Cast Iron Pans & Dutch Ovens

Real Dutch Ovens are heavy, stand on three legs and have a lid that is recessed to allow coals to remain on top for outdoor cooking. I encourage you to use your dutch oven often to keep the black, naturally occurring non-stick coating that builds up from frequent use.

Indoor and Outdoor Cooking with cast iron is great !

If you have a Gas Stove:

You can often remove the metal grate covering your burner and stand the Dutch Oven in the recessed area where the grate was. This brings the bottom of the pan closer to the flame. All ovens are different, so be careful the pot sits above/not on the flames, and is level/secure.
(Do this at your own risk)


If you have an Electric Stove:

You won't be able to cook on a real Dutch Oven, because of the flat surface that has to come in contact with the pan. This is Ok, you can still enjoy cast iron cooking, just get a large cast iron skillet instead.

Use your iron often, keep it on the stove all the time, even if it's just to cook some onions in oil. It will get better each time you use it.

When you do decide to get a dutch oven, be sure to use it outside with charcoal. Even if you do not go camping, make a peach cobbler with moist yellow cake mix and canned peaches. The recipe and cooking with charcoal instructions can be found on the internet, and just about everyone will ask for more peach cobbler!.

You can buy your cast iron pans or a Dutch Oven new, but I have found mine at tag sales and flea markets for a fair price. Once you clean it up, it will look like new.

This is how to care for (season) a rusty Dutch Oven (w/lid) or iron pan:

-Scrape the rust off with steel wool (bare steel wool w/o cleaner added)
-Towel dry it, then put it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about a half hour
This will dry it completely and open the pours in the metal
-Take it out, wipe any rust off with a dry towel
-Coat all surfaces generously (but not so it's dripping)with Olive oil
-Put it back in the oven for an hour, flipping it over once (so you do not get grate marks)
-Your done!

Do this any time the iron gets excessive rust from not being used. Better yet use it often and you will never have to do this again.

! The 100 Mile Stare

As people learn about trees they tend to look above more than they ever did in the past. Myself and some others refer to this as the 100 mile stare. Once you start to learn about the differences between healthy and unhealthy/unsafe trees you pay more attention to the tree tops. You might think "That is a strong tree, it's a survivor" or "That branch is defective, it's ready to fall off". So if you find yourself looking up more, it's OK it's not just you doing it.

! QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Please enter any tree and shrub care questions here as a "post comment" and I will reply in this post.

1) The way to rejuvenate shrubs depends on what type of shrubs you want to save. Typically, if a shrub produces new growth shoots at the base of it after the top is cut, then it can be "renovated". This is the process where you cut the older main limbs out in stages over about three years. By taking a third of the plant the first year, the shrub will want to push out new growth. By the time you are done over a couple of years it will have all newer growth and will be more compact than the overgrown shrub you started with.
-Good shrubs to renovate are liliac, holly, rhododendron, etc.
-Shrubs that do not respond well are junipers, muhgo pine, etc.
-Yews do not push out new growth shoots from the ground at their base, but they do respond well to heavy cutting back.

*Don't forget to cut back to side limbs, up to 1/3 (maximum) the size of the tip you are removing. This will ensure quick healing.

Tree Care Pictures

! TREE & SHRUB CARE TIPS

Winter and early spring are good times to prune for many trees (don't make to many large cuts on maples because of increased sap flow) to ensure they are safe and strong as they get larger. The structure and branch patterns on deciduous (leaves fall off) trees are easier to see, and it's a good excuse to get some fresh air and appreciate nature even if it is cold!.

Look for branches that are -rubbing (decay can set in)
-dead /dying (have no buds like live branches do)
-mushrooms /fungus (not green lichens)
-Weakly attached limbs (attached to tree in"v"shape)
-Interfering limbs (close to service wires, house, etc.)
Do not cut near wires-call your arborist!

Then take notes if you decide not to prune the trees now. If the trees are large and require a professional to prune, call your arborist. Winter is often a slow time for many tree care businesses and you can get the work done quickly at a reduced rate.

Antique Power Axe/Kindling Machine

I came across this old machine advertised in a local paper as a "kindling machine". I did not end up buying the machine, but I thought it was interesting, so I took some pictures and a video of it in use. The owners were a woman and her husband who ran a firewood business in North Haven CT. She said they used it to produce kindling for many years and recently had all the timber framing replaced. Although it did not seem to be the safest machine, it sure was productive!.
I did some research and found out that this machine was called a "Power Axe" and it is about a hundred years old. It's patent said it was produced in various sizes. A very long leather belt went around the large wheel on the top and was connected to a large electric motor providing the power. There is another moving axe on the other side of the machine, so two people can split wood at once.

George