Join Wood Stone Home on the links at the Fergusons Golf Tournament on Friday, September 16 from 12-7PM at Morgan Run Golf Club. We’re bringing our mobile oven, so we’ll be sure to have some incredible artisan pizzas there to tempt you! So stop by, say hi and have a slice. We’d love to answer any questions you might have about owning a Wood Stone Home oven.
Wood Stone Gives Back
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The company culture at Wood Stone has always included giving back to the community whether by creating awards for employees who bicycle or carpool to work, or putting together a team for the 100 year old Ski to Sea Race outside of Bellingham on Memorial Day weekend. So I was happy to give a little back to my daughter’s school community last month by pulling up to the school with a mobile Wood Stone oven to cook up a surprise pizza lunch for Teacher Appreciation Week! My volunteer parent partners offered a lovely antipasto bar as orders were taken for individual pizzas and served outdoors under umbrellas to the strains of “O Sole Mio”. Needless to say, the very surprised teachers and staff felt much appreciated!
Okay, that was one fun day out of my life but many at Wood Stone are giving back month after month, year after year. Jana Logan, whom many of you know through Residential Sales is very active on the board for Meridian Youth Athletic Association, a non-profit that facilitates all of the sporting events in their school district for grades K-8. Wood Stone is a member of Sustainable Connections and has hosted numerous fundraising events with chefs Tim Green, Frank Milward and Brent Pyeatt volunteering their cooking skills at the drop of a hat. Jackie Van Zwol volunteers with Cascade Vocational Services along with Merrill Bevan (when he’s not volunteering for Books for Prisoners). The local Red Cross chapter is lucky to have Wade Bobb and Tom Schultz volunteer their IT brains to that worthy cause as well as President Kurt Eickmeyer’s efforts in helping set up fund-raising events. Musical talent abounds at Wood Stone and David Bean shares his virtuosity on the violin by volunteering as a member of the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra. And down in Florida, VP Phil Eaton can often be found running the sound systems for various charity events. The entire Wood Stone team provides the flexibility that Finance VP Justin Mitchell needs when he’s called away for an emergency Search and Rescue mission. Well, however large or small the deed, it’s great to be a part of a company that supports volunteer efforts of all kinds!
Cooking with Wood: Wisdom from a Wood Stone Chef
By Ann Rudorf, Wood Stone Residential Chef
If you build wood fires in your oven, (either wood-only or wood/gas combination) you’ve no doubt heard our adage “Burn only seasoned hardwoods with a moisture content of 15-20%.” Perhaps you’ve wondered, “Why do they stress this? How does one determine moisture content? Does the species of wood really matter?” Here are some quick answers.
First of all, if the wood has a moisture content of over 20%, more of the BTUs are being used to “boil” the water out of the wood instead of going into heating the oven. Your goal of heating that stone hearth and dome is compromised and inefficient. Creosote build up is also an issue with wet wood. (20% moisture content wood produces twice the creosote of 15% moisture content wood.) It’s worth noting that wood with a moisture content of 10% or less will have lost much of its density, burning too quickly to leave sufficient coals. Use a Wood Moisture Meter to assure that fuel wood has the proper moisture content even before it is unloaded from the truck. (Note: Always measure moisture from the center of a freshly split piece of wood.)
We also stress using a good, heavy hardwood such as Oak, Apple or Hickory. You will get more heating BTUs out of a 4600 pound cord of Oak than a 2800 pound cord of Birch. Hardwoods also produce a better bed of long-lasting coals than lighter woods with a more balanced “coals to flame” ratio resulting in a better balance between floor and dome temperature for more successful cooking! Refer to our Wood Burning Oven Fuel Facts for the weight per cord of wood found in your area.
Fava “Edamame”
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Those bushels of fava beans always look so appealing at the Farmers’ Markets and often my shopping eyes are bigger than my block of time allotted for the tedious double shelling process needed to prepare these tasty morsels. Enter the Wood Stone oven! Crank it up 600, wash, season and roast the whole fava bean pods for 5 minutes, then serve to your guests “Edamame Style” for an easy appetizer. The beans pop out of the big pods easily and the outer skin becomes soft and edible. Mix up the flavor combinations: try olive oil, crushed garlic and rosemary or go with Asian flavors of sesame oil and chopped ginger. Be sure to finish with a high quality coarse salt such as Sel Gris or Himalayan Pink Salt.
– Chef Ann
Synder Diamond BBQ Event
Join Wood Stone Home at the Synder Diamond BBQ Event on Saturday, July 16 from 11AM-2PM. We would love to see you and answer any questions you might have about owning a Wood Stone oven.
Location:
Snyder Diamond
423 Arroyo Pkwy
Pasadena, CA 91105
Directions>>>