Sourdough Rye Bread Class at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano

June 16, 2014

...c ingredients. Other benefits of baking at home include using less energy (used in harvesting, processing, and shipping store-bought bread), using less plastic packaging, and spending less money. Become a baker and join us for the rye class on Sunday, June 22, 1-3p. We’ll provide ingredients, and everyone will go home with a jar of starter ready to make bread. Instructor: Erik Knutzen For more information or to sign up head over to the Ecology Cen...

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The canning lid conundrum

Mrs. Homegrown

June 23, 2014

Domesticus, Food Preservation

38 Comments

How do you guys store your used canning lids and rings? We keep a lot of them around because we use canning jars for so many things other than canning: dry goods, leftovers, food-to-go, body care, etc. My collection is driving me crazy. Never was there a set of more awkward objects than a pile of slippery, jangly rings and lids. Ideas? [Mr. Homegrown in my Master Food Preserver mode chiming in here–as per USDA advice we use two piece canning lids...

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Our Grape Arbor

Mr. Homegrown

July 1, 2014

Design, Gardening

4 Comments

...eplaced it with an arbor. Our neighbor generously gave us the columns that used to be on her front porch and I added a plinth to make them taller. In the background are two apple trees that provide some privacy. It’s taken a couple of years for the grapes to cover the structure. One reason is that we lost two vines to Pierce’s disease. Now we have two resistant varieties: Vitus Californica “Rogers Red” and Vitis vinifera x V. lambrusca “Pearl Rive...

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Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

Mrs. Homegrown

July 7, 2014

Garden Design, Gardening, Lawns, Water and Power

18 Comments

...lawn plus a few shrubs up around the house foundation takes no thought, causes no problems with the neighbors and is easily maintained by inexpensive gardening services. What’s not to love, really? And why not hold on to our lawns, because the drought will pass and we’ll be back to normal. Asking people to re-imagine their yards is asking a lot. Yet it may be vital. This drought may not end. Los Angeles and all of the southwest are looking at a h...

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The Africanized Bee Myth

Mr. Homegrown

October 28, 2013

Animals, Bees

40 Comments

...eral hive that I would consider aggressive. Africanized bees should not be used as an excuse to ban beekeeping in Los Angeles or anywhere else that has Africanized bee populations. The people fanning the Africanized bee hysteria all have agendas (and, I’ll point out, they have never actually worked with Africanized bees–only killed them). Exterminators want your money. Government bureaucrats need an enemy to justify their jobs and pensions (govern...

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