Bushcraft Video

March 29, 2013

...” Or as he says, vid-ee-ohs. You watch him to kick back with a friend. Mr. Homegrown will forgive me for confessing that I have a YouTube crush on this guy. As does my girlfriend, who I turned on to the channel. And she doesn’t even do any of this stuff! Yup, this guy will blush to know he has groupies in LA. I’d recommend: Meet the Bushcrafters: Here he’s telling the story of how he got into this stuff. Shelter and Fire in the Rain — mostly becau...

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Growing Your Own Soapnut Tree

Mr. Homegrown

September 30, 2013

Gardening, Trees

21 Comments

...ou can use as a greywater safe laundry detergent, dish and hand soap. Mrs. Homegrown wants to rip out my beloved Mission Fig tree to plant the one that Craig at Winnetka Farms gave us last year. I’m going to chain myself to the fig. That being said, I wish we had more room to plant our soapnut tree. Sapindus Mukorossi requires a fertile soil and a frost free climate. It’s a tall tree that can take as long as ten years to begin fruiting. A friend o...

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Nasturtium Powder

Mr. Homegrown

January 29, 2013

Food, Food Preservation, Foraging

20 Comments

...Just don’t let them get so dry they lose color. (Important note from Mrs. Homegrown: Careful with this microwave trick! It’s a new one for us. It worked perfectly for Erik when he dried a whole bunch of leaves, but today I tried to dry just one leaf, a celery leaf, as an experiment and it burst into flame after about 30 seconds. Scary!!!!! We think it success has to do with mass and moisture: lots of leaves, not just one.) Put the dried leaves in...

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DIY Solar Space Heating

Mr. Homegrown

October 9, 2013

Solar, Water and Power

6 Comments

Photo: Build It Solar. Mrs. Homegrown, who spent her formative years in the mountains of Colorado, made fun of me this morning as I noted the “cold” temperature . . . 60°F. It was the first ironic “brrrrrr” out of her mouth, letting me know that we’ve transitioned from the hot smoggy season to the the less hot smoggy season here in Los Angeles. In the northern hemisphere it’s time to consider heating. The always useful Build-It Solar blog has a d...

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Saturday Linkages: From Bananas to Laird’s Laws

Mr. Homegrown

December 28, 2013

Saturday Linkages

3 Comments

Breaking news from Mrs. Homegrown’s alma mater–banana plant busts through glass roof at Smith College conservatory http://www.gazettenet.com/news/9182534-95/banana-plant-busts-through-glass-roof-at-smith-college-conservatory#.UrzZKcw8rbU.twitter … Goleta considers groovy permaculture ordinance: http://www.independent.com/news/2013/dec/23/goleta-considers-groovy-green-ordinance/ … Spanish sperm whale death linked to UK supermarket supplier’s plast...

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