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I was asked about the wood stove we use. We have 2 wood stoves. The first is a basic heating type with vents across the top and a large firebox that is loaded from the side. This one heats the front of the house very well. I love the vents on top which allow me to place a drying rack on top and dry quickly any laundry that needs to be done. One very cold mornings, we sometimes will place our clothing on the rack to heat it up before getting dressed for the day. I keep a small pot of water on the top to provide moisture in the air. Wood stoves are notorious for taking the humidity out of the air. This can cause many to experience severely dry skin. The water on the stove helps, but lotion containing shea butter is always on hand.
The second stove is the antique cookstove. I love it as it is antique and very sturdy. I must admit however that my dream stove would be one of the Amish made ones sold by Lehmans. Their wood stoves are much more efficient than the antique ones. They do not go through firewood as quickly. The cooking area is much larger and easier to clean/maintain. I also like the fact that they have a built in thermometer for the oven. The firebox is generously sized, as is the oven.
Cooking on the wood stove that we have is fun. I was a little uneasy at first when the little ones began toddling around. I was concerned that they would get a burn. To this date, neither of the children have received a burn from the stove. I love the convenience of being able to do double-duty and simmer the evening meal on the stove while also heating the kitchen area.
The stove are fairly easy to start fires in. The trick being to make sure that you have enough airflow through the stovepipe. The cookstove also has a side vent that can be opened and adjusted. If I ever have trouble lighting the fire due to the wood not being dry or seasoned enough, a chunk of firewood that has been soaked in kerosene makes an excellent starter.
Two recommendations to anyone considering a wood stove is to make sure you have good quality cookware. I prefer cast iron. Secondly, have plenty of metal trivets to use on the stove. These can allow you to simmer a pot of stew or other meal on a hot stove without worry of the food scalding in the bottom of the pot.
Overall, if I had my way about it I would probably only have a wood stove.
Welcome to my Homestead Blog. Here you will find posts about our family, homesteading lifestyle, faith and thoughts. As you read the blogs, you will see the theme of being ecologically responsible - a topic important to those living off the land.
About Me
- Granny Simplicity
- "Modern by Necessity, Old Fashioned by Choice". I am woman who enjoys living the "old fashioned" non-electric lifestyle. My husband and I have been blessed with 2 precious children - our 6 yr. old daughter and our 4 year old son. We live on a homestead and are striving for a more self-reliant life. Twitter: @off_grid_granny
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6 comments:
I never thought about using the trivets!!! I dont cook on the woodstove alot but it has been necessary or fun to do occasionally. Our stove is a cast iron Englander.Very efficient! It heats our house well.
I do keep water on the stove butI also will put a pot on the electric stove nad boil it for a while to get some moisture back in the air.. Using natural soaps help a lot too. We use goats milk and castile soap and usually dont have to use much lotion..
I absolutely agree with you about cooking on a wood cokstove, I love it and dislike when we have to stop using it in the summer months. We simply switch to an old fashipned barrel BBQ, in which we burn wood*wink*
Someday we hope to build our back screened in porch and find another wood cookstove to place out there for cooking/ baking in summer.
I have a Baker's Choice wood cookstove and although it is probably more effcient than an antique stove and by far has a larger firebox, it isn't as effcient as regular wood stoves made by today's standards. It is our primary heat source but we also burn 6-8 cords of wood a winter.
Blessings and productivity for your week,
Kelle
Hello and thank you for your wood cookstove post! My husband and I are contemplating the purchase of one for our farmhouse, but I do have another question; do you use something else to cook with during the warm/hot months, and if so, what is it? I can't imagine using wood fire to cook with in the heat of summer. We have a propane oven range and considered replacing it with a wood cookstove, but I think that could be a mistake. All your thoughts on this would be appreciated..Thanks for your time!
I would love to have a wood burning stove - definately on my list of would like's for our future home. As we are renting currently we would not be allowed to install one. Stacey x
pictures of the stoves would be nice to see!!
What kind of cookstove do you have? We are moving into an Amish house (we are renting - saving up to buy land and build) and need to purchase one. We are thinking of the Baker's Choice.
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