making it thinner.

Then the adult takes it and puts it in a hot skillet for a minute on each side, then, if you have gas, put it on an open flame for about 5 seconds, or until it puffs up then sinks again. If you have an electric range, flip it back to the 1st side and take a wet dish towel and press on the edges of the chipati until it puffs up then down again. Serve as soon as they are all done cooking.

He really likes eating these, and cooking them, too. They go great with a curry, or any other tortilla use. Have fun!

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The 2-Year Old Prep Chef

He takes so much pride in his work, and works really hard at it. He asks questions and for help when he needs it, and takes direction and innovates. It is actually quite amazing to watch and support his transition.







My husband and I also call it "cheap labor." In addition, the knife and cutting board entertain him for 15 minutes to an hour in the kitchen. He also rips some veggies apart with his hands (mostly lettuce, kale, chard, cauliflower, and broccoli).













Depending on what is being cut, he also likes to eat it (see avocado, bottom photo). That is a small "price" to pay!

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Book Review: Farm City

What a great book!  It is always fun to run into a nonfiction book that:

1. reads like fiction
2. is set in a place where you have spent a lot of time
3. is about a topic that you have a lot of interest in
4. keeps you on the edge of your seat
5. teaches you something

Farm City by Novella Carpenter did all of these!  From start to finish, I didn't want to put the book down.  I loved all of the specifics in the book, and felt like I learned something about Urban Farming, which is my new favorite subject (sorry, sewing for babies and toddlers and the slow food movement).  

She breaks the book into sections based on her animal husbandry habits, and writes in a funny but forthright manner that keeps the reader wanting more.  She is modest but detailed.  My husband and I both laughed out loud when she described dumpster diving for fish guts for her new piglets in Oakland's Chinatown district.

I strongly recommend this book, even if you aren't interested in the subject manner.  It is lively and fun, and totally worth the time to read it.

She has a blog, too...

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One Snuggie: 6 Projects and Counting

I was given a Leopard Snuggie and thought the fabric was way too cool to let it sit around on the couch.  I mean, this thing was huge!  I kept thinking of all the possibilities every time I looked at it.

My first project was a dress.  This is the Little Comet Tails Spin-Around Dress in a 2T.  I love Little Comet Tails' patterns.  They are really easy-to use and very straightforward.  This was my first go at this dress, and it was easy except for the top.  I got confused about how to stitch it so that it would turn as one piece with the arm holes intact.  I ended up pinning them under and not turning and topstitching them (just topstitching them closed).  The accent material and lining for his was an old sheet.   I haven't tried to make the dress again yet. 

My next project was a vest.  This was the Kwik Sew 2911 vest that I have made a zillion of and I love.  I modify it to remove the pockets and use FOE (fold over elastic) on the armholes and bottom instead of lycra as they specify.  Since this vest, I have stopped making them with collars and almost always add a hood, which is in the pattern.  This vest got a lot of attention, according to the mom I gave it to.

The next two projects were split-crotch pants and a t-shirt applique.

I just re-discovered the Snuggie to make the inside of a newborn Little Comet Tails Little Starter Cloth Diaper all-in-one for a friend.  I used red PUL on the outside, sherpa scraps on the inside (as the soaker), and the Snuggie on the inside.  The Snuggie will wick moisture away and allow the newborn poop to just roll off.  I used Lastin on the inside and my snap press for the snaps.

I just finished yet another Snuggie project: another pair of split-crotch pants in a larger size.  I made these out of the arms so they were already hemmed for me.

That Snuggie was a gift that keeps on giving! And I still have more of it left!!

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