I love tomatoes. I love growing them: pinching off the suckers, twining the vines around their rope trellises, watching them get taller than I am. And I love eating them in any form, especially in summery panzanella salads with big hunks of crusty bread and fresh basil. To support my […]
Two days ago, I saw ripe tomatoes in a neighbor’s garden. Bear in mind, it’s only the first week of April. Sure, we’re in the Bay Area, but I’m still mightily impressed. Particularly since I just planted my own tomato plants last week. True to form, I’ve been picking up […]
My first attempt at grapefruit marmalade came out like a spreadable Campari cocktail. A little ray of bitter sunshine, to quote Scott Adams. It’s absurdly concentrated, deliciously bitter, and so good I’ve already eaten an entire jar. You probably won’t like it. That’s okay. More for me. How to […]
The short answer, for people who don’t want to read: keep it on the counter and feed it its own weight of flour and water every twelve hours, until you have enough for your first batch of bread plus an extra cup or two — the extra will be your new mother […]
Forget backyard chickens. The perfect pet for your urban homestead is a jar of sourdough starter. Like chickens, a sourdough starter will thrive on a diet of grain and water, fluff up with excitement when you feed it, and reward you by producing delicious, healthy food for your family. But […]
“Auntie, come look at my potatoes! They’re SO BIG!” When kids help plant vegetables, they get really excited about seeing them grow. Truth be told, I’m almost as impressed by the rapid growth of our potatoes. It’s not too late to plant your own. They’re fairly easy, fun, and the […]