Organikmechanic

Thank you so much! It has made my life a lot easier! One other thing, you can actually use anything that has a laser line installed in it. I did try it with a jg saw clamped to the bench but the level was basically too short for most jobs and also the point laser had ceased working - so this gave it a second chance to be useful! All the very best, Andy

The traditional pastry for Cornish Pasty is normally shortcrust, hot water pastry crust is used for hand raised pies, where the dough has to stand up on its own, without the support of the filling, such as pork or game pies for example. I actually prefer potato pastry although I do mix up a gluten-free flour myself but I don't like shop-bought gluten free-organic flours as over here they have additives like xanthan gum, All the very best and happy baking! Andy

Hi Jeannie! The way we worked it was to systematically replace all electrical/electronic appliances with hand or bicycle-power alternatives. So when they broke down, which they inevitably did, we could do the conversions. The main ones to start with are those which produce any form of heat because they really eat up the electricity, so washing-machines, where most are now cold-fill, are incredibly power-thirsty and make a huge difference to your utilities bills. However I would also consider water consumption too because here in France we pay for water and flushing toilets are incredibly expensive and wasteful of a precious resource i.e. drinkable water. If you are interested I have all kinds of ideas including step-by-step detailed written articles on The Green Lever or films on YouTube …

Hi Jeannie! The way we worked it was to systematically replace all electrical/electronic appliances with hand or bicycle-power alternatives. So when they broke down, which they inevitably did, we could do the conversions. The main ones to start with are those which produce any form of heat because they really eat up the electricity, so washing-machines, where most are now cold-fill, are incredibly power-thirsty and make a huge difference to your utilities bills. However I would also consider water consumption too because here in France we pay for water and flushing toilets are incredibly expensive and wasteful of a precious resource i.e. drinkable water. If you are interested I have all kinds of ideas including step-by-step detailed written articles on The Green Lever or films on YouTube Organikmechanic All the very best, Andy

Yes you're right, it's the same principle by using the natural yeast, one on the apples and one in the air. I've made sourdough and it's amazing how well the bread rises, even if we freeze the starter-dough and restart it which shows how robust the natural yeast is. The vinegar is so useful and versatile - I actually use it as a deodorant! We also use it as a rescue remedy/electrolyte for our birds if they are in shock (predator attack, cold/heat stress),All the very best from Normandy, Andy

Hi there, I don't see why crab apples wouldn't work as long as they were ripe. Most of the ones we use are cider apples. Perhaps with crab apples you might put a few eating apples in there to up the sugars but I really don't know if that is necessary. Have you heard of crab apple jelly and crab apple fruit leather? These are both really delicious and full of good nutrients. You should also take a look at crab apple verjus which is an ancient but rediscovered and now very fashionable ingredient and condiment - we have an explanation here if you are interested: https://simplyorganicrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/11/traditional-cider-syllabub-simple.html#.X32v13cv6V4 There is also a crab apple wine, which is very easy to make. It is only over the last century that we lost the idea of using crab …

Hi there, I don't see why crab apples wouldn't work as long as they were ripe. Most of the ones we use are cider apples. Perhaps with crab apples you might put a few eating apples in there to up the sugars but I really don't know if that is necessary. Have you heard of crab apple jelly and crab apple fruit leather? These are both really delicious and full of good nutrients. You should also take a look at crab apple verjus which is an ancient but rediscovered and now very fashionable ingredient and condiment - we have an explanation here if you are interested: https://simplyorganicrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/11/traditional-cider-syllabub-simple.html#.X32v13cv6V4 There is also a crab apple wine, which is very easy to make. It is only over the last century that we lost the idea of using crab apples as food and made them into a purely 'ornamental' trees. This is the same with medlars (no pun intended) and mulberries, we have a long hedge of the former out in the lane in front of our house and the whole neighbourhood eats or cooks with them. When we lived in the UK we had a really small garden but the manor house near us was open to the public and we used to go and eat their mulberries straight off the trees, no one minded because otherwise they just went to waste but we have our own trees now! All the very best and happy vinegar making, Andy

So pretty. It looks like a beautiful tea shop for the Munchkins, just follow the yellow brick road.... Happy Birthday for January! Hugs Andy xxxx

Merci pour votre gentil commentaire je l'apprécie vraiment. Meilleurs voeux de Normandie, Andy.

Well, there's no time like the present! If you need any extra information, don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks for commenting and good luck, Andy aka Organikmechanic.

You're so right, but if they get in unsupervised, bang goes our crops! But they are really useful in the winter, clearing up the pests that are just waiting for some interesting new plants to devour in the spring. Many thanks for commenting, very best wishes from France, Andy.

Thank you, that is so kind. Best wishes from Normandie, Andy.

This is such a great recipe and so happy you won! We make loads of ice cream but have never managed to make cones. Now following your recipe I reckon we can! All the very best from France, Andy

Hi there, Thank you and I so agree! We can't imagine how we coped before in the Summer, deprived of coffee or forced to load up the woodburner with pallet wood and wait. It also means we can ask friends who drop in if they'd like a coffee and they can say yes and not wait an hour! It makes great popcorn and chips (french fries) and sauces, so we can use it alongside the BBQ. If you'd like to see a lot more of our feathered friends 100+ films: https://www.youtube.com/user/PavlovafowlAll the very best from Normandie, Andy aka Organikmechanic

This is beautiful - a real work of art! All the very best from France, Andy

Thank you! There should be a film, which is in edit at the moment, so you will be able to see it in operation - and in twinkling mode! All the very best, Andy

Think these look great. We have lots of chickens, so we use their moulted feathers in craft projects and as an expert feather identifier, I think you have used old denim in a very creative way to produce some very realistic plumage! Voting for you and hope you win! All the very best Andy aka Organikmechanic

P.S. The rest of the ash goes in the compost bin! So no waste is wasted!

Hi there and you are welcome! As re the explanation above, I'm so sorry about the late reply! Did you make one? I am in the process of making a dragon shaped one for my sister-in-law! The smoke at the start will come out of the nose.

Hi there, sorry to be late in replying but the notification of comments doesn't work for some reason - so I only just found this. The ash is collected in the burn tube and I empty it when cold by tipping it over and shaking the ash out through the fuel feed tube. As a further bit of info - we riddle the ash and collect the remaining pieces as they are charcoal and can be used on the BBQ!

Hi there, no raccoons here in France but stone martens, another version of the pine marten that lives in old buildings (in the roof spaces), if you've never seen one they are about the size of a domestic cat and they tend to go for the neck and dink blood and leave the hen but they do take pigeons back to their 'nests'. We just lost a hen to one in the broad daylight and in a barn where we haven't seen a marten for 15 years! We have a sort of experimental 'jungle' forest garden, in which we try to let our birds live as wildly as possible. If you want to see our set up: https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovafowl We have been here for 20 years in France and started with two sisters, heritage breed Ardenners (photo below) in an open field. Also we love Polish and have quite a few including Bu…

Hi there, no raccoons here in France but stone martens, another version of the pine marten that lives in old buildings (in the roof spaces), if you've never seen one they are about the size of a domestic cat and they tend to go for the neck and dink blood and leave the hen but they do take pigeons back to their 'nests'. We just lost a hen to one in the broad daylight and in a barn where we haven't seen a marten for 15 years! We have a sort of experimental 'jungle' forest garden, in which we try to let our birds live as wildly as possible. If you want to see our set up: https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovafowl We have been here for 20 years in France and started with two sisters, heritage breed Ardenners (photo below) in an open field. Also we love Polish and have quite a few including Bungle and Spike pictured, she is 11 and she does lay now and again when she feels like it! I understand all too well about over-engineering, I do the same, so maybe we have the same background! All the best from Normandie, Andy

The original pallets are untreated - I only use that kind. Once up, we painted the whole structure with one coat of linseed oil. A trellis structure like this is still good 5 years later. West Coast France has a lot of rain and we also get heavy sea mists in the Winter, rarely snow but heavy when we do get it. To give you an idea of time-line - we have made all our greenhouses from the same pallet wood and painted with linseed, one coat and they are still in use 9 years on. This year I have had to do some repairs to the gravel boards on our big glass greenhouse, made from pallet wood and old windows but they are superficial and the structure is still good. I do love the way pallet wood fades to silver-grey and that is why I put just one coat of oil. I have however home-made pallet-wood st…

The original pallets are untreated - I only use that kind. Once up, we painted the whole structure with one coat of linseed oil. A trellis structure like this is still good 5 years later. West Coast France has a lot of rain and we also get heavy sea mists in the Winter, rarely snow but heavy when we do get it. To give you an idea of time-line - we have made all our greenhouses from the same pallet wood and painted with linseed, one coat and they are still in use 9 years on. This year I have had to do some repairs to the gravel boards on our big glass greenhouse, made from pallet wood and old windows but they are superficial and the structure is still good. I do love the way pallet wood fades to silver-grey and that is why I put just one coat of oil. I have however home-made pallet-wood storm shutters on our North facing back door (made 15 years ago) which get the brunt of the Winter weather from the sea and they were originally treated with high quality hemp oil (2 coats) and then recoated with it again 4 years ago. Hope this helps and the very best from Normandie, Andy

Hi there and thanks for the tips, we actually like our birds to be able to fly, as we do have predators on occasion even though this is an enclosed walled and hedged garden and the fact that they could all fly up into the trees saved them from the one time next door's Jack Russell broke in! We've also created large sections of canopy hedge that they can use as corridors to move about the garden and where they can also eat the leaves which are very valuable forage particularly in the Summer. However this gazebo does form a psychological barrier because we have 4 of our oldest and most territorial Polish hens and cockerels within it at the moment and they keep the others away and do not get on our plates at mealtimes! Again, thanks so much for your valuable feedback, Andy

Hi Penolopy, thanks for visiting and commenting. Best wishes from sunny Normandie, Andy

Great! Feel free to add a photo, would love to see your design! All the very best, Andy aka Organikmechanic

Hi there, Thank you for that great comment, I really appreciate it and am so happy you found this project useful. Hope you get your own machine going soon and please do ask if you require any further info. All the very best from Normandy, Andy

Great character shot of your dog - you should get a prize for that alone! Best Wishes and Good Luck, Andy

Hi there Attosa and thanks so much for your lovely comments. It was just great fun to make. Best Wishes, Andy

Hi there and thank you for those great comments! The planning of it was what took the time because of the growing of the eyebrows and I held back on trimming my beard for a week! However, you can get round that with adding false hair. Also I wanted to keep all my clothes and reuse them, so I had lots of folding, pinning and tacking to do but it would have been much quicker if I had just cut everything in half and sewed it up on the machine. I also made the moustache wax, which you can buy but it was easy and quick to make as was getting hold of the ingredients for the make up just because they were in the kitchen. All in all I would say it took me about a day and that included taking the shots and creating a vignette and then the visiting card. I did that on GIMP. The whole thing was such…

Hi there and thank you for those great comments! The planning of it was what took the time because of the growing of the eyebrows and I held back on trimming my beard for a week! However, you can get round that with adding false hair. Also I wanted to keep all my clothes and reuse them, so I had lots of folding, pinning and tacking to do but it would have been much quicker if I had just cut everything in half and sewed it up on the machine. I also made the moustache wax, which you can buy but it was easy and quick to make as was getting hold of the ingredients for the make up just because they were in the kitchen. All in all I would say it took me about a day and that included taking the shots and creating a vignette and then the visiting card. I did that on GIMP. The whole thing was such a laugh, particularly trying to get the 'fashionable' side whiskers to stick that the time went very quickly! Best Wishes, Andy

Hi there Sunshiine. Thank you so much for your great comments! Dr Jekyll tells me he is patenting the potion as a hair restorer - I'm not sure about the side effects though! Best Wishes, Andy

Thank you so much! I had such great fun making the whole thing. All the very best, Andy

Nice job! I love how you created the texture of the antlers, very clever. Best wishes, Andy

Thanks so much, Andy.

Thanks for your comment, they really are useful aren't they?

Hi satosi, thanks for your lovely comment, I really appreciate it. This is also known as a thermal cooker, hay box cooker, fireless cooker and many others but if you search for these three you ought to get a good idea of their history and recipes. I've also made one in wood which doubles as a seat next to the telephone, but the cardboard one is so much quicker to make, not as robust but works almost as well. I totally agree with you about how technology has made us reliant on 'quick fixes' and/or results at the touch of a button. There is always a place for traditional techniques and we should never be afraid of returning to them, after all the technology to which you refer is only a tiny period in the creative genius of humankind. Best Wishes from Normandy, France, Andy. p.s. the wooden …

Hi satosi, thanks for your lovely comment, I really appreciate it. This is also known as a thermal cooker, hay box cooker, fireless cooker and many others but if you search for these three you ought to get a good idea of their history and recipes. I've also made one in wood which doubles as a seat next to the telephone, but the cardboard one is so much quicker to make, not as robust but works almost as well. I totally agree with you about how technology has made us reliant on 'quick fixes' and/or results at the touch of a button. There is always a place for traditional techniques and we should never be afraid of returning to them, after all the technology to which you refer is only a tiny period in the creative genius of humankind. Best Wishes from Normandy, France, Andy. p.s. the wooden version is here: https://thegreenlever.blogspot.com/2013/03/make-wo...

Hi Thorsten and thank you for your comments, they are appreciated. The lens I ended up using had a diameter of 1⅜" (35mm) with a focal length of 6" (150mm). My source book suggested a 2" (50mm) lens with about an 8" (200mm) focal length. I believe the latter lens to be easily available. I think I put some in the amazon link I provided - they are classed as 'educational lenses'All the very best from Normandie and wishing you good luck with the collimation and do get back to me if you have any problems. Clear skies, Andy