Brewing

Transferred GF Beer 1 to a Secondary today, has a nice amber color. Tasted ok so far, will bottle in another week.

Cider 1:
4 Gallon Cider
Champagne Yeast (2 Packets started in a 8oz cider with 3 tablespoons of honey)
1 Cup dried cranberries
3/4 Cup dried cherries
1/4 Cup dried apricots
2 Cups Honey
2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Tea Spoon Cinnamon

Started the yeast ~4 Hours before it was pitched - very active.
Mixed 1/2 Gallon Cider with the dried fruit, Honey, Sugar, and cinnamon. Brought to a boil, then pitched with the rest of the cider (straining fruit out.)

Pitched yeast when cider at 72F, SG:1.072.

GF Brewing, Attempt #1.

Gluten Free Beer Brewing. Remember, "Free of all natural allergens," means free of all natural flavor, the same motto extends to Gluten Free Beers.

Bought glass carboy, and GF Brewing kit today. Slight deviation, since original plan was to make cider as first home brewing attempt.

GF Brew kit consisted of:
Yeast, Sorghum Extract, Liberty Hops, Corn Flake, and Irish Moss.

I added two cups of GF Rolled Oats to the Corn Flake for mash... we will see what happens with this. I spilled about 1/2 cup of the Sorghum Syrup, so I added some honey (about 1/4 cup) in it's stead.

After the first fermentation, I'll buy a 5 gallon carboy for racking, and start brewing cider.


Probably going to construct a make shift cider press in the coming weeks; goal is to purchase as little as possible to get this rolling.

UPDATE:
Pitched yeast at around 86F @ Midnight. Yeast is active - vapor lock working!!

Summer Project > Fall Project

The project for this summer was gardening and canning/pickling.

• Pickled Green Beans per Gabe's grandmothers recipe. They came out real good, still very crisp.
• Pickled Cucumbers per USDA Home Pickling Quick Pickling Guide. Did not add anything to make the pickles firm (i.e. Alum) so they tasted fine but the texture = no good. Gonna try to stomach them anyway.
• Lot's of green tomatoes in the garden, and we are rolling into October, so it may be time to make Picklelilly relish.

With regard to the garden. We got a good number of vegetables, but our methods/timing needed improvement. Except the peppers, everything almost got killed at one point or another, or was not given enough room to grow.

For next Year:

• Pay attention to when to start seeds.
• Start fewer seeds.
• Don't put plant's out too soon.
• Do something different with the lettuce.
• Fewer tomato plants/more space to grow/plant.
• Strings for tomato plants to grow up.
  

3D Printer Advancements

A lot more work on the 3D printer.

• Learned a lot more about the firmware making the thing run. Attempted to get the Arduino Mega + Pololu Stepper Motors work with the Makerbot Extruder Controller, but they are just different enough to be beyond my current firmware capability. In the interest of getting this done in a timely manner, I've decided to adopt the complete Arduino Mega/Pololu Rep-Rap, schema.
• Waiting for AD595 Thermocouple Amp to arrive.
  
• Decided to abandon Makerbot Extruder Controller Board, gear motor. Different enough to be a pain to configure.
  
• Continuing using Arduino Mega, Pololu/Easydriver Stepper Motor Drivers, AD595. Thermocouple.
  
• Procured Parts: 12" Linear Stage, 1" Pitch Ball Screw, shipping.
  
• Using existing limit switches for endstops, instead of opto endstop.
• Procured X-stage Bearings, Rod, Shaft Supports, shipping.
• Need to design/buy floating Y stage.
• Need to spec pulleys/timing belts.
• Need to Design print head adaptor.