Product Review Monday

(Don's book recommendations this week are by an author named Eric Sloane.)

I own a bunch of books written and illustrated by Eric Sloane. You should too if, like me, you're interested in how our forebears created the day-to-day things that made their lives easier. I grabbed a random sample of books by Mr. Sloane off our shelves: "American Yesterday," "The Seasons of America Past," and "A Reverence for Wood."

Each of these books covers an American time period from the pre-Colonial to the mid-20th century, and each topic contained in the books is a look at how things were done in days gone by.

Mr. Sloane is a excellent pen-and-ink illustrator. Frequently I have used his text and drawings as a springboard for projects. 

These three books are just a sample from our shelves. We own many more Eric Sloane books and cherish each one of them.

You can find these books second-hand in hardback, but current editions are in paperback and therefore less expensive.

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My product recommendation this week is a corollary to the kitchen compost bucket I reviewed a few weeks ago: Our compost tumbler. I'd wanted one of these for some time, and we finally sprang for one three years ago. It's especially handy for handling kitchen waste since we don't have chickens yet.

I had no particular inclination toward any brand or style of compost tumbler when I searched for one to buy, but this one had something like 18,000+ reviews on Amazon, 68% of which were five-star ratings. The price was right at $75, so I took a chance and ordered it. I have not been disappointed. Be aware it will require assembly.

This composter has two chambers, so you can let one side cook while filling the other side with newer materials. The capacity is 37 gallons. I empty it once a year. Yes, you read that right: It handles a year's worth of kitchen waste for our household. I usually empty it in the fall and bury the composted material in the garden beds (which sometimes yields volunteer spaghetti squash or zucchini plants in the spring from some of the food waste that didn't have a chance to compost down at the time I emptied the composter).

I'm still big on living as close to a zero-waste lifestyle as possible, and this compost tumbler (made in Canada from recycled plastic) removes a major source of garbage, namely kitchen waste. Strongly recommended.

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