The Elysium Delusion

...nate Mars reality show participants, I say we haven’t been spending enough time looking down at our feet. The fact is that earth is a paradise, space is a vacuum and Mars is a hell. We have to work with what we have. In my cranky opinion, the future is in down-to-earth appropriate technology, not space stations.We need to plant gardens here on earth not in the vacuum of space. I’ll note that the farms in these space colonies look an awful lot like...

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LA’s Parkway Garden Dilemma: Not Fixed Yet

...non-profits and individuals like Ron Finley. If you had done this the last time we would not be wasting time and money to re-craft the parkway regulations. Throw out your plant lists. There are a lot of species of plants on the planet! Why can I plant Achillea millefolium but not Danthonia californica? Avoiding plant lists also goes for using the word “edible.” Most “weeds” are edible. Marijuana is edible (but would probably not last long in the p...

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Shoemaking Advice?

...The subject matter was usually a mushroom, or a cluster of mushrooms. Sometimes an owl. More rarely a Holly Hobby-type figure. Here endeth the lesson.) Free People actually seems like a fine book. It basically steps you through making one basic type of shoe that you can modify in different ways. Erik wailed about the horrible hippie-ness of it all when I showed him the illustrations of what I might make, but he wears cheap Chinese martial art sho...

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Free Biodynamic Composting Seminar in LA on November 16th

...rt–for free! We’ll be there. Date: Saturday, November 16th (rain or shine) Time: 10 AM – 1 PM Location: The Pico-La Brea area. You’ll get the exact address when you RSVP. RSVP to Rayna: [email protected] And here’s the details: Learn the Secrets of BioDynamic Composting from Jack McAndrews Recognized as one of America’s leading experts on biodynamic organic agriculture, Jack’s biodynamic composts have been the secret behind some of the most beauti...

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Why You Should Proof Bread in the Refrigerator

...slow proofing may give the beneficial culture in a sourdough culture more time to pre-digest the flour. Researchers are looking at the possibility that sourdough cultures and long fermentation times may alleviate wheat allergies. There’s no solid proof of this but it makes intuitive sense to me. Loaves proofed in the fridge hold their shape better when baked. Proofing in the fridge slows down but does not entirely stop fermentation. With the brea...

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