Urban Foraging with Nance Klehm

September 8, 2008

Via The Little Green People Show, a podcast with Chicago’s urban forager Nance Klehm: “We’re not talking gardens or dumpster diving. This is a discussion of the riches that grow in our highway medians, city planters, backyards and rail lines. Expert forager, Nance Klehm, sheds light on the city’s bounty, from medicinal plants to tasty greens. Getting to know the foraging landscape takes some time and energy, but gives back in complex flavors and...

Read…

Chicago’s Urban Bees

Mr. Homegrown

May 29, 2009

Animals, Bees

...idn’t get a chance to visit it on my trip to Chicago, but hope to the next time I’m there. In other Chicago bee news, the Green Roof Growers just got a hive. Urban rooftops and abandoned industrial sites make a lot of sense for beekeeping, as many agricultural areas are contaminated with pesticides. Keeping bees in cities might be an important strategy towards bringing back healthy hives. So best of luck to the GRGers and their new hive! And make...

Read…

The Blue Bear

Mrs. Homegrown

September 9, 2016

Thoughtstylings

36 Comments

...myself, I suppose–but you know what I mean.) Still, fifty years is a long time, even for polyester fun fur, so Blue Bear is disintegrating. In the end, I suppose, time decides things for us this way. But I made things worse by washing him. His head and one arm came loose, revealing that he’d been stuffed with strange scraps and lumps of polyester wadding of different colors. His body material is so fragile at this point I can’t even consider tryi...

Read…

Meet the Solavore Sport Solar Oven

Mrs. Homegrown

April 29, 2016

Solar, Solar Oven Summer

15 Comments

...jor advantage. The downside is that they are finicky to use. I have a hard time getting them over the lip of the lid, and always feel like I’m in danger of abrading or even cracking the edge of the lid as I force them on and off. Each time I wrestle with them, I dream of a quick release system, or wish I could just use binder clips to clamp the lid to the body–but regular clips don’t work because of the particular shape of the lid/body interface....

Read…

Solar Oven Triumph: Fluffy Egg Strata

Mrs. Homegrown

July 5, 2016

Recipes, Solar, Solar Oven Summer

10 Comments

...idge too much, probably due to the Parmesan being salty. I’d use less next time, unless my cheeses were more mild.) • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Equipment: You need one lidded cooking dish for solar cooking. I made this recipe in one of the 9″ round enamel pots which come with the Solavore Sport oven. How-to: Start by greasing the pan with some butter. Next cover the the bottom of the pan with one layer of bread. Sprinkle half of the...

Read…