I made 2 gallons of the best elderberry brandy with one some 40 years ago.
You have to get the temperatures for the first and 2nd run to stop at.
You don't need a pressure cooker. a Stainless steel large stock pot with lid works. just use masking tape on the lid. it will not leak. The larger stock pot cost less and holds a lot more than a pressure cooker. being larger is much better. It also is thinner walls to cut through for the thermometer rubber bung. I used a 16 quart or 4 gallon stock pot. 2 double runs of fresh wine gave me 2 gallons of pure awesome brandy.
The lid needs 2 holes. one for the thermometer and one for the copper tube bringing the steam out.
When I tasted the brandy it did not reach the back of my mouth. It went up through the roof of my mouth directly to my brain. Amazing stuff. Instant buzz.
Do not make elderberry wine without heating up the berry first or it will give a hangover. so I had to turn it into brandy. If you heat the elderberry first it breaks down the chemical. of course distilling got rid of it all.
—
I am almost always wrong. But the fun in life is those few times when I am right.
I think the picture has an error in it. I came out the side by the bottom of the plastic trash can sitting on the chair.
Go to a plumbing supply buy some copper tubing and you want 2 stainless steel adapters that you fit on the top of the pot and the bottom of the side of the plastic trash can to go through the walls. They seal on real nice.
They are made for feeding through a wall.
You can get a sheet metal cutter that cuts holes in sheet metal. you drill a small pilot hole then attach the sheet metal cutter. You tighten it and it cuts through the metal wall or plastic wall. You buy the one that is the correct size for the adapter you get for going through the walls. it has a threaded end that goes through the wall and a big nut to tighten it to the wall and seal it good.
The nice part is everything comes apart into innocent pieces. the only thing is the hole in the top of the pot. get a pot where you have two pot covers. or buy an extra pot cover. or pick up an old used pot with lid. You want it to be stainless steel and NOT ALUMINUM. NOT CANCER CAUSING NON STICK STUFF. GET STAINLESS POT.
I used a funnel and drip into a gallon jug. not the pot on the floor.
Alcohol gas can explode at about 70 F. or maybe less. so try not to fill a room with alcohol gas with a hot stove to ignite it.
All you need are those 2 temperatures and the thermometer. I used the same size hole for the pipe and for the rubber to hold the thermometer.
I am sure there is a ton of info on the internet.
—
I am almost always wrong. But the fun in life is those few times when I am right.
Grand pappy has instructions on his site. I haven't tried this yet and I'm afraid to tell folks to do something until I've tested it out first. But some folks wanted to know how to do it.
You can't take chances with your water so I've got filters, bleach, Iodine and boiling water. But I'll try this in the fall, it should do well for juices, grains as well as water. Making up to 200 gallons of beer or wine per adult of drinking age is legal. Any distilled alcohol must have a tax stamp or it's illegal.
I've got a few ideas to try for a home made water filter and some buckets that will do a min. of 5 gal in 8 hours. But I'm still getting parts and ingredients and bring it all together for less than $50.00 cost starting from scratch.
#1 Have 4000 watts of solar charging and a battery bank for 3 days no sun running fridge/freezer/RO watermaker off brackish well. Solar water heat. Solar is the answer if you have numerous sunny days and don't live too far north. Considering doubling down and taking whole house solar off grid. Did what I have for for hurricanes, but nice to be able to be somewhat energy self sufficient.
#2 Land with resources and wild game to put in freezer that can run on solar power....
—
Our monetary system has been hijacked by morons! Abandon ship!!!!
A small solar system (panel, charge controller, battery, inverter). It's very versatile. Run a freezer, well, or lighting with it. Charge up a car battery. Charge numerous small electronics, including the laptop. Can use it to run your foodsaver, or your shortwave.
Endless uses. Small, all in one packages can be had from walmart.com. You need to get your own (deep cycle) battery, though.
Also nice because you can cut a bit off of your power bill in the meantime. I run my computer off of it about half of the time. (need another battery to run it full time)
Totally agree. I invested in the Powersource 1800 from Solutions from Science https://mysolarbackup.com/ I've had it for just about a year now, it has 3 lead-acid batterys and weighs close to 50 lbs (but it has wheels for added mobility).
—
-Agophillic
The silver bullet represents our ability to take down the fiat standard from the private central banks by buying silver.
This will sound like a smart ass response but it isn't. My Laptop. It has allowed me to surf and find good deals and learn a tremendous amount about a variety of topics. I've probably paid for the thing several times over from savings I've gained from ebay & Craigslist items not to mention money made from TF, zero hedge and mad hedge fund trader.
This thread alone is full of good information.
—
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as “bad luck.”
~ Robert Heinlein
This will sound like a smart ass response but it isn't. My Laptop.
I never even consciously thought about that until now. Although I have been "hoarding" different files on my computer and backing them up on a remote hard drive. Never know what you will need for entertainment...thank god I can power my laptop directly from my solar generator!
—
-Agophillic
The silver bullet represents our ability to take down the fiat standard from the private central banks by buying silver.
I know this might be stretching it when I answer the "single most important" item question, but my answer is our transformed front yard. What two years ago was fir trees and grass, is now oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley, basil, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, huckleberries, honeyberries, citrus, tea, (soon) several raised beds, and probably one or two I have forgotten. All are varieties that do well in our Pacific Northwest climate. No more reliance on someone else for a whole lot of important and useful items.
Can't choose between my All American cast aluminum pressure cooker/canner (metal to metal seal, no rubber gasket to wear out) and my AquaRain water filter. Why all the love for Berkey when you can buy a similar product made in the U.S. with no oil burned to ship it across the Atlantic?
The amount of info you can store and great website you can dl from is great. I just got one from a pawn shop for $150.00 via layaway. Plus it's a multi-tasker, Entertainment via games, music, Books(Kindle for PC) and DVD's . Communication center text, IM, Skype/Voip and networking/wifi. Plus all the things a PC can do from storage to number crunching.
Distiller and other great stuff at this site
https://www.grandpappy.info/indexhar.htm
Dupe
https://www.grandpappy.info/indexhar.htm
941 American Pressure Cooker
941 American Pressure Cooker
The biggest and the best for home.
It is 41 quarts and will do 19 Quart jars at one time.
They last forever. But no one wants to sell used ones. but keep looking. if you get a chance grab it.
Home Made Still
Adventures
Looks like a still
I made 2 gallons of the best elderberry brandy with one some 40 years ago.
You have to get the temperatures for the first and 2nd run to stop at.
You don't need a pressure cooker. a Stainless steel large stock pot with lid works. just use masking tape on the lid. it will not leak. The larger stock pot cost less and holds a lot more than a pressure cooker. being larger is much better. It also is thinner walls to cut through for the thermometer rubber bung. I used a 16 quart or 4 gallon stock pot. 2 double runs of fresh wine gave me 2 gallons of pure awesome brandy.
The lid needs 2 holes. one for the thermometer and one for the copper tube bringing the steam out.
When I tasted the brandy it did not reach the back of my mouth. It went up through the roof of my mouth directly to my brain. Amazing stuff. Instant buzz.
Do not make elderberry wine without heating up the berry first or it will give a hangover. so I had to turn it into brandy. If you heat the elderberry first it breaks down the chemical. of course distilling got rid of it all.
Water is most important so
Water is most important so had a well dug in my backyard and installed a hand-pump. Works great.
If you can't do a well, put gutters on your home and collect the rainwater, filter it with a coffee filter and take your chances from there.
I think the picture has an
I think the picture has an error in it. I came out the side by the bottom of the plastic trash can sitting on the chair.
Go to a plumbing supply buy some copper tubing and you want 2 stainless steel adapters that you fit on the top of the pot and the bottom of the side of the plastic trash can to go through the walls. They seal on real nice.
They are made for feeding through a wall.
You can get a sheet metal cutter that cuts holes in sheet metal. you drill a small pilot hole then attach the sheet metal cutter. You tighten it and it cuts through the metal wall or plastic wall. You buy the one that is the correct size for the adapter you get for going through the walls. it has a threaded end that goes through the wall and a big nut to tighten it to the wall and seal it good.
The nice part is everything comes apart into innocent pieces. the only thing is the hole in the top of the pot. get a pot where you have two pot covers. or buy an extra pot cover. or pick up an old used pot with lid. You want it to be stainless steel and NOT ALUMINUM. NOT CANCER CAUSING NON STICK STUFF. GET STAINLESS POT.
I used a funnel and drip into a gallon jug. not the pot on the floor.
Alcohol gas can explode at about 70 F. or maybe less. so try not to fill a room with alcohol gas with a hot stove to ignite it.
All you need are those 2 temperatures and the thermometer. I used the same size hole for the pipe and for the rubber to hold the thermometer.
I am sure there is a ton of info on the internet.
Pic just shows the idea
Grand pappy has instructions on his site. I haven't tried this yet and I'm afraid to tell folks to do something until I've tested it out first. But some folks wanted to know how to do it.
You can't take chances with your water so I've got filters, bleach, Iodine and boiling water. But I'll try this in the fall, it should do well for juices, grains as well as water. Making up to 200 gallons of beer or wine per adult of drinking age is legal. Any distilled alcohol must have a tax stamp or it's illegal.
I've got a few ideas to try for a home made water filter and some buckets that will do a min. of 5 gal in 8 hours. But I'm still getting parts and ingredients and bring it all together for less than $50.00 cost starting from scratch.
+1 on Solar
#1 Have 4000 watts of solar charging and a battery bank for 3 days no sun running fridge/freezer/RO watermaker off brackish well. Solar water heat. Solar is the answer if you have numerous sunny days and don't live too far north. Considering doubling down and taking whole house solar off grid. Did what I have for for hurricanes, but nice to be able to be somewhat energy self sufficient.
#2 Land with resources and wild game to put in freezer that can run on solar power....
I've stored just under 3 tons
I've stored just under 3 tons of grains and beans in mylar bags and this heat sealer makes it much easer then using a cloths iron.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Sealer-Model-KF-150CST-Storage/dp/B003HO30TE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308326456&sr=8-1
A little pricey but it make a great seal.
6 + 1(chamber) and 6 in the saddle.
Local Gun shop. He had 2 of them (only 1 now)for 531.00/ea. w/o the side saddle and the recoil reducing stock.
Farm outside of town
In 2006 we traded in a suburban home for a small farm. The house is built for off grid. But the best purchase was a wood cook stove from Lehman's.
thx - very nice (love your byline! very funny skit!)
thanks for replying!
guess we got go to a g*n show...
Keep prepping!
Lainey
Solar generator
Totally agree. I invested in the Powersource 1800 from Solutions from Science https://mysolarbackup.com/ I've had it for just about a year now, it has 3 lead-acid batterys and weighs close to 50 lbs (but it has wheels for added mobility).
My grain mill!
A bit expensive, but pretty, and requires no power source to work.
https://www.skippygrainmills.com.au/hand/country.htm
Dual purpose! Also gives an awesome upper body workout LOL....
This will sound like a smart
This will sound like a smart ass response but it isn't. My Laptop. It has allowed me to surf and find good deals and learn a tremendous amount about a variety of topics. I've probably paid for the thing several times over from savings I've gained from ebay & Craigslist items not to mention money made from TF, zero hedge and mad hedge fund trader.
This thread alone is full of good information.
Good Call
I never even consciously thought about that until now. Although I have been "hoarding" different files on my computer and backing them up on a remote hard drive. Never know what you will need for entertainment...thank god I can power my laptop directly from my solar generator!
Great idea
Mind sharing how much it cost to get the well dug? And did you drill or dig?
I know this might be
I know this might be stretching it when I answer the "single most important" item question, but my answer is our transformed front yard. What two years ago was fir trees and grass, is now oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley, basil, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, huckleberries, honeyberries, citrus, tea, (soon) several raised beds, and probably one or two I have forgotten. All are varieties that do well in our Pacific Northwest climate. No more reliance on someone else for a whole lot of important and useful items.
It's a tie
Can't choose between my All American cast aluminum pressure cooker/canner (metal to metal seal, no rubber gasket to wear out) and my AquaRain water filter. Why all the love for Berkey when you can buy a similar product made in the U.S. with no oil burned to ship it across the Atlantic?
I think this is a great idea
The amount of info you can store and great website you can dl from is great. I just got one from a pawn shop for $150.00 via layaway. Plus it's a multi-tasker, Entertainment via games, music, Books(Kindle for PC) and DVD's . Communication center text, IM, Skype/Voip and networking/wifi. Plus all the things a PC can do from storage to number crunching.