Top 5 Stocking Stuffers for Machinists

If you have a friend that's a machinist, and don't want to ask them what they want for the holidays because they'd say something that's several thousand dollars, there are several lower cost alternatives that would still show that you care.  Many consumables used regularly in the shop are always handy and would certainly be a welcome gift:

#5 - Lava Soap
They say machinists wash their hands before and after using the bathroom, or in my case, before only... (they're gonna get dirty again anyways).  Make sure to get the one with the red packaging since it is more abrasive and cleans better than the green packaged one (both soap bars are green and look nearly identical).  Funny that "lava" means "wash" in Spanish, yet the name comes from the volcanic pumice powder in the soap.

Sneaking in a quick brew day | Rye Stout Batch #4 [Full Recipe]

Prior to taking a vacation, I decided it was a good idea to get a batch into my fermenters. That way, I could bottle it the day I return. Convenient timing!

What better recipe to follow up on pumpkin cider with than Rye Stout? Using the same recipe as before, I set out to buy some grain.

Pumpkin Cider #3 Bottling

The pumpkin cider is now bottled and came out tasting great. With 7.75% ABV, this is a real winter warmer. My latest photos show the progression of the removal of pumpkin from the liquid. There was about 3/4 gal of pumpkin slurry that was removed following the initial fermentation.

Grapefruit Sapling Timelapse: Seed to First Fruit

With the success of my brother's container garden timelapse post, I figured I'd share my success growing my first grapefruit from seed.
It started with a bunch of seeds that were already germinating inside some fruit I bought.  I planted one in this cup of dirt and tried the rest hydroponically since I didn't have any other dirt at the time.  None of the hydroponic ones ever grew.

11/5/2015

Due to space constraints, I planted the lone grapefruit sapling with a pineapple. On the top are rose petals for ground cover.

6/6/2016

2017 Fall/Winter Container Garden Timelapse

The tomato plants I brought with me from my former residence were dying off. After removing them from the container, I wanted to plant something new in there. After seeing how prolific the Chard and kale plants were in my old garden, I threw some seeds in there. Red Russian Kale and Bright Lights Swiss Chard should be able to establish themselves quick enough to make it before winter time.

Germination -- September 22