Dateline: 23 August 2015
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| click picture for larger view |
Yesterday I finally got around to putting the finishing touches on the outdoor sink of my dreams. I've been planning to make this thing for years.
The old, single-bowl sink with two flanking drainboards was made in 1950. The date is cast into the bottom. It's a very heavy sink. We salvaged it from out behind my parent's barn back in 1999, and have used it over the years to process chickens.
I typically set it up on a couple of sawhorses for processing day, and put it away afterwards.
But the sink is now installed into the front of a homemade Whizbang garden cart and I have it elevated so it is regular kitchen sink height of 36" (sawhorse height was too low for comfort).
If you look at the picture closely, you will see a Whizbang Toe-Tapper faucet switch is mounted to the front of the cart. Such placement makes it a Whizbang thigh-or-hip-tapper faucet switch. Very convenient.
Water drains through a pvc pipe out to the other end of the cart, into a plastic pail on the ground. The pail has small drain holes in it.
The patio umbrella and pot rack with hooks make for more comfort and efficiency.
I can unhook one hose connection to the Toe-tapper and easily move the cart (and sink assembly) anywhere I want to.
This sink is right behind our house, near the main entrance door, and it has very quickly become something akin to an outdoor kitchen. The first day it was there, Marlene used it to wash green beans before canning them, and she also cut up some cabbages to make a batch of sauerkraut. I had a small problem with one of my Plasson chicken waterers and fixed it at the sink. I also washed a pair of cloth gloves in the sink. This will be the place to wash apples for making cider this fall. And it will be ideal for washing dandelion roots when it comes time to make my yearly batch of dandelion root tea.
My incentive for getting the sink done now is our meat birds. They are almost ready to process.
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| meat birds in the background |
This is fantastic! We have one of those sinks that was in our house when we bought it and it was put behind the hay barn when we remolded. Think I will just mosey over there and have a look at it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent outside sink! Love the chickens in the background, too.
ReplyDeleteI'd want an outdoor kitchen someday.
Thanks for sharing, and have a great week.
That's pretty nifty! Outdoor kitchens seem to be trending quite a bit lately. I would love one for canning in the summer and a sink would get a bunch of use. As you have already noted.
ReplyDeleteNice work! Mrs. Kimball is one lucky gal!
Might I suggest a spray bottle of Shaklee's Basic H2 and Basic G stored on the cart? These would be important in GP cleaning and also cross contamination, respectively. When I finish washing eggs in our kitchen sink, I spray the sink and brush with Basic G and let them dry. I am not a germaphobe by any stretch, but I do worry about cross contamination. And of course both are biodegradable.
Cheers,
Pam
Love your outdoor sink! I want one!
ReplyDeleteHi Herrick, Love the sinK ! Mostly the fact that it is in/on wheels! You've seen mine and it is not too mobile. Lift and Carry. Have to see what my inventive sons can come up with.
ReplyDeletePut the second coat of Poly on the grinder this AM. Tomorrow it will get the switch mounted and hooked up and be ready for a trial run. There are a lot of apples on the ground already.
It is now 2015 hrs and we just put the last batch of 14 quarts of canned tomato sauce in the pressure cooker. About 50 minutes from now we will be done with that particular chore for this year. Will have 58 of them on the shelves when these are added.
Got bunches of quarts of corn and beets and a few Lima beans done . Also the rest of the usual suspects , green beans, peas etc. I am so glad that his season is starting to peter out. I'm getting too old for this to continue to be fun, but after the actions in the stock market of the last few days, I feel even more driven to get as much as possible put away. Even going to try some squash this year ala Frank and Fern.
No meat chickens this year but am about to cull my chickens of which I have 47. the oldest are 2 & 1/2 years and are not being productive, So they go in the freezer and canning jars as soup stock candidates.
Hope all is well with you and the Mrs. and keep those canning devices running full bore. TIFN Everett
Pam—
ReplyDeleteGood idea on the spray bottle of Basic H. Somewhere around here we have some of that. Haven't used it (or thought about it) for years.
Everett—
You're a busy guy! I finished processing this year's chicken crop yesterday. Still have some whole birds to cut up and package for the freezer today. My wife has been cooking and canning chicken stock using the backs and necks. We get about a quart of stock per bird. She has two canners on the stove when the canning stage comes.
Growing and putting up food is a heck of a lot of work, as you well know. I suppose that's why so few people do it themselves anymore. But it's a satisfying feeling to see the larder full.
It has been an exceptional apple year here in upstate NY. We're looking forward to making cider and vinegar. Best wishes with your cider pressing this year.