Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 The thread on finishing wood floors with a non-toxic finish prompts me to ask for ideas. We'd love to build an off-grid home at some point between Now and Then. I have general ideas of what I'd like to do as far as straw bale, passive solar, wind energy - those major energy systems are fairly easy to figure out, but it is the living areas that are a bit more tricky. Floor surfaces (not coverings - as someone pointed out there's sisal, or even natural wool or organic cotton fibers), and paints are also relatively easy, but the other things.......like electrical wiring through the walls. We have an Autistic child and there are times I toy with the possibility that EMF's and Autism aren't compatible. So how else to run wires? Or how to shield them? And then there's kitchen design - a standard typical modern kitchen just doesn't work well with WAPF-style food. I want a fermentation station.....a wheat/bread area....food pantry. Ideal would be to have a drain in the floor and a way to scrub it down and rinse it every night without worrying about foo-foo woodwork.....oh, and a pantry...and maybe a wood-fired oven...... I'd love to hear other ideas people have or would like to share about their off-grid WAPF-compatible kitchen ideas.......... Sharon -- Deut 11:15 He will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will have plenty to eat. Check out my blog - www.ericsons.net - Food for the Body and Soul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Sharon, > I'd love to hear other ideas people have or would like to share about their > off-grid WAPF-compatible kitchen ideas.......... > Sharon What would be interesting, IMO, would be to have a completely functional kitchen, like you describe above, and then set it off with a pair of swinging bar doors that hide it (or most of it) from view of the actual dining area. Like a modern day restaurant, except on a smaller scale. That way you can have the floors that can be washed down with a drain in the middle and anything you else you want that would be great functionally but maybe not aesthetically pleasing. This is how a lot of house restaurants in my area got started. I personally like restaurant style dishwashers. Faster and more efficient. Stoves are better and more efficient. You can have yourself a nice stone oven for bread and pizza. The possibilities are endless. And thanks to places like ebay not that expensive either. Why would a fermentation room have to be in the kitchen? Perhaps an area in the basement? Depending on what you are fermenting :-) you might want to add a tasting bar. -- " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her own substance and she then returns it as a child! " St. Chrysostom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 5:22 PM, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote: > What would be interesting, IMO, would be to have a completely > functional kitchen, like you describe above, and then set it off with > a pair of swinging bar doors that hide it (or most of it) from view of > the actual dining area. Like a modern day restaurant, except on a > smaller scale. That way you can have the floors that can be washed > down with a drain in the middle and anything you else you want that > would be great functionally but maybe not aesthetically pleasing. > > This is how a lot of house restaurants in my area got started. > > I personally like restaurant style dishwashers. Faster and more > efficient. Stoves are better and more efficient. You can have yourself > a nice stone oven for bread and pizza. The possibilities are endless. > And thanks to places like ebay not that expensive either. I should add that because of the tremendous advance in " off the grid " technology the last few years all the above is quite possible without being hooked into the utility infrastructure. -- " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her own substance and she then returns it as a child! " St. Chrysostom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 8:26 PM, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote: > > > I should add that because of the tremendous advance in " off the grid " > technology the last few years all the above is quite possible without > being hooked into the utility infrastructure. > > -- > It would have to be off-grid.....I've had enough of being enslaved to the grid or whims of the marketplace. Check out this: http://www.oasishybridhomes.com/index.html The mechanics/functionality of off-grid are here, but the kitchen design needs work. DH toured this last weekend to get ideas. There's already space for a root cellar under the kitchen. I've been toying with fermenting areas in the cellar. Would it be necessary, or desirable to have separate chambers? Say one for kraut, another for beets, yet another for kimchi? I read something a couple years ago about a Japanese fermenting method - basically chambers dug into the earth 6-feet down, sides lined with boards. Over time, the way in which they discussed the " culture " of each chamber, reminded me of the way one might describe wine casks over time, having developed a particular depth/richness - environment, if you will. Maybe it's overkill for veggie cultures, though...... Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 I've always daydreamed about this... my idea was like another kitchen, but with cupboards that had temperature controls (as certain ferments do better at certain temperatures). The heavier things, like carboys of ale and lager and a vat of kombucha in the lower cabinets, while the lighter things, like pickles and cheese, would be in the upper cabinets. I'm still trying to figure out the temperature control thing though... Ahhh daydreams... -Lana " There is nothing more useful than sun and salt. " - Latin proverb > I read something a couple years > ago about a Japanese fermenting method - basically chambers dug into the > earth 6-feet down, sides lined with boards. Over time, the way in which > they discussed the " culture " of each chamber, reminded me of the way one > might describe wine casks over time, having developed a particular > depth/richness - environment, if you will. Maybe it's overkill for veggie > cultures, though...... > > Sharon > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 7:01 PM, Sharon son <skericson@...> wrote: > It would have to be off-grid.....I've had enough of being enslaved to the > grid or whims of the marketplace. I have wanted to be off-grid for years. I rarely share that desire because most people think I'm nutso and also because I learned long ago that " dropping out " was expensive, LOL. Now however it is becoming more and more affordable. There is nothing " marketplace " about the grid, which is one reason why it is so scary to be dependant on it. > Check out this: > http://www.oasishybridhomes.com/index.html Interesting. Thanks for the link. > The mechanics/functionality of > off-grid are here, but the kitchen design needs work. DH toured this last > weekend to get ideas. There's already space for a root cellar under the > kitchen. I've been toying with fermenting areas in the cellar. Would it be > necessary, or desirable to have separate chambers? Say one for kraut, > another for beets, yet another for kimchi? I read something a couple years > ago about a Japanese fermenting method - basically chambers dug into the > earth 6-feet down, sides lined with boards. Over time, the way in which > they discussed the " culture " of each chamber, reminded me of the way one > might describe wine casks over time, having developed a particular > depth/richness - environment, if you will. Maybe it's overkill for veggie > cultures, though...... Sounds like a winner to me. I have often thought of a separate room for each type of ferment. If you have the space and time, why not? Speaking of wine casks, I once saw this outstanding residential walkaround wine cellar, which housed several thousand bottles of wine. It was absolutely gorgeous. The portion of the cellar that housed the wine was walled off by glass and you could walk through the door and wander the aisles checking out the various wines. In the center of the cellar, outside the glass, was a elegant fully equipped dining area for having dinners, tasting and serving wine. You could still view all the wines but the glass partition kept the dining area comfortable while the portion of the cellar that housed the wine remained at the proper temperature. -- " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her own substance and she then returns it as a child! " St. Chrysostom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Lana, > I've always daydreamed about this... my idea was like another kitchen, but > with cupboards that had temperature controls (as certain ferments do better > at certain temperatures). The heavier things, like carboys of ale and lager > and a vat of kombucha in the lower cabinets, while the lighter things, like > pickles and cheese, would be in the upper cabinets. I'm still trying to > figure out the temperature control thing though... Ahhh daydreams... Someone has already beat you to the punch. You can buy temperature controlled wine cabinets in various shapes and sizes from under the counter units to credenzas to something that looks like an armoire. The difference is they house wine at the temperature you set. My neighbor just bought one for her home (kitchen cabinet size) and we went out the other night looking for things to fill it :-) At any rate, I imagine it wouldn't be to hard to adapt these as cupboards for different types of fermenting. Might be spendy though getting them installed and matching the rest of your cabinetry. -- " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest gold, the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within her it is nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her own substance and she then returns it as a child! " St. Chrysostom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Now that is good news! Do you know the name of the company that makes them? Not like I could afford them now, but I'd love to look at them. -Lana " There is nothing more useful than sun and salt. " - Latin proverb On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 10:22 PM, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote: > Someone has already beat you to the punch. You can buy temperature > controlled wine cabinets in various shapes and sizes from under the > counter units to credenzas to something that looks like an armoire. > The difference is they house wine at the temperature you set. My > neighbor just bought one for her home (kitchen cabinet size) and we > went out the other night looking for things to fill it :-) > > At any rate, I imagine it wouldn't be to hard to adapt these as > cupboards for different types of fermenting. Might be spendy though > getting them installed and matching the rest of your cabinetry. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Lots of companies make them. My neighbor got hers from GE with a stainless steel door. Of course with companies like GE you can only buy what they have in stock and they are necessarily cheaper. With many wine cellar companies you can have whatever you want made from scratch. Here is one link among many: http://www.grottocellars.com/Products/freeStandingRefrigeratedCabinets.aspx Yeah going the custom cabinet route is spendy **if** you buy new. On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 8:47 PM, Lana Gibbons <lana.m.gibbons@...> wrote: > Now that is good news! Do you know the name of the company that makes > them? Not like I could afford them now, but I'd love to look at them. > > > -Lana > > " There is nothing more useful than sun and salt. " - Latin proverb > > On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 10:22 PM, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote: > >> Someone has already beat you to the punch. You can buy temperature >> controlled wine cabinets in various shapes and sizes from under the >> counter units to credenzas to something that looks like an armoire. >> The difference is they house wine at the temperature you set. My >> neighbor just bought one for her home (kitchen cabinet size) and we >> went out the other night looking for things to fill it :-) >> >> At any rate, I imagine it wouldn't be to hard to adapt these as >> cupboards for different types of fermenting. Might be spendy though >> getting them installed and matching the rest of your cabinetry. >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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