GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

  • Can you use soap on cast iron? 3 cast iron myths – GF Video

    Can you use soap on cast iron? A HUGE debate in the world of cast iron cooking, watch our video to find out the answer:

    Can You Use Soap On Cast Iron

    Yes. Here’s why:

    When you apply a thin film of vegetable oil, ideally flax oil or sunflower oil, to the pan, and then heat it, the oil polymerizes. Polymerization is a chemical process where oil becomes a plastic like finish. The oil dries out, and is no longer an oil.

    Dishwashing soap breaks down oil. Since the oil you applied, has been heated & dried, it is no longer an oil, the soap doesn’t dissolve it. So the mindset of soap ruining the finish on cast iron doesn’t apply here. The cast iron pan seasoning is now a polymer. Any food or cooking oil will get cleaned out by the soap, but the seasoning stays.

    How To Care For Your Cast Iron

    Use enough oil to cook your food, and when done, wipe out the pan with a towel. If there is food sticking, or you made a curry or some fragrant dish, put a little soap in the pan and clean out the pan. Set the pan back on the burner, heat it up to dry out the water. Apply a very thin layer of vegetable oil, ideally flax or sunflower oil, wipe out the excess, and allow the pan to cool off.

    That’s it! Here’s the best how to season cast iron video:

    how-to-season-cast-iron-play

    A conversation in the YouTube comments of this video says a lot about this question, can you use soap on cast iron:

    The Real Jim Guy: “I season my cast iron the old fashioned way with lard and i tell you from experience that dish soap strips the finish right off it to where everything sticks like glue.”

    John B: “I believe that’s because lard doesn’t polymerize they way that olive oil or flax seed oil does under heat. so it remains soluble to the effects of the soap.”

    Galanie: “True, unhydrogenated animal fats never dry really and won’t polymerize the way that seed oils do.”

    Brrag: “I have washed my cast iron skillets with dish washing detergent for 40 years. my mother and grandmother washed theirs the same way. i once heard you weren’t suppose to use soap on them so just started cleaning with hot water. they got so nasty smelling, i went back to the soap again. Using soap does not change the taste of your food. On the other hand, not using soap will change the taste of your food; it will taste like you cooked it in rancid oil.” (Probably the best argument on can you use soap on cast iron)

    Pappy: “You make so much sense… used to be called common sense but it’s not very common any more. I have a cast skillet that is at least 80-90 yrs old. My grandmother got it at Montgomery Wards (remember them?) Anyway she and my mother after her used this pan daily, washed it in soapy water, dried it, heated it and put some Crisco or bacon fat on it and that was it. It has a glass smooth bottom and cooks like a dream and is pretty much none stick. I admit it had gotten pretty grungy over the years so I cleaned it up, got most of the gunk off it and reasoned it. I don’t regularly wash it in soapy water because it cleans up beautifully with just water and a scrub brush but if it gets particularly dirty or I forget it overnight I don’t worry about soaping it up. The flax seed oil characteristics you mentioned are spot on from what I’ve also read. Once seasoned well with it you don’t need to only use flax seed oil tho, any oil will do to maintain that finish. Good video, thanks…”

    If you want to buy cast iron pans, I suggest finding them at yard sales and restoring them. You can get good cast iron on amazon here. (This is an affliate link, it helps us make more GardenFork!)

  • Pick Up A Tornado Shelter At The Home Improvement Store

    While in the Midwest this week, I was at one of the large home improvement stores and outside they had tornado shelters you could pick up then and there.

     

    Tornadoes are a big deal in this state, there are swaths of empty ground along the road where you can tell a tornado came through. The houses that were there are now gone.

    We have always sheltered in the basement, but this is an upgrade to that practice. I have seen many home made tornado shelters on the web, some have failed because the storm doors purchased were not rated correctly.

    Both of these shelters are designed to be bolted to a concrete pad, either outdoors or your garage or carport floor. The cylinder model might be better at deflecting wind, but both have been tested in wind tunnels from what I have read.

    Read More Storm Preparedness Posts Here.

    What are your storm preparedness plans? Let me know below.

    You run around and try not to get killed : Storm Chasing : GardenFork Radio

  • Troy Bilt FLEX Log Splitter, How Does It Stack Up? – GF Video

    My video review of the Troy Bilt FLEX Log Splitter attachment. This log splitter attaches to the FLEX power base that also runs the other attachments in this line of outdoor power gear. Watch the video and read through my thoughts below.

    Heads Up: Troy-Bilt is a sponsor of GardenFork, I think they are a good company, all opinions are mine. If I don’t like something, I’ll be straight with you.

    Troy Bilt Flex Log Splitter: Easy To Store

    I talk about this in the video, but the standout feature for me, besides that fact that its a good splitter, is how easy it is to store the splitter attachment. Most wood splitters are large, and you have to store them outside under a tarp. Not great for longevity, and an invitation to mice. With the Troy Bilt FLEX log splitter, you wheel it into the garage, tuck it under a shelf, disconnect the power unit, and you are done. The splitter unit is heavy, about 185 pounds, so you will be using a hand truck or the FLEX base to move it around.

    Troy Bilt Flex log splitter

    We’ve reviewed some of the other FLEX attachments, and I like how one power unit, (read: one engine) runs all sorts of different outdoor power equipment. That’s one engine you need to maintain, not 4 or 5 of them. Think of the time savings. Only one oil change a few times a year.

    I cut some red oak up in the neighbor’s woods, and brought back a trailer load and ran it through the FLEX wood splitter. The machine did well. The engine did not bog down at any time. I ran a few 12″ wide pieces through with no issues. The specs on the Troy-Bilt website state this will take up to an 18″ long log, I put in a few 19.5″ ones, which fit tight, but it worked.

    Troy Bilt Flex log splitter

    In the near future I think I’ll pick up 4 way splitting wedge for this. Troy-Bilt doesn’t sell one, but is sure makes splitting go faster.

    My favorite feature is the auto reverse, which retracts the hydraulic piston back to its home point automatically. Tap the handle to the reverse position, and back the piston goes, stopping on it own. Nice.

    Troy Bilt Flex log splitter

    The one issue I had was attaching a clip under the direction handle. This is the only assembly you have to do, and getting that clip over what it basically a chain master link was tricky.

    One comment I’ve seen a few times is that the wood splitter sits a bit low to the ground. Looking around, most all wood splitters in this power range (8 ton) sit low to the ground.

    So there you go, I’m happy to have this in my garage, and not taking up a huge amount of space. Learn more about the FLEX base unit and its attachments on the Troy-Bilt website.

    Troy Bilt Flex Review, One Engine Goes A Long Way

  • Bean Hole Beans Recipe, Dig A Hole, Start A Fire, Cook – GF Video

    A while back I read an article about an artisanal bean hole beans recipe, and then and there decided to make the GardenFork version. In other words, the done is better than perfect Bean Hole recipe. Watch the video:

    Any project that involves open fire and food is a good one. Growing up, we would camp in the backyard, and boil crayfish we caught in the quarry pond over our campfire. Fire, coffee can, crayfish = good. Same thing with beans, bacon, and a hole in the ground. Its wicked simple, and fun to do on the weekend, especially in the fall.

    What is a bean hole beans recipe?

    Cooking food in a hole in the ground, as a cooking method, has been around for a long time. Probably since humans learned how to use fire to cook food, or shortly thereafter. But the Bean Hole Beans we are talking about started with the Penobscot Tribe in Maine. They cooked their beans in a clay pot with bear grease and maple syrup.

    This bean hole baked beans recipe was adopted by the logging crews in Maine. One story I read told of how they used this method while transporting logs down the river to the harbor. The cook would ride down the river one day ahead of the logging crew. He would dig a hole and start a pot of beans, mark the spot, and then ride down the river another day, and do the same thing. The loggers would arrive at the camping spot, and dig up the beans for dinner.

    I’m not sure of the veracity of this story, but its certainly plausible to me. And what’s not to like about pulling into camp to find dinner ready?

    Bean hole cooking is the original Crock Pot cooking method of its day, the pre-electric version of the slow cooker. Plus its one of those low and slow methods, which we now know as a braise or BBQ.

    How To Make Bean Hole Beans

    This cooking method, is more than just cooking, its an experience. And it is great. It embraces the two mantras of GardenFork:

    Done is better than perfect.

    Use what you got.

    Here’s what you need:

    • Cast Iron Dutch Oven with a handle, and ideally a rimmed lid.
    • Wood to burn or chunk charcoal. Not large pieces of wood, btw.
    • Used clay bricks or rocks. Don’t use rocks that break when heated.
    • Sheet metal of some sort.
    • Chain, or heavy wire, or coat hangers.
    • Aluminum foil.

    You will need to dig a hole in your yard. I have found its easiest to do this in a raised vegetable garden bed. Its much easier, but dig where you are allowed. THINK about where you are digging, before you dig, OK?

    Bean Hole Beans Recipe

    Your hole is at least 6″ wider than the dutch oven and at least a 12″ deeper. Line the hole with used clay bricks. I don’t think one needs to use firebrick.

    Start a small fire in the hole with small pieces of wood. This will take longer if you use big pieces. Use small pieces. Add wood to this fire to build a larger fire.

    Let the fire burn down so the wood is starting to turn to coals. This is subjective, but you want a good base of coals to surround your dutch oven. There can be some wood that has not become coals yet. If you wait for everything to be burned down to coals, you’ve probably waited too long.

    Clean the center of the fire pit

    There are many bean hole beans cooks that par boil their beans before putting them in the dutch oven – to me this a waste of time. The beans are going to be cooking a long time. It’s great to brine beans before cooking, i do it all the time, but for this recipe, you don’t need to. OK? Good.

    Bean Hole Beans, the GardenFork recipe

    One 1 lb bag of dried northern beans – not soaked (other white beans work fine too)

    2 TBSP Mustard

    One small can of tomato paste

    1/2 cup maple syrup

    One chopped sweet onion

    4 slices of bacon.

    1 tablespoon kosher salt

    6 cups of water

    – again, use what you got, you can add other stuff to this recipe

    Put all the ingredients in the dutch oven. If your dutch oven lid does not seal well, place one or two layers of aluminum foil between the dutch oven and the lid.

    Cover the outside of the lid with aluminum foil to keep any dirt from getting in to the beans.

    Remove half the coals and move the rest to the sides. Lower the dutch oven into the hole, add back in the hot coals. Cover with the tin and then dirt. Be sure to lay the chain so its outside the fire pit.

    dutch oven banana bread recipe
    Now watch this dutch oven banana bread video

    Eric Bakes Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

     

     

  • Eric & Troy-Bilt Volunteer In Savannah – GF Video

    This year Troy-Bilt flew me to Savannah, Georgia to meet the other Troy-Bilt brand ambassadors and to do some volunteer work at a local botanic garden. Watch the video:

    Working with Planet In Action, we upgraded a children’s garden at the SACGC Botanic Garden. This was quite the project. As usual I was the least qualified gardener on the team, but I did run the rototiller and watered plants.

    Here is an area that will be a outdoor classroom for the kids, surrounded by some edible and fragrant plants.

    More good things happening here with a bridge over a wet spot in the garden.

    Here I am with Kenny Point, vegetable garden expert. Check out his website, Veggie Gardening Tips.

    A 4WD Self Propelled Mower Review, The Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP – GF Video

  • A 4WD Self Propelled Mower Review, The Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP – GF Video

    Go up hills easy! My self propelled mower review of the Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP. Watch the video and then read through my comments below.

    Why I Like This Self Propelled Mower:

    • Great Power
    • Ease of Steering
    • Troy-Bilt Quality

    Full disclosure here, Troy-Bilt has been a sponsor of GardenFork for a while now. I wouldn’t work with them if I didn’t believe in their products or their company. I’ve met about 20 people who work at Troy-Bilt and have been using their products for years. They are good people and they make good stuff. Here’s a vid about a volunteer project we did recently with Troy-Bilt

    OK, back to the 4 WD self propelled mower. It will pull you up hills.

    self propelled mower

    Yes, its that simple. I took this lawn mower over to my neighbor’s hilly cow pasture and went through 12″ high grass mix up a hill with no problems. And that’s with the mower set the mulching mode.

    On the mower handle you can choose front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or four wheel drive, pretty easy. I used it in all modes but found 4WD worked best for me.

    self propelled mower

    Talking about Troy-Bilt quality, it the small things that matter, like how they attach the gas cap to the fuel tank. Ever lost your gas cap? I have.

    self propelled mower

    I suggest buying this mower with the large rear wheels and the Honda engine. If you change the oil in your lawn mower, it can last forever.

    self propelled mower

    Its easy to adjust the height of the wheels for grass cutting height. Note the larger real wheels, makes it much easier to drive around and steer. Its all about ease of use, why make it hard to cut the grass?

    Like most, this self propelled mower comes with a bagger and a side discharge and a mulching mode. I like to mulch the grass, so I did not use the bag feature, but its in the box with the mower if you want to make compost from your grass clippings.

    I give this mower a thumbs up, its a quality machine, and the 4WD is brilliant. You will like this rig.

    Learn more about this mower on Troy-Bilt site here.

    Lawn Mower Oil Change, How To Do It Easy – GF Video

    How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades – GF Video

     

  • This Cheap Pull Knife Sharpener Works Just Fine, Thank You

    Best knife sharpener? I have one, its the electric Chef’s Choice, its about $120. How much do I use it? Not much.

    Cheap pull knife sharpener

    What I DO use is my cheap pull knife sharpener. Its right there in the top drawer. The best knife sharpener is in a cabinet somewhere. You have to plug it in, and it makes a bit of noise. The cheap sharpener has a very low carbon footprint…

    The cheap pull knife sharpener I have is from Chef’s Choice, its low tech and handy. They also make the electric model I use every few months. I like the simple knife sharpener because of its ease of use. Just pull it out of the drawer and start pulling the knife through it.

    Works for me, how about you?

    I know there’s all this talk on the knife discussion groups about angle and all, but I just want to be able to cut onions with a sharp knife.

    On a few tangents here, I do think you should store your knives in those plastic sleeves to keep them sharp. Get some here. Throwing a sharp knife into a drawer is a quick way to unsharpen that knife. One thing with the sleeve protector, be sure the knife is dry before storing it.

    I’m not a fan of the knife block, its one more thing on my counter and who knows what’s in the bottom of that knife slot… At least you can clean kitchen drawer partitions.

    And there’s a few good cheap restaurant kitchen type knives that are almost as good as a $100 knife. Check them out here. Mark Bittman pointed out a few years back that most of your food in restaurant kitchens is cut up with cheap knives they buy in bulk:

    I started with an eight-inch, plastic-handle stainless alloy chef’s knife for $10. This is probably the most essential tool in the kitchen. People not only obsess about knives (and write entire articles about them), but you can easily spend over $100 on just one. Yet go into any restaurant kitchen and you will see most of the cooks using this same … tool. NY Times

    How to you keep your knives sharp? Let me know in the comments below.

    Best Cast Iron Seasoning Instructions – GF Video

  • Bought a 110 Volt power adapter for the car, here’s what I learned.

    We do some telecommuting on the drive between the city and the country. And NYC being what it is, the power inverter we had is gone now. Remember to lock your car doors…

    So I ended up buying two power inverters. A power inverter is a box of electronics that allows you to plug a 110 volt plug into a cable that plugs into the car power outlet. AKA cigarette lighter socket.

    I bought a Bestek 200 Watt power inverter that has this neat design. It has the same shape as a large cup of coffee, and sits nicely in a car cup holder.

    car power inverter

    Thinking I should have one of these also for our second car, I bought a second power inverter. This time I opted for the more box shaped model.

    car power inverter

    After using each of these for a while, the box type has become my favorite. While I like the design of the coffee cup model, it is best located in the cup holder, and there’s only two in the front of our car. We usually each have a drink in those holders.

    AND I have managed to lose the power cable for the cup holder model. The wire is not permanently attached to the inverter. Not good in my world. I lose small things. They fall out of the car somehow.

    So, for the vast majority of you all, the 300W Power Inverter is the way to go. Plug in your laptop to charge, a few USB cables – what more do you need?

  • When To Harvest Garlic? & Epoxy on the Basement Floor – GF Radio 450

    Will from The Weekend Homestead joins Eric today to talk about growing and harvesting garlic, and Will’s lessons on home renovation. Will talks about when to hire the experts and when to do the work yourself.

    Watch Will’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/G0TFIREW0RKS

    Check out our garlic growing videos here.

    How To Plant Garlic

    How To Cook Garlic Scapes – GF Video

  • Honey Harvest Made Easier

    Its honey harvest time again. I’ve talked about the uncapping roller before, video here, but you combine this tool with putting 9 frames in a 10 frame honey super and you’ve made your life much easier.

    Honey harvest

    Most beekeepers use a hot knife, or uncapping knife to cut the beeswax caps off the tops of the honeycomb cells. Uncapping means opening up the cells so you can get the honey out, usually using an extractor.

    Honey harvest

    But with this roller tool, (buy it here) you don’t need to use a knife to cut off the caps. The photos look kind of messy, but this works pretty good. With a hot knife, you run the risk of gouging into the honeycomb. This means more work for the bees, rebuilding the comb before they can fill it with honey again.

    The uncapping roller punches holes in the caps. Its not a perfect process, but you get much less wax in your honey when extracting. So you don’t have to filter nearly as much wax when bottling the honey. Honey harvest

    The second new thing I’ve done is put 9 frames in a 10 frame honey super. This means one less frame than the box is designed for. But what this does is create a bit more space between each frame. The bees draw out the honeycomb a bit farther, which makes uncapping easier. And it means less propolis between frames, its much easier to pull these frames out of the super.

    I use brackets that set the frames at the right spacing. This has been a really nice thing.

    more beekeeping videos insert

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  • Purslane Is Not A Weed In Sunset Park

    Many US vegetable gardeners consider Purslane a weed. It pops up and keeps growing. But in my Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, it is sold at the grocery stores and vegetable markets along Fifth Avenue.

    My neighborhood has a huge Latino population, and they call purslane Burdolaga. I see it every week and thought to share with you. My neighbors upstate tear this out of the garden, my neighbors in the city buy it.

    Vegetable Garden Weed

    Burdolaga has a ton of Vitamin E and provides 25% of daily amount of Vitamin C your body needs.

    Vegetable Market Food

    Of course, I’ve made a video about this super healthy soup and salad green:

    Vegetable Garden Fails & Successes – GF Video

     

  • DIY Wind Turbines, Amazing Tomatoes, And Garden Fertlizers – GF Radio 449

    Rick and Eric talk more DIY and how to projects like Eric’s electrical re-wiring. But first we touch on home made wind turbines. We get an update from Dave in Texas about the Klee Univ. of Florida tomatoes has grown.

    The wind turbine article: http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/wind-energy/diy-wind-turbine-zm0z17amz

    Fertilizer article: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techinques/best-organic-fetilizers-zm0z17amz

    Urine in your garden: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a27354/urinate-on-lawn/

    Fan blade photo by Panoha via Wikimedia CC 3

  • The Best You Is The Real You by Sean Tucker

    Somehow I ran across a YouTube video by Sean Tucker on a website, and I watched it, and then I wanted to see more. So on to Sean’s YouTube channel.

    I wish I could be as successful in getting a point across, or to be as good of a speaker, I often feel tongue tied.

    A big theme in my life is:

    Be Yourself, Everything Else Is Taken

    And Sean speaks to that and more in this video. Let me know your thoughts.

    Check out Sean’s YouTube Channel and his very nice website.

    More of my thoughts on following through, and failing, and big Eric thoughts:

    Planning and Failures, & Ricks Hiatus – GF Radio 435

    It’s OK To Suck At Something – GFR 444

  • Smoked Fish and Community Involvement GF Radio 448

    How just one person can affect change is a big theme in my life, so here we go with another one of Eric’s solo shows.

    The Nelson Mandela billboard and more : https://www.values.com/

    The article  “How To Build A Better Home Town” Real Simple August 2017 doesn’t seem to be online, or at least not yet.

    Planning and Failures, & Ricks Hiatus – GF Radio 435

    It’s OK To Suck At Something – GFR 444

  • Vegetable Garden Fails & Successes – GF Video

    My vegetable garden fails were pretty obvious this year, and in the video below we give you a garden tour. Watch the vid then read through our thoughts below.

    At least the sunflowers and the kale are growing!

    Garden Fail

    The garden heated up quickly this year and I found that any of the greens or mustards that I got as transplants bolted very quickly. I was surprised how quickly they did. Maybe those plants were already stressed in the plant pack trays and I couldn’t do anything about it.

    Garden Fail

    My bed of salad greens, which is the shadiest bed in the yard, turned into weeds. I think the compost I got was full of weed seeds. Boom, a bed of weeds. I think I will use the string trimmer on this bed and then replant.

    Garden Fail

    The sunflowers are doing well. I even transplanted several from the other garden beds. They key to transplanting sunflowers is to dig out a large root ball and water them often after replanting. They also like fertilizer. I did sow the sunflower seed too early, so a lot of them did not germinate. But I re-seeded and that batch has taken off. I made sure to have the taller varieties in the back of the bed. It should be a good cutting garden soon.

    The sugar snap peas (watch our how to grow sugar snap peas video here) are doing well. They are just now browning out after a good season of producing lots of Labrador snacks. I tried the Sugar Anne variety with not great success. I really like the Super Sugar Snap peas. You learn how to build the trellises we use in a video here.

    Garden Fail

    Our string beans are just starting to flower. I really like the Rattlesnake Pole Beans I get from Fedco Seeds, or you can save your own string bean seeds. they don’t get stringy or woody and can stay on the vine a few days after ripening. They are on the same kind of simple string trellis we use for the peas.

    What are your garden fails? Let me know below. Meantime some more cool posts are below.

    Can You Transplant Snap Peas?

    Simple Techniques To Garden Almost Year Round In This Book

    How To Grow Mushrooms From Plug Spawn – GF Video

  • The Deer Fly Repellent That Catches Deer Flies

    You want a deer fly repellent to keep deer flies from dive bombing you while hiking, camping, working the the yard. This repellent works by catching the deer flies on a piece of sticky tape. I know it sounds weird, but it works.

    deer fly repellent

    These 19 deer flies are from one 45 minute walk in the woods with the Labradors. I check my hat a few times during the walk and thwack the flies with my finger to make sure they aren’t going to fly off and bother someone else.

    I wrote about this in a earlier post, How I Get Rid Of Deer Flies, but I wanted to show you just how well this tape works.

    Like me, you are thinking, “Oh, I can just go buy some double stick tape.” No, it doesn’t work. I tried that.

    Besides, if you buy these Deer Fly Patches in bulk, its about the same as the cost of a roll of tape, and easier to carry with you. I don’t know of any other deer fly repellent that works as well.

    Its peace of mind to work in the yard or go on a walk and not worry about getting a deer fly bite, which aren’t fun. Yes, the flies still fly around you, but they end up landing on the patch, not your neck or arms.

    Deer flies tend to stay along the tree line, and park themselves on plants waiting for someone or an animal to walk by. Our yard is surrounded by woods, so its a perfect habitat for them. I’ve found they flies are more active on hotter days. If its cool out, they flies are not out.

    I’ll have to research it more, but its very interesting how the deer flies know to land right between the eyes of my Labradors, and bite them. And the Labs usually don’t know what’s going on. If I approach one of the dogs from behind I can sometimes nail the fly.

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  • Does Your Dog Smell Like A Swamp? Ours Does

    Labrador Henry smells like a swamp all summer. Like all the dogs, she loves to go swimming, but her coat gets this funky smell from swimming. So I’m curious if your dogs have the same issue.

    We’ve tried a few home made dog shampoos, the ones for when you dog gets sprayed by a skunk work for a bit. They have peroxide and dish soap in them. Its fun to mix these up when you pour the peroxide into the baking soda infused water and add the dish soap. Its like a science experiment.

    But Henry doesn’t love this science experiment. We tried several odor control shampoos and finally got a prescription only shampoo from the doctor. It seems Henry has gets this yeast condition on her skin in summer when her fur gets wet. The vet shampoo does the job, but we have to bath her several times a summer.

    Not surprising considering the kind of standing water and mud they roll in on a regular basis.

    What kind of shampoo do you use? I’d like to try some alternatives.

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  • The Best Mouse Trap, Period – GF Video

    Here is what I think is the best mouse trap. I use these because they kill the mice instantly and are a pet safe mouse trap. Watch this video to see how it works:

    Why is this best mouse trap?

    1. It works every time.
    2. Its real easy to set, just add peanut butter and turn it on.
    3. Its easy to remove the dead mouse, just empty into the trash.
    4. Its a pet safe mouse trap, your dog or cat can’t be injured by it.

    Buy the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap here.

    Best Mouse Trap

    A pet safe mouse trap is important to me, as we have two Labradors. They leave this trap alone. I put these along the baseboards and kick panels of the kitchen cabinets and the dogs leave them alone. If you have a very curious pet, or one who loves peanut butter, this might be an issue, but its easy enough to put the trap in an out of the way place then.

    Once you turn on the trap, it will stay on for usually a week. It holds a static charge to zap the mouse, and you need to reset the trap every 5-7 days by turning it off then on again. Easy enough.

    If the trap has a dead mouse in it, the trap light will blink green. Simply open the trap cover over the trash can, turn it over and the mouse drops into the trash. You don’t have to touch the mouse.

    Best Mouse Trap

    The peanut butter bait will last for a long time, as the mouse doesn’t really get to eat much of it before its life is over. Peanut butter mouse bait will dry out after a while, so you can clean it out and add a new dab. I suggest creamy peanut butter. The brand doesn’t seem to matter, but the natural peanut butters usually have too much oil and the oil can get onto the metal plates of the trap. Something to avoid.

    If you have a rat infestation, use the Victor Electronic Rat Trap here. The operating premise is the same, just a larger version for getting rid of rats. I have a friend who is a building superintendent, and he swears by these rat traps.

     

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