An Open Letter to Our Mammalian Friends

August 10, 2015

...you and your robust fingers, that I had to build a coop that I’ve dubbed “chicken Guantanamo.” I thought I could have a less robust daytime chicken run. I’m not happy that I had to spend over $100 to beef up that run. My accountant will have to devise an elaborate amortization strategy to keep our eggs affordable. I’m also not cool with the daytime raids on the fig tree even if it entertains our indoor cats. To the rats of Los Angeles: avocados d...

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2022 in Review: Cats, Mushrooms and Politics

Mr. Homegrown

December 31, 2022

Thoughtstylings

5 Comments

...his view. The end of the year When we got back from London I tore down the chicken coop. Some friends adopted our last chicken. The Central Library Christmas tree had ornaments make in their Octavia maker lab. And I spotted the Chabad Menorahmobile. More sleeping cats. Looking back to the spring Kelly’s rain garden, fed by our roof gutters looked great in the spring. Loquats happened. Projects, memes and new years wishes And Jimmy and I finally fi...

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SIPS and Kraut at Project Butterfly

Mr. Homegrown

August 24, 2009

Events

2 Comments

...ject #2: How to make sauerkraut! Contribution:: $20 [ includes a delicious light vegetarian meal and drinks ] Location: Project Butterfly Loft 821 Traction Ave #108 Los Angeles CA 90013 Blurbs: “The Urban Homestead…touches on vegetable gardening, poultry, DIY cleaning products and beer making — all outlined with a sense of play and fun. —Whole Life Times “…a delightfully readable and very useful guide to front- and back-yard vegetable gardening, f...

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Home cooking advice?

Mrs. Homegrown

June 4, 2014

Food

30 Comments

...ay you’re going to be making soup stock for something (or something you’re making will yield soup stock) — what else can you make which will use the rest of that soup stock? Same for cooking up a pot of beans, or a chicken, or a loaf of bread. Same goes for opening a jar of olives or splurging on a hunk of good cheese. Multitask those ingredients. 5) Pick a cooking style and try to stick with it. Some may disagree with this vehemently, but I’ve de...

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Baking Bread with Specialty Malts

Mr. Homegrown

June 13, 2016

Beer, Bread, Food

2 Comments

...king and just use malted grains directly in your bread. The grains used in making beer are, mostly, barley that has been malted (sprouted) and then either caramelized or roasted. To make beer you soak the grains in warm water to extract the sugars that form in the malting process. Fermenting that sugary malt water creates alcohol. Most of the grain used to make beer is two or six-row malt. You add so-called “specialty” grains (that have been caram...

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