I guess you could say my contribution to Earth Day this year is my new homemade Solar Dehydrator.












I made it a five tray because the trays are so big I figured I didn't need any more than that. If so I have some material left over to make more.


Nope, I never found the little solar panel I was looking for so I bought another one. $14 bucks at Harbor Freight for a 3 watt panel I guess is okay. It runs a small fan that pulls the heated air through the windows and up into the dehydrator box.
There are also heat absorbing metal plates inside the window triangle to help out.


This morning I filled it with Basil, Chives and Cilantro. The fan kicked on at 9:30 AM and should stop around 7:00 PM. There is no battery, just the power from the sun.

Total build cost, $35.00 for the solar panel, metal screen material and the 1X2 boards for the shelves. Everything else was junk I had laying around.

Unlike a direct solar dehydrator, this one will take a little longer to dry the herbs but will hold in more of the color and flavor that would have been lost through direct sun dehydration.

Real quick, I wanted to show a updated picture of one of the barrel Kitchen Herb Gardens I built for the wife a month or so ago. Cool hu?

Is It Done Yet

I know, nobody asked to see the finished Kitchen Herb Garden Bed so I decided to show it anyhow.

To see the before picture look at yesterdays post.

Not bad for a hour and a half of work, a 55 gallon barrel and some old lumber laying around. Plus the wife is happy and that is really all that matters.

I am sure I could have done a little better job if I had the want too, but it'l do.

Now on to the next item of business.

It's a Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood

Everyone remembers Mr. Rogers right?
The goofy little song you are now singing in your head that he sang when he walked in and changed his sweater and then sat down and changed from his tennis shoes into his slippers, or something like that.
Anyway, that is just I feel like now days, little happy Mr. Redneck.

As soon I get home from my job, I come in, sit down and change from my work boots into my backyard pair of work boots. Then get up, walk right out the back door and go to work again without even saying a thing. What a lovely day in the neighborhood. I ain't complaining, I actually like it.

This time change stuff will make it where you can work yourself to death if you ain't careful. Last night I didn't get done until a little after ten. I grabbed up the wife, mom and dad and we headed to the goat sell. I don't know why I do it but every time I go I say I will never go again. We only were able to pick up two little ones and one of those was a mistake that I really didn't want. I guess it will eat good.

Tonight I finished the shade for the three raised beds so this is what it looks like. The East end will stay open for the morning sun and the Noon to West sun will be shaded. Lets just hope it works.
Maybe next year I can work on shade for the other beds. Right now I plan to plant only Okra, Corn, Squash, Watermelon and a couple of other things in full sun.    
I also finished the strawberry bed for the wife by using a huge tractor tire with the side wall cut out. I have it shaded from the West sun as well. By the way, did you know chickens love fresh tinder strawberries. I haven't seen the wife move that fast in a while when she saw the chickens helping themselves to her fresh planted strawberry plants.

Oh, that's not all. The wife said since I still had some daylight left I needed to build her another herb garden, just this time it needs to be closer to the back door so she could call it her kitchen garden. I took some old scrap wood and a barrel and did just that. The finished product will be done tomorrow I guess. The frame will be skirted in fence pickets to make it go with our decor. If you want a picture of it when I get done I guess I could post one if there is any interest.


That's all I got for now, I am done for the day. Thank goodness for dark and no I am not pulling out the lights....... Goodnight