Sifting and Hauling the Wood Ash

We have heated exclusively with a cast-iron wood stove through the previous four winters here in Texas. Somehow we’ve always managed to scrounge together enough firewood through barter or harvesting from our own land. In that time we’ve burned mostly mesquite and reclaimed wood.

Much of that reclaimed wood had the remnants of use left behind in the form of nails and other hardware. Just the other day we were mixing all sorts of stuff into the soil in preparation for a fall or winter garden and we finally got around to sifting out some of those nails.

It was a pretty dirty, dusty job but a free resource we just can’t bare to waste, even if it takes us some time to use it all up.

The girls insisted on examining the barrel after Daddy was done with the sifting.

And once everyone had passed inspection, Stewart threw the barrel on one of our more-oft used pieces of homestead equipment – the dolly cart. Inevitably something went off the rails…

but eventually the parade to the garden was in full swing with helpers and watchers all on their way. And that’s when the dirty job began in earnest…