Come Join us for a Clay Oven Workshop June 8th

http://mudhenworkshops.blogspot.com

Last Year Participant Wes Fordyce Beauty

Short Film on Hopi ...Corn Planting

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

State Street Hudson House

 This is a simple renovation we did last year. I was particularly happy with the lime paint on the walls that brought such beautiful light to the place, specifically the north side of the house that had a light color building across the street. One theory is that the 3 dimensional quality of the lime crystals was  responsible for it, any other thoughts and or theories??

Lime Paint Recipe

One to one Type S lime  to H20
 2 to 5 % Acryl 60, (acrylic-polymer emulsion that is mixed with portland cement mortars, plasters, stucco, and concrete mixes)

mix well, paint with brush . It goes on thin and clear and dries opaque. Stores forever, don't let it freeze. You can mix  with lime fast pigments for pastel color. See earthpigments.com  for pigments and more
great recipes.


All appliances, bathroom fixtures and lighting came from our local Habitat for Humanity Restore and
Roger Hoffman our local "junk" dealer. (The exception is the kitchen goose necks that we fashioned from a common outdoor shade we got at the building supply store).

Keep an open mind when renovating and work with the most beautiful things you find rather than having a preconceived idea if you want to keep the budget down. I enjoyed the challenge.

“House of Earth”

A great article about a book Woody Gutherie wrote about the virtues of adobe building. Having always been a gutherie and adobe fan I had to post the link. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/books/review/woody-guthries-dust-bowl-novel.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Beautiful

 Check out this beautiful work done through the inspiration of 2 non profits in Africa,

http://africansolutions.org./  and http://www.happi-online.org/ I love it.

Clay Paint

 I am a real fan of bioshields clay paints, but I also love to make my own.

As per request for clay paint recipe, use as a starting point, refine

to personal taste as you would any recipe

Clay Paint 101

1 gallon h20

5 quarts kaolin clay or local sourced clay

4 quarts total combined of whiting,extra fine sand and/or mica

1 quart of flour or rice paste

slackened pigment for color if needed

whisk or beat with a plaster drill

all ingredients can be bought at a pottery supply house

If you have left over paint, which you should for touch up, dry paint

by pouring on a tarp and allow spill to dry completely before storing

always do a sample before painting an area, if paint cracks use more

sand or whiting

can thin with h20 if need be

buy Carole's book http://carolecrews.com/

check out
http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=93

http://www.earthpigments.com/

Thinking about summer workshops, request welcome.

very cool simple solar sky light

anarchyapiaries

Sam Comfort took over John's bee yard here in Tivoli when we were living in New Mexico and made it his. Check out the video link and his passion. We feel luck to have Sam bee yard here!

http://anarchyapiaries.org/fullscreen.html

Garlic Harvest Time

Earth Oven Workshop Tivoli NY 2011

A great editorial

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/opinion/20mcardle.html?_r=1

A great editorial that talks about how much we have to learn from the  so called third world that have been practicing sustainability for centuries. It makes me want to make another solar cooker.

Garlic Scapes

These are just a handful of our garlic scapes. In the past we have either sautéed them in a cast iron pan with olive oil and s&p, or roasted them on  the grill. With this number I needed to find new recipes. First out of my head, I made an excellent pesto with the scapes, olive oil, pecans s&p. I will do it again. And from a recipe in the nytimes a good  double garlic soup. Next I would like to try the white bean and scape dip. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18appe.html?ref=dining

A cool idea, I have never heard of, compost hot water,

Incredible

Humanmanure

  

Two New Summer Workshops

Solar Hot Water

2 Sessions
 

Session one will offer an overview of solar water heating for the home, covering basic concepts and systems including: batch heaters, flat panels and evacuated tubes. The processes of thermosyphon and heat exchange will be explained, with emphasis on simple and basic technologies that can be applied by the homeowner. We will look at an operational on-site hot water installation that was built from ordinary materials, some of them salvage. Finally, we will apply some of the concepts we have covered, working on a simple water heater constructed from a salvage tank. Participants will leave this session with the basic knowledge to plan for their own solar hot water systems.

Sessions two is optional for those who wish to gain more knowledge of solar heating and to further plans for their own systems. Together we will problem solve individual systems and, hands-on, cover basic skills, such as soldering pipe, iron pipe fittings and the simple construction involved in installing hot water panels. Limited to 6 participants

Cost: Session One : $35 Saturday, June 18 10-3 Lunch Provided

Session Two: $50 Saturday, June 25 10-3 Lunch Provided 
 

Tying Knots, Coiling Cords and Sharpening Tools

We'll learn by heart the 3 basic knots that are needed for anything you might want to do, from tying up a bundle of  newpapers to lashing down a  boat in a hurricane.  Other knots will be demonstrated, but are optional.  We will also learn how to coil up an extension cord so that it will uncoil easily and flat when pulled from one end.

In the same workshop, we will learn to sharpen various tools found around the home:  knives, pruning shears, lawnmowers, chainsaws, chisels, etc.  Bring your favorite dull tool.

Cost:  $25  Saturday,  July   16   1-4 pm

Earthen Oven Workshop this Spring

FULL

Come join us for Mud Hen East's first East Coast workshop led by John Corcoran.

This workshop will lead participants through all the stages of building an earthen wood-fired bread/pizza oven.

In this workshop we will begin with a discussion of the basic elements of building with earth. This will cover aspects of soil composition, suitability for construction, and methods for testing. Next, we will go through the steps of design and construction of our project, culminating in hands-on work as we mix local mud and actually construct the earthen oven.

Come prepared to get your hands - and everything else - muddy.

Workshop is at 225 Kidd Lane Tivoli New York 10AM-3PM, Saturday May 28th, lunch included. RSVP liza@lizamacrae.com

On June 11th we will meet again to fire up our oven and make pizza. Bring friends, drinks, pizza dough and/or toppings.

Cost of workshop: $35

Mud Hen East

We have sold our mud house here in Cerrillos N.M. and are heading back to New York's Hudson Valley. It is a bitter sweet choice that has brought up all sorts of storms of the heart. But alas for me, aging parents beckons me home.

There will be lots to do to feel settled in our home in Tivoli. Lots of weed pulling, grass cutting and for me the ritual cleaning that washes away unfamiliar smells and allows our family smells to settle.

It is my hope when we get settled to begin to grow Mud Hen East. One of the first projects I want to do is earth plaster over sheetrock in our downstairs studio. It is there I imagine a sort of earth building laboratory for brewing clay paints and earth plasters. A place for experimentation and teaching. Stay Tuned

FuturArc

check out an article on us and our friend Simone Swan in this months FuturArc: see link on right