Checking in on Kelly’s projects

September 12, 2014

...his very ambitious project has gone on hold until the crisis arises again. Making a mattress is intimidating, just because of the sheer cost and scale of the materials needed, and as far as I can tell, there’s no one out there to help you do it. If I ever do make a mattress, it will be like summiting the Everest of homesteading. On the other hand, if I ever learn how, I think I could make a mint teaching other desperate people how to do it themsel...

Read…

New Project: Making Bitters

Mrs. Homegrown

December 16, 2013

Domesticus, How-to

5 Comments

...I’ll share the recipes I develop as I follow this path. In the meanwhile, making your own bitters is really easy. You may be able to throw a few experiments together just using things you find in your spice cabinet. Since these are flavoring, not medicine, you don’t have to be as careful with the quantities and timing as you must be when tincturing herbs for medicine. Yet at the same time, it’s a great introduction to that essential herbalist’s c...

Read…

Foodcrafting 101

Mr. Homegrown

December 1, 2014

Bread, Events, Food

1 Comment

...to recreate everything at home. Foodcrafting 101 Workshop Schedule: Bread Making: Master the simple technique of bread making from scratch using the no-knead bread recipe from the Institute Director’s own cookbook. Learn about types of flour, where to purchase them, how to shape loaves and achieve the perfect crust. You’ll learn how to recreate a professional bread baker’s oven at home and produce loaves that rival accomplished bakers. Cheese Mak...

Read…

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Mrs. Homegrown

October 19, 2015

Back to the Garden, Garden Design, Gardening

25 Comments

...re”) which are basically man-made elements which neaten the wilder spaces, making the viewer understand that this is a cared-for space. Pic from the book. An unidentified rooftop garden showing good use of “frames”: design elements which make spontaneity palatable. I want to live there. But the real challenge in this process is designing a plant community which is attractive and functions in a sustainable, self-supporting way. These landscapes are...

Read…

Vegetable Garden Note Taking

Mr. Homegrown

September 23, 2013

Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

9 Comments

...table garden: variety planting day first harvest last harvest comments She suggested a minimum of three years of note taking. If only I had this data! If there isn’t one already, someone should come up with a social note taking app for vegetable gardening that would aggregate information for each local microclimate. Leave a comment if such a thing exists. And for more great gardening advice from Krupnick, check out iGrowSonoma.org. Most of the inf...

Read…