Paper Wasps: Your New BFFs

...ative European variant is more the wasp you will likely be dealing with in urban/suburban North America, because unlike their native counterparts, Euro wasps aren’t shy. They are the ones who will build a nest by your back door, or on the side of your mailbox. Paper wasps build those distinctive, easy to recognize papery nests made of many cells. There are other types of native wasps which build with different materials, such as mud. Honeybee colo...

Read…

Julian the Apostate’s Sleeping Advice: Sleep on the Ground and Your Mattress is Freeeeeeeeeee

...h blowback particularly if you’re a young hipster. I predict that soon after I spot the first pallium wearer at our local Trader Joes, REI will come out with “tech” palliums suitable for hiking, urban philosophizing and sleeping. Addendum: Kelly pointed out to me that fantasy literature is full of examples of cloaks doubling as bedding. Save Save Save Save...

Read…

The Root Simple 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

...thought I’d offer some suggested gifts, mostly obtainable online, for the urban homesteady types in your life. Most of the links are to Amazon, and we get a small cut of the proceeds, which helps keep our webmaster in kibble. But First . . . Charity Of course, rather than buying unneeded crap that will only clutter our already messy houses, we could agree to give to a charity instead. This season, due to our national “orange swan” event, Kelly is...

Read…

Saturday Tweets: Waffles, Shipwrecks and Soil Erosion

...t Simple (@rootsimple) January 16, 2017 From India: Bengaluru's oldest urban farmer leads the way in sustainable living https://t.co/Omj9eVCAJK — Green Guerillas (@greenguerillas) January 15, 2017 The False Prophet [BnF, Latin 8878, 11th c.] pic.twitter.com/fR8D0OOVJG — Damien Kempf (@DamienKempf) January 15, 2017 Looking for a way to be on time to work? How about being more energized in the morning? #Biking to work can help! https://t.co/Wu3g...

Read…

Discover the Magic of Home Milling this Saturday

...environment. Where The King’s Roost in Silver Lake is LA’s first and only urban homesteading store and learning center. We believe it is the only brick and mortar store in the country that carries a full line of home grain mills. We provide classes and supplies not just for milling and baking, but also for chicken keeping, bee keeping, soap and candle making, brewing, fermenting, and aquaponics. For more information contact: Roe Sie at roe@kingsr...

Read…