Website facelift

We got a nasty comment on our blog today which saddens me. If you don't care for our site or for us please come out and tell us directly and not hiding it on the blog as an anonymous comment. But if this comment was in reference to our website I would like to make clear that we are working towards a website facelift in the next several months. We recognize that we are not showcasing this excellent stove to its full potential and we would like to improve on that. So stay tuned for more to come in reference to visionstonestoves.com

Tax Credit

Great news. Just heard from the Sedore Stove manufacturer that the Sedore 3000 now qualifies for the 30% tax credit under the American REcovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This means that if you purchase a Sedore 3000 in 2009 or 2010 you can recover some of your costs for the stove and installation labor costs. There is a maximum of $1500 tax credit and it applies to 30% of the sum of all IRS qualified improvements made by a homeowner in 2009 or 2010. For further information please consult your tax advisor or visit www.energystar.gov. So if you have been considering purchasing one of these great stoves this is the year to go for it.

Soup on the Sedore

On Thursday this week we replaced our electric cooking stove in the kitchen. But we ran into some electrical issues and needed the electrician to make some adjustments with the plug. As a consequence when it was time to make dinner there was no stove plugged in to cook on. We could have ordered out but since I am cheap we didn't. Taco soup was on the menu and I pushed ahead with the plan. Time to test out the Sedore stove and its stainless steel cooktop. The temperature on top of the stove was 300 Fahrenheit. The vent was half open so I opened that all the way. The stove had locust in with a nice bed of coals. The recipe calls for chicken breast to be sauted in oil with onions and garlic first. I attempted first to cook the chicken in my dutch oven but it was moving very slowly. So then I got some cooking spray and sprayed the cooktop and put my chicken pieces out to cook. They did just fine and when they were done I put them back in the pot and added in the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa, and other ingredients. I left that to cook for the next 15 minutes, then added the hominy and left it for another 10 minutes. The soup did not come to boiling before we ate it. But after everyone had a bowlful the soup was left on to cook and it eventually did come to a boil. We all liked the soup; it tasted as usual. Only problem was the onions weren't fully cooked which just meant they were a bit crunchy.
Dinner took a bit longer than usual but we know now that we can do it. So no worries if the electricity goes out this winter. We will be ready for it.

Cooking Wood

What is that heavenly aroma? Bob's cooking wood again. Maple wood smells like syrup on my cooktop. I put unseasoned wood or cold logs on my stove lid because the energy required to burn hot fuel is less than the energy required to burn cold fuel. I am conditioning the fuel. Therefore when it goes in the primary burn chamber it has more BTU's. Besides it is cheap potpourri.

Stove is burning

We lit our Sedore a week ago but then it was so warm that we let the fire go out again. Here in the mountains of PA we had a week of unseasonably cold weather for October. We even saw some snow, which did not stick. Now it has warmed back up to 60 degree days and in fact last Thursday saw something closer to 70. So we are enjoying these last warm days of fall and letting the stove rest a bit more.
The chimney is now cleaned out. We purchased an 8 inch chimney brush with rods and a rope and came from top and bottom to clean out the chimney. After 2 years of burning mostly wood through our chimney there was very little creosote in the stack. So we are pleased although not surprised. The Sedore is a great stove.

Happy October

Well it is getting cooler here in PA and we are almost ready to light the Sedore, but haven't quite given in yet. The leaves are turning and there are fall foliage festivals the next few Saturdays here in Jim Thorpe. Good time to visit if you have never been here before (or even if you have) and stop in and see the stove while you are in town.
We are now the only East Coast dealers so if you are east of the Mississippi and are interested in a Sedore please give us a call. We will do all we can to give you a thorough introduction to our wonderful stove, although we recognize for many of you that is too far to travel for a in person viewing.
We will try to start posting more regularly now that the heating season is beginning again. So check back about once a week for our heating related posts.

Baked Potatoes

Recently we tried something new in our Sedore - we baked potatoes for lunch in the backburn. We wrapped our potatoes in foil and stuck them back in the part of the Sedore that does not have direct fire. After an hour we took them out, with a good fire in the front, and they were done to perfection. Some of the skins were slightly burnt but still very edible. A good lunch was enjoyed by all after the addition of butter and cheese. Next thing is to try baking some bread some time.