Pumpkin Spice Pandemic

September 26, 2020

...I owe the title of this post to Alissa Walker of the always informative LA Podcast. Alissa was stating what we all know: we’re heading into the fall with the prospect of cancelled holidays, disappointed grandparents and worse: evictions and unemployment. Rather than the usual roundup of links that I post on Saturday I thought I’d put up just a few, three serious and one a lark. They all need a brief introduction. This first link is an interview wi...

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Murder Hornets: It’s What’s for Dinner

Mr. Homegrown

May 13, 2020

Animals, Insects

11 Comments

...ia click bait trap. Even the allegedly reliable New York Times did a whole podcast on the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) that consisted of an interview with a single beekeeper and a lot of scary music. Did any of these journalists, including the New York Times bother to call up an entomologist who specialized in hornets? Not so much. Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of...

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Quarantine Meals From Jennie Cook

Mr. Homegrown

April 15, 2020

Food

1 Comment

Jennie Cook, our dear neighbor (and podcast guest), is a caterer. Covid erased all of the events and weddings that she depended on for income. So she pivoted back to what she used to do: cook home meals for pickup and delivery. Her food is delicious and the portions are generous. If you live in the Los Angeles area consider ordering some food from her. It will support Jennie and her employees and you’ll get a break from cooking. On Saturday Jenni...

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Coming Together by Being Apart

Mr. Homegrown

March 20, 2020

Thoughtstylings

26 Comments

...ay at home for the good of all. One bit of solace came from listening to a podcast about the 1918 Spanish Flu. All the struggles we’re going through right now were also dealt with in 1918: social distancing, closed institutions, and difficult decisions for doctors and nurses. One thing we have now that they didn’t have in 1918 is technology that can bring us together while we’re apart. Our neighborhood has a monthly happy hour every third Friday....

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Cold brewed tisanes, teas and coffee: Your summertime best friends

Mrs. Homegrown

July 25, 2016

Food, Foraging, Herbs

8 Comments

...to use simple syrup. A taste of the wild Our friend Pascal, who is on our podcast this week, usually shows up at parties with a big jug of cold infusions of foraged plants. He talks about this in his book, The New Wildcrafted Cuisine. He uses whatever is in season at the time, an eclectic mix that may include wild mints, elderflowers, conifers like white fir and pine, herbs like black sage and berries of all sorts. Sometimes he adds less-wild ing...

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