Creating a Moon Garden

...ncluding light colored rocks, gravel, decomposed granite, stepping stones, water features and white walls can also create interest in a moon garden. Creating an interesting nocturnal landscape means less reliance on lighting. As I’ve blogged about before, artificial light is not good for us or for wildlife. That Bornstein considers the sound of leaves in the wind at night, should give you an idea of her appreciation for detail in garden design. An...

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening

.... Plug and play–no need to build or improve soil. Keeps roots from getting waterlogged in a wet climate. Cons Requires materials to construct. Might need to buy soil–gardening in the ground is free. Roots dry out quicker in a hot climate. Lack of mineral content in bagged soils. Use of peat moss in bagged products. Unable to truly embrace the “no dig” philosophy: despite best efforts to the contrary, it seems the soil needs to be swapped out every...

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New Phoebe Update/Question

...ng into space, doing odd things like hunkering down with her head over her water dish and just staying in that position, not drinking, not doing anything. She doesn’t want to interact with us at all. Still, as far as I can tell, she’s not struggling to get enough air, like she was before. My question is this: Do cats behave oddly after hospital stays? I’ve never had a cat do an overnight before, or undergo so much treatment. Do any of you have exp...

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Can Whole Wheat Solve the Wheat Allergy Problem?

...flours. Ponsford, through his bakery and his classes for amateur bakers, is showing how tasty baked goods can be that are made from real whole wheat flour. But it’s tricky. High extraction whole wheat flours are a lot less uniform than white flours. And they suck up a lot of water when you use them for making bread. As the co-founder of the Los Angeles Bread Bakers I get the gluten sensitivity question a lot which is why I’m interested in hearing...

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New Project: Making Bitters

...notes to drinks created with fruit juices, homemade syrups, teas and soda water. My first set, a few of which are in the photo above, are currently steeping. In future posts I’ll share the recipes I develop as I follow this path. In the meanwhile, making your own bitters is really easy. You may be able to throw a few experiments together just using things you find in your spice cabinet. Since these are flavoring, not medicine, you don’t have to b...

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