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The Summer Kitchen, by Boltlady
Reality set in when I received a copy of JWR’s novel "Patriots"
from my sister. I was hooked. I could see not only the possibility, but the
likelihood
of what could happen. The sheer realization of how pitifully unprepared I was
for any type of disaster launched me into high gear. I organized the bug-out-bags,
bought the camo & the ammo, and stocked an emergency medical kit. You know
the drill.
But now that the basic preparations are in place and the panic has subsided,
my thoughts have turned to the retreat. What does happen when the world as
we know it comes to an end? When there is no electricity and those without
solar-power are long-term without any power? Well, when the MREs are
long since gone and retreat life has become…well, life…, I envision
spending time in my summer kitchen.
The concept of the summer kitchen literally dates back a thousand years, yet
these practical outdoor kitchens are still used today all over the world. Its
purpose historically was quite simple – prepare food during warmer seasons
without heating up (or burning down) the house. However, for a retreat setting,
you could benefit greatly by expanding its duties.
Drawing upon a number of these older ideas and uses, this new summer kitchen
goes well beyond the original ‘cook-only’ area, to a multi-purpose
building that includes a smokehouse, a root-cellar, and a wood shed. Because
of the strategic importance of the kitchen, this should be one of the first
structures built in a retreat. While our family is still praying and saving
for our retreat property, the limited population in the area where we would
like to buy suggests that we will purchase land without any existing buildings.
Given the versatility of the Summer Kitchen, we could easily sustain ‘camp’ with
it on weekends while working on the rest of the property.
Whether you’re building on a distant site, or adjacent to your existing
home, careful consideration should be given to the positioning of your summer
kitchen. Choose a site that will allow a cool summer breeze to pass through
the kitchen, as well as carry away any smoke from the cook-stove.
The design I have determined to be best for my summer kitchen is a three-part
building. The center section, which houses the kitchen facilities, is approximately
20’L x 15’W, and is flanked on the right and left by a pair of
6’ x 8’ rooms. The three sections share a common wall at the back,
with the pitched (gable) roof-line over the center section rising about a foot
higher than those of the end rooms. Buried directly beneath the main kitchen
lies the root-cellar. The balance and form of the structure lends itself well
to the retreat setting. Click
here to see a drawing of this floor plan.
Materials for your Summer Kitchen should be chosen based on function – not
style. Although it is often easier to scavenge wood materials, I have chosen
to build my summer kitchen primarily out of masonry block. For me, masonry
materials are not only durable, but simple to maintain. (Note: If you have
a block manufacturing plant in your area, try contacting the manager to inquire
what they do with the seconds – that is the less than perfect, but still
perfectly usable blocks. You may be able to purchase these at a reduced price.)
The roof-line, composed of stout 2” x 6” trusses, rests upon the
block walls. Here in the Northwest, a metal roof is a must. Metal works well
to shed the often heavy snow-load in winter, and reduces the risk posed by
forest fires during dry, summer months. Topping off the roof of the summer
kitchen is a small cupola. While the cupola may appear as an unnecessary extravagance,
its true function is realized through added ventilation of heat and smoke.
Let’s take a virtual tour. You enter through symmetrically located, 36” doors
on either the front left or front right quarters of the kitchen. The large
doors provide smooth access even when carrying a sizable load. Running along
the entire length of the front wall, between the doors, is a 28” deep
counter top. All the counter tops in the Summer Kitchen are concrete. When
poured and polished, concrete counter tops are incredibly durable, surprisingly
attractive, and affordable if you do it yourself. The cupboards below store
pots and pans, dishes, and canning supplies.
At the far end of the counter, near the left-side door, there is a dumb waiter.
This pulley-driven, counter-weighted, mini elevator lifts or lowers your canned
goods, and other finished products, to and from the root-cellar for easy storage.
The box, (a 32” square, 36” high) which resembles a cupboard itself,
has a load capacity of 100 pounds, and is manually operated by a handle on
the side.
As you step through the right side door, just to your right is a wrap-around,
28” deep counter extending to the back wall and then left approximately
ten feet. Centered in the counter along the back wall is a deep, stainless
steel, double sink. The sink utilizes a high arching faucet that swivels flush
against the wall allowing easy access for even the largest items.
Food preparation and clean-up require an adequate water source. The water supply
to the sink can be provided for in several ways. Options include gravity-fed
plumbing from an external water source, or from a 55-gallon drum on a stand
outside the back wall. It may even be possible to mount the tank in the rafters
above the kitchen. Since the water tank is filled using a hand-crank transfer
pump, the positioning of the tank is quite flexible. Hot water may also be
achieved by plumbing a line from the reservoir on the wood-burning stove.
Beyond the end of the counter, in the back left corner of the main room, is
the heart of the kitchen – the wood cook-stove. It is coved in masonry
block to reduce the space required between it and the walls while minimizing
fire hazard. (You should always follow recommended clearances when fitting
your stove.)
For those of us who follow recipes with instructions like “bake at 350 degreesĖ” or “simmer
over medium-heat”, cooking with wood-heat may prove to be a challenge.
For this reason your choice of cook-stove is vital. One of the best stoves
for a summer kitchen is the ‘Pioneer Maid’ wood burning stove available
at Lehmans.com.
(Situated in Amish country, Lehman’s is a fantastic
resource for functional, non-electric items.) This stove is not some dainty,
long-legged beauty meant to invoke nostalgic memories of yesteryear. This
is the workhorse of Amish country cook-stoves. With its oversized, temperature-controlled
wood box, an eleven gallon reservoir, warming oven, enameled cook-top and oven
lining, and more than half of its weight made up of stainless steel, it will
be the hardest worker you have come canning season. With all its amenities,
yet high price, a frugal builder may spend more on this stove than the entire
structure.
In the center of the kitchen you will find my beloved want-ad find – my
36” square, maple butcher’s block. This serves as the perfect prep
counter. It is well-suited for butchering small livestock or dressing out an
elk. For the retreat setting, or even your local gardening co-op, you should
prepare for a ‘canning party’ of six or more people. By forming
an assembly line of friends to complete large tasks, mundane retreat chores
should become much more bearable.
Next, there are the adjacent rooms. The room to the left, nearest the stove,
is firewood storage. A large sliding door gives easy access when putting up
wood. It will hold two to three cords of wood, cut and stacked. When the time
comes to fire-up the cook-stove, wood can be transferred to a small rack just
inside the left side door of the summer kitchen.
And on the right, we have a smokehouse, in perfect company with our kitchen.
When you enter the smokehouse through the insulated, sheet metal lined door,
you find that the interior is very simple; a concrete slab floor with a smoke
pipe in the middle, a removable workbench, a barrel of salt, and several adjustable
hangers overhead. Multiple vents are designed into the soffits surrounding
the smoke house. Extending four feet further right, and connected by a 6” concrete
pipe, you have a 30” x 36” firebox lined with firebricks. A 24” diameter
tapered concrete plug forms the lid, which forces the smoke up the pipe and
into the smokehouse.
Finally, on the backside of the building you will find the access door leading
down to the root cellar. The concrete stairs land in the middle of the room.
One side of the cellar has a poured concrete floor. The other side remains
open to the earth and is then covered with 6” of gravel. The exposed
area lends coolness to the room. Along the block walls, lining the concrete
foundation stands ample shelving for canned goods.
While I have included here a general idea of the design for my root cellar,
the subject of root cellaring would easily fill a book. Many things must be
taken into consideration regarding your particular location. Humidity, temperature,
ventilation, annual rainfall, ground water, and the types of products to be
stored, are all factors that influence the type of root cellar that would be
best for you.
Like any aspect of preparedness, if you do not plan ahead, the logistics could
be anywhere from difficult to impossible. So if you already have a retreat,
I suggest building a summer kitchen. Equip it. Practice in it. Enjoy it. When
you remember that God provides you with everything you need, self-sufficiency
is a truly fulfilling journey.
