We’ve been managing our chicken coop through a hybrid sand and deep litter system. This hybrid system has worked extremely well in our particular coop. Briefly, how that system works is, the chickens roost over the sand, which acts like kitty litter to dry out their overnight poop, and in the morning the poop is raked to the…
The Rosemary Gin Gimlet
On New Year’s Eve I went to one of my favorite restaurants with my favorite people and drank a Gin Gimlet. (Okay, okay, three Gin Gimlets. You know me so well.) It was nice to get reacquainted with the Gimlet – it’s an old friend I haven’t quaffed in a long while. The Gimlet is…
Is Cheap Seed Hurting Your Garden? Germination Rate, Vigor, and Why You Should Care
Sometimes, cheap seeds just cost too much. I’m going to explain why in a second, but first I want you to imagine for a minute that you are pulling up to a gas station to fuel your car. There are two pumps, and each will dispense different fuels. Pump A sells fuel that costs $7…
Mache Salad with Pickled Beets and Goat Cheese
Pickings are mighty slim in the garden right now, but I do have mache. This freely self-sowing (not to say weedy) tender salad green is the most green thing I’ve picked in months. While I was looking the other way, it’s filled an entire bed with these little, nutty rosettes. I like mache, I really…
That Time They Let Me On TV (Modern Homesteading on Growing a Greener World)
You may remember that back in September I had the amazing experience of hosting the Growing a Greener World TV crew so they could film my garden and we could talk about modern homesteading and family. In case you missed it, here’s the TL;DR: super talented TV people came to my house to put me…
Grandpa's Cold Cure Cocktail
At this time of year, no one would blame you if you were a bit partied out. From Thanksgiving to New Years tends to be a glutton-fest of rich food, sweets and frequent libation. I’m eager to revive the ol’ Friday Cocktail Tradition around here, but sympathetic to folks who may be feeling like a…
How To Make Canadian Bacon At Home
One thing above all others makes my kids happy: Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza. (I’ll admit, I’m fond of it, too.) So, confident in my general bacon-making abilities I embarked on a Canadian Bacon making experiment. I’m happy to report that homemade Canadian Bacon is, if anything, even easier than belly bacon and tastes great in…
The Best Books For Every Gardener
As a gardener and big ol’ book-lovin’ nerd, I get asked for book recommendations all the time. Here’re all my favorite and most recommended edible gardening books all in one spot. I own, read, love and consistently refer back to all these books. The links on this page are affiliate links. If you shop through these…
Updated! Seeds For Beginners: Saving, Storing and Organizing Your Vegetable Seeds
This post was originally published January 23, 2012. I’ve slightly updated my own seed storage method (below), and we’ve welcomed a ton of new gardeners to the fold in the last three years, so I thought it was time to revisit seed storage basics. I am getting a lot of questions about seeds right now….
Goals for 2015
I wasn’t going to do a “New Year’s Resolutions” post because, frankly, I’ve reached the age where I know nothing I say after three cocktails on December 31st is going to have any impact on my life or decisions on March 1st. I’ve learned that if something in my life needs improvement or change or more…
To Do In The Northwest Edible Garden: January 2015
January means one thing when you are a gardener: a mailbox stuffed to bursting with seed catalogs. With a stack of seed catalogs and well-thumbed gardening books by our side, and ground that’s still too cold and wet to work, the name of the January game is planning and letting your imagination run wild. I…
Happy New Year! (Or, Rumors Of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated)
Well, hello, beautiful readers. I started this blog four years ago, and for much of that four years I have written something nearly daily. Much of what I’ve written you’ve seen here. Some has been sold to magazines or other websites as articles on gardening or cooking. Over the last many months, as my presence…