Of Gnomes and Peak Oil

...of canned tomatoes. At any given moment, there may be a dozen cases in the store, but that inventory is constantly being replenished with the money the customers pay for the cans they remove, and the more tomatoes that customers buy, the bigger an inventory the store will carry. Paracelsus uses a more poetic metaphor. Instead of ordering shipments of tomatoes, it’s our task to command gnomes, The earth is filled by gnomes even to its center, creat...

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What Vegetables Are You Growing This Winter?

...beautiful and much stronger tasting than the stuff at the supermarket. And store bought lettuce wilts instantly. What are you growing this winter? If you’re in a cold climate, do you grow year round? Note: if you’re in the US, Franchi has several distributors. I got my seeds from the Heirloom Seed Store, run by a very nice family that has a farm in Half Moon Bay in Northern California. The seeds I bought are not listed on their website, so you may...

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How to Make Stock

...set up of some kind to separate the cooked bits from the broth. I like to store my stock in canning jars, so I use a canning funnel with a strainer nested inside of it, and pour the hot stock directly into the jars. If you’re not going to use your stock within a few days, freeze it. A few things you probably don’t want in your stock Though I say there are no rules, some veggies have strong flavors that will really dominate the stock, and maybe ta...

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Ten Uses for Palm Fronds

...nds can be made into creepy masks. Get good at this craft and open an Etsy store. 2. Make a roof. Weave them together and you’ve got the perfect roof for your tiki hut. Warning: you’ll need a lot. 3. Make a low quality mulch. Using palm fronds as mulch is somewhat controversial. The stuff takes forever to break down. Our arborist told me that some conventional citrus growers use palm frond mulch specifically because it takes forever to break down....

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What I’m Growing this Winter

...n the recommendation of Franchi’s West Coast distributor The Heirloom Seed Store, who had a booth at this year’s Heirloom Exposition. The owners of the Heirloom Seed Store, who run a farm in the Santa Cruz area, raved about this particular chicory. It’s a large-leafed variety that can be used in a salad or cooked. Radicchio and Chicory Mix: “Misticanza di Radicchi” I’ve never gone wrong with Franchi’s salad mixes. The best damn salads I’ve ever ha...

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