Grilled Fruit

There are not a lot of desserts that are easy to cook on the grill. One significant exception is grilled fruit. Not only is grilling fruit easy, it is a healthier dessert.

My latest “foodie” project has been to prepare the entire meal on the grill. I have been preparing the meat and sometimes vegetable dishes on the grill for many years, but had never tried fixing dessert on the grill. I found a number of recipes in my cookbooks and on the web, but most reminded me of S’mores on the campfire – I’m not a big fan of marshmallow. So as a strong believer in the KISS principle, grilled fruit has become my favorite after meal treat.

I haven’t tried every fruit, but so far I haven’t found any that aren’t suitable for the grill. Pineapple, apples, and pears are the easiest. They are firm fruits so it is hard to overcook them and they can be cooked with or without the skin or peel. Soft fruits like peaches, citrus, and plums are best grilled with their skins and require more care or else they become mushy. Typically a few minutes on each side is enough.

I follow a few simple guidelines when grilling fruit:

• Like with all grilling, a clean grate is essential. Not only will the fruit not stick to it as much, it will not pick up the very undesirable taste of the meat or whatever was grilled before.
• Coat the grill with a little vegetable oil or extra light olive oil to reduce sticking.
• Small fruits and berries can be grilled in aluminum foil or a vegetable pan or you can use skewers. They cook fast so keep a close watch or you’ll have mush – tasty but mush none the less.
• For most fruits use medium direct heat. You are looking to warm the fruit and caramelize the sugars on the surface of the fruit. Well defined grill marks are a good sign that the fruit is ready to serve. Cooking times vary greatly, from less than 10 minutes for peaches to ½ hour or more for a whole pineapple.
• Although not needed, fruit can be marinated to add flavor and sweetness. One marinade that I use is simply a cup of fruit type liqueur mixed with a cup of brown sugar and a ½ cup of honey. Place the fruit and marinade in a large plastic bag overnight. Be careful when placing fruit that has marinated in alcohol as it may cause an exciting flare-up.

You may want to add a sauce and I have found some easy ones that enhance the flavors:

• Puree 2 cups of fruit with ¼ cup of sugar in a blender and serve – yes it’s that simple. You may want to force seeded puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Another option is to boil the puree to reduce it and concentrate the flavor.
• Caramel sauce is another easy topping to make. In a 2 – 3 quart saucepan on medium heat, cook 1 cup of sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of corn syrup until the sugar has melted and turned a golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is completely melted stir in ½ cup of cream. Serve warm.

If you haven’t grilled fruit, try it. It is so simple and yet so delicious and your guests will think you’re a master of the grill.

Have a happy thanksgiving from all of us at Backyard America!

The DIY Deck Part II

In my last entry I tried to make the case that if you don’t hire a professional to build your deck or porch project, at least use the best tools and knowledge when building it yourself. My wife thought the article was a little biased (it was) and maybe even arrogant (I hope not.) Not to worry. I’m one of those people that cannot get away with expressing an opinion without something immediately happening that contradicts what I said. That article was no exception.

This past winter, my mother moved into a house that my wife and I own in eastern North Carolina. When we bought the house I made the comment that the house was pretty complete except that it needed a screened porch. My plan was to design a nice traditional porch and send a crew down to build it next winter when work slowed a bit. (The house is about 4 hours away.)

My mother, who turns 80 later this year, is not a patient person. Once she makes a decision she goes into action. She thought the porch was a good idea too, but apparently decided that next winter was too long to wait. Always thoughtful, she also didn’t want to bother me about this during the busiest time of the season.

So at almost exactly the same time that I was writing the March article she was discussing the porch project with her brother Herbert. Herbert grew up on a farm and worked for more than thirty years as an operating engineer on ocean going tugboats. That job required him to be good with his hands and have a good understanding of how things work, but very little in the way of carpentry skills. Herbert is a young 70 years old.

Herbert told my mom that they should be able to build the porch, which is about 12’ x 20’, for about $1200. Now that sounded like a steal since I had told her that I would sell a porch that size for about $12,000. So, without saying a word to me, they decided to proceed. They recruited another of my uncles, Albert, to help. Albert turns 80 this year too.

So how did it turn out? Well they finished the porch in just over a week (Herbert doesn’t have much patience either.) And they did a pretty nice job as you can see from the photo. The cost did run a little over budget by a few hundred dollars and they had a young guy install the roof panels (a very smart move.) The roof is made with inexpensive fiberglass panels (good for letting in a lot of light) and a Northern Virginia building inspector would have some issues with some of the structure. But the porch looks good, is safe, and it will add value to the house. Most importantly, mom loves the space and she spends hours out there reading and working on her puzzles.

So has this experience changed my thinking about amateur deck/porch builders? A little. Remember I didn’t have a problem with DIY builders. I just tried to make the point that if you’re going to do this type of project, invest in the time and money to have the right tools and knowledge. I’m sure Herbert has never read a single book on deck building and his tool set is good but basic. However, he, mom, and Albert do have the one absolute necessity for a quality job – an unyielding desire to do work that you can be proud of.

Winter is a great time for an outdoor project.

The backlog of work for my construction crews is the lowest it has been for years. And while the economy has slowed in our area (near Washington, DC), that is not the main reason for our current reduced number of projects waiting to be built. The primary reason is good weather. The Mid-Atlantic region has had a very warm and dry fall and early winter season this year. We are more than half way through January and we finally had our first snow (a measly inch or two) and really cold temperatures this week. As a result we have had many more days available to build than normal – we have worked ourselves out of work!

Every year there is a slow down in sales during the winter months. Homeowner’s minds turn to interior projects and projects like decks and porches are forgotten until spring. Reasons for this include the belief that contractors don’t build in the winter and if they did the quality of construction would be lower than if the project were built in warmer weather. Actually for most of the country neither is true.

With the exception of the very most northern states, construction of decks and porches is not affected by winter weather very much. The main problem in the coldest states is that the ground freezes so hard the crews cannot dig footings even with power augers. These areas have the deepest footing requirements, often 36” or more deep, so it becomes impractical to dig them in winter.

For the rest of the country this is typically not much of a problem. In fact there are several reasons why building an outdoor project in winter may be the best time:

• Construction crews want to keep their best crews busy so that there’s less chance of loosing them to a busier company. Crews only get paid if they are working and they have bills like everybody else.
• Material prices tend to be lower. Building material prices tend to increase less and even decline with the lower demand of winter.
• Builders are often more willing to offer discounts or other incentives to get the work. The competition is the same, but there’s less work – supply and demand works in this market too.
• The quality of the materials is often better. Many outdoor projects are built using pressure treated lumber. This material is shipped with a high level of moisture in it. As the lumber dries it wants to cup, warp, and check, as the cells shrink. If the wood dries slower it tends to have less stress to distort and the fasteners are better able to keep it true.
• The workmanship is often better. The crews have less pressure on them to quickly finish a job so that they can move on to the next anxious customer. Good crews are not going to do sloppy work no matter what but having a little extra time can make a difference.
• Avoid the spring rush. As soon as the weather starts to turn warm it seems everybody wants a deck or porch and they want it in time for summer. It won’t happen for many of them. Backlogs for good companies quickly build to 8 to 10 weeks or more by early spring.

Not all of these reasons may be true in your region, but there are probably enough good reasons for you to consider having your project built now rather than waiting until spring like everybody else. To learn more about deck and porch construction visit www.backyardamerica.com .

The DIY Deck

A friend recently invited me over to inspect a second story deck that he and a neighbor had built on the neighbor’s house. It was obvious from the conversation on the way to the project (and comments made when we got there) that he was fishing for compliments from me, the professional. He made it hard for me.

The deck was standing and it seemed to be sturdy enough that I wasn’t too concerned that it would collapse while we were standing on it. For that matter the deck had been inspected by the county building inspector and passed. But it was a mess. Huge gaps, bent nails, bad cuts, short boards, gouges, and missing knots were common. I didn’t pull out a framing square to check, but I don’t think there was a square joint on the whole deck. Of course I didn’t mention any of this – that's not what they wanted at that point. They had already had the official inspection; they were looking for compliments for all of their hard work. I did the best that I could.

Why do people do this? This guy’s house is easily worth $600,000 and he has put an eye sore on the back of it in order to save a few thousand dollars. He’s not alone. Homeowner built decks are all over the neighborhood and unfortunately they are too easy to spot.

Building a wood deck is not complicated. In fact it is one of the easier building projects typically found on suburban homes. But it’s not easy and it certainly takes a level of experience and knowledge that most homeowners don’t possess. Even the simplest jobs require a certain amount to knowledge and experience to be competent and carpentry is not a simple profession. It takes several years as an apprentice or helper to achieve just the basic skills.

So am I saying that homeowners should not take on a deck building project? Absolutely not. But for the sake of one of your biggest investments, take the time to learn how to do it right and use the tools that will allow you to do a job that is safe, attractive and something that adds value to your home.

If you’re thinking of building a deck yourself here are some of the things that you should consider:

• Start with some good books on the construction of wood decks. Look for titles that are recently published by authors who have a carpentry background.
• Buy a speed square, framing square, 4’ level, and 25’ – 30’ tape measure. Buy quality tools and learn how to use them. And most importantly, use them and use them frequently. You have heard the adage, “Measure twice and cut once.” It is good advice. Apply the same principle when checking for level, square, and plumb. Inaccuracies in any of these areas will not go away and will always add to problems later on. They are a dead give-away that an amateur built the project.
• Invest in a quality electric miter box – preferably a 12” model with a laser guide. Bad cuts are another sign of the amateur. The circular saw is most often used by pros but they aren’t called skill saws for nothing. Use the circular saw for cuts that will not be visible or until you develop competency with it. For the cuts that will be visible, use the miter box when possible.
• Buy your lumber from a real lumber yard – not a home center. The big boxes battle with each other every day and every penny they can cut prices is a competitive advantage. The problem is that although better than in years past, quality often suffers. Lumber yards compete on a different basis. Their professional customers must have quality material or else they will go elsewhere. You pay a higher price but you get better quality and as an added benefit they will deliver to the site.
• Pay attention to the details. Appling trim to the edge of the deck, skirting, mitering corners, closing the risers on steps, and including low voltage lighting are a few things to consider. Look at the deck books and the nicer decks in your neighborhood for ideas.

You’re probably saying to yourself that every suggestion this guy is making requires me to spend extra money – and you’re right. But remember you’re going to save hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars by building the project yourself. Also remember that this is something that is going to be attached to one of your biggest investments for a very long time. Besides, if you’re a guy it probably doesn’t require too much arm twisting to get you to go out and buy some quality tools – errr-errrr!

For more information on deck and porch construction visit www.BackyardAmerica.com