Meet the Amazing Sierra Newt

...he newt. When they decide it is time to meet a special friend and lay some eggs together, the newt returns to the pool from which they hatched–or tries to, since it might be difficult with all the pools in the Sierras drying up–but my guy found his way to the stream, and perhaps was napping, waiting for his lady newt to come by. But here’s the best part–he was breathing through his skin. The gills he had as a baby are long gone, traded for fledgli...

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The Best Way to Get Bees For Free

...are usually docile, but it’s best to be safe) and took the box out of the pot and righted it carefully, setting it near my established hives. I’m going to give the queen plenty of time to settle in and start laying eggs –at least 28 days–during which time I won’t touch or look at these bees. Since I already have two hives, I’m going to give these bees away. Anyone want bees? Have you had a swarm move in on its own?...

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A Prickly Situation

...stes a bit like a slightly slimy green pepper and can be used in scrambled eggs and mixed with tomatoes and onions in a salsa. During the summer the very tasty fruit matures and can be eaten raw, although the abundant seeds make it a bit of an acquired taste. The fruit can be made into a jam, a drink, or a salad dressing. If forced by the zombie menace into a survival situation, the plant is a good source of water and can even be used to heal woun...

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A Tour of the Homegrown Evolution Compound

...les. But, we seldom buy greens at the store, and almost never buy herbs or eggs–we’ve got that taken care of in the garden. In the summer we have lots of tomatoes, and right now we have a few avocados. When the fruit trees mature in a few years we’ll have fruit. We’re hippies. Don’t get us wrong, we love hippies. We have no problems with cob ovens shaped like psychedelic snails, but that just ain’t our style. We’ve tried to keep things low key, ju...

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Saturday Tweets: Air Plants, Nutrition and Empathy

...) December 8, 2014 Curing a Nutella addict: http://t.co/FwmLbBpZxN — Root Simple (@rootsimple) December 8, 2014 Los Angeles, City of Water http://t.co/SnFSfbZGxA — Root Simple (@rootsimple) December 8, 2014 Why we refrigerate eggs (and the rest of the world doesn’t): http://t.co/lbxi7mEyNW — Kitchen Daily (@KitchenDaily) December 7, 2014 Holy Scrap: Illuminated Manuscript project: http://t.co/v7EXyIMFIj — Root Simple (@rootsimple) December 6, 2014...

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