Make a Rain Barrel

...nstorms. I put this rain barrel together as a test and because I was tired of looking a blue drum that sat in the backyard for a year giving our patio a methamphetamine lab vibe. Again, for complete instructions and a list of parts visit Chenkin’s ehow page or, if you’re not adept at perusing the isles of the local hardware store, buy a kit from him through Aquabarrel. [Editors note: due to spamming (are rain barrel enthusiasts really that excited...

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Perennial Vegetables

...nnual”), don’t need to be replanted every spring. The best known perennial vegetable in the west is probably asparagus which, given the right conditions, will produce fresh stalks for years. But there are many thousands more perennials little known to North American gardeners that are a lot easier to grow than fussy asparagus. Unfortunately, there used to be a lack of information about edible perennials until the publication of Eric Toensmeier’s e...

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Shelter

...topics anticipated the non-hierarchical structure of the Internet. On one page you’re looking at Turkish rock houses, and on another geodesic domes built out of scrap materials. The lessons I’ve learned from Khan’s work are the importance of context (site, cultural, weather etc.) and the joy of putting hammer to nail to build something yourself even if you don’t know what the hell you are doing. Sometimes the most ramshackled comedies of architec...

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115 Inventing a New Word: Apisoir

...he reasons he thinks we should support local honey. You heard it first on Root Simple! During the podcast Michael mentions: Rowan Jacobsen’s book American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields “Merroir“ Bee Local Honey Planet Bee You can reach Michael via his Facebook page and his email is [email protected]. Apisoir, apisoir, apisoir! If you’d like to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-...

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098 Kelly’s Aortic Dissection Adventure

...nt so many kind notes and prayers. Some important links: The Mayo Clinic’s page on aortic dissection. John Ritter died of a aortic dissection. A foundation was set, in his name, that helps educate medical personnel on how to better recognize the symptoms. Kelly did not have a heart attack, but it’s always good to review the subtle symptoms of heart attacks experienced by women. If you’d like to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please c...

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