Least Favorite Plant: Yellow Oleander (Thevetia peruviana)

June 2, 2009

Thumbing through a book of toxic and hallucinogenic plants, I finally manged to i.d. the neighbor’s shrub that looms over the staircase to our front door. The popular name given for this plant in the book was “suicide tree”, so named for its use in Sri Lanka, though I’ve found other plants with this same moniker. The scientific name is Thevetia peruviana, and it’s also known as “lucky nut” (can we change that to unlucky nut please?), Be Still Tre...

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Home Baked Bread in Five Minutes

Mr. Homegrown

December 24, 2008

Bread, Food

10 Comments

...t that it works quite well. Hertzberg and François have penned a bread cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, that takes this basic recipe and uses it as the base for variations such as pizza dough, sticky rolls, and whole-wheat bread. While not having as rich a flavor as our wild yeast recipe, Hertzberg and François’ method is an excellent solution for busy households. We look forward to seeing the book. For more on the five minute a day...

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Mandrake!

Mr. Homegrown

July 3, 2007

Fermentation, Food

2 Comments

...ber of the nightshade family and popularized lately in a certain series of books about a wizard school (Homegrown Revolution suffered through the first film based on these kid’s books on a transatlantic flight a few years ago, finally falling asleep during an endless video game inspired broom chase scene). Apparently wherever it appears in the world, mandrake (Atropa mandragora) has always inspired unusual beliefs. Buhner says, Though all indigeno...

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Quick Breads

Mr. Homegrown

February 20, 2007

Bread, Food

6 Comments

...are happy to report, was very successful–Whole Wheat Walnut Bread from the book Country Wisdom & Know How. 3/4 cup unbleached flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed [note: SurviveLA recommends reducing or eliminating the sugar–this recipe is a bit too sweet for our tastes] 1 cup walnuts, coarsely broken 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Combine all...

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The Blue Bear

Mrs. Homegrown

September 9, 2016

Thoughtstylings

36 Comments

...of that trip, disjointed and frozen in amber. 1) I had a Little Dot comic book (presumably purchased to keep me quiet on the trip) which just fascinated me. 2) I had to sleep on a couch under the gaze of a stuffed moose head, which was absolutely terrifying. Clutching the Little Dot book helped the terrors to some extent. 3) I remember meeting my great-grandparents at what I assume was their front door. I remember that I stood the height of my gr...

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