The March Hare: Summer '00
Issue 25

Summer in Swing * Help Us! * What's for Supper * Earthen Plaster Workshops [on a separate page] * How to Build a Rainwater Catchment Cistern (Technical, detailed version) * The Big Commitment * Side Notes * Autobiography of a New Member: Jess [on a separate page]

Help Us!
The column where we tap the knowledge and resources of our readers for eco-solutions!

THIS ISSUE'S DILEMMA: kitchen sterilization
We have an eating co-op that shares meals and kitchens, as well as dishes. What's the best way to sterilize those dishes after each person uses them? Bleach has obvious disadvantages. Hydrogen peroxide is only effective for a very short time span. What should we do?

Send your ideas to us at 1 Dancing Rabbit Lane, Rutledge, MO 63563. We'd love to hear from you and share your ideas with others!

LAST ISSUE'S DILEMMA: road building
A big thanks to Conrad and Annie Metcalfe who wrote to us with the idea below. We haven't tried it yet, but it comes pre-tested!

"About 3 years ago, we were in the mood to build a long access path to a house we built--and we did not like the options given to us by the local driveway builders. Our Amish neighbors encouraged us to spread wood slabs liberally as a base (we have an unlimited supply for free from local Amish lumber mills all around us) in late spring when our (mostly clay) soil was really wet. Then to just cover the slabs with gravel. Just about any kind of wood scraps would work.

"The key is that the wood ends up getting sucked down into the clay, and once it settles in, the clay keeps it from decomposing. The old Amish guys said that they'd pulled up roads that were made this way a hundred years ago, and the wood was hardly rotted at all. We followed their advice (we always do) and it has made for a wide, flat, and sturdy path that can also accommodate cars.

"The Amish folk recommend doing this during the rainy season so the gravel helps to seal the wood slabs in the clay as everything sinks down in. If you missed that season, and you did have a Roman army to work on this (as mentioned in your question of the season), you would probably want to first dig out just enough of the surface clay to cover the wood slabs, then place and cover them with clay, then dump the gravel on top. Then have 40 of the Romans pull a steamroller across it. This will seal the wood in the clay (or just wait long enough) and the gravel sinks in just enough to make it pleasing to walk and bike on."