My Favorite Podcasts

March 2, 2015

...balloon over the North Pole and Victorian children’s author Favell Lee Mortimer’s offensive travel book. In Our Time Host Melvyn Bragg corrals a posse of academics to discuss topics in history, religion and philosophy. When guests drop big words like “hermeneutics” and “teleology,” Bragg always brings them down to earth and makes them explain things in plain English. This show has filled in many gaps in my education and functions as a reminder th...

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Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

Mrs. Homegrown

July 7, 2014

Garden Design, Gardening, Lawns, Water and Power

18 Comments

.... I believe it used to have a typical sickly lawn in front of it, but last time I was in the neighborhood I saw it had been rejiggered to be a low water use landscape. And that’s good…really…a great idea, guys. But… The new landscape is mostly artificial turf, with a few swathes of D.G. and a strip of purple gravel mulch running along the foundation, and that gravel is studded with strangely trampled looking agave-ish plants, and a couple of rando...

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Why it’s Better to Pressure Can Tomatoes

Mr. Homegrown

October 30, 2014

Food, Food Preservation, Gardening, Tomatoes

8 Comments

...cipes. All of these factors are why the recommended hot water bath canning time for raw packed tomatoes is 85 minutes. I’ve hot water bath canned tomatoes and got great results (especially with San Marzano tomatoes). But 85 minutes is a long time. You can cut the processing down considerably and get better results by pressure canning tomatoes. Here’s a raw pack recipe that includes both hot water and pressure canning instructions. Note that you st...

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Josey Baker’s Awesome Adventure Bread (gluten free!)

Mrs. Homegrown

May 19, 2014

Bread, Food

13 Comments

...in seeds–I don’t like their slippery texture so much in this context. Next time I may switch those out. I’m going camping this weekend, and am taking this “bread” with me. Now that I’ve baked it, I suspect I could take this bread and nothing else to eat, and I’d never be hungry. Geek moment: You know how in the Lord of the Rings the Elves have a travel food called lembas? One bite will fill a man’s stomach, etc.? When I cut the first slice of this...

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Stern Sprouted Wheat Vegan Cookie or Health Bar Type Things

Mrs. Homegrown

January 6, 2014

Food, How-to, Recipes, Wheat

9 Comments

...ots of fresh water and let it sit for a good spell. I’ve heard recommended times ranging from 6 hours to 24 hours. Basically, let your schedule determine the soak time. Overnight. From breakfast til evening. Whatever. After the soak, pour of the water and give the grain a rinse. Then let it sit around at room temperature. Give it a rinse every morning and every night until it sprouts. Toss it around a bit so it aerates. Wheat will sprout in 24- 36...

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