2013 in Review Part I

December 30, 2013

...it should rain. It didn’t. The year was the driest on record: 3.6 inches, making it a desert not the Mediterranean climate it should be. It seems to be a dry winter again this year and I’m worried. March A texting music video producer totaled our car and thus began a six month experiment in living without a car in Los Angeles. That experiment ended in September when we bought a car. Living in LA without a car was easier than I thought it would be...

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Stern Sprouted Wheat Vegan Cookie or Health Bar Type Things

Mrs. Homegrown

January 6, 2014

Food, How-to, Recipes, Wheat

9 Comments

...ld together, but will be soft to the bite. These need to be wrapped up and stored in the fridge. The ingredients. It looks like Heidi’s breakfast. The grind The dough Rolling out with parchment Just out of the oven *Bonus: How to Sprout Grains Start by measuring your grain into a bowl and giving it a good bath with lots of cold water. Skim off any floating chafe. Drain. Cover the clean grain with lots of fresh water and let it sit for a good spell...

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Recipe for the World’s Best Whole Wheat Pancake

Mr. Homegrown

January 8, 2014

Bread, Fermentation, Food

22 Comments

...with white flour. And the way they were made is the beginning of a grain revolution. Here’s the secret: Use heirloom grains. Mill your own flour. Ferment for a long time with a sourdough starter. The heirloom grain I used is Sonora wheat, probably the oldest wheat in the Americas. It’s a soft, winter wheat traditionally used for tortillas. Recipe (based on Nancy Silverton’s pancakes) 210 grams starter 2 tablespoons maple syrup 3 tablespoons saffl...

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The Energy Environment Simulator

Mr. Homegrown

January 22, 2014

Water and Power

15 Comments

...condition? It’s been the centerpiece of Nik’s living room ever since, even making a cross country move. The device demonstrates energy inputs and demands. Depending on how you turn the knobs, you can either engineer a future of never-ending power or, on the other extreme, your own personal zombie apocalypse. One of the energy sources is labeled “new technology.” This could either be solar or that UFO doughnut from the Thrive movie. The only info w...

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Dave Miller on Baking with 100% Whole Wheat

Mr. Homegrown

January 21, 2014

Bread, Food

23 Comments

...ed by Chad Robertson’s first cookbook. Results were better but I was still making white bread. My new bread baking adventure began this weekend when I took a workshop taught by Chico, California baker Dave Miller. His breads are almost all 100% whole wheat. He mills his own flour from carefully sourced heritage grains. Using a levain (a starter), he creates loaves that foreground the flavor of the grain. In short, he shows that bread can have as m...

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