084 How to Make Your Own Cheese with David Asher

...ng. Hacking a fridge to make your own cheese cave. Using leftover whey for fertilizer and cooking. Making chèvre. How to store cheese. The cheese scene in Canada and the legality of raw milk. Raw milk cheeses in Quebec. To find out about David’s classes visit his website The Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking. If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to [email protected]. You can su...

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The Wonder of Worms

...actly do you do with worm castings? Worm castings are often referred to as fertilizer, but they are really more of a plant and soil tonic. They contain nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. they improve soil texture and water retention. At the same time, they are mild. They can’t burn your plants like nitrogen-rich fertilizers can do. You don’t have to be afraid of applying too much. Some suggestions: Sprinkle about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) of casting...

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Humanure Dry Toilet Made From a Milk Crate

...at high temperatures for at least a year. You can then use that compost as fertilizer for plants. The ubiquitous five gallon bucket is the most commonly used humanure receptacle. Most humanure toilet designs I’ve seen such as the ones on Joseph Jenkin’s website make use of wood which I’m not crazy about in the wet environment of a bathroom. Even with a coat of paint wood gets grungy. Alternatively, you can buy plastic camping toilet seats that wil...

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What is green water?

...ome commonsense steps to allow life to develop in the soil: We stop adding fertilizers to our yards, even organic ones. They actually collapse the soil structure and make the plants into fertilizer junkies. Mulch, compost and worm castings are all a yard needs. We design our yards so they capture and hold rain water rather than ejecting it straight to the street. We leave the leaves. We keep our clippings and fallen leaves on our land, and let the...

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Straw Bale Garden Part V: Growing Vegetables

.... I had thought that straw bale gardening was like hydroponics–essentially fertilizer added to a growing medium. But the presence of worms and mushrooms indicates that well rotted straw bales are more like the kind healthy soil that supports a web of soil organisms that, in turn, help vegetables grow. Some of the plants, like this winter squash, I planted as seedlings. Others, like this cucumber, I sowed directly into the bales by making a little...

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