The Hard Times Cafe

Well, we made it through, the summer that is.  No propane, in the big tank at least.  I know its been some time sense I've blogged and I had every intent of doing some sooner, I even posted an entry to the fact but I found that I just wasn't ready to get back at it.  Summer was very busy and one reason because we did stick to our guns and not refill our propane.  We've shared the cooking between campfire and campstove.  I've even got really good at electric roaster baking.  I call it my  adult "Easy Bake Oven".  Actually it really doesn't do too bad.  Some would ask why bother if you have to pay for fuel for the propane campstove or the electricity for the roaster oven or the wood?  I guess it was a matter of trying.  I was able to monitor our fuel cost better than if we just fill up our 500 gallon propane tank and use it till it needs a new fill.  We have a small 20 lb tank for the campstove and when it needed a refill we took it up, paid cash and didn't worry about a bill. We currently are only on our third 20 lb tank.  Less than $50 all summer on propane.  My roaster oven didn't effect the electric bill, I watched carefully..  But it wasn't used full time either, I only had two pans that could fit into it and it took a lot longer to cook stuff.  We used old wood in the campfire.  Our "solar shower summer" was adventurous at times and we had to plan ahead to make sure the bags were full and we also had to keep track of the weather.  If it was going rain part of the day, we had to make sure we got our showers prior.  Or if it was going to be over cast, we needed to give our water extra time to warm up. But it was a family experiment to see if we could do it.  We did it well enough that we believe if we had to we could do it without the electric roaster of propane camp stove, even in the summer.  Would we want to?  Not with just the camp fire, at least in the summer.  I would have to have a summer kitchen with a cook source in there.  This summer has required a lot more work.  There is no doubt.  We are a family that by today standards has very few modern conveniences anyways.  We have no electrical gadgets in the kitchen, haven't for years.  No microwave, electric coffee pot, not even an electric mixer.  But hot water on demand is certainly a convenience!   So needless to say I was thrilled this past week when our weather here in Michigan cooled down to the low 40's and this morning is in the low 30's.  I had waited all summer for it.  Because what that meant for me was I could fire up the wood stove in my kitchen.  I would have a full size cook top, an oven and hot water all at the same time.  Our cookstove has a water reservoir that I have thanked the good Lord for every day this week.  I've kept if full and had hot water on demand!!  But all in all, I praise God that we did this experiment and though we've made it through the summer, now we must proceed on through the winter.  A couple of things will change.  Solar showers will be out.  But we will have our choice of hot baths (praise be to God) or a shower as my husband will rig up something over the top of the tub that will hold the hot water from the reservoir from the stove.  My camp stove and electric roaster can be retired as all my cooking will be done on and in the wood stove.  I've shared below some photos of this weeks usage of the wood stove and a modern convenience that I have in my kitchen during canning season that I just wouldn't want to do without, my apple saucer.

I think its called a Roma Strainer.   At any rate, I stated several entries ago when we starting this experiment that whatever it be like, I was confident that it would not be a hardship, as very few of us really now what hardship is.  We know what inconvenience is but not true hardship.  Our state of mind in this country is so pampered that although we may think our life is just horrid at the time, if we could step back and look at others, and truly see with the eyes of God, we would truly see that we are just spoiled.  So many things that people consider hardship truly aren't.  That my friend is one reason why, my family has chosen to be intentional peasants.

Blessings from the Hard Time Cafe

The Intentional Peasant