Category Archives: Equipment and Book Reviews

I have made yogurt before, but this is the first time I used a commercial starter.  Last time I just used left over yogurt.  I found this three pack of yogurt starter culture for 4.50 on amazon (prime so no shipping).

This pure bacterial blend of cultures was made in laboratory environment away from additives, maltodextrin, gluten and GMO foods.  It is suitable for vegans, and those on those on the SCD diet.

I like it because it is very inexpensive, is good quality, and can be re-cultured indefinitely.  In my thermophillic culture video I show how.

I tried a new way to make this yogurt and did not follow the instructions so the main container did not turn out, but the smaller mason jar that I added some on my valley food storage fruit to turned out very nice.

I poured the cultured milk into a small mason jar that I had added some freeze fried fruit to.  Then as it sat in the warm stove the milk re-hydrated the berries and also thickened into yogurt.

While the rest of my family does not like yogurt, I found it to be very good.

This culture is a good deal, and is a quality product – any issues with the video come from my straying from the formula and not following instructions.  I have made yogurt from the cultures, but in the time I have available for this review, I couldn’t re-shoot the video and feel doing so would be dishonest, when I screw up I don’t edit over it to fake things.

Since the land has little shade and lots of bugs, I have been looking for a shade canopy with big screen.  This RORAIMA Screen House measuring 13’x9’x6.9 does the trick.

It is easy to set up, lightweight, and is very roomy.  Without instructions, I set it up in just a few minutes – it actually tool me longer to unpack it then to set it up.  It is pretty intuitive, and a lot like a dome tent.

The top is 3 shock corded poles, 2 longer, and 1 shorter.  the long poles go corner to corner and fit into a plastic sleeve that also attached to a larger diameter corner pole.

As I said, this is a very roomy bug proof shade canopy, and I look to get a lot of use out of it this summer working at the land. It is a well designed Screen House, and is well worth the money.

I hope I can use it over my sawmill trailer, as it gets crazy hot working on logs without any shade, but it will probably require modification, and with the sawdust, its probably not a good idea.

No matter if I use this while I cut logs, or just to provide shade for breaks, I know that at 89 dollars it is a good deal. Besides, if having a shade house at the land makes work more comfortable, I know that my wife is more likely to come help. I know I am getting tired of a single out of shape guy doing two man jobs out there.

#RORAIMA #SCREENHOUSE

I have been looking for a Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker to use while I am working at the land, its nice to have music while working, but also something to connect to my FMRS radio so I can hear calls while working in an area, but not having to have a bunch of stuff on my body as I work the sawmill.

This small speaker does not seem like much, but when I tried it out it was very loud.  I used the bluetooth function to call my wife and she could not tell the dirrerence in phone quality.  I, on the other hand, could.  Because of my hearing loss communication over the phone is difficult for me, and with this speaker I could hear her very well.

• The waterproof speaker is built for durability in harsh environments. IPX6 Waterproof, dust-proof, drop-proof, shockproof, shower speaker.
• The portable speaker amplifies higher as well as lower bass frequencies thanks to the unique combo of powerful stereo sound (10W) and a passive SUBWOOFER!
• Ultra lightweight, net weight only 9.6oz(0.59lb / 272g), and attached with a CLIMBING HOOK
• Built-in Rechargeable 2,200mAh Li-battery, provides extended playback, enables you to stream music up to 15 hours when full charged.
• Built-in Microphone, Enables to use this Bluetooth speaker as a speakerphone when making a call.

Today I am introducing a new portable battery, it is the Audew Heavy Duty Jump Starter.  I have had this device for a couple of weeks, and over the last week used it extensively.  I have always had an interest in portable battery packs, especially sice I have a lot of 12v lights from my ready set solar device.

This is just not a jump starter, it is a 12v battery as well as a charger for portable devices.  It comes in a study hard case with foam for the device and a mesh zipper compartment for all the cables.

I like the design, but the case is probably my only negative about the charger system.  It seems that if I bump it around a lot it turns on the flashlight, which is not a big deal day to day, but it could be long term.  Its an easy fix, by cutting out a little foam where the battery on button sits, but still, in a device so useful it is a little annoying.

I think that this device is well worth the price and it should be in every car to make sure you and your loved ones can get home safely, provides peace of mind!

This device is he winner of the 2017 iF International Design Award

Unlike cheaply made jump starters, the AUDEW is covered with aluminum alloy.  This dissipates heat much more than plastic and rubber material.

It also has a powerful LED Emergency Light
Equipped with a LED light with 3 modes (regular, strobe and SOS), no more fear in darkness or emergency!

It is also powerful enough to jump start most vehicles (up to 5L gas or 3L diesel engine) up to 20 times with 13800mAh large capacity.

ATTENTION:
1. Don’t jump start any engine that exceed the maximum, or it will cause serous damages to the unit.
2. Your jump starter will perform best when its battery is fully charged. If less than 25% charged, it may underperform.
3. Don’t connect the positive and negative polarity together when it’s power on. Cool your jump starter down for at least 30 seconds after each jump start.
4. Read the instruction carefully before using.

You can see the other great Audew products at http://www.audew.com