Deep Work

April 11, 2016

...ates and tweets? Can’t seem to get that garden planted or get that novel started because you’re too “busy?” How ironic that a computer science professor, Cal Newport, could be just the person to lead us out of our distraction with his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The book can be boiled down to this: thou shalt schedule uninterrupted blocks of time to focus on single, important tasks. And, yes, that includes thin...

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085 Rishi Kumar: Abundance in Suburbia

Mr. Homegrown

May 18, 2016

Gardening, Permaculture, Podcasts

1 Comment

...ape and then went on to form a community educational organization and a suburban farm. You can see what they’ve done on their website The Growing Club. During the podcast we mention: Jamun fruit (Syzygium cumini) Sheet mulching Growing fruit trees close togther Raccoons! Quail and chickens Water harvesting vs. rain barrels How the Growing Home became the Growing Club, Sarvodaya Farms and the Growing Commons. May 28th greywater workshop. Many thank...

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Heirloom Expo in Photos

Mr. Homegrown

September 14, 2015

Food, Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

6 Comments

I highly recommend making the trip next year to Santa Rosa to see the National Heirloom Exposition put on by the folks at Baker Creek Seeds. The centerpiece of the expo is the massive display of hundreds of different varieties of squash, melons, tomatoes and other edibles. It’s inspiring and frustrating all at once since, unless you have your own garden, you’ll never see such diversity at the supermarket. I came back with the will to improve our...

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Cottage Food Operations Workshop Offered by UC Cooperative Extension

Mr. Homegrown

May 18, 2015

Events, Food

1 Comment

...food business, UC Extension has a class coming up that will help you get started. UCCE assures me that the information provided will be of interest to anyone thinking about starting a Cottage Food operation, not just farmers. For more information contact: Rachel Surls, Sustainable Food Systems Advisor UC Cooperative Extension Los Angeles County (626) 586-1982 ramabie@ucanr.edu. Here’s the info: Who should attend? This workshop is designed especial...

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Fun With Mortises and Tenons

Mr. Homegrown

January 22, 2018

Design

8 Comments

...els of craftsmanship, I haphazardly fixed the table with screws and nails. Making the mortises and tenons took forever even though I was working with power tools–a plunge router to make the mortises and a table saw to cut the tenons. Of course, a great deal of the time in the workshop was spent in idle chatter. My workshop is right on the public sidewalk and serves as a kind of conversational trap for every passing neighbor and dog walker. Kelly s...

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