I read somewhere that it was possible to make a cooling type of "spring house" for milk, butter, eggs, etc out of straw bales. Does anyone know how to do this or could anyone direct me to a good book about this kind of building?Thanks.

-- MicheleRaePadgett (michelesmelodyfarm@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

I know that I once mentioned on this forum that I was thinking of doing it.

I was thinking that there would be one "building" and three "rooms". The water would flow into the first room, then out of the first, into the second, out of the second and into the third. The first room would be a springhouse where the water was exposed. It would also contain shelves so there could be cool moist air - like what many things need for a root cellar. The next room would have the water running through pipes - this would facilitate cool and dry. The last room would also have the water running through pipes, but it would be rigged up as a smokehouse. Cool smoking is for preserving meats.

The whole thing would have a cement foundation.

This project is a year or two out for me. But when I mentioned it here a few months ago, a guy that does a lot of fish smoking e-mailed me and said that the smoker idea is right on.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), October 10, 2001.