Last month, when we realized it was getting close to tree tapping time, we knew we would need a place where we could effectively boil our sap. Our fire pit, was more like a burn pile and it had been neglected since the middle of the summer and we needed something we could get a pot over and easily add to the fire throughout our boiling process to maintain the temperatures required.
We had a 50 degree day, so we headed out to see if we could dig out the remaining ash from the summer, only to find it frozen solid. So we started chipping away at removing the pavers that made up our fire pit. Once I removed most of them, the ice chunk became easier to chip away at, and four days later we were blessed with at 65 degree day and we were able to get the last of the ash out and remove the pavers that were sunk down into the ground.
We created our new fire pit/stove with just the pavers that had made up our old pit and added a removable cast iron grill top to use when needed. The curve of the pavers was perfect for what we needed. This project cost us just $40 for the cast iron grill top, and that cost could have been easily avoided with more planning time. We would have loved to grab a grill top from an old grill, but with the open flames we think this cast iron top will have great longevity which we might not have gotten out of a typical bbq grill top.
So, when it comes down to it, you can do projects around your property to help turn your home into a homestead without much cost to you. Keep in mind the projects that you want to check off your list when you are out thrifting, driving around (watch for signs for free stuff), browsing facebook marketplace, or the craigslist free section. Always look around your property for things you can reuse and repurpose and make what you have work for you!
surfandsewhomestead.com 