Home & Heart Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze Mainstream America has come to expect and depend on electrical appliances in the home and the kitchen. If it makes housework faster or easier, I am all for it. But what is the trade off in power usage? Self cleaning ovens and frostfree refrigerators are not efficient fuel-wise. Is saving time, and not power, the most important consideration? Not in the RE lifestyle! Bicycle Grinder Bruce Johnson and Barbara Hagen of Spencer, OK have been using a bicycle powered grinder for 12 years. It sits on their front porch and gets frequent use. Bruce chose a a C.S. Bell #60 mill because of its sturdy construction, with a 1 inch diameter shaft and bearings. He bolted some bicycle sprockets to a large iron wheel which is attached to the shaft. This acts as a fly wheel. The mill is attached to a pedestal on a platform. He removed the fork from an old bicycle and then attached the front of the bicycle to the base of the mill, using a short piece of pipe and a flange. The rear wheel of the bike is replaced by a stand. A lengthened chain from a 10 speed bicycle couples the pedals to the mill. An old derailleur is used on the slack side of the chain as a tensioner. The chain can be moved by hand to different sprockets for different drive ratios. They use the mill mainly for grinding whole wheat flour. A ratio of one to one works best. If it was a mill with smaller burrs you would probably want to gear it up some. Flour to Bread After the wheat is ground to flour, Barbara and Bruce use a hand crank dough mixer. It looks like a two gallon bucket with a dough hook attached to the crank. A five dollar flea market special, the mixer is young enough to have a nylon bearing. All of the ingredients go directly into the bucket. They usually make two loaves at a time. It takes about 30 minutes from when the wheat first goes into the mill until the dough is ready to rise. Martin Holladay, of Sheffield, Vermont wrote to tell me, "The best book that deals with your question is Pedal Power edited by James C. McCullagh, and published by Rodale Press in 1977." He also sent me excerpts of the book. It has a comprehensive set of instructions on building a Energy Cycle foot powered generator. Complete with parts lists and exploded views (I love those) and pictures, the Energy Cycle is designed to adapt to builder's recycled materials. When assembled the foot generator can adapt to almost any machine with cogs or wheels. Food Processor Before HP #31 was even back from the printers, I received a hand crank food processor to test. Bob and Golda Maynard, of Energy Outfitters, saw a Kitchenmatetm manual rotary food processor at their local county fair. They were so impressed that they bought one. Now they sell them. The Kitchenmatetm actually performs three functions. It is a rotary chopper, a rotary beater, and a salad spinner. The main bowl is only slightly smaller than my electric processor's. I have used the beater to make salad dressings and a garlic mayonnaise or aioli. There is a well in the lid to pour your oil into so that it dribbles into the mixture slowly, freeing your hands for cranking the beater. It works very well. For homemade salsa or chopping onions (or garlic, or shallots) it works great. You have to coarsely chop the veggies first, but I have to do that with my electric model too. The salad spinner option is really kind of small for a family sized salad, but is perfect for washing and spin drying fresh herbs. The unit is made of sturdy impact resistant plastic. It washes up very easily and doesn't take up much space. Since the top locks on to the bowl it is easy to handle without spilling or a lot of unnecessary movement. It has been worth the $19.95 price to me. Lehman's Several readers have called or written to give me the access on a company called Lehman's Hardware. Apparently they have a whole catalog of non-electric appliances and tools, including a selection of mills and bread dough mixers. I am told they supply the Amish communities with products which fit into their simple lifestyle. I have sent for the catalog but have not received it yet. Again readers have assured me that Lehman's has always been a good company to deal with. I am eager to get their literature and see what they've got that I need (or want). Access Author: Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze, c/o Home Power Magazine, POB 520, Ashland, OR 97520 ù 916-475-3401 Bruce Johnson & Barbara Hagen, 7605 N. Post Rd., Spencer, OK 73084 ù 405-771-3551 Bob & Golda Maynard, Energy Outfitters, POB 1888, Cave Junction, OR 97523 ù 503-592-6903 Lehman's Hardware, POB 41, 4779 Kidron Rd., Kidron, OH 44636 ù 216- 857-5441