How to Cook Broadleaf Plantain

November 19, 2012

...ugh MeetUp. And you should definitely check out Pascal’s foraging website, Urban Outdoor Skills. Both of their websites feature “food labs” which have some of the most inventive wild food recipes I’ve seen anywhere. On a recent visit to Urban Outdoor Skills, I was very excited to find he’d developed a cooking technique for broadleaf plantain (Plantago major, the common weed, not the banana relative). Though I know plantain is very nutritious, it i...

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24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep

Mr. Homegrown

May 6, 2022

Reviews, Thoughtstylings

3 Comments

...the false communitarianism of social media. This brutal, every man for himself ethos intersects with the war on sleep in issues such as the way we deal with homelessness. Public spaces are now comprehensively planned to deter sleeping, often including–with an intrinsic cruelty–the serrated design of benches and other elevated surfaces that prevent a human body from reclining on them. The pervasive but social disregarded phenomenon of urban homele...

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A Visit to the Reversible Destiny Lofts

Mr. Homegrown

March 21, 2024

Design

RLeave a comment

...sruptive and complex). This hyperspacial character is echoed in the Loft itself and its surroundings. The urban hyperspacial maze that is Tokyo makes both the Bonaventure and the Reversible Destiny Lofts seem comprehensible by comparison. The Shinjuku train station, to take just one example, contains a dizzying number of public transit options on multiple levels connected to a massive shopping mall with escalators and elevators leading to what see...

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The Organic Minefield: How organic are your organic eggs, soy and dairy?

Mrs. Homegrown

August 28, 2013

Food, Thoughtstylings

4 Comments

I wish the label “organic” meant all that I mean when I use the term, but unfortunately organic is not a a guarantee of sustainable agricultural practice, much less humane treatment of livestock. The Cornucopia Institute promotes sustainable organic agriculture and family farms, and helps consumers parse the difference between greenwashed and genuine organic farms and suppliers. They release quick reference charts on various subjects, as well as...

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Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent or LED?

Mr. Homegrown

July 31, 2013

Water and Power

24 Comments

...sealed, enclosed or recessed lighting fixtures. You also have to check the label and perhaps even call the manufacturer to figure out if a CFL will work in a horizontal, base-up or base-down fixture. CFLs perform poorly if turned on and off without at least 15 to 30 minutes to warm up. CFLs contain mercury and other toxins and must be disposed of responsibly. Stick to major brands. Avoid non-UL-listed cheap import bulbs. A trip to the light bulb a...

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