Search Results for: label/uses for used tires

407 results

The Tiny House

Mr. Homegrown
Design
RLeave a comment
g possibilities, even for urbanites. But while it’s possible to pimp out an old trailer and make a decent living space, it’s hard to escape the fact that these structures were meant to be hauled down a highway and used for camping. Trailers often have a transient and less than homey vibe. Between the extremes of conventional housing and trailers there is an interesting, and revolutionary alternative. In 1997 Jay Shafer took it upon hi...

Continue reading…

Moving Bees Out of a Meter Box

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Bees
3 Comments
Nuc box (new home) on left–utility box enclosure (old home) on right. I got an email the other day from someone who had a beehive in his electric meter box, a popular destination for bees in this area. It was a very small hive that had taken up residence just a few weeks ago. The house was about to be put up for sale so I had to get them out pronto. I brought along a cardboard nuc box–a temporary hive box used to transport b...

Continue reading…

Piet Oudolf’s Enhanced Nature

Mr. Homegrown
Garden Design, Gardening
1 Comment
bulbs or foliage. Criticisms Oudolf’s work is cutting edge and by his own admission there are problems–such as maintenance workers confusing plantings for weeds. Kelly and I also debated how much this book can be used to understand small residential spaces–I found the ideas helpful, but most of the photographs are of large public gardens. And the plant lists are of no help for those of us in Mediterranean or tropical climates....

Continue reading…

Guilt Free Ice Pops

Mr. Homegrown
Food, Recipes
9 Comments
...s–think spicy ingredients like mezcal and avocado. You can, of course, just freeze some fruit juice and keep things simple. As to how I make them, I’ve got some old Tupperware type ice pop molds that I’ve used for years. Pure simplicity. Take note Brooklyn hipsters: the paletas may be the new fixie. Start training those draft dogs....

Continue reading…

Chicken Coop Architecture

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
19 Comments
...8221; a set of general guidelines you can use to get started building your coop.” Read the rest here. And a special thanks to David Kahn of Edendale Farm for the architect metaphor. Mrs. Homegrown was not happy that I used Gehry as an example (suggesting that he would build a flashy, twisty chicken coop out of titanium that would leak and get raided by raccoons). I just mentioned him because he’s the only architect most people can n...

Continue reading…

Deodorizing Wash

Mrs. Homegrown
Body Care, Domesticus
4 Comments
...8217;m a little too fragrant. I also bring it camping to help reduce the fugg. The baking soda cuts through body grease and deodorizes. The tea tree oil kills any stinky bacteria that remain. To be clear, this is specifically used to cut sweat on the upper regions of the body–pits, chest, neck and back. I wouldn’t recommend using it “south of the equator.” Deodorizing Wash/Cleaning Spray You’ll need: Baking soda (s...

Continue reading…

The Perfect Chicken Coop?

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
7 Comments
enough to stand in. You can put an access door to the nesting box from the outside so you don’t have to go in the coop to collect eggs. It has a roof over the run to keep your chickens dry. It’s the basic form I used for our coop with a few refinements–I ran hardware cloth under run to keep out burrowing predators. I also extended the run to keep the chickens from pecking at each other (the more room they have the better). To...

Continue reading…

Cornmeal Zucchini Pancakes

Mrs. Homegrown
Food, Recipes
9 Comments
...kfast, brunch, or even dinner. I imagine if you made them without the onions they could be served sweet, with syrup or jam, as a veggie-infused breakfast pancake.  Note: She calls for yellow zucchini or summer squash, but we used green zucchini. Cornmeal Zucchini Pancakes 1 1/4 cup cornmeal 3/4 cup all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon of sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup of milk 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 cup...

Continue reading…

A Question About Gophers

Mr. Homegrown
Gardening, Pests
17 Comments
...raised bed in gopher infested areas is to use galvanized hardware cloth or gopher wire as an underground barrier. We even mentioned this in our first book. The main problem I have with this advice is that the galvanized metal used for hardware cloth and gopher wire leaches significant amounts of zinc as it breaks down. Zinc, in high quantities, is toxic to plants. And, when using cages for trees, I’d worry that the cages would not break dow...

Continue reading…

Slaughtering Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Mrs. Homegrown
Animals, Food
25 Comments
lashy black markings. The next step is to slit the big veins on either side of the bird’s throat, just under the jaw. Steve prefers to use an extra sharp grafting knife–sort of a disposable scalpel. This time he used a brand new razor blade, which works, but isn’t as maneuverable. There are many ways to kill a bird, but Steve researched them all and decided this quick, almost surgical opening of the veins is the least painful....

Continue reading…