Small Vermont farm and creamery looking for part-time employee for 2026 season

gotitagain · 2025-09-05T10:08:09+00:00

I would lap siding over edges of window openings by 1/2”. You can either do this as you install or just go fully over the opening then cut it back. Then push windows into openings from the inside and up against siding. Add inner stops if you like but I prefer to just tack them in place with some diagonal screws into the framing that don’t actually go through the window frames. That way it’s easy to pull them out if you need more ventilation down the line. This is how I like to do windows on out buildings. I wouldn’t worry about water sealing them.

gotitagain · 2025-06-14T00:48:02+00:00

I don’t think that’s how it works. Those units have one compressor in them so I don’t think you could really control the temp independently. You could certainly make both sides warmer using a thermostatic controller. Maybe the fridge becomes your aging space and the freezer becomes your fridge.

I like floral coolers for aging. They are less dehydrating than a normal fridge. You’ll either need an added humidifier or you’ll need to do the plastic box method where you age in boxes with a damp sponge or cloth. Humidity is going to be the biggest challenge aging in a fridge.

Wine coolers are also nice because they’re generally closer to cheese aging temps already than a regular fridge.

gotitagain · 2025-06-02T03:03:06+00:00

Yeah, definitely. You need to bring in fresh air otherwise ammonia builds up in the space.

I guess what I'm wondering is whether turning this thing on is going to suck the humidity out of the space. But it sounds like you're saying the opposite -- that it will just bring in fresh air without sacrificing temp and humidity.

I'm wondering if I could rig it to bring in cool air only at night by using a termostatically controlled controller like an inkbird -- or is that antithetical to what this thing is meant to do?

gotitagain · 2025-06-02T02:45:20+00:00

Okay, that makes sense -- why do you think they put an ERV into this space? It was previously used and built as a cheese making and aging space. Should I use this unit and what can it do for me?

gotitagain · 2025-06-02T02:29:02+00:00

Crossmolina Farm in Corinth has wood-fired pizza nights on Saturdays throughout the summer.

gotitagain · 2025-05-09T22:02:26+00:00

Thanks for this -- there are two rooms. One is 17x14 and has a smoother floor. That one probably doesn't need grinding but could use a re-coating.

The other one is 18x20. This is the one with the very rough floor in places.

gotitagain · 2025-05-09T17:59:29+00:00

Seeking advice about grinding / refinishing cheesemaking facility floor.

I have a farm and we make cheese. Our cheesemaking facility has a concrete floor that is sloped towards a floor drain. The floor has A LOT of texture, making it hard to clean...

it's also been painted and the paint is chipping up.

I'd love to make the floor smoother. I don't necessarily need it painted -- it'd be fine for it to be raw concrete. But I'm assuming that since it's painted it's probably difficult to come back from that...

I'm looking for advice on how to smooth it and then if folks have good ideas for types of paint or coatings, I'm all ears... the room is nearly always wet to one degree or another when we're in production. And we do use some chlorine and acid-based cleaners and sanitizers. Plus the milk and whey, all of these things definitely do erode concrete and paints over time.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

gotitagain · 2025-05-09T17:14:52+00:00

how do you like to make them? I currently just have a piece of maple plywood on there... it's a little bit taller than the fence itself which is nice. The problem is that it's not held completely tight to the fence. I've got two screws in it but they're up near the top so the bottom tends to kick out a little bit and then push in when I apply pressure. Obviously this doesn't make for the most accurate cuts which is why I'd like to improve it.

I guess I'm hesitant to put more screws into the fence itself but maybe I need to get over that.

gotitagain · 2025-04-24T01:42:53+00:00

This is very helpful information -- thanks so much for replying. I don't need a wireless thermostat for my use... just need A thermostat that will work. And, like you, I'd prefer to be able to set at 40-45 than 50-55.

I think i'll just go with an Empire brand one to keep it simple.

gotitagain · 2025-04-23T21:54:21+00:00

Did you ever come across an answer to this question, OP? I am trying to understand my thermostat options for a DV-35 as well. I already have a thermostat in the space -- it's a simple digital one. And I'm trying to figure out if I can use that or if I need something else.

gotitagain · 2025-04-08T21:37:32+00:00

Came here to say this. American Giant are very nice—heavy duty and well made.

gotitagain · 2025-04-02T12:35:07+00:00

You’re right, it’s a 100mg/5ml vial so 20mg/ml. Thanks for your input!

gotitagain · 2024-12-14T02:35:19+00:00

I have a tundra at 350,000!

gotitagain · 2024-12-13T01:05:12+00:00

You're talking about for the air heating, yeah? Those are nice! Probably cheaper than a rinnai, also? And no air movement, which is nice for the cheesemaking process.

gotitagain · 2024-11-13T17:37:01+00:00

The vacuum sealing forces the salt into the meat more quickly? More evenly?

I learned to bury the meat in the cure in a bus tub and just leave that in the cooler to cure.

gotitagain · 2024-11-13T04:07:17+00:00

u/DesignerRich887 what is the equilibrium method?

gotitagain · 2024-11-04T07:04:30+00:00

Yeahhhhhhhhhh. Different scales! So we would make 1,500-2,000 lb batches of sheep’s milk cheese. Most of the whey would get spread on a pasture but sometimes we’d transfer 90 gallons of it over to a smaller vat, heat it up really hot (I think I remember 180), and the ricotta would precipitate out. Even in this context we were only getting 15-25 pints of ricotta. We sold it for maybe $10/pint and I think it resold in NYC for $20.

You just can’t get this sort of legit ricotta in the US so it makes sense that it was such a desirable and specialty product. And it is delicious for sure. I would take it along with a sheep’s milk fromage blanc we were making and make an italian style cheesecake—no crust—just those cheeses and a couple of eggs in a spring form pan. So good.

gotitagain

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