Misadventures in Urban Plantsmanship

I bought a pineapple guava plant through the mail. I was lured by promises of tropical beauty and exotic flavor. It was around midnight, and I had fallen down an internet rabbit hole of off-the-beaten-path edible shrubs, vines, and other fantastical fruits. My eyes...

Misadventures in No ‘Poo

Ever since I stopped using shampoo, I’ve tried several different approaches to having presentable hair: apple cider vinegar rinses, brushing it out with a natural bristle brush, and essential oil-baking soda scrubs. After giving up on baking soda after hearing...

Row Cover Flop

I installed row covers over several beds because the seedlings of my fall/winter crops were getting eaten by bugs, dug up by cats, and stolen by fairies. I pounded 12″ segments of rebar into the ground and curved 1″ pvc plumbing pipe over them. Then I...

How NOT To Make Comfrey Fertilizer

This post originally had a different title. In the interest of full disclosure which is our informal policy here, after I actually made the fertilizer, I had to add the NOT. It all began well. I cut a lot of comfrey and packed it into a five-gallon bucket. I left it,...

Freezer Cooking Fail: Waffles

  This was my first freezer cooking attempt with my good friend Missy.  We made waffles all day.  There was really nothing wrong with the recipe.  It’s just that we both have *sensory* kids.  Her’s are anti-crispy when it comes to waffles and most...