Interview With Apartment Gardener Helen Kim

August 27, 2008

...eet it was. The mint is great to slice up and just throw in a glass of ice water. And it’s a must for my favorite summer beverage: glass of ice, shot of tequila, top with tonic water, squeeze in half a lime, and add a bunch of crushed mint. The okra plants are going great guns and I’m looking forward to cooking something non-slimy with them! … but I still haven’t gotten around to making any tea with the lemon verbena… HE: We heard that some of the...

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Straw Bale Garden Part II: Watering the Bales

Mr. Homegrown

April 25, 2013

31 Comments

...our hand into the bales to see if they are still warm. If they have cooled to less than your body heat, you may safely begin planting after all danger of frost has passed. To make sure I keep the bales wet I’ve also installed soaker lines on a timer. My straw bale garden is more water intensive than I would like, but I try not to let perfection be the enemy of the good. In the end the compost I make will help conserve water in the garden–at least...

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Our Daily Bread: Sonora Sesame Za’atar Bread

Mr. Homegrown

February 7, 2024

Bread, Food

...dough starter In a separate container soak 90 g of toasted sesame seeds in water. In the morning mix together: 509 g Sonora wheat (or any whole wheat) 403 g 80º F water 13 g sea salt pre-ferment sesame seeds 3 T za’atar 1. Mix the dough until all signs of dry flour disappear. While you’re mixing the dough heat a mason jar of water in your microwave. Place your mixed dough in the microwave to proof for a few hours. Stretch and fold the dough a few...

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Why it’s Better to Pressure Can Tomatoes

Mr. Homegrown

October 30, 2014

Food, Food Preservation, Gardening, Tomatoes

8 Comments

...est home canning recipes. 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 instruction...

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How to Garden With California Natives: Lessons from the 2016 Theodore Payne Garden Tour

Mr. Homegrown

April 5, 2016

Garden Design, Gardening

7 Comments

...tant to provide habitat for our bird and insect friends such as this small water basin and perch at the Miller/Coon garden in Atwater: Edibles/Medicinals Just because you have native plants does not meant that you can’t also have vegetables and fruit trees. In fact, edibles benefit from the insect habitat provided by native plants. Over the years we’ve increased our natives and decreased our vegetables. I think we might be getting more veggies now...

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