Beans 101 (Return of Bean Friday!)

...uice and ladle this over cooked rice. Or polenta. Or couscous. Or whatever grain you’re eating these days. Or wrap the rice and beans in flour tortillas and you’ve got burritos. Eggs are good on top of beans. We tend to forget this, outside of huevos rancheros. If you like runny yolks, poach an egg and put it on top of a bowl of hot beans and let that yolk mix with the bean broth. A fried egg with a more solid yolk is good, too. Or even chopped ha...

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Is Bob’s Red Mill’s Farro Actually Spelt?

...Red Mill is not making any health claims for their “farro.” None of these grains are gluten free. I’ve written Bob’s Red Mill for clarification about their “farro” and will include their response when I get one. To learn more about why genetic distinctions between wheat varieties is important, watch this Extension Service webinar, “The “Ancient” Grains Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out.” Update 3/9/2014: I spoke...

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Erik’s 2014 New Years Resolutions

...prepared for some kind of geodesic raised bed folly. Perfect my 100% whole grain sourdough breads using freshly milled flour. Write up some recipes and share my results. Take a trip that involves a class or workshop. I’ve never regretted money spent on education (at least as an adult!). Good health. I’ve figured out a simple if quirky equation. If I can fence I’m healthy. If I can’t I’ve got work to do. This pretentious niche sport just happens to...

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Los Angeles Bread Festival This Weekend!

...emo on how to starter a sourdough starter as well as a lecture on cats and grain! I’ll also be at the Los Angeles Bread Baker’s booth all weekend. Here’s the 411. Throughout the weekend, Grand Central Market vendors will provide an eclectic offering of special, one-time only bread menu offerings–special, hearth-baked loaves from Clark Street Bread, cornbread from Horse Thief BBQ, flatbread specials from Madcapra, handmade tortillas from Chiles Sec...

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A Low-Tech Experiment in Growing Oyster Mushrooms

...t try to colonize the substrate. I ordered a four pound bag of blue oyster grain spawn from North Spore. Following the instructions on Fresh Cap Mushroom’s YouTube channel, I poked 1/4 inch holes in the sides of a five gallon bucket and 1/8 inch holes in the bottom to drain excess water. The white oak I used mostly came out my planer and jointer, both of which produce thin chips of wood that get sucked up by my dust collector. On January 4th, I pu...

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