There she goes, my beautiful world

...used to, are just as precise if not more so and lead to fewer catastrophic mistakes. Lastly, I can’t minimize how important it is to have a proper workbench. Other crafts such as sewing, metal work, electronics etc. are greatly facilitated by a proper and dedicated work surface as well. While expensive to set up, the workshop has paid for itself many times over. I’ve used it to make reproductions of furniture that would cost tens of thousand of do...

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Food Preservation Disasters

...o break a few eggs to make an omelet and, in the interest of learning from mistakes, I thought I’d review two lessons learned. Not Using Tested Recipes I vow to use tested recipes from trusted sources. Both for food safety reasons and culinary reasons, it’s a good idea to use trusted sources for home preservation projects. Some of the recipes I tried were from unfamiliar books and dubious websites. Some sources I’ve come to trust: The National Cen...

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We are all gardeners

...practice was perfect all over the world for all time, that they never made mistakes or got greedy, but I will hold on to a vision of humankind returning to a respectful, reciprocal relationship with the rest of life after a long, destructive period of exile. We can do this by becoming conscious gardeners, Edenic gardners. I know we can do it because evidence says we’ve done it before. And I know we have to do it, if we want to craft a decent futur...

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Composting: Nothing is Wasted

...how nourishment can come out of loss, how new experience rises out of past mistakes. We see also the great cycle of life. Everything changes, but nothing is lost. What can compost not accept? What can it not forgive? Simply put, keeping a compost pile is good is as good for your soul as it is for your soil. Waste Not If you can’t keep a compost pile, agitate to make your city adopt more comprehensive “green waste” policies. Many cities have dispos...

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Josey Baker on Bread: Whole, Wild, Wet, Slow and Bold

...on at room temperature and proofing in the fridge. Bold One of the biggest mistakes newbie bakers make is puling their loaves out of the oven before the bread is really, truly done. Both Miller and Baker leave their loaves in the oven until they are almost burnt. The reasons are multiple. Take the loaf out too soon and, particularly with whole grain breads, the crust will be too soft. Another reason is that Miller contends that the sort of whole g...

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