Solar Production in Northern Minnesota - A Two Year Summary

Solar production - 2 year update: The left panels were installed in June of 2019 while the right panels were installed August of 2020. It is currently December 2021 and these panels combined have made 25.97 MW of energy. Enphase's website says that is enough energy to power a fridge for 16 years or a 100 Watt light bulb for 30 years! The panels were installed by All Energy Solar. We had them put them on the roof to save space in the yard; although, being able to tilt the panels to slide the snow off them would be useful. 

Microinverters on each panel give the per panel production data. The microinverters also allow the panels to still generate electricity if half of them are covered in snow. In my testing, a patch of snow the size of a dollar bill on any single panel will reduce its efficiency by 90% until it is removed or melts!!! I will sometimes crawl up there and clear them with a solar broom/rake tool

, but that is tedious when we get feet of snow or ice, and is probably not the safest choice either. I probably put the panels at more risk from slipping in falling on them.  So, from January to March they are usually completely snow covered.  My setup is not optimal as the panels are oriented to the southwest, but that's how our barn is oriented. Despite this, the system completely offsets our electricity consumption including Holly's bi-weekly pottery kiln runs!  In the above picture, you can also see Paul's 450 lb giant pumpkin that he grew this year too.

The Best Fermentation Weights - My Humble Review

There are many fermentation weights and styles out there, but I wanted to share with you my simple set up.  Many years ago, I used a variety of methods from glass jars filled with water to Ziploc bags and all of them had drawbacks whether it be mold growth or smell or just plain hassle. Online you could find weights made in China, but the thought of shipping materials back and forth across the ocean just didn't sit right with me. So, I decided to start to make my own - through trial and error, I came up with a very elegant weight that looks great and is easy to use which you can find on bubblycrock.com or in my Etsy shop. Over the years, I've come up with several styles, but my favorite is the weight with the handles as you keep your fingers out of the ferment.  

Below is a video showing how to use my weights and shows just how easy it is to get your ferments off on the right foot. 

To finish it off, I toss a fermentation cap on the jar to keep any wandering bugs or fruit flies out. 

It's simple, but I have found this to be the best way to ferment. I'm sure there are other great way to ferment out there; I just want to get more people doing it, and I think it's a small step towards making the planet a better, more sustainable place where you can grow your food and package it all in your home. Finally, all of my products are shipped using repurposed packing materials; Etsy offsets the carbon emissions from shipping and packaging. My garage is filled with boxes and repurposed packing materials that friends have brought over.  I hope you found this helpful. As Bob from Bob's Red Mill would say, "To your good health".