GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Category: Podcast

  • Tomato Planting Tips & Selection with Priscilla : GF Radio

    Tomato Planting Tips & Selection with Priscilla : GF Radio

    How to plant tomatoes? What kind of heirloom tomatoes to grow? What about hybrid tomatoes? Which are the best ones? we talk with tomato growing expert & Eric’s neighbor, Priscilla the Egg Lady about how to grow tomatoes, tomato planting, and all things tomato.

    Every year Priscilla selects way too many varieties to grow in her green house, and she sells the seedlings in her roadside farmstand. We get our tomato plants from her every year. This year she used Solo brand cups to grow her tomato transplants, and it looks like it worked out well, the plants we got are well rooted and slipped easily out of the cups. Remember to plant the seedling deeper than it was growing in the pot. By planting the seedling this way, new roots will grow out from the part of the steam that is below the soil line, which makes the plant stronger. this is helpful in areas where there is a lot of wind, and also helps to keep the plant from drying out quickly, as the roots are deeper.

    Juliette is my favorite tomato plant of the moment, last year it was the best tomato we planted. its a grape style tomato that was resistant to disease and kept on producing well.

    Priscilla was on GF Radio last year talking about how to grow tomatoes, listen here.

    You can watch our how to grow tomato videos here

    What are you tomato growing tips & ideas? let us know below:

     

    photo by hotblack

  • DIY Worm Composting How-To : GF Radio

    DIY Worm Composting How-To : GF Radio

    How to do worm composting in your house is our main topic. Rick has almost zero waste in his house by using worms to compost his kitchen scraps. Rick tell us how to make your own worm composting bins and where to get composting worms, aka red wigglers. You can also use night crawlers for worm composting.

    Rick shreds paper, be it junkmail or newspapers for bedding material and mixes this with the food scraps from the kitchen into his worm composter. He tells about how to make your own worm composter and where to locate the composter in your home. And how to aerate your worm compost bin with a home made rig.

    Fruit flies are easily controlled with the shredded paper and keeping the worm bin not too wet.

    How to build an aquaponics system is next, Rick tell us how to make your own aquaponics or aquaculture system. If you have an aquarium, you have half the the parts to an aquaponics system. Balancing the pH of the system of a challenge. Right now Rick is using goldfish to fine tune his system,  he is growing tomatoes, lettuce, peppers with his aquaculture system.

    You can read some of Ricks aquaponics how-to posts here.

     

    photo by Kahanaboy

  • Wedding Etiquette For Eric GF Radio

    Wedding Etiquette For Eric GF Radio

    A special guest joins eric to talk about wedding etiquette, IOW, how to behave at weddings, luna moths, poached eggs, moving beehives, and ledge birdhouses.

  • Power Tool FAQ GF Radio

    Power Tool FAQ GF Radio

    Power tool questions answered here, Tracy joins Eric to ask about the torque settings on her cordless drill, what are those numbers on the ring near the chuck? Tracy declines Eric’s offer to answer more of life’s deeper questions though.

    Move on to grounded and not grounded power outlets in your house, can i replace the outlets that don’t have a ground plug with a grounded outlet? why or why not? Again, Eric provides the answers to this and a few more of tracy’s questions.

    Have a question? ask us on GF Radio.

  • Simple Pizza and Bread Oven Plans GF Radio

    Simple Pizza and Bread Oven Plans GF Radio

    Stuart Silverstein joins us to talk about how to build backyard bread and pizza ovens.

    You can watch our how to build a brick pizza oven video here.

    You can buy Stuart’s book here

  • Chocolate Cake & Truck Repair GF Radio

    Chocolate Cake & Truck Repair GF Radio

    The 5 minute chocolate mug cake recipe video how to starts off the show, as Eric and Mike discuss making the 5 min microwave cake. Eric fixed the posted recipe, hoping no one actually put 2 tablespoons of salt in the cake. Katja from Holland tells us that the Dutch use butter, not oil in their baking, and has some suggestions for making  grown-up version of the cake with espresso powder, orange liqueur, or rum. yum…

    but its the ubiquitous fork in the chocolate cake recipe video that caught one viewer’s eye, and we learn Eric may have valuable silverware in the drawer. That’s not just a for, it’s a “Kirk Repousse Sterling Silver fork” and it may be worth some cash. wow.

    we talk about the overnight cole slaw recipe, here is the link to the recipe

    Eric’s Ford F150 has a bunch of error codes from his code reader, the one that is of the most concern is the 513 PCM Int Volt Failure. Here is the full list of KOEO codes:

    117 Eng Coolant Temp Sensor below minimum voltage
    126 MAP sensor pressure above or below normal
    122 Throttle Position Sensor – replaced this one –
    112 Air Charge Temp Sensor below minimum voltage
    327 EGR valve position circuit below minimum voltage

    513 PCM Int Volt Failure
    553 Thermactor Air Diverter Solenoid circuit fault
    552 Air Management Circuit 1 failure
    565 Canister Purge Solenoid circuit fault
    556 Fuel Pump relay primary circuit fault
    558 EGR valve regulator solenoid circuit fault

    Computer Geek talk is next with a warning to Mac OSX users of a actual Apple virus, here is the article.

    Hotels and other businesses who allow you to use their wifi may be inserting ads in to the web pages you browse, Mike and Eric talk the ethics of such doings, here is the article this is based on.

    We move on to viewer mail and great note from Lauren, here is her blog, Plenty Of Words For You.

    photo by jusben

  • Mike’s Road Trips GF Radio

    Mike’s Road Trips GF Radio

    Mike tell us about his recent road trips to gaming conventions and Florida. then there’s some viewer mail.

     

    photo by chelle

  • What is a colonoscopy? : GF Radio

    What is a colonoscopy? : GF Radio

    What is a colonoscopy? how does a colonoscopy work? What’s it like and why you should have one today on GardenFork Radio. Rick, Mike, and Eric talk about their colonoscopy experiences and how its not that big of a deal.

  • Tornado Safe Rooms, Tornadoes, & Storm Chasers GF Radio

    Tornado Safe Rooms, Tornadoes, & Storm Chasers GF Radio

    Tyler joins us to talk about building tornado safe room or tornado shelter, his sister built a tornado safe room in the floor of her garage, and safe rooms were discussed at ChaserCon. Safe rooms can be pre-fab or built on site out of concrete or steel or a combination of rebar, cement, and cinderblocks. Storm Chasing comes next, is storm chasing really like how it looks on the cable shows? Tyler talks about what its like to chase storms and the science behind what causes tornadoes, how to tornadoes form?

    Car repair comes next, Tyler is having some car repair issues with his Jeep, we talk about what a crankshaft is, a harmonic balancer, and flywheel do.

    We talk about beekeeping and Tyler’s beginning beekeeping experiences, Eric and Tyler agree that using medium supers, not the large deeps, are the best way to keep bees. Siting your bees is an issue, as you have to keep in mind how you are going to get to your honeybees in winter and summer, you can’t always just drive your truck right up to them, think about where they are going to live.

    If you want to listen to our Beekeeping for Beginners Questions & Answers shows, click here.

    Car and Truck safety on the highway rounds out the show, a viewer mail asks out loud what will driving be like in 20 years?

    photo by cohdra

  • No, I will not fix your computer GF Radio

    No, I will not fix your computer GF Radio

    more on road rage and walking away from it.

    pinball history, mike talks about the influence on pinball by Steve Kordek, Eric reads from Mr Kordek’s obituary in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/business/steve-kordek-innovator-of-pinball-game-dies-at-100.html

    mike shreds his paperwork and sets off the alarm at work and eric used to have long hair and a mowhawk, photos of which are out there.

    more on using baking soda to wash your hair and using hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, water, and  few drops of dishwashing soap to get rid of the funky smell of labrador fur

    eric has disconnected the camera and microphone on his computer

    viewer mail and itunes reviews.

    eric reacts to a cranky comment by someone who does not like dogs

    iTunes review: ” if you’re looking for a tightly structured podcast, GardenFork is not for you. ”

    eric has started to post things on Pinterest.com, its a great way of sharing pictures and ideas from people’s websites. Gardenfork’s page on Pinterest is here: http://pinterest.com/gardenforktv/

    Mike goes on cooking: mike tells how to make pizza at home using a super easy way with a large flat pita that you can keep in the freezer. Mike uses spaghetti sauce, olive oil, cheese and vegetables.

    Eric talks about things he is doing to lose weight, talking about posting his weight each day publicly would help to keep one focused.

    Mike and Eric talk about the diplomacy and social etiquette of asking a friend to fix your computer. its summed up by: “No, I will not fix your computer”

    photo by mconnors

    Finally, Eric likes the word ‘ somnolent ‘

  • Maple Syrup Season Update GF Radio

    Maple Syrup Season Update GF Radio

    Eric talks with Bill of Maple Knoll Farm about tapping Maple Trees for sap, making maple syrup, and how this warm winter is affecting the maple syrup season. Bill can be seen in our GF Video Make Maple Syrup here. Bill has about 150 trees tapped, using metal buckets. He and his family collect the maple sap, and boil it down in the evaporator in the family sugar shack. This warm winter weather has thrown a wrench in the usual maple syrup making process. Sap runs in sugar maple trees when the nights are cold and the days are warm. This year we’ve had just warm weather for the most part.

    In the sugar shack, Bill and his family fire up the evaporator and boil down the sugar maple sap to syrup. Its very cool process to watch. There are several maple syrup operations in our town, and we visited another one recently and made this how to make maple syrup video there. Each sugar shack is different, reflecting the interior design sense of each sap house owner.

    Some additional maple syrup posts on Gardenfork:

    How to make Maple Syrup at Bill’s Sugar Shack

    How to tap sugar maple trees

    How to make maple syrup at the Norfolk sugar shack

    Summer Salad with Maple Blue Cheese

     

    photo by earl53

     

     

  • How to find a new job, Rich Gee talks GF Radio

    How to find a new job, Rich Gee talks GF Radio

    Wondering how to get  job in this economy? You’ve just been downsized, and you’re thinking to yourself, how do look for a job? How do I market myself?

    I met Rich Gee, executive and business coach, at a great diner for breakfast, and after we had eggs, hash, toast and coffee, we recorded an impromptu GF Radio show about how to look for a job. Rich gives some great suggestions on marketing yourself and how to talk about yourself in the present, not ‘what you used to do’.

    The diner we met at, The Laurel Diner in Southbury, CT is neat. Michael Stern of RoadFood.com says:

    A vintage diner with terrific corned beef hash and even more terrific hash brown potatoes. Dine at the counter and watch the cooks juggle a dozen orders as breakfast perfume fills the air.

    When Rich and I sat down, I knew I was in a New England diner, as kielbalsa was on the  menu. I had the hash special and it was good.

  • Frozen Brake Calipers & Haybox Cookers GF Radio

    Frozen Brake Calipers & Haybox Cookers GF Radio

    Mike tells us how to buy used truck, buying a used car or truck can be an un-fun experience, Mike talks about how to avoid the pitfalls. Frozen or stuck brake calipers are discussed, what causes a frozen brake caliper? how to fix a broken brake caliper and how disc brakes work are covered.

    Mike's new used Ford F150 truck

    Haybox cookers are next on GF Radio, what is a Haybox Cooker? Listen as eric describes how a haybox cooker is constructed and how it works. The history of these cookers is interesting, and we found several neat blogs while researching this thing.

    We found a great self sufficiency blog, Growing Things and Making Things, that talks about the haybox cooker

    Also on that blog was  post about using only water to wash your hair, and Sarah tells us how to wash your hair using only baking soda. [ i can attest that Sarah’s hair looks great ]

    Yet another viewer has discovered our No Knead Bread video and No Knead Bread recipe adapted from Jim Lehman, and the viewer has some suggestions:

    “Now, you ought to do a video on ALL the possibilities available for the Sullivan Bread. I do
    a garlic/onion, onion, onion and Italian seasonings, garlic and Mediterranean seasonings,
    sun-dried tomato and black olive, and pepperoni and cheese besides the standard recipe.
    My wife wants me to try a roasted red pepper (chopped) with garlic, onion and Italian or
    Greek seasonings. My son is after me to try a bacon/onion and sharp cheddar cheese one.
    At first I had doubts if ANY of the “flavored” Sullivan breads would turn out, but they did and
    BETTER than the expensive bakery Artisans. Of course almost all the add-ins are dried
    or not refrigerated and added with the base ingredients and let rise over night. The cheese is
    added just prior to the two hour “rise”. “

    We then move onto to Steven, of Tiny House Listings‘ photos and plan for brick pizza oven that uses no mortar or rails, you can see the photos here

    Love to get recipes and photos from you all.

     

  • Seed Starting How To & Email Reminders GF Radio

    Seed Starting How To & Email Reminders GF Radio

    How to start seeds using a heated seedling mat starts the show, using plastic sheeting to build a hoop house within a greenhouse, and using a heating cable buried in the ground starts GF Radio this week. You can watch our seed starting videos here.
    Eric has a healthy respect for electricity, and despite Eric reminding everyone to change the batteries in the smoke alarms, he forgets himself. You should change your smoke alarm batteries every 6 months.
    You can use the calendar in your computer to email yourself reminders to do these things, like flip your mattress, clean your fridge coils, etc.
    The buildup of dust in your computer starts us on a tangent talking about how to clean your computer, Mike gives some computer cleaning suggestions. Keeping your computer on your desktop instead of on the floor will keep the insides of the computer cleaner.

    USB powered outlets are new on the market, and for home offices this might be a good idea. Eric wonders how much vampire power is used by these USB outlets, and you need a deep outlet box to accommodate these USB outlets.
    Valentines day comes up, and mike wants to know why can’t he be romanced. Having Valentines Day at home is a theme at GardenFork.
    If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV is a quote from this Holstee.com Manifesto poster that Eric likes. “This is our life, do what you love, and do it often”
    The website redesign comes next, be prepared for more changes as we redesign the site.
    Mike is going to buy a used Ford F150, and Eric gives tips on buying a used car or truck.

  • Aquaponics and Hydryponics How-to GF Radio

    Aquaponics and Hydryponics How-to GF Radio

    ‘Being pregnant, that will knock you out’ is how Eric describes pregnancy. Hamburgers with eggs and peanut butter is on Mike’s to do list at his favorite pancake place. Mike is enjoying his Zombie Bait shirt.

    Rick updates us on his DIY aquaculture and hyrdroponics project. Aquaculture is like organic gardening in a closed system using fish and the waste water from the fish feeding the plants, and the filtered water is then returned back to the fish tank. If you already have a goldfish pond, you are that much closer to having an aquaculutre system. What kind of fish to use, what is the difference between hyrdoponics and aquaculture, and how you can build an inexpensive hydroponics system using 5 gallon buckets and PVC pipe. Mike’s friend Eric has a site about aquaponics here.

    Rick made a video about basic Dutch Bucket hydroponics system here

    Here is a simple hydroponic setup you can buy
    The advantage of the dutch bucket system is that the PVC pipe runs underneath the bucket to allow easy drainage.

    Eric and Rick both cite Eliot Coleman’s Book Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long

    Rick talks about the GardenFork Radio interview with Deek Diedricksen, author of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts . Rick talks bout several of the projects, Deek is a brilliant designer.

    Following up on the Simple Backyard Pizza Oven, viewers have sent in photos of their Brick Pizza Ovens, and one viewer has made Simple Bread Oven, see the photos here.

    With viewer mail come discussion the video of How to cook a great steak, and propane torches.

    More on winter beekeeping, Eric and Rick discuss the warm weather and winter feeding of honeybees.

  • Minimal Living & Monster Minivans GF Radio

    Minimal Living & Monster Minivans GF Radio

    Sarah joins Eric and Mike to talk about minimal living and how families can reduce their clutter. Sarah addresses how families can reduce their amount of stuff and be minimalist too. Eric thanks Make Magazine for putting the new pizza oven video on their site and Mike talks about the joy of driving through flat land.

  • Build a Tiny House with Deek Diedricksen GF Radio

    Build a Tiny House with Deek Diedricksen GF Radio

    Tiny House Designer Deek Diedricksen joins Sarah and Eric to talk about how to build a tiny house of your own, how to use recycled materials in your tiny house, and how he published his book of Tiny House Designs,Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts
    Deek and Eric talk about green building techniques, aka ‘Curbside Culling’ and how you can build a house with stuff your neighbors throw out. Eric’s Plywood Boat video is based on Deek’s design for a plywood boat he did for Make Magazine and on today’s show a discussion of how to build a boat from one sheet of plywood with zero skills, and how one can modify the plywood boat that we built on GardenFork.
    Deek will be teaching at several Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshops in Miami and perhaps Boston.
    Treehouse plans and how to attach a treehouse to a tree comes up next, Deek tells us a few different ways to secure a treehouse up in a tree, using recycled materials, of course. Plans for a tree house workshop are in a the works, and a tiny house houseboat is in the nascent stages.
    Deek’s advice for how high to build a treehouse is not build it too high in the tree, and hardwood trees are better to secure tree houses to. Overbuild your tree house while keeping the weigh to a minimum is the mantra.
    We name drop with Deek, talking about Andrew Odom, tiny house building and blogger, who was on this GF Radio episode, you can check out Andrew’s site here, and Eric talked about Gennaro Brooks-Church, green building contractor who talked about green building techniques in this episode of GardenFork.TV
    The dilemma of curbside culling is next, what to do with all the recycled materials one picks up? Deek says to go ahead and build stuff with them.
    We do a book review of Deek’s book here, take a look at some of the drawings inside Deek’s Tiny House book.

  • Backyard Brick Oven Discussion! GF Radio

    Backyard Brick Oven Discussion! GF Radio

    We talk about the Simple Backyard Brick Oven Plans and Video. The pizza oven construction is discussed, and how to source angle iron using freecycle techniques. Placement of the wood fire within the Brick Oven and the difference between our simple brick oven and those pizza ovens in a restaurant fill out the conversation. Its the perfect brick oven for a pizza party. Mike talks about the ritual of building the oven is akin to BBQ, the ritual of doing it. Having your friends help build the pizza oven when they come over to eat would be fun. How to cut Durock, a cement backer board used in the Brick Pizza Oven is best scored with a utility knife.

    What kind of dough recipe to use in the pizza oven comes up. Eric used this pizza dough recipe and found it to be good.

    Mike asks if people remember a mimeograph machine, and dates himself immediately, and talks about fishing in winter.

    Monica joins us to talk about what Eric should make with what he has in his fridge, the consensus seems to be Mexican Casserole. We also talk about Monica’s trip to Los Angeles.

    The 7 bone roast mystifies Eric, and Monica suggests visiting your local butcher who knows about meat. Stew meat, what kind to use, and how Monica and Mike make it is discussed, use what you got seems to be the theme here. Mike has a great suggestion to save food from catering platters, put them in the freezer and use them to make stews.

    GardenFork Radio is now available on Stitcher Radio