Saturday Linkages: Speedos, Blue Eggs and the Rise of Rye

September 21, 2013

...-09/find-blue-chicken-egg-congrats-your-chicken-has-virus … Uncivilisation: the Dark Mountain Manifesto http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2009/09/civilisation-planet-authors … Power from the Tap: Water Motors http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/09/power-from-the-tap-water-motors.html … For these links and more, follow Root Simple on Twitter: Follow @rootsimple...

Read…

Prickly Pear Jelly Recipe

Mr. Homegrown

August 9, 2007

Food, Recipes

95 Comments

...uit (you need not skin it) into quarters and put in a pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Mash with a potato masher and strain the juice and water through a colander with two layers of cheesecloth to remove the seeds and pulp. 3. We’ve found that 2 1/2 pounds of fruit will yield a little over 2 1/2 cups of juice using the method above. 4. We use a recipe from the Jamlady Cookbook, by Beverly Ellen Schoonma...

Read…

Root Simple Visits Simparch’s Utah Compound

Mr. Homegrown

September 2, 2006

Thoughtstylings

...posting toilet all housed in and around a repurposed WWII era Quonset hut. Water is biked in with specially adapted cargo bikes. Solar power pumps the water up to the tower where it is heated by the sun in a black drum. A solar panel array and batteries provide more than enough power, all day and all night, to run power tools and pump some tunes out on the powerful stereo system. The composting toilet features, what must be the most stunning view...

Read…

Something for Nothing – Wild Mustard Greens

Mr. Homegrown

March 8, 2008

Food, Foraging

...hite mustard’ of commerce . . . The pungency of mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed – an enzyme (myrosin) acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10 – 15 minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt, inhibits the enzyme and produces a mild bitter mustard.” And speaking of urban foraging, we’ve been inspired by our visitor from Chicago, Nancy Klehm. Hear an interview...

Read…

Federico Tbn’s Self Irrigating Pots

Mr. Homegrown

May 3, 2013

Gardening, Self Watering Containers

12 Comments

...SIPs) he built out of found materials. The one in the picture above uses a water jug and a five gallon bucket. Unlike my really ugly SIPs, Federico has taken the time to ornament the outside of the bucket. Federico says, This one is a variation on the 5 gallon bucket system. The handle on the jug was a convenient way of inserting a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe to refill the reservoir. The plastic on the 5 gallon jug was surprisingly pliable; I was a...

Read…