Imagine this scenario: It’s the dead of winter. The ground is covered in snow, the temperature is below freezing during the daylight and worse after the sun goes down. Your power goes out. You’ve got water and a decent amount of food in storage, but your heat source went with the power and the temperature inside your dwelling is rapidly dropping. What can you do?
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The golden age of wood- and coal-burning stoves gave rise to not only colorful expressions, but a novel feature that changed the way people cooked and kitchens looked. In the late 19th century, concern for better health led to research in domestic science, which in turn made sweeping improvements in America’s kitchens. Experts advised that a properly ventilated cook space was essential, and the range hood became an integral element of kitchen design.
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Published in 1980 by the non-profit organization Volunteers in Technical Assistance, this lengthy guide “promotes stoves and cooking methods that are inexpensive, culturally acceptable, and environmentally sound.” If you’re just starting out in the cookstove world, this is the place to start: It has everything from the basics of how stoves work, how to run them efficiently, select your wood, and more.

Right click the PDF file below and select “Save As…” to download the guide.
Wood Conserving Cookstoves – A Design Guide

Everyone thinks of no electric bill when you heat with wood, but that is not the only benefit. People think of chimney or house fires when they think of woodstoves, but watch out there are other hazards. I am sure that most of you realize that there are some hidden benefits and hidden hazards to owning a woodstove. If not, I am here to tell you what some of those benefits or hazards might be. Two benefits come to mind quickly. Both are health related, but both also have hazards involved in them.
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If you have been thinking about buying a woodstove and wondering, “Is a woodstove right for me?” or “Which stove should I get?” you have come to the right place. We will give you some things to think about before you make a purchase, and you should walk away with a list of questions to ask yourself. After answering these questions, it will be much easier to figure out if a wood stove is right for you and which stove will meet your needs.
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Wood heat: Is it really the best source, and why? This seems to be a popular question. I’m sure you have heard about the many benefits of an alternative energy source, but how much do you really know about wood heat? Maybe you remember that you grandmother used to cook on a wood cookstove back in the day, but you probably assume that wood cooking is old fashioned and outdated — think again! How much do you spend a year to heat your home? Not to mention the additional cost of cooking your food, and heating your water. We just filled up our propane tank the other day, and the cost was over $1,200! For that price, you can almost buy an alternative heat source, water source, and cooking source. If you’re interested in switching your home to a simpler, cheaper, more self-sufficient abode, you’ve come to the right place. In the following paragraphs I plan to answer common questions about heating with wood; I will share with you what I’ve learned about using wood heat, and how beneficial it has been for my family.
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