Beans 101 (Return of Bean Friday!)

...o taste. I add quite a bit. At this point I also add a big splash of olive oil. And pepper! The salt and the olive oil really punch up the flavor, turning the cooking water into tasty broth. I let everything cook a little longer after this, so these flavors meld. It should smell good. Cloudy cooked goodness But how long do I cook them? There’s no solid answer. Older beans take longer than fresher beans. Smaller beans cook faster than larger beans....

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A Homemade Mattress?

...the wool. It took her about 6 hours to fill the mattress. 3) Here is a webpage, in French, showing the mattress making process. Lots of useful pictures. I have to run it through Google Translate for more clues. 4) Do not fall for the eHow result if you search for how to make a wool mattress. It gets off to a great start by recommending you use glue, rather than stitching, to construct your mattress tick . (They call the tick a “fabric sheet pouch...

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Looking for the Union Label

...Label” (youngsters can watch it on youtube here). We looked for the union label and we were surprised to find it via a company called Union House which carries a functional, if unexciting line of apparel. Unless hipsters take to golf shirts in an ironic fashion judo move, these offerings will never be cool like the domestically made clothes made by the union busting folks over at American Apparel. The socks and underwear we ordered from Union Hou...

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Black Friday Book Suggestions

...to really delve into the serious science of vinegar culture. The essential oil book covers not just essential oil, but also some other basic perfume techniques, like enfleurage, and recipes for beauty products to make with your essential oils and hydrosols. FYI: you need a still to make essential oil, and stills ain’t cheap–so gifting this book could lead to future expenses! They discuss different sorts of stills you could make or buy. They sell t...

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