Take the good and bad for what it is...

Well all is not well in the Northeast here.  OF course with all bad news is good news so the good news is we have started clearing out the vacant home we purchased and glad to say most of the trash is gone.  Now on to the demo once the power company drops the power lines.

As for the bad news, these sub zero temps have taken their toll on the outdoor system.  Water pump is frozen and beds froze over.  The kale is on the way out the door due to the lack of water flow.  Aerator is running but not enough to keep the ice from forming.

Inside we are doing fine except the vast amount of gnats that have appeared.  They were setting up shop in the vermicompost bin but I think we have that under control now.  Used a little rosemary/clove spray and added screening to the vents.  The spray we applied all over the burlap and laid that back over the dirt and that seemed to kill them off.  Changed out the CFL lights for a florescent 6500k bulb on the large growbed, not sure how that will work but there is only one mustard spinach growing and it is well established.  I had noticed that after 6 months the CFL's were starting to fail, not able to start or developing coating cracks.  Well below their rated hours of use.  Not comfortable with the possibility of a mercury leak in the growbeds so I am watching this closely.

Taking these setbacks for what they are, a friend and fellow composter, sustainability supporter introduced me to someone who is working on a methane digester for energy and we may look to see about incorporating that and testing with our aquaponics.  Although energy is not the largest problem for me heat is.  One major key to aquaponics is maintaining water temps at 70 degrees, one for the fish and two for the bacteria that create the nitrates from the waste the plants need to grow.  Solar is good but inconsistent in the NE with winter sun being a rare treat, but with a growing compost pile, you have both heat generated as well as methane that can be converted into energy to create heat.  Hopefully we will get to meet up soon and see if this is all feasible on our property, to at least test and maybe even convert to a much larger community level.

Here is a little article from Mother Earth News on making a home methane digester...Remember spring is just around the corner.

Zombie Jac's Fire Pigs

A new recipe of pigs in a blanket, that we made for New Years Eve

• Pre-heat oven to 375

§         1 Pkg mini-hot dogs

§         1 Pkg Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

§         12 fresh jalapeño peppers*

§         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

§         3/4 cup cream cheese at room temp.

§         1 1/2 teaspoon cumin

§         1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)

§         2 ounces shredded jack cheese

§         1/8 tsp Zombie Jac's Habanero Sauce (optional)

Take jalapeño peppers and wash, cut in half length wise.  De-rib and remove all the seeds.  Set peppers aside and prepare the cheese mixture.

Cheese mixture

Add cilantro, cream cheese, cumin, salt, shredded Jack and Habanero Sauce to a bowl and mix till smooth.  Set aside.

Take crescent rolls and  separate the  triangles and cut each triangle in half, use a pastry roller to thin each triangle out.  Lay  each triangle on parchment paper and apply the cheese mixture to side facing up.

Take one mini-dog and place in between the halves of the peppers. Make sure the peppers are completely dried prior.  Place the pepper encased dog on to the cheese coated crescent rolls at the long end and loosely roll to the tapered end.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes at 375.

A nice dipping sauce for these is Sriracha Ranch.

Sriracha Ranch

• 1 cup of Ranch Dressing
• 1 Tbl Sriracha

Mix well and store in refrigerator.