Before and After Permaculture

August 16, 2013

...An aspirational alternative to the future of jetpacks and space colonies I blogged about yesterday, came to me via the folks at Petaluma Urban Homestead. Noting that I said I was going to sit in on Larry Santoyo’s Permaculture Design Course (PDC), Suzanne of Petaluma Urban Homestead sent me before and after photos of her backyard saying, “This is what happened after I took my PDC!”...

Read…

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint II

Mr. Homegrown

October 30, 2017

Design

2 Comments

...e Root Simple compound was making our own chalkboard paint and using it to label all of the cabinets in our garage workshop. In the past month, inspired by a visit from über-maker Federico Tobon, I’ve taken up the task of pimping out the workshop with a proper workbench and table saw. I’ll blog about Workshop 2.0 when I’m finished with the renovation, but the chalkboard paint hack is worth a repeat mention. Thanks to the chalkboard paint, when I w...

Read…

Bold Baking

Mr. Homegrown

July 28, 2015

Bread, Food

8 Comments

...ker calls this “bold baking.” It’s bold because it goes against the beginner’s fear of burning. While crust color provides a convenient clue for when your loaf is ready to remove from the oven, oven temperature and baking times are also factors. If the bread bakes too fast you’ll end up with a soft crust; if the oven runs too cool you’ll get a crust that’s too hard. In our old O’Keefe and Merritt, I bake my bread at 500º F (260º C). If you’re usin...

Read…

032 Grist and Toll, an Urban Flour Mill

Mr. Homegrown

January 7, 2015

Bread, Fermentation, Food, Podcasts

4 Comments

...one hundred years. We discuss varieties of wheat, the health benefits of whole grains, how to work with them and why flavor is important. Kelly is not on this episode but will return to the podcast next week. Links Ruth Reichl visits baker Richard Bertinet in England Joaquin Oro wheat White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to ro...

Read…

Kickstart the North Memphis Farmers Collective

Mr. Homegrown

July 31, 2015

Gardening, Urban Farming

1 Comment

...stories, there’s a happy ending. What began in one yard has grown into an urban farming movement transforming vacant lots into sources of food and jobs. There’s a Kickstarter: The City of Memphis faces many challenges. Among them are blighted vacant lots, food deserts, health challenges, and unemployment. North Memphis Farmer’s Collective seeks to take these challenges and turn them into solutions by using what others see as waste as the fertiliz...

Read…