Day to day, our decisions count

April 30, 2015

...ean staggering amounts. For instance, according the NRDC, 80% of our fresh water goes to agriculture. So, when we’re wasting food at this rate, that means that 25% of our fresh water is going directly to waste. Here in the dry West, that kind of extravagance has become unconscionable. In terms of soil, think about this. To grow all the food we waste globally, we use an area of land one and half times larger than the U.S. That’s a lot of soil. And...

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Three Things I’ve Learned About Baking Bread With Whole Grain

Mr. Homegrown

February 19, 2015

Bread, Food

25 Comments

...h more water than white flour. Bread recipes are a ratio between flour and water. In bread baking parlance this is called a hydration ratio (to get the hydration ratio you divide the water by the flour–the quirk of baker’s math is that the flour is always 100% ). Old school bread recipes, most of which require a lot of kneading, have hydration ratios in the 65% range. Popular no-knead white bread recipes have hydration ratios in the 75% to 80% ran...

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Toilet paper in the woods: a rant and some advice

Mrs. Homegrown

August 4, 2014

Domesticus, How-to, Thoughtstylings

40 Comments

...drives me bonkers. I clean it up when I can, just like I pick up the empty water bottles and beer cans and pint bottles of booze and cigarette butts and those damn plastic flossing devices and everything else people see fit to leave behind whenever they visit nature. I suppose we all have our different priorities and beliefs, but to me, the wilderness is sacred, all of it. Not just pristine wilderness, but parks and roadsides and beaches. I’d no m...

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Seaweed Foraging

Mr. Homegrown

January 6, 2022

Food, Foraging

1 Comment

...’t have time for this so we did it at home. The disadvantage is that fresh water will dissolve seaweed so you have to work quickly and start the drying immediately. Drying can be done in the sun, on a dashboard, in a dehydrator or in an oven at the lowest setting. As it was dark and cold by the time we got home we used Kelly’s step mom’s oven. Our very small Kombu haul dried and ready to use. You should only harvest what you have space and time to...

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Non-GMO Versions of Grape Nuts and Cheerios Less Nutritious Than GMO Versions

Mr. Homegrown

March 26, 2014

Food

45 Comments

...h a “non-GMO” label. In the case of Cheerios and Grape Nuts, the “non-GMO” label is either a marketing gimmick or an attempt to start a voluntary labeling program to head off voter mandated efforts. Here’s where you can help. I need to kick my Grape Nuts crack habit and find a healthier breakfast alternative. Any suggestions? Note from Mrs. Homegrown: This post took me by surprise. Erik has eaten Gravel Nuts–I mean, Grape Nuts–for breakfast since...

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