Grow lights and cold frames
We don’t have a greenhouse on this rented lot of ours — at least not yet — so this is how our summer garden gets started in the winter: on a “mini-farm” in our dining room. The seeds I sowed a few...
View ArticleHomemade body care
I’ve been making soap for almost two years, but so far have only flirted with the idea of taking the next step and making my own hair and dental care products as well. One reason is probably that our...
View ArticleHow to install a DIY living roof
As I mentioned before, as part of our cob-building course I learned how to install a living roof (also known as a green roof or a sod roof). Virtually all the houses at the Cob Cottage Company had...
View ArticleTrees for food, medicine — and soap!
We’re traveling from monsoon-drenched mountains to the dry desert of Rajasthan today. The last three weeks in the hills around Dehra Dun — first volunteering at Navdanya, then quieting down my mind on...
View ArticleHard cheeses are… hard
Or that’s what I remember my cheese-making teacher at the Institute of Urban Homesteading saying years ago when I first ventured into the world of homemade cheese. By hard cheeses, she was referring to...
View ArticleGift-giving with natural dyes
This winter, I decided to try to use as many of my plant-dyed textiles as possible in crafting holiday gifts. In the wake of a recent dyeing extravaganza… and then another, I’ve had lovely colorful...
View ArticleAll my eggs in one basket: Naturally dyed Easter eggs
I feel a bit sheepish admitting this, but… Even though I’ve been dyeing fibers with natural dyes for years, I’ve never tried making naturally dyed Easter eggs until this year. I know, I know. It’s the...
View ArticleThe rhythms of Making
After another nomadic summer, it has felt very grounding to get back — not only to the space of our home, but also to the rhythm of tasks and activities that punctuate the everyday for us here. Bags...
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