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October Unprocessed: The Midway Point
We're a bit over halfway through the month and I've been both pleased at how well it's going and surprised at the things I am learning about myself in the . . . pardon the pun . . . process. In the...
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Sharing the Surplus (Revisited)
As gardeners in other regions are putting up their tools for the season, I'm finally kicking into gear after a long, hot summer. On Friday evening, I bought a small dill, a basil and a society garlic....
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Tea Season
The weather is cooling. For weeks, I've opened my windows to let in the cool evening air. In the morning, I wake to the scent of damp earth and make my morning commute through dense fog. This means, of...
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Growing Your Own
Originally posted at Eating Rules. I can't help but approach October: Unprocessed through my passion for organic gardens, edible landscapes and permaculture. For those unfamiliar with the latter term,...
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Gardening in Small Spaces
I am back from a quick weekend jaunt to the San Francisco area, and settled back into my warmer, muggier clime. As per usual, my attention was drawn to the different flora in the Bay Area. Or, as one...
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October (Mostly) Unprocessed
I am entering the last weekend of October: Unprocessed, and I remain profoundly grateful for its gifts. Tonight, I am eating a local meal that is 80% from my CSA box: a Southwestern stew with local...
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Challenges, and Eating Outside the Box
This weekend, I have given myself a personal challenge: to hunker down, make do with just what I have on hand, and avoid spending money or gas until my one appointment outside the house tomorrow. As...
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Making Do (Pt. Deux)
Frugality is not deprivation. If it feels that way, perhaps there is a way to change it so it does not. Today, I've challenged myself to a buy nothing / go nowhere day. So far, I've had great tea,...
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Stock Day, Revisited
About six weeks ago, I wrote a post on taking stock, and making it in the context of my own little war on waste. It's stock making day again, and I'm contemplating what's changed. It feels like I've...
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Frugal Cleaning Tip: Herbs!
If you're a gardener, you probably have some fragrant herbs around. If you're living in modern times, it's likely you have a garbage disposal in your sink -- probably a bit less fragrant. Herbs like to...
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The Cool Season
Different places have different seasons. I'm not talking about the big obvious ones, like the fact that my readers in Australia are entering an exuberant spring. I'm talking about the somewhat less...
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Fall Gardening: Home-Grown Salad Bar!
In most of the southern US, it's not too late to put in a fall garden. Seeds will generally take more time to germinate in cool weather, but will reward you with low-maintenance plants that you can eat...
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A Chicken in (Almost) Every Pot
I've been in a pensive mood today. The weather is blustery, and the holiday and election seasons intense for pretty much everyone. The solution? Classical music and cooking, of course. At the grocer's...
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Living Frugal: When Not to Buy in Bulk
Lately, I've been rethinking my lifelong habit of buying in bulk. If this does not sound like a big deal, you are lucky enough to never have been shopping with me! Shopping with me involves several...
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Of Slow-Cookers, and Tortilla Soup!
Tonight, I entered the house to the most amazing smell! I'd started dreaming of tonight's dinner at work, content to know that much of the hard work would already be done. I hadn't quite decided yet...
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First Freeze
We had our first light freeze last night, and baby it's cold outside! Inside, I've retrieved a lap blanket for my sitting, the little space heater from office closet, and have wrapped a kitchen towel...
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Getting My Daylight Back Where I Wanted It
Oh, today is glorious! It is early, and I am here saying hello to the sun which has beaten me to rising. I have light by which to do my household tasks, and it is early enough to even garden a bit...
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Intro to Small Scale Permaculture: Thinking in Systems
I promised sometime back to write more about permaculture principles over the winter. A lovely post today -- ostensibly not about permaculture -- brought me back to that idea. What is permaculture? Is...
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New Permaculture Documentary: Permaculture, the Growing Edge
It's no secret I love permaculture. (It was? Okay, it isn't now!) It's also no big secret that I'm a bit of a leftie, and a bit of a poly-religious mystic type. Put all these together, and (despite the...
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Tiny Houses!
I have very little time to write this week, so you'll need to get a peek at my random interests instead. Here's one: Tiny Houses. For me, smaller is better. I adore Sarah Susanka's ideas behind the Not...
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Fruit Trees for Warm Climates
Want to dabble in permaculture? I can't think of a better first step than adding a fruit trees into the landscape. Whether you only have room for a few potted citrus and peach trees on a porch, or want...
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Change is Always Now
Dear readers: Much has happened since I last wrote. First, and most relevant to my recent lack of writing: my house was forcibly broken into. I couldn't wish this on anyone. While my relatively frugal...
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Small Spaces Work
Also, please check out this lovely post. I am delighted. Small works! And, small works because it is small, not despite it!
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The Limits of Scavenging
M. F. K. Fisher used to write about cooking with the wolf at the door, back in the days of war rationing. I used to read Fisher in my first year of college, in those very broke days in which I would...
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Plant a Garden, Go to Jail
Mind you, I do believe in civil disobedience for the right reasons. I just never thought that a few veggies in the front yard might be what gets you cited, particularly in the days in which even the...
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