Solar Oven Triumph: Fluffy Egg Strata

July 5, 2016

...stale sandwich-sized sourdough rolls for mine.• 2-3 cups grated cheese. I used half good cheddar and half good Parmesan, because that was what was in the fridge. • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves stripped, stems discarded) • 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for baking dish • 8 large eggs • 2.5- 3 cups milk (I kept topping it off so I kind of lost track of the exact quantity. Also, I used an equal...

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What is Killing the Bees?

Mr. Homegrown

August 5, 2013

Animals, Bees

29 Comments

...s resistance to a common parasite Nosema ceranae. Bees exposed to a widely used agricultural fungicide, chlorothonatil, were more likely to succumb to nosema. The most provocative result for me was that bees exposed to fluvalinate, a miticide used by beekeepers on their own bees, were also likely to get nosema. Perhaps the villain in CCD is the beekepers themselves. Don’t get me wrong, pesticides probably play a role in CCD. But we must also remem...

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Waxed Cloth Food Wrap (Made in a solar oven for bonus self-righteousness points)

Mrs. Homegrown

June 2, 2016

Domesticus, Food, How-to, Solar Oven Summer

8 Comments

...d on. In case you missed the craze, these food wraps are simply beeswax infused cotton cloth. Their purpose is to help replace plastic wrap and baggies to some extent. They can also be molded over bowls as a light cover–not an air tight cover, but are likely as effective as laying a plate over the bowl. Waxed cloth can also be fashioned into envelopes to carry snacks. They can be used over and over, and re-waxed. They can also be washed with cold...

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Measuring With a Shaft Key

Mr. Homegrown

November 19, 2018

Design

...ft keys between 1/8″ and 1/2″. You can buy a whole set for mere dollars. I used a sharpie to mark the dimensions of my set of shaft keys. I use them mostly for setting the depth of my router and table saw. Using your sense of touch, aided by a shaft key, is much more accurate than using your eyeballs and a ruler. But I also found them handy for assembling a new fence over the weekend. I wanted 1/4 inch gaps between the fence slats and used a shaft...

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How to Rodent Proof a Chicken Coop

Mr. Homegrown

February 19, 2016

Animals, Chickens, Pests

2 Comments

...picture on the right (it has a much more secure lid than the larger can I used to keep the feed in). In the morning I put the food out again for our four hens. It means that I have to get up just a few minutes earlier than I usually do but that’s not a big deal as I’m one of those tedious and boring morning persons. Some folks use rodent proof treadle feeders. These feeders open when the hens step on a small metal platform. I was sent a treadle f...

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