Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Knobby]

Earlier this spring I posted that I made a pallet wood trellis for Dear Wife's bitter melon plants. I just posted an update on the gardening thread, but since it also deals with the pallet wood trellis, I'll copy it here too for your consideration....

It's going to be hot here today. So, this morning Dear Wife and I went out to the raised beds and picked some food this morning.

Our very first batch of bitter melons! Aka, ampalaya in filipino. These are a tropical veggie and we are just glad to have gotten any here in northern Minnesota zone 3b. They would have gotten a little bigger in the tropical climate, but I guess these were ready for picking now....

The longest bitter melon is 10 inches and the shortest is 5 inches, for comparison.

I made a sturdy trellis out of pallet wood 2X4's for the bitter melon to climb on this spring, and it has worked out pretty well for Dear Wife. She is very happy with the results. They are a taste of home of the tropics even here in Minnesota.

I love bitter melons, especially made in soups with mung beans, shrimp, okra and a few other items.

 

[gtaus]

I love bitter melons, especially made in soups with mung beans, shrimp, okra and a few other items.

I stated that I was not a big fan of the taste of bitter melons, in general. However, Dear Wife cooked up some bitter melon along with fresh garden beans and zucchini in a stir fry and there it was very tasty. I think the difference was that she only had a small portion of bitter melon in the stir fry and it was not overpowering to my taste buds. When she cooks up bitter melon for herself, it's only bitter melon for her dish and that is just too strong for me. But mixed in with other food was the way I can enjoy it.

 

[Knobby]

I stated that I was not a big fan of the taste of bitter melons, in general. However, Dear Wife cooked up some bitter melon along with fresh garden beans and zucchini in a stir fry and there it was very tasty. I think the difference was that she only had a small portion of bitter melon in the stir fry and it was not overpowering to my taste buds. When she cooks up bitter melon for herself, it's only bitter melon for her dish and that is just too strong for me. But mixed in with other food was the way I can enjoy it.

the trick is to thinly slice them..however, I like mine thickly sliced..hehe. The more bitter, the better.

 

[Knobby]

I stated that I was not a big fan of the taste of bitter melons, in general. However, Dear Wife cooked up some bitter melon along with fresh garden beans and zucchini in a stir fry and there it was very tasty. I think the difference was that she only had a small portion of bitter melon in the stir fry and it was not overpowering to my taste buds. When she cooks up bitter melon for herself, it's only bitter melon for her dish and that is just too strong for me. But mixed in with other food was the way I can enjoy it.

My dinner for tonight....

 

[gtaus]

My dinner for tonight....

That looks fantastic. Bitter melon adds a nice kick to stir fry. When mixed in with other meats and vegetalbes, the bitterness mellows out enough for me to enjoy it.

Dear Wife is a Filipina, and she will cook up a mess of bitter melons with bitter melons and can eat it like candy. It's too powerful, bitter, for me when cooked alone. I honestly thought I did not like bitter melon. Turns out, bitter melon is very nice in limited quantities in a dish. So, next year we will be growing more bitter melon out in the garden and I will be looking forward to eating some.

 

[gtaus]

the trick is to thinly slice them [bitter melons]..however, I like mine thickly sliced..hehe. The more bitter, the better.

Maybe bitter melon is an acquired taste and I'm only at a baby portion level. I was surprised to find out that I actually enjoy the kick of small quantites of the bitter melon when mixed in a stir fry. I just can't eat it straight.

 

[Knobby]

View attachment 3622982

That looks fantastic. Bitter melon adds a nice kick to stir fry. When mixed in with other meats and vegetalbes, the bitterness mellows out enough for me to enjoy it.

Dear Wife is a Filipina, and she will cook up a mess of bitter melons with bitter melons and can eat it like candy. It's too powerful, bitter, for me when cooked alone. I honestly thought I did not like bitter melon. Turns out, bitter melon is very nice in limited quantities in a dish. So, next year we will be growing more bitter melon out in the garden and I will be looking forward to eating some.

I'm Filipino as well! You're wife should make you some mung bean soup with fish sauce.

 

[fuzzi]

Wear good gloves when working with pallet wood!

I have been using a good pair of leather working gloves for the past couple of years...

View attachment 3605246


They were really nice and I completely wore them out, with some of my fingers sticking out and/or exposed. So, I finally retired my old working gloves and thanked them for their service.

Not to worry, I had a package of other gloves that I thought would work just fine...

View attachment 3605252

However, those cotton "garden" gloves are NOT good for working with pallet wood. I managed to stick myself with a couple of slivers today as they go right through that cotton glove. Worse yet, that cotton will catch and keep bits of wood on the glove and a splinter can work it's way in later. I was fortunate that I did not get a bad splinter in the fingers, but the little pokes I did get made me realize that these types of gloves are not good for pallet work. I'm going to have to buy a new pair of good leather gloves for protection.

Of course, any glove would be better than no glove when working with pallet wood. But I have learned that it's worth it to me to buy a good pair of leather gloves when working with pallet wood. I will use those cotton gloves for other things, but they really don't work good with pallet wood full of splinters.

Watch for coupons. I got some nice leather work gloves at Ace Hardware, and paid about $10 after a coupon was subtracted.

 

[fuzzi]

I built a small shelf for my batteries. Not exactly what I was thinking, but maybe good enough for now. I slapped together a small shelf to sit on top of my workbench that matches the one I made years ago. Basically, doubled the shelf space for the 18v tool batteries. I have to clean up the workbench, load up the batteries on the shelves, and then snap a picture or two to upload later.

I have spent a lot of time considering what kind of shelf to build, where to put it, what to put on it, etc.... The problem is that my two car garage only has one open wall and that is the wall on the steps going up into the house. I don't feel good about adding a utility shelf on the steps. Also, I measured my current shelf, which is good for all my 18v batteries, but too small for the 40v batteries. I considered making the shelf deeper for the larger 40v batteries, but then you get into a shelf deep enough to hold the tools themselves. So, why not go a little bigger and make the shelf for the tools, too? I was suffering from paralysis by analysis. Today, I decided just to make something and see if it's good enough.

I started cleaning up the workbench, putting things away where they belong, and trying to find a new place for things that are recent purchases. It might take awhile, but I made some progress on cleaning up the bench this afternoon.

Cleaning up and organizing all my stuff is one of my least favorite tasks. Having said that, after I find a place for everything and get the benchtop cleared, I feel so much better. Nothing like a clean bench top to encourage me to make/build/fix something that has been waiting for attention.

I'm one of those weird people who LOVE organizing. Maybe I should hire myself out...

 

[fuzzi]

Following! Love new ideas and repurposing!

Beware, this thread is addictive...