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...wess that I don’t possess but it’s the kind of solution that we in the DIY homestead world need to consider. We’re about making and doing things, right? One of those tasks might be creating the open source and decentralized internet we were promised in the 1990s before large, thuggish robber barons like Facebook arrived on the scene. I’ve blogged in the past about mesh networks set up with old routers and, apparently, this is what’s being done in...

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Saturday Tweets: Sheds, Roots and Odd Pie Shapes

...8, 2015 The real story behind the demise of America’s once-mighty streetcars http://t.co/lTZWUjdk3g via @voxdotcom — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 8, 2015 Odd pie shapes of the 17th century: http://t.co/4Zhy9HZOaO — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 7, 2015 An indoor garden built of veg scraps–looks like a fun thing for kids (and maybe some adults): http://t.co/n3h6pZqgwU — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 6, 2015 A better way to live with bees: http://t...

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The Jerusalem Cookbook

...enty of salad, vegetable, bean and grain recipes, so it’s friendly to both vegetarians and meat eaters. We’re mostly vegetarian, and we feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of the meatless offerings so far. Though there are a lot of veg recipes which use eggs, yogurt and cheese, there are also good vegan-friendly offerings. To give you a feel for the book, these are the recipes we’ve enjoyed so far. All are excellent: Swiss chard fritters (w...

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Our new front yard: history

.... The slope looked alive, but it did not look loved. It’s hard to admit to making a mistake, particularly when its a costly mistake, or a mistake that you’ve made publicly, or a mistake that you’ve been making for a long time. This is why people keep climbing Everest even when they see a storm is rolling in. This is why we ended up with an ugly yards full of struggling trees. The cactus, however, grew exponentially. Its position was front and cent...

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Homegrown Evolution in Chicago

...ter with: nettlesting@yahoo.com Erik will lead an informal presentation on Urban Homesteading in Los Angeles – focusing on his and his wife’s homegrown systems of adventurous experimentation of chickens, growing, greywater, brewing and more – some successful, some not so much! Copies of The Urban Homestead will be for sale. Many thanks to Nancy Klehm for arranging these events! See her website Spontaneous Vegetation for more info on other events a...

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