Physalis pruinosa a.k.a. “Ground Cherry”

...names get so confusing. The back of the Tompson & Morgan seed package mis-labels this plant as the “Cape Gooseberry” (“Cape Gooseberry” is actually the very similar Physalis peruviana). Physalis pruinosa is part of a genus Physalis of the nightshade or Solanaceae family, which includes edible plants such as tomatoes and potatoes, and psychotropic plants such as datura and tobacco. Many plants of the nightshade family combine edibility and toxicit...

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Daikon Radish Pickles

...s long as you can wait. A week, two weeks, a month–the flavor changes over time. We waited 2 weeks. When we opened the jar it hissed and fizzed, and let off the powerful aroma of sauerkraut. We fished out the first slice, sniffed it and eyeballed it like curious but frightened monkeys. An uninformed and vague discussion of botulism followed. Finally the gauntlet was thrown down, and the challenge could not be ignored: are we wimps or are we homest...

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Dome Building

...atron, originally built as a sort of cosmic healing device or perhaps as a time machine, is a startling dome build entirely out of wood without a single nail. So having spent a delightful hour in the Integratron, we thought we’d do a quick roundup of domes for all the DIY visionaries out there. First off, Homegrown Revolution reader andrewed tipped us off to C.E. Henderson’s Conic Shelter™. Henderson has devised an attractive not-really-a-dome for...

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Our Favorite Searches

...ets a laugh reviewing the search phrases that land people on this blog. At times the phrases resemble a kind of random internet haiku. We thought we’d review a few of them and respond. “is Roundup bad for cats” YES! Roundup, Monsanto’s ubiquitous herbicide, is bad for all living things. “how to survive living out of your car” We’d suggest a subscription to Dwelling Portably for answers to that. “how to make methamphetamine using a 5 gallon bucket”...

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Post Petroleum Lecture

...hich human communities relate to nature. Place: Audubon Center at Debs Park 4700 Griffin Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90031 Time:10:00 AM Cost:$10 on-line $15 at the door Instructions for payment: RSVP and pay on-line using PayPal www.sustainablehabitats.org Should you not be able to make it, Bates will be appearing the next day at the Los Angeles Eco-Village on Sunday March 25th at 8 pm. There is a suggested donation of $10 for the lecture. The Los Angel...

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