Transition Founder Rob Hopkins in Pasadena

...s across the country and world are transforming their economic, energy and food systems from the bottom up. Welcome by Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. At the Fair: Repair Café, Learning Garden tours, potluck lunch, and networking with local sustainability groups and neighboring Transition Initiatives. Throop Unitarian Universalist Church 300 S Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101 Tickets: $10, pre-register for $5 at www.justdoingstuffpasadena.eventbrit...

Read…

Asking the Right Questions

...ing poison (or worse, setting snares) we’d, for instance, stop leaving pet food out at night. What questions do we ask in our neighborhoods? We often, myself included, ask questions such as, “What number do I call to anonymously report my neighbor for having a car up on blocks in the front yard?” A better question might be, “How do we foster the sort of community where neighbors aren’t strangers?” Communities where, if I have a problem with a neig...

Read…

Starting a Sourdough Starter Talk at Artisinal LA

...I’ll be doing a short talk at Artisinal LA this Sunday October 13th at 4pm on how to start a sourdough starter. Artisinal LA (yep, the “A” word) is a showcase of local small food vendors. In case you’re not in LA this is what I’ll be demonstrating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGLF8B_pZ0 Mark Stambler, who co-founded the LA Bread Bakers with me and Teresa Sitz, will also be doing a talk on baking bread at 4pm on Saturday....

Read…

Bad Forager: Mistaking Hemlock for Fennel

...ck seeds? (photo courtesy of Wikimedia) And so I was fooled while out on a food forage hike last week. It was grim pickings out there! Acorns seem to be the only thing left to eat in the wild until the rains come. I’d sampled something unpleasant which lingered on my tongue. I wanted to clear the taste and spotted what I thought was the remains of a fennel plant. I pinched off a couple of seeds and put them in my mouth. They didn’t taste like fenn...

Read…

Saturday Linkages: Gardening, Rocket Heaters and DIY Tips

...-designed.html … Seeds on seeds on seeds: Why more biodiversity means more food security http://garynabhan.com/i/archives/2347 Lawn Pesticides Outlawed! by Susan Harris http://gardenrant.com/2013/11/lawn-pesticides-out-lawed.html?utm_source=feedly … Chelle Lindahl’s rocket mass heater http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/chelle-lindahls-rocket-mass-heater/ … Know Your Stuff: The 110 Best DIY Tips Ever http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/know...

Read…