DIY Laying Brick for a Hearth

So as many of you know, I've been saying that we've been working on our hearth for our wood stove for quite a few months. And I'm sure your all ready to see what it looks like, I know I was excited to see the final product. So I'm going to go through it with you step by step so that you can do it to. I don't know about you, but our electricity bills just keep going up and up and it's really getting ridiculous, our last one was $500. Anyways, we had decided quite a while ago to convert to a wood stove, not only to save money but also because we love the look of them and the smell. Plus we are surrounded by bush and there is no chance of having to buy any wood.

So our project originally started off fairly simple, there was already a foundation for the hearth, we just need to replace the top layer with bricks, luckily the wall pieces were already there. So this is what it looked like to begin with.

Just in case you can't tell from these photos, the top of this hearth is laminate, and the sides are carpet. Not sure what the previous people who owned our house were thinking. But the backing is actual brick which was a great time saver for us. (Yes I know that carpet it nasty, we got rid of it).

 So we obviously had to remove the laminate, but this is what happened.

So we took the top off, and opened a can of worms. Or mice I guess... Yes that is a mice nest. Thank God we did this in the summer and there wasn't any in there!!! So that changed our plans right away. First thing we did was stop and go outside. Do not breath this stuff in. We went to the store and got those masks, and some bleach and spray bottles. Put equal parts bleach and water in there and start spraying. Thankfully I have a brave boyfriend and he scooped all that into a bag and i didn't have to deal with it. Then we sprayed some more.

We didn't want to keep wood that was soak with mouse pee and poo so we started from the ground up. There was scratches in the floor from them too, it was so gross. So we were planning on painting the floor in there anyways, because we are allergic to dust and these particle floors in trailers are really bad for it, so we were using the garage floor sealer stuff. So we painted over this too, and we haven't had any mice yet this year (yay!!)

So then we had the opportunity to change the shape of the thing because it was really weirdly shaped. And we just started cutting. (turns out we had some major difficulties with the angles we choose but that's a little later on).

After we got the main shape we started adding bracing, mainly vertically. We though we had enough new wood but we ended up using a few scrap pieces that were nailed together, it didn't really need that, we were just being lazy haha.

Then we added the horizontal pieces were the wood stove was going to sit for a little extra protection. Our wood stove is huge. And we shoved it in place (man that thing was heavy)

Next thing we did was put plywood (not osb, this is super important, you will see why in a few steps). Which I apparently didn't get a photo of, but then we put the bricks around just to see what it looked like.

Ok I'm sure that you are wondering, we just used pre-made mortar, the have it at Home Depot or your local home improvement store. Said it was for bricks and masonry, that's what you want. So we mixed up some mortar, it should show the ratio on the bag, if not you kind of want it sort of thick but not so much that it will dry before you use it all. Also once you mix it you have to use it, so make small batches. It's really scary at first I am telling you that right now. At least all of these bricks below that we laid we were zero percent confident, but we kept going, that's what you have to do because that's how you gain the confidence. So I'm going to share a tip here with you which is something we found out by accident, the more water on your surface and brick the better. It sounds silly but it really helps the mortar stick on there and easier to spread. Put water on the plywood using a cloth (this is why you can't use osb) and all sides of the brick that is getting mortar on it and the bricks beside it. Use a bucket and an old rag. Also I want to mention if you get some mortar on the tops or sides of the bricks that is ok, it wipes off fairly easily with a cloth and water. Be sure to use to separate buckets of water and cloths though as they do get rather dirty, and you want the one your using to clean them to be, well, clean. The other one it doesn't really matter, since your putting mortar on the places your wetting down.

This is what you want to do: First wet your plywood base, then wet the side of your brick that are getting mortared and any bricks beside it that will have mortar on them. Next put some mortar on the plywood and level it out with your trowel, run the extras up the sides of the bricks surrounding if there are any, if not, scrap the excess off and put it back into your bucket. Put a little bit on the bottom of your brick, just a thin layer. Then you really want to layer on the side(s) and push it up against the other bricks or the wall. Mortar will squeeze out, that is ok. You want to run your finger along the edges (or your trowel, whichever you prefer) to get rid of the excess. Make sure you have it in the place that you want it, once those are dry, they are on there. This is the point where you can wipe down the tops and sides of the bricks with a wet cloth, the sooner you do it the better, but it can still come off if you let it dry, it just requires more elbow grease.

You might want to get an actual masonry trowel, but we didn't because they are expensive and we are cheap so we just got a cheap drywall one. Which in all reality didn't really work all that well, we got some rubber gloves and put those on and just started using our hands, and once we did that everything started working way faster. At this point I know you are wondering, why is there more plywood in the center there now? Well our big slab bricks were 1/4 inch smaller than the other ones, so this was the fastest way to make everything even.

Just a quick note about cutting the bricks. I will defiantly recommend you go and get yourself a diamond cutting blade. They are meant to cut masonry and it works fairly well, we got one for our grinder, because our circular saw bit the dust (pun intended) earlier in the year and we hadn't gotten around to getting another one yet. But keep in mind the size of your bricks compared to the size of the blade, my boyfriend had to cut one side and then flip it over and cut the other side. We used an angle finder for the angles and a little bit of guess work. Turned out we had exactly one half of the red bricks left over. That's cutting it close!! (pun intended again)

Note: your floor will get really messy. If you have nice flooring that you are planing on keeping, I would highly recommend that you put down some plastic. Otherwise your floor will look like ours does, and I'm pretty sure we already swept it up. But it is really easy to get off, just sweep up the lumps and then mop.

There, we finally got it done. This week we are going to move the wood stove on and get the chimney installed. Which I'm sure will be it's own box of worms. Maybe I'll have to post a whole other post about it (man I hope not). Until then!

Foraging M - O

Hey guys, I'm back again with another foraging post, which I'm sure you were looking forward to. I just want to remind you all that the below information is second hand information that I've collected over the years through the internet and books, so please use caution when trying any of the below. Incorrect plant identification can be extremely dangerous, and can cause you to be very ill or worse case you could die. Use at your own risk.

Mallow

Mallow is a soft tasty leaf good in fresh salads. Use it like lettuce and other leafy greens. You may find the smaller younger leaves a tad tenderer. Toss in salads, or cook as you would other tender greens like spinach. The larger leave can be used for stuffing, like grape leaves. The seed pods are also edible while green and soft before they harden, later turning woody and brown. I hear they can be cooked like a vegetable. I’ve harvested and eaten them raw, and want to try steaming, pickling, fermenting, and preparing like okra.

Mallow Malva Neglecta

Edible parts: All parts of the mallow plant are edible — the leaves, the stems, the flowers, the seeds,

and the roots (it’s from the roots that cousin Althaea gives the sap that was used for marshmallows). Because it’s a weed that grows plentifully in neglected areas, mallows have been used throughout history as a survival food during times of crop failure or war. Mallows are high in mucilage, a sticky substance that gives them a slightly slimy texture, like okra, great in soups. Mallow has a nice pleasant nutty flavor. One of the most popular uses of mallows is as a salad green. (Like all herbs, pregnant women and breast-feeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Marigolds

Their flavor is citrusy. Usually only the petals are used. No green parts.  I also use them for yellow coloring in various dishes. They’re another flower called the “poor man’s saffron” the other being the Calendula.

Marsh-marigold

Leaves are edible when cooked; boil 10-60 minutes, until tender.

roots can be cooked and eaten. The variety in Manitoba is Yellow marsh-marigold. Grows in wet, open areas in montane, subalpine and alpine regions. Warning: eat in moderation, avoid uncooked young leaves and flowers.

Meadowsweet

Also known as: Maids of the Meadow, Meadow-sweet, Meadows Queen, Meadwort, Queen of the Meadow

An herbaceous perennial up to 1.2 m (4 ft.) high with long-stemmed leaves, it has large, dense, umbrella-like heads of creamy-white flowers that emit a sweet but sickly fragrance from early summer to early autumn.

You’ll find it: in wet, damp woods and meadows; also in marshes and fens and alongside streams and ditches.

Leaves: pleasantly aromatic, dark green leaves, each formed of two to five pairs of tooth-edged leaflets. Leaves have greyish-white undersides

Harvesting the leaves: cut while young and fresh and before eaten by insects.

Using the leaves and flowers: chop up young leaves and use to flavour soups. Dried leaves have been used to introduce aromatic aromas to wines, as well as to mead. Flowers when added to beer and wine are claimed to make a stronger and headier brew, and introduces sweetness when used in cold drinks and fruit salads during summer.

Medicinal Values of Meadowsweet

Young leaves and flowers are occasionally infused together to make a tea that is claimed to ease the common cold, soothe inflammatory problems and calm stomach complaints. The plant contains the chemicals that are used to produce aspirin.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is most commonly sought for its medical properties of preventing and repairing liver damage. But most parts of the plants are also edible and tasty. Until recently, it was commonly cultivated in European vegetable gardens. Leaves can be de-spined for use as salad greens or sautéed like collard greens; water-soaked stems prepared like asparagus; roots boiled or baked; flower pods used like artichoke heads.

Miner’s Lettuce

Flowers, Leaves, Root. Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. A bland flavor with a mucilaginous texture, it is quite nice in a salad. The young leaves are best, older leaves can turn bitter especially in the summer and if the plant is growing in a hot dry position. Although individual leaves are small, they are produced in abundance and are easily picked. Stalks and flowers can be eaten raw. A nice addition to the salad bowl. Bulb also can be eaten raw. Although very small and labour-intensive to harvest, the boiled and peeled root has the flavor of chestnuts. Another report says that the plant has a fibrous root system, so this report seems to be inaccurate.

Mullein Verbascum Thapsus

Edible parts: Leaves and flowers. The flowers are fragrant and taste sweet; the leaves are not fragrant and taste slightly bitter. This plant is best known for a good cup of tea and can be consumed as a regular beverage. Containing vitamins B2, B5, B12, and D, choline, hesperidin, para amino benzoic acid, magnesium, and sulfur, but mullein tea is primarily valued as an effective treatment for coughs and lung disorders.

Mulberries

Mulberry leaves have two types, one spade shape and a 5-fingered leaf. Both have pointed edges

Musk Mallow

Leaves are edible raw. Young leaves are tenderer and less bitter than older leaves. Young shoots are edible raw. Leaves are suitable as a soup thickener. Seeds are edible raw. Seeds have a palatable, nut-like flavour. Flower buds and flowers are edible. Fruits are edible. Grows in meadows, roadsides, disturbed sites and gardens.

Mustards

They all have yellow to white blossoms, sometimes pink, usually a simple cross which is there the family names Cruciferae comes from. They range from the Mustard that produces the seed that makes the condiment to the radish in our salad to the plant that produces what eventually is cleaned and deodorized into Canola oil. In northern climates they are a spring and summer plant. Wild radish and wild mustard look similar but have small differences. One is that Mustards grow tall, radishes like to serpentine. Radish blossoms cluster and have noticeable veins, mustard blossoms are singular, and the veins are not obvious. The seeds pods are different as well. Mustard’s pod is smooth, the radish jointed and why the mustard is called the charlock and the radish the jointed charlock. Their blossoms are both peppery and mustardy. They work best in cold salads or hot soups, the latter they can be tossed in just before serving. And of course, Mustard and radish leaves can be cooked up as greens.

Nasturtiums

The blossoms are peppery. In fact, the entire plant above ground is edible, even the seeds which can be pickled and used like capers. Multi-colored, low growing or trailing, Nasturtiums are often used in kid projects because the seeds are large, they’re fast to germinate and grow, safe, and edible.

Northern Water Plantain

Bulbous base of plant is edible raw. Plant has a strong flavour. Plant is best when dried and cooked. Grows in ponds and marshes. Warning: may cause a skin reaction and be poisonous to some people, use with caution

Onions

There are some 400 species in the Allium association if you include Onions, garlic, chives, shallots, and closely related ramps/leeks, the latter having wide leaves. Usually the flowers have a stronger flavor than the leafy parts, and the developing seed head even stronger flavor. Blossoms are usually white but can also be pink. Onion stems are round, as are chives but smaller. Garlic leaves are flat. Ramps and leeks have large leaves.

Oxeye Daisy

Young leaves can be eaten raw. Leaves have a strong taste. Spring shoots are edible raw. Roots are edible raw. Unopened flower buds can be used for flavouring. Grows in fields, pastured, disturbed areas and roadsides.

Foraging J - L

So I'm going to continue here as much as I can, but life is picking up speed here. Been super busy at work and at home. Finally got most of our hearth for our fireplace ready to go, only about two rows left which is exciting. Here is a photo of it, we are about one more row done than in this.

Also we go most of our porch roof insulated, except one area which continues to leak even after we put down Blueskin and new shingles (ARGG!!), so we are going to try to section that part off so that it doesn't destroy all the new stuff we just put up.

Anyways same as before please be careful when foraging. Many plants look similar and if incorrect ones are ingested it can cause illness or death. Use at your own risk.

Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem Artichokes have small tubers on the roots that are delicious. It is a native plant, with a very misleading name. It is not at all related to artichokes, nor does it grow in Jerusalem. Tuber is edible raw. Tuber is best when cooked, and similar to a potato. Tuber has high nutritional value. Grows in moist soil and thickets.

 

Johnny-Jump-Ups

Johnny-Jump-Ups have a mild wintergreen flavor and a variety of uses.  They’re added to salads, desserts, and soups, served with cheese and used to decorate confections. Incidentally they are the ancestor of the common pansy.

Knotweed

Seeds are edible. Seeds can be eaten whole or pounded into meal. Plants can be cooked and eaten. Varieties in Manitoba are Common knotgrass, Common knotweed and Mountain knotweed. Grows as a weed in a wide range, including dry areas, plains, and subalpine regions. Raw plants eaten in quantity may cause stomach upset and/or diarrhea.

Kudzo

Pretty much the entire plant is edible and is also known for medicinal values. The leaves can be eaten raw, steam or boiled. The root can be eaten as well. (Like all herbs, pregnant women and breast-feeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Lamb’s Quarters

Also known as pit seed, goosefoot, pig weed, wild spinach. Also spelt lambsquarters or lamb’s quarter. Was cultivated as a grain-like plant, like quinoa. Can be found along roadsides, in fields and in cultivated ground. It is annual, and will readily self-sow if allowed to set seed. All green, other than a bit of silver dusting, primarily on the underside of the leaves, which is more noticeable on younger plants. Grows up to 7 feet tall, although 3-5 feet is more typical. Leaves alternate up the stalk and are up to 4 inches long. They are lobed father down on the plant and more lance-like towards the tip. Some varieties resemble maple leaves (these are supposed to be some of the best for eating). Flowers are small and green and cluster at the growing tip of the plant the seeds are small and round, either black or brown and are produced by the thousands. Tastes like spinach.

Young shoots or top leaves of older plants are the tenderest and can be harvested until the plant flowers. Can be eaten raw or cooked. Some people may have a mild tongue irritation because of the silvery powder that covers the leaves, so eat gingerly until you know if you are one of them.

The leaves can be steamed or stir-fried, sautéed and used in omelets. May be preserved by canning, drying or blanching and freezing. Possible remedy for nettle sting

Use the leaves raw in salads, or cooked in soups, in mixed cooked greens, or in any dish that calls for cooking greens.  Lamb’s Quarters are susceptible to leaf miners; be careful to harvest plants that are not infested.  Although Lamb’s Quarters are best before the flowers appear, if the fresh young tips are continuously harvested, lamb’s quarters can be eaten all summer.  Lamb’s Quarters are also called Pigweed, Fat Hen, and Goosefoot.

Lavender

Lavender is an old stand-by found in many home gardens including mine. Its flavor is flowery, sweet and citrusy. Lavender has been used to flavor bread, cookies, jelly, beef, wine, sauces, stews, and custards. The blossoms are an attractive addition to champagne. The blossoms are also used around the house to impart a nice aroma from bedding to baths. They are also slightly diuretic.

Lemon Verbena

Leaves are eaten as spinach. they are also used to flavor fruit cups, jellies, cold drinks, salads, omelets, salad dressings, and vegetable dishes. The leaves or, tiny, citrus-scented, are brewed into a refreshing tea. Tea from just the flowers is sweeter.

Lilacs

Lilac blossoms are pungent and on the lemony side.

Lovage

Highly aromatic it is similar looking to flat-leaf parsley only much larger. The flavor is like parsley and celery combined with a note of anise and curry. Leaf stalks and stem are blanched and eaten like celery, or peeled and eaten. They can also be candied. Young leaves are chopped and added to salad, soups, stews, seafood, and omelets. The seeds are used for flavoring, often in breads and confections. An aromatic tea can be made from dried leaves or grated roots. And the flowers are edible.