Ash dust
I just read the Q&A on your blog regarding minimizing ash dust in the room when emptying the ash accumulation in a wood heating stove. We just about to buy a new wood heating stove for our small cabin in north Idaho. We have decided to go with the basic model on legs. We would like a removable ash pan but that option only comes with the pedestal version which is $400 more. We do not think the luxury of an ash pan is worth $400 more. Should we reconsider this decision. Is the removable ash pan going to make life that much easier and cleaner?
Dave
Liberty Lake, Washington
No, the ash pan doesn’t do much as far as keeping the house cleaner and freer of fly ash. We have one on our stove in the living room but stopped using it because it actually caused more fly ash as we didn’t clean the stove as often as we should have and when we did, it was too full and overflowed, making even more work cleaning the ash up! Even if it is cleaned regularly (as in every day), you still have that darned old fly ash dust. Save your $400! — Jackie
Apple bread recipe
I made your recipe for apple bread and loved it. Instead of canned apples I used pears that I had canned and added 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice. My gkids loved it and wanted more. Thank you for such a great recipe. I plan on getting your pantry book as soon as finances allow. We have used more than one recipe in your canning book and all have been good. Just wanted you to know.
Rosetta Cafin
Robinson, Illinois
Thank you so much! It’s fun to tweak recipes, like you did. They aren’t carved in stone and sometimes by experimenting like you did, you discover great new recipes that quickly become family favorites! — Jackie
