Mother's Down-Home Country Lore
(Page 2 of 4)
July/August 1981
By the Mother Earth News editors
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"I've been building toys for several years now and—rather than paint them—I prefer to use wood in natural, contrasting colors . . . such as pine for a car body and walnut for its wheels," writes Ronald W. Wheeler of Timmins, Ontario. "But it used to be difficult to locate a real variety of materials . . . since the so-called 'exotic' woods were either unavailable or prohibitively expensive." Well, to make along letter short, the Canadian has discovered that foreign manufacturers often ship large products (such as machinery) in crates or pallets made from their local native trees. For instance, Japanese photocopiers are sometimes shipped on pallets constructed from mahogany and orangewood. By asking around local office or industrial supply outlets—or even stereo shops-you can often find such scrap wood free for the taking . . . and then transform it into something truly beautiful!
When Jan Weeks finds a sewing pattern that fits well and that she likes a lot, she turns the fragile tissue pieces into long-lasting, flexible ones by backing them with lightweight iron-on interfacing. The Mack, Colorado resident writes that her method sure beats going to the trouble of tracing patterns onto wrapping paper . . . and also alleviates the tedious task of copying all the markings and instructions from the original pattern onto the sturdier "master".
A Mount Vernon, Georgia man has a good tip for any folks who are tired of buying expensive outdoor grills that often burn out their bottoms in one season. Wayne Trautz made a flowerpot grill from an unglazed clay container that was 11 inches deep and 11 inches across. He filled the potto about five inches from the top-with dirt (gravel or sand would work, too).
When he's ready to cook, Wayne places foil over the earth and adds charcoal . . . being careful not to let hot coals touch the sides of the pot, because the heat might crack the clay. Finally, he places a rack over the top (a cake cooler or a leftover grating from one of those burned-out barbecues, but not a refrigerator or other galvanized rack, since that would produce toxic fumes when heated) . . . and he's all set to cook up a summer picnic!
After your grilled steak or soyburger has sizzled to perfection, you can use Donald and Cindy McBride's technique to recycle any unconsumed coals from the fire. Begin by constructing a 2-1/2-foot square frame with any available boards you may have lying around, then staple wire mesh across the top. (The screen can be recycled from a window or else purchased new at the hardware store.) Thenthe Richmond, Virginians suggest—when you're finished cooking, dump the hot coals on the screen and spray them with water from your garden hose. Once dried, the charcoal will be ready to use when preparing another outdoor dinner.
