Is it safe to use cinder blocks or red bricks in stoves and ovens?

January 6, 2015

Appropriate Technology, Rocket Stove, Water and Power

...Most sources suggest using fire bricks or kiln bricks. Kurt Gardella, the adobe master who led the workshop where we built our adobe oven, is a fan of recycling materials and saving money. We happened to have a pile of ordinary red bricks and he said it would be fine to use them for the oven floor. He was right. We have fired the oven many times and none of the floor bricks have cracked. If I had not had the red bricks on hand and I was at the br...

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A More Graceful Dome

Mr. Homegrown

August 1, 2014

Appropriate Technology, Design

6 Comments

Image: Adobe Alliance. Kurt Gardella, the gifted adobe builder and instructor who built our backyard earth oven, left a comment on our geodesic dome post pointing out that earth is a better material for dome building. The problem with wooden domes is that plywood and other sheet-based building materials, in the US, come in 4 by 8 foot sections. You end up wasting a lot of wood to make a dome. Building with earth solves this problem. It’s also bea...

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Cob Oven Workshop with Ben Loescher

Mr. Homegrown

May 8, 2015

Events

...censed architect, principal of Loescher Meachem Architects, and founder of AdobeIsNotSoftware, an organization which was founded in 2009 to inform, enable and advance adobe construction in California, and educate the public in the building and conservation of adobe structures. This will be a hands-on, get-dirty workshop. Please wear clothes that you don’t mind getting really muddy, wear closed-toed shoes, and bring sun protection. Coffee and nibbl...

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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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Bar Codes on Veggies

Mr. Homegrown

August 18, 2008

Thoughtstylings

6 Comments

...rket, consumers use camera equipped cell phones to scan the QR code on the label. The code links to a mobile website detailing origin, soil composition, organic fertilizer content percentage (as opposed to chemical), use of pesticides and herbicides and even the name of the farm it was grown on. Consumers can also access the same information over the Ibaraki Agricultural Produce Net website by inputting a numbered code on each label.” Though we’re...

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