What's Growin' On Archives - Page 70 of 142

Sourdough crackers and be broken up free-form for a rustic, savory treat.

Recipe: Sourdough Crackers

When you make sourdough bread you have to feed your starter, and before you can feed your starter, you are supposed to throw away a cup of starter from the jar. Sound wasteful? It is. So every bread maker searches for recipes to use up their throw-away starter. Here is one for sourdough crackers. Crackers may seem like a waste of time. I mean, you can buy them in a box at any grocery store, right? But if you want…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 28, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Bulldozer at work demolishing the client's swimming pool.

Design: From Pool To Garden

Back in 2016 we got a call from a woman who had a swimming pool but wanted a vegetable garden. She had already taken steps to fill in her swimming pool, but needed help building the vegetable garden. A blank slate, a designer's delight. The homeowner's previous gardening experience was limited to a 3x6 raised bed on the side of the house. It was enough to fuel her desire for more space. Given the drought and the expense of keeping…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 22, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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YouTube: Garden Plants for Pollinators

Spring is coming, and now is the time to plant (or start seeds for) flowers for pollinator-friendly gardens. This is the first video in our "Plants for Pollinators" series, a collaboration with Honeylove.org. In the coming weeks, you'll learn which wildflowers, trees, vegetables, bulbs, and herbs are best for bees and other pollinators. Stay tuned for a new video each week and plant something to help our pollinator population. Garden Plants for Pollinators For more information about growing plants for…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 21, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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The Mockmill fits easily onto the Kitchenaid mixer and the metal shoot is designed to dump flour straight into the bowl below.

Review: Mockmill Stone Flour Mill

Homesteader nerd-alert: Los Angeles Bread Bakers held a Meetup at the King's Roost where Paul LeBeau of Wolfgang Mock was slated to be the guest speaker. He'd also raffle off 2 Mockmills in a free raffle, and a 3rd in an additional $5 raffle. What's a Mockmill? It's a stone grain mill that attaches to your Kitchenaid mixer (like any Kitchenaid attachment) to grind your own flour. Hold up! You mean it doesn't sit on the counter? -- No. You…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 8, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Yesterday we got 2 1/2 inches of rain. It's a record.

Weather: Farmer’s Almanac vs. Old Farmer’s Almanac

Have you ever wondered how The Farmer's Almanac calculates its weather predictions? It's always been a little fascination of mine. Is it astronomy? Astrology? Some secret divining rod that none of us know about? Today's post, which helps solve the mystery, was sent to me by the folks at Equipsupply. Read below to find out which of the two is more accurate: The Old Farmer's Almanac or The Farmer's Almanac. I do have to point out that under "How accurate…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 7, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Tiny plums set fruit in November this year.

Now More Than Ever – Garden

In light of recent hard-to-ignore political events, it feels necessary to weigh in, to not ignore what is transpiring across the country. I see many garden bloggers posting business-as-usual articles about growing flowers, and I'm conflicted. On one hand, we need to keep our heads above water, to avoid being enveloped by whichever side of the political news bubble we read, and to take a break once in awhile. On the other hand, staying silent doesn't serve the greater community.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 1, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Now you never have to discard starter again.

Recipe: Homemade Sourdough Crumpets

While you rarely hear the word "crumpet" in common parlance these days, they are as tasty as they were in the Middle Ages (or more so, I'll wager). Similar to English muffins, crumpets are thick pancakes cooked on a griddle. Since we started making sourdough bread, we need to refresh our sourdough starter every so often by "discarding" some of it before feeding. So we're always on the hunt for recipes to use up the discarded starter. Behold this simple…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 31, 2017
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Garlic, carrots and radishes are so happy with all the rain.

Wordless Wednesday: Winter is Our Spring

California is known for its weather, and for those who don't yet know, winter everywhere else is our spring. Here in SoCal flowers have sprouted everywhere, peas are growing strong, brassicas are loving the rain (LOTS of rain!). For gardeners with yards covered in snow, enjoy those seed catalogs by the fire. We're still tending the soil and harvesting winter crops. Enjoy these shots from our winter garden. We hope you are enjoying the winter regardless of whether you are…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 25, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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SkySource makes water from the air and gives it away for free in Venice Beach.

YouTube: Making Water from Air with David Hertz

Our latest YouTube video features an interview with David Hertz of SkySource. We explore how a machine can make water from air, and how the device is being used in drought-stricken areas to keep gardens and trees alive. This video is part of a new endeavor for 2017: the Acknowledgment Series. People doing good work in the world deserve to be acknowledged for their efforts and we've set out to do that. Check out David's innovative solution to the drought…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 24, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Swiss chard seeds

Ask Gardenerd: Short Season Varieties

When asked about her greatest garden challenge, Melinda from Sweden wrote to us recently, "No doubt about it, here in Sweden our greatest gardening challenge is the climate, low temperatures and frost as late as 13 June and as early as late-August. I just sigh when I see seed packets where 95 days frost-free are required. In spite of this challenge I am always looking for ways to "negotiate with nature" to create micro-climates and take such short-cuts as indoor…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 11, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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