"We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and for each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make. The great obstacle is simply this: the conviction that we cannot change because we are dependant on what is wrong. But that is the addict's excuse, and we know that it will not do."
—Wendell Berry

Saturday 28 April 2012

Serendipity and Cold Rooms.

Beginning the layout or "will it actually fit where I want it"?

Here is one of the latest big purchases. Finally we will be able to properly store our produce. Mostly this will mean hanging meat after slaughter as well as curing hams and bacon. Until now we have been forced to hire or use someone else's cold room. This has made the cost of our food a lot higher than it really needs to be. It also means that the meat is not as good as it should be. Beef, properly aged, should be hung for two to three weeks and at over $100 per week to hire a cold room it gets hung for a lot less I can tell you.
So we went to a rural garage sale a few weeks ago. This is an experience I recommend. No tables of old Cd's and baby clothes, No this sale had tractor parts and attachments, workshop tools and cultivating equipment, trays for Utes and even hot housing large enough to drive a tractor in which came in fifty metre sections. Now this was my sort of sale.
We actually went to have a look at the hot houses and did indeed end up buying a fifty metre section although that is a story for a future post. So we looked at attachments for tractors and seed drills as well as a rather nice chopper motorbike which the littlest cloud farmer was most impressed with. Then as we were saying our goodbyes and doing the ritual shaking of hands, the child bride spotted a piece of cardboard from a beer carton pinned to the wall as a sign.
It simply said "cold room. fairly large. $4000".
Now we have been trying in vain to find a cold room, fairly large, for under $7000 for some time now so you can imagine our interest. To find one locally that we can avoid having to pay freight on is even better. Not surprisingly, we promptly bought it after a quick look to ensure it was indeed a cold room and that it was fairly large.
Progressing. The body is mostly complete.
Now the challenge of assembling it began. It was already disassembled when we bought it and I could only get a rough idea of its layout from the owner. This meant it was sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle when you have no idea what the end picture is supposed to look like.
Nevertheless I have managed to work it out without too much trouble as you can see above. In any case I will surely post more pics of it soon. Probably with the chilling carcasses of some tasty pigs hanging in it.

2 comments:

  1. Well done! What an excellent find!

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  2. Cold Room Panels are offered with monitor panels displaying as well as allowing temperatures to set as per industrial requirements.

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