1916 Craftsman Bungalow House featuring Craftsman Fonts

Build Redwood Raised Garden

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:48:02 PDT

We have been slowly dismantling the huge 4 foot wide by 10 ft long ground level garden beds I built a couple of years ago. I always had a problem with grass creeping in and the thin pine 1x8" boards eventually eroding from the weather and moisture. Sometimes, saving money on product isnt always the way to go.

Our excellent soil has been moved into half barrels which now house all sorts of things like blueberries, strawberries, garlic, and more. Everything growing in the barrels now are thriving. We decided to get more veggies going again this year and wanted to build some simple redwood raised garden boxes that we could put alongside the fences.

The box was easy to make and only took about 30 minutes. I ended up making two of these. I built them as 6 feet long by 2 feet wide. I had planned to buy some 12 ft pieces and cut them in half, but the lumber store had 6 ft pieces precut. Here is the item list:

8pc - 6' long 2x6 redwood
1pc - 8' long 4x4 redwood

Two of the 6' pieces were cut into thirds for the ends, while the 4x4 was cut into quarters. I left the posts sticking up in case we want to expand upward.

Enjoying the Cherries

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:07:38 PDT

We have worked hard the past few years in the garden, deciding and picking the fruit trees that will last us a lifetime. We have two cherry trees in the backyard. We have both the Mini Royal Cherry and Royal Lee Cherry which work together so we get these luscious berries.

We dont mind the birds picking a few but this year Mr Bird introduced Mrs Bird to our trees and the invited their friends who invited their children. We had a bunch of birds in our trees picking at the cherries. The birds are smart too... they only eat the ripe ones! We ended up buying a net and have covered the tree now to keep the birds at bay and it works.

We have been eating bowls of cherries every day now for the past week and we are almost at a point where we have to give them to neighbors the trees are so full. The best cherries Ive ever had. So much juicier then the ones in the stores.

I love it. This is why we planted them! Care for a bowl?

Building the Arbor

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:18:00 PDT

Now that I have all of my pieces measured, cut, and painted... and the arbor foundation poured and ready, I was ready for a sunny day to get to work.

First was the header with the notches in them. It went just above the window frame...

Next went the two cross pieces going from the house to the 4x4 post. A short piece and then a long piece. These were secured with a few screws at first. It was already stable. I then ran the other short and long pieces to the 4x4 post. This was going up pretty quick.

I drilled a hole all of the way through each of the two pieces and 4x4 post and put a bolt through and tightened it all up. Wow! Solid as a rock. Next went the rest of the short pieces held together by 90 degree steel angle brackets on either side of each board on the top of the long beams. The upright short beams are very stable and you cant see the brackets from down below...

And that is basically it...

I have a few basic things to finish up yet. I want to do whats called box trim boots down at the bottom of the 4x4 post to cover up the metal bracket in the concrete. I also am still considering the gusset beam or trim work on the upper part of the4x4 post. The gusset seems like it would detract too much from the entire arbor. What would you do?

Some final notes here:

- By doing 95% of my cuts beforehand it made this assembly of the arbor fast
- I built this arbor so we can plant a beautiful wisteria to grow on
- In time we hope it will also provide some shade to the front window
- When looking out of the window the arbor provides a nice security blanket type of feeling, something we did not expect

Im very thankful for the help of one key individual. Without that person it would have been difficult to raise beams and get feedback as I did this project. A few beers are in order!

Pouring the Arbor Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:30:00 PDT

Before I get going this morning I just want to say... Im not a construction expert, but this is how I did this project. Buyer beware :) If you learn anything from my posts it will probably be my errors :)

Ive poured concrete for post holes before on our side fence I did a couple years ago. I just dug a hole, put in the post and poured the concrete. The finished product looked messy so I wanted to do something different this time around since this was going to be in the front garden. I decided to get a form tube.

I dug my hole with a post hole digger fairly quickly since our soil was most from the garden. This would be difficult if the soil was hard or really compacted. The tube slipped right in. I think I paid around $6 for a four foot cardboard tube. I decided to cut the tub down to three feet, which turned out to be a mistake. Why? Well, my hole was three feet deep and my tube was now three feet deep putting the top of my form slightly above ground level. If I did it over again I would have dug a bit deeper and had the form rise six inches above ground, keeping any potential water damage to a minimum.

So anyways... life goes on and I learned a big lesson. Mixing and pouring concrete is simple. Just add water. What... do you want photos of that? :p After I poured in the concrete, I leveled my post bracket with some pieces of wood until the concrete solidified slightly. The $5 level I purchased at Ace Hardware was worth every dime. It made it really easy to monitor the straightness of the bracket.

It rained and I allowed the concrete more time to set. I was not in a big hurry. It came out great and is really sturdy.

Next up... Building the arbor.

Measuring and Cutting the Arbor

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:02:00 PDT

You can read the first post about the arbor HERE. You can see my first sketch below. I drew this design based on a number of home improvement books and browsing various websites for ideas. You can see some of my notes calling for bolts as opposed to screws and if I would prefer trim or gussets near the top.

I made a decision early on with this project to do a bunch of grunt work ahead of time. Measuring, Cutting and Painting the arbor. I knew I would need help lifting the 2x6 beams with some of them being 10 feet long. So I thought it would be beneficial to do what I could ahead of time on my own and then when the arbor was ready to go up I would get some much needed help hoisting the heavy pieces.

I went ahead and took a ton of measurements (and then some) and made my cuts to the lumber. The top header piece which would attach to the house I notched so the short cross beams would rest onto the header flush. I think it looks nice.

I did all of my measuring and cuts on one weekend over the course of a few hours and did the painting the following weekend. I purchased the last can of oil based paint in my local Home Depot. The state of California has taken them off all of the shelves.

The painting of several long pieces, plus all of the shorter cross beams took a good portion of a day... probably a good 4 hours. Next up... pouring the arbor foundation.

A day at Descanso Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:08:51 PDT

We always enjoy the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA, but we also like the Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. The Descanso Gardens has a great natural feeling to the gardens. Its a nice place for a breath of fresh air.

Descanso Gardens has a camellia forest, a huge lilac garden in full bloom right now (April), an old mystical oak forest, and a really nice mixed flower garden featuring roses, poppies, irises and a small little cottage. Check out the pics...

http://www.descansogardens.org/

Flowers Flowers Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:35:07 PDT

Who doesnt enjoy flowers? In our front garden we have Eastern Snowball, Purple Lilac, and (i think) Candy Cane Rose.

Vinegar is better than Monsanto RoundUp

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:00:16 PDT

We had the opportunity recently to visit some friends trying to get a small urban farm up and running a couple hours east of Los Angeles. In talking with the owners we got onto the subject on Monsanto, the seed company that is patenting its seeds and creating genetically modified organisms (GMO). They told me of a better solution to use on weeds instead of Monsanto products.

If you dont know much about Monsanto, now is the time to learn. Monsanto is working hard to alter and control the worlds food supply. Many countries have already banned GMO foods. Here are a few other dangerous things Monsanto is known for: saccharin, sulfuric acid, polystyrene, DDT herbicide, Agent Orange, Aspartame (NutraSweet), bovine growth hormone (BST), PCBs, RoundUp and plenty more. They have a deep dark history.

They are well known for patenting pesticides like RoundUp that work with certain crops. For example, RoundUp Ready CORN2 is used to kill weeds surrounding GMO corn, but wont kill the corn since the corn is engineered to withstand the chemicals. You cannot use RoundUp Ready CANOLA on corn crops... it just wont work.

There is also a RoundUp product for consumers to use on weeds which has been around for decades. I grew up with an entire neighborhood of dads spraying this stuff on their weeds! But there is a better choice, a much cheaper and safer choice. Its called VINEGAR!

I decided to give our friends tip a try the other day. I put some vinegar in a spray bottle and generously sprayed a weed in front of my work. Not even 24 hours later the result is the photo above. The weed had shrivelled up and browned... ready to be swept away with a broom. Give it a try next time you are fighting weeds.

Educate yourself on Monsanto too. There are several excellent documentaries available to rent at your local video store, DVD kiosk or online rental service.

- MONSANTOLAND
- THE FUTURE OF FOOD
- THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO

Those are excellent documentaries. If you prefer to read up instead, check out this link: http://bestmeal.info/monsanto/company-history.shtml

Slash Your Utility Bill

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:30:02 PDT

For earth day I thought I would do a post about saving energy. Saving is easier than working, right? The more you save, the less you need to work. So here goes...

1 - Unplug your electronics. Big screen TVs & stereo systems are the worst. Older computer systems too. It takes a bit of effort to actually unplug devices, but this can save you $3 - $5 per month. If you are lazy there are power strips that shut off power when they sense inactivity.

2 - Unplug your extra fridge. Seriously this will save you $15 a month. Its easy to do and costs nothing. If you have an old fridge this might even save you more. Newer fridges use half the energy of ones built in 1990.

3 - Light bulbs. If you are desperate to save money, switching from incandescent to CFL spiral bulbs will save you around 50 cents per bulb per month. Dont laugh, it adds up. Since the spiral bulbs are relatively cheap, the payback time is short. Buyer beware as some people are sensitive to the spiral bulbs, they contain chemicals and can also interfere with various radio waves/signals. A much better alternative are the new LED bulbs. Im really excited about these since they dont contain any toxic products, they have a long lifespan (20+ yrs), they are cool to the touch and are dimmable. The prices have come down a lot in just a couple of years too and continue to drop.

4 - Install a newer energy star programmable thermostat. This was one of the first things we did when we bought our house. Smart move. You're not running the heat (or a/c) when you dont need it.

5 - Since we have no A/C in the house, ceiling fans are a must. We live in a nice moderate temp area... it never gets much above 100 and it never get much below 40. We save hundreds per month not having air conditioning and the ceiling fans move the air around fine. If you can use ceiling fans to get through warm days you could save a lot each month. A whole house attic fan is how we keep the house cool on really hot days.

6 - A ton of air leaks out of homes via the chimney. If you dont use yours or are done using it for the winter, put some insulation in a black garbage bag and stuff that into your chimney to block any drafts. Dont forget to remove it when you fire up your fireplace in the future. Dont say I didnt warn you :) 15% of heat escapes out of a chimney so this is an easy fix.

7 - This makes a huge difference... WINDOWS. Replacing those old single pane windows with new double pane, low-e, gas filled, high performance windows makes a noticeable difference. Rooms stay cool in the summer longer, rooms stay warm in the winter longer. You will fork over some cash to get new windows, but if you plan to own your home a while this is a good move to make.

8 - Insulating your hot water tank can save a few dollars a month. This is easy to do since you can buy specially made hot water tank insulated covers. Lowering the hot water temp from 140 to 120 can also save a few bucks. Try and it and see if you can manage.

Those are some of the big ways to save, but there are smaller ways to save too.

- air dry your clothes in the summer

- wash only full loads of clothes or dishes
- wash clothes in cold water

Each of those might save you only $50 a year, but added up can save you hundreds. What are some of the ways you save money?

Latte for the Early Morning

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:18:00 PDT

I'm cheap. I am a cheap bastard. I dont buy Starbucks in the store for $5 a pop anymore and have not done so for a few years. I think its ridiculous. Its just flavored water after all right? Actually I love a good coffee drink. When I was a kid it was SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR. Well, along with SCOOBY DOO, FLINTSTONES, THE MONKEES, GIDGET, and BONANZA. I know, tired of my shouting already! Ive mellowed since those early 1980s. The super sweetness on my tastebud doesnt cut it anymore. If I ever sit back with a coke its a fountain coke since I cant handle the sweetness of a canned version. But in reality I prefer a coffee now and one I make myself so I can control the sweetness of. Getting back to Gidget... wasnt she a babe or what? Always perky, always with a crazy wacked out idea and always manages to do it all.

An early morning latte is usually how I start my day. Im too lazy to do the foam. Im too lazy to buy the heavy cream. Im too lazy this, too lazy that. My coffee consists exactly of one 3 shot of espresso done on my stove top maker, two spoonfuls of turbinado sugar (about a tablespoon) and enough milk to please. Thats it. I dont have time for anything else. Ive always bought the coffee beans at Costco since they are made by Starbucks. But for a couple dollars more Ive found the Peets Coffee a much better choice. If Im going to save on coffee by not going out, I might as well get what I want right? Ive never calculated the actual cost of a homemade latte... wait...

OK lets do it!!

Sugar = 37 tablespoons in a pound which is running me $1.29 per pound right now. That comes out to about 3 cents.

Milk = 128 ounces in a gallon. I just paid $2.99 for a gal. Im using maybe 4 ounces so thats about 7 cents worth.

Coffee = I think Peets is running about $18 for 2 pounds right now for whole beans. Im way over budgeting since I dont plan to measure it out, but my best guesstimate is about 17 cents per latte of coffee used. From beans to grounds to espresso. MMmmm.

That puts me at about 27 cents per large 16 ounce latte. And thats with a TRIPLE SHOT. You dont get that in the stores when you order. I think I over estimated my coffee usage too. My drinks are probably more like 20-25 cents total. So there you have it. Super easy savings if you do it yourself. What exactly do you get if you pay that $4 for in the coffee house anyways? Some wink from a cute girl or guy? Is that worth $3.75 more than if you made it at home? I mean.. I get the human interaction. I do. I like to have a beer at the local beer place once in a while and listen to live music. No I get it. I find more and more as my taste buds change, so do my feelings of home change. I used to be free footed. I could sleep anywhere. I didnt use a pillow. I could sleep on the footsteps of city hall (I did a few times). But now that Im grounded more or less, I appreciate what a coffee in the morning alone brings to me. It awakens my senses. My pets surround me with curiosity. I see their noses investigate. They beg for a kiss. If it was raw organic milk my cat Bisou would sip some before I created a latte. You dont get anything like this for $5 in a coffee place. You just dont. I dont turn on the TV and hear the news ruin my day at 5am. I go through the motions of a homemade latte for a mere 25 cents or so with my pets offering love and affection. When its done I fire up the computer, warm latte in hand and check my email. No rush, and pretty close to perfection.

How do you start your day?

PS... In the photo. A Peets Coffee handmade latte in a Starbucks mug :) my Ubuntu lanyard signifying my joyful use of an operating system the past 6 years and never once getting a virus. You'll also notice the Ubuntu sticker on my monitor. A pair of one dollar reading glasses. I dont wear glasses but when my eyes get tired from "computing" on the internets all day these things sure help out. Also, a great book on investing called "The Intelligent Investor". If you dont have time to read all 600+ pages, at least read chapter 20 and chapter 8... these cover the fundamental basics of investing.

Thats all for now... I have some cat photos to post!

Starting An Arbor Attached to House

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:08:04 PDT

Im starting to build a simple arbor attached to the house so we can finally plant our wisteria. Over the coming days and weeks I will document how easy this is (or not so easy).

I began by taking measurements, made a product list and purchased the lumber. I also have done some online research as to the different styles of arbors. Since this arbor is not very big at only three feet deep, I choose a simple end design for my pieces. Check the photo below.

The next step is to start cutting several of the pieces which goes by quickly once you get the hang of it. A few pieces I have left long and will trim when installing the arbor. This is a great spring project that is fairly simple and gets me in the mood to do more!

Peaches & Apples Blooming

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:09:23 PDT

Well, Spring has sprung around here! These two shots were taken already a few weeks ago. Wait till you see an update sometime this weekend :) The white flower is from out Anna Apple tree and the pink flowers are from our peach trees. We have an Eva's Pride Peach and also a California Curl Free Peach.

Considering Ceiling Can Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:21:23 PDT

Pardon the simple drawing I did above! I'll explain in a second. We are gearing up to start some projects around the house now that spring has arrived. One of those projects is to install can lighting in the living room. Our living room is a bit dark and we rely on a floor lamp to provide much of our lighting. Floor lamp can be dangerous and with pets we definitely want to get rid of it.

Ive done some research on can lighting as to how much light we actually need. I dont want 12 lights in a 14x20 area, nor do I want just two. So what is considered "correct"? There are a ton of answers out there on the Internets. From my research a typical 6" inch can light with a ceiling height of 8 feet illuminates about a 6 foot area on the floor of a room. The diagram I drew above sort of represents my living room and helps give me some perspective on how many lights I might need. If I space the lights out further I will have less direct light and more ambient light. If I crowd them in more I will have more than enough light. Decisions will need to be made beforehand what type of light are you after?

For a kitchen one example I read about was to have about 3 watts per square foot of space. You want plenty of light there. For a living room? You may not want so much. Cost may become a factor as well.

My take is, you can never have too much light if you have a dimmer switch :) But I also dont want 20 holes in my ceiling either. I like the pattern of the 6 circles above for or living space and possibly some small can lighting for a painting on the wall we have (separate of the six lights).

If you have experience with can lighting we would love to hear your input! Thanks.

How To Make Biga Starter

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:20:13 PDT

Pardon our terrible photos the past couple of months. They have all been with a cellphone as our main digital camera wont turn on any more. Hope to get a camera soon though! This is probably one of the worst "biga" photos on the net! (not like i can make biga photos sexy or anything) As a side note... the biga in the photo above had been used and has had water and flour added to it day by day. Mine is a bit more watery now a couple weeks into it then what yours will probably look like when you first make it.

So what the heck is a Biga you are probably asking? Its an Italian word for starter dough. The Boudin Bakery in San Francisco is well known for its 150+ year old biga starter (aka mother dough). If you have ever tried their bread you will understand why a starter is important.

A biga starter helps with a 2nd fermentation where the aroma, incredible flavors and porosity come form. The long fermentation of the starter and the breads risings will bring out the intricate flavor of the wheat grain. As with great sourdough bread companies I try to keep some biga bread starter on hand now. Having a starter available on hand I can make a true authentic sourdough loaf or ciabatta bread started in the morning and ready for dinner the same day.

So lets make our mother dough.

Ingredients

- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 200 grams water
- 330 grams of flour

Directions

This could not be any easier to make. Mix the yeast with the 1/4 cup of warm water and let it sit about 10 minutes until its creamy. I mixed mine a little with a spoon.

Now you are going to hate me for this. You need to weigh the last two things. Weigh the water and weigh the flour. Weighing ingredients for making bread (or starters) is very precise and what sets the big boys and girls apart from the wannabes.

I used a mixer on low for two minutes, but you could also do the work by hand in 4 or 5 minutes. So get a bowl and add in the yeast water. One cup at a time mix in some flour and some water. Mix it up. Then add the rest of the water and flour and finish mixing. Mix it up until you have a sticky dough.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl at let it rise over 24 hours. You can let this rise 2 or 3 days if you want a real sour flavor. If you dont use it up right away, you can cover and put it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can even freeze this, but let it warm up first a good 3-5 hours and begin to activate itself again before using.

So how would you use this in a recipe? Wherever a bread recipe calls for 100g water and 100g flour, substitute it for 200g biga starter. Does this make sense? 1 part water + 1 part flour = 2 parts biga. If you are low on starter, you can also do a portion of the recipe as biga and the rest flour/water. Something like 50g water, 50g flour and 100g biga. Well, before I make this too confusing I'd better shut up!

Happy bread making!

Red Rose

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:18:31 PDT

One more rose picture from today. Caught this shot right in between the all day rain...

Our fascination with roses grew when we first started going to the Huntington Library in Southern California 10+ years ago. They have one of the best rose gardens Ive seen (and famous Japanese garden) and the Huntington also has an incredible camellia garden too which is in full bloom right now. We were just there recently and they had two camellias that were fragrant. It was interesting as most camellia flowers dont have any smell to them.

http://www.huntington.org/

Morning Roses After Rain

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:03:05 PDT

Our bigas recipe will have to wait until later today. Im out of flour! Need to go get some. In the mean time, enjoy these two pics of our roses in the front garden. They are our favorite ones. The pink/white one has a delicate rose smell and the candy cane one has a cinnamon smell. We only pick roses for the garden that smell.

Pizza On The Grill

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:37:09 PDT

I made pizza on the (gas) grill for the first time ever last weekend and it was delicious. I heated the grill along with a granite slab and cooked the pizza on top of the slab. In about 4 minutes my pizza was done! I was unsure how the pizza would do on granite, so I decided to use some parchment paper and it worked out perfect. The paper gets burnt, but not a big deal at all. On subsequent pizzas I removed the paper as soon as I could. The crust was soft on the inside and had a bit of crispness on the outside. It definitely tasted close to a wood fired oven pizza. I cant believe how fast the cheese begins to bubble and the dough crisps up.

This was my first pizza using a biga and there was a noticeable difference in taste compared to pizza crusts of the past I have made. Much more flavor and airiness thanks to the biga. My pizza sauce is super simple: organic crushed tomatoes, some herbs and some chopped garlic cooked lightly in a saucepan. Cant wait for my garden tomatoes to make homemade sauce!

One of the nice points of cooking pizza on a grill is that I dont heat up the house at all. I am finally getting CLOSE to a perfect pizza. My only complaint was the dough was a bit too thick but I have already perfected stretching and throwing the dough in the air :) From now on my pizzas will have a thin napoletana style crust.

We made three pizzas... #1 - pineapple & prosciutto, #2 - anchovies & onions, and my favorite #3 - a four cheese pizza consisting of fresh whole mozzarella, smoked provolone, italian parmesan, and blue cheese.

Making My Biga

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:24:59 PDT

Today is such a rainy day here in California. Its a rare day indeed and who really wants to be driving in this type of weather? So I'm at home adding some water and flour to my "biga". Biga is an Italian term for the sour starter they you create and continue adding to it. If you have ever been to San Francisco you have most likely tried the sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery near Pier 39. It is probably the best sourdough ever! They claim their biga is over 100 years old and I wouldnt doubt it.

Biga is used in lots of different bread types from pizza doughs, sourdoughs, rye bread, ciabatta and more. The biga sits and ferments and creates its sour flour. When you make a batch of bread you add some of your biga (or mother dough some call it) to your bread recipe. The biga does a lot of things. It can act as your yeast in a bread, it can create a ton of beautiful complex flavors to your bread, it can help bring color to your bread as it bakes and more. If you love to make breads and have never used a biga starter this will change the way you make bread forever! I promise it is THAT worth it.

Last weekend I create my first biga and it made all the difference in the world to my pizza crusts. Tomorrow morning I will post my biga recipe and you can start making your own!

Ciao!

The National Heirloom Expo

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:43:40 PDT

Get ready for the National Heirloom Exposition coming to Santa Rosa, CA on September 11, 12 and 13th! This is the worlds largest heritage food event with over 3000 varieties and 300 exhibitors. 2012 will be the 2nd annual expo. The videos and photos from the first event last year looked great.

With the rise of Monsanto controlling our seeds with GMO seeds, the worlds bio-diversity is shrinking. Our only hope is for you and I to grow non-GMO heirloom varieties. From melons to tomatoes, potatoes to mushrooms and everything in between this expo is a gardeners delight! They will also have about 70 guest speakers covering all sorts of topics from traditional crops, seed saving, as well as poultry and livestock.

The National Heirloom Exposition is a not-for-profit event centered around the pure food movement, heirloom vegetables, and anti-GMO activism. Our first annual event held mid-September, 2011, in Santa Rosa, California, drew more than 10,000 people from around the country and beyond. With more than 70 speakers and 250 natural food vendors, the event was the largest gathering in pure food history! The Heirloom Expo has gained incredible interest among home growers, farmers, school groups and the general public–so much so that it is being called the “World’s Fair” of the heirloom industry!

Make sure to browse the website. View the colorful photos, watch the Martha Stewart video of her journey there and most important... make sure to mark your calendars and GO!

http://www.theheirloomexpo.com/

RECIPE Dutch Baby Pancake

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:22:00 PST

Ohhh boy this is a simple and delicious recipe. If you want to make a treat for the family on an early weekend morning try the Dutch Baby Pancake. I just did this last Sunday morning and it was great.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

This puffy baked treat is a breeze to make because you whirl the batter together in the blender. Once out of the oven, the pancake collapses quickly, so have your forks ready. If you dont have a blender or too lazy to get it out, use it, and clean it... forget about the blender. You can mix this all in a bowl and whisk it a bit. No big deal. What I love about this recipe is the simplicity.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium cast-iron pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and set aside.

In a blender or whisking in a bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix this until foamy, about 1 minute. Pour batter into skillet, then bake until pancake is puffed and lightly browned, about 20 minutes works great for me.

Drizzle the pancake with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and lemon juice. Slice into wedges, and serve it immediately.

Additional Emergency Supplies List

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:47:59 PST

All joking aside, we hope you have read and started building the basic emergency item list. There are more items you might want to consider that could suit your needs like these here:

Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Cash or traveler's checks and change
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
Emergency reference materials
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted, nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

One item always overlooked, maybe because of bulkiness is a good pair of shoes. After a disaster, a good pair of shoes is essential. Dont be caught off guard with flip-flops. You might have to hike miles to find safety in rubble.

Build a Basic Emergency Supply Kit

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:11:38 PST

With tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, rioting, and just about any other calamity on our planet, its best to have some plan in place. What plan do you have? Do you have a plan?

No one knows what is to come and its always smart to follow that Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared". Its so simple, yet few follow this mantra.

Building a basic emergency or disaster kit is an excellent first step! Here is a Homeland Security recommended list. I also like to keep some of these items in my car as well. You just never know where you will be or how much time you will have.

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Manual can opener for food
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

You can make this kit yourself and stuff it all into a cheap backpack from a 99c style store. I have even seen them for sale on the internet already put together. You just fork over $100 or whatever the price is. Put one in your car, put one or two of these in the house, put another one in your better halfs car too.

This is serious biz here. You can never be too prepared. And if nothing happens, at least you have ease of mind.

Better Fuel Economy

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:01:00 PST

We have an extra car I'm getting back on the road right now. This is what the car is:

...and this is what it wishes to be...

The truth is, with gas prices jumping close to $5 a gallon now here in California and reportedly hitting $6 a gallon in Florida, a Jeep is not exactly cost efficient. Nonetheless, Im getting it back on the road and noticed some big differences with my fuel economy recently

While I didnt take notes one step at a time, I did take some before and some after numbers. Once I got the car running again I noticed my fuel economy wasnt so good. I was doing 13mpg. Yah really. I decided to do some updates myself like a new starter, a new distributor cap, spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filter, etc. The only thing I didnt do myself was replace the fuel pump and do a fuel system cleaning. Im now getting about 18mpg. I really think the spark plugs and fuel filter made the biggest impacts. Maybe cleaning the injectors too with the fuel system cleansing.

A few other simple things you can do that might also help get the best possible fuel economy:

Make sure you tires are inflated properly. This is something you should be checking every couple weeks IMO.
Cut the drag on the vehicle. Roll up your windows, remove your roof rack or other protruding items.
Lay off the pedal. If you like to drive 75, cut it down to 65 or even 60 and then get back to me. This alone is going to save you money. If you drive 65, cut it to 55, enjoy the savings AND the ride. Try using the cruise control if you have a heavy foot.
Start planning your driving trips. Can you hold off that 99 cent store trip until tomorrow when you know you have to make it to the post office and the bank?
I once had a friend whos father owned a few gas stations. I always remember them saying they made several thousand dollars MORE on days when the temps were hot. Gasoline expands when its warm out, so fill up your tank when its cool outside.

Time to wipe the mud off my shoes. Hope it helps!

Books I am Currently Reading

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:43:28 PST

I really enjoy when blogs post what current books they are reading. I will usually pick up a book or two that interests me on their lists and learn something new. I thought I would share what Im currently going through right now and why. I hope you too can learn something new!

The Backyard Orchardist:

A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Orchardist-Complete-Growing-Garden/dp/0963452037/

I came across The Backyard Orchardist recently at my local Armstrong Garden Center. Its a handy little book and I highly recommend this if you have fruit trees. This book is packed with great pruning info for all sorts of trees. Our cherry, peach, orange, mandarin and apple trees are doing SO good since I learned some of the basics of pruning.

A MUST READ.

- - -

The World According to Monsanto
http://www.amazon.com/World-According-Monsanto-Marie-Monique-Robin/dp/1595587098/

This is an important read documenting all of the greed, corruption and most importantly, the pollution and health effect Monsanto is having on our food and planet. It really is eye opening and a game changer. You will view food much differently after reading.

- - -

When Technology Fails (Revised & Expanded): A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
http://www.amazon.com/When-Technology-Fails-Revised-Expanded/dp/1933392452/

Matt Stein is a writer for WIRED magazine and the Washington Post, amongst others. His book When Technology Fails is a fast read into what can happen (what can go wrong) in this new technological world we live in and how to be ready if disaster hits.

This is a truly informative read so I highly recommend it. He discusses the dangers of a massive solar flare which happens every 75-100 years or an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) attack and what it can do to the 40+ nuclear reactors in the United States. In a nutshell, an EMP or big solar flare will fry the electronics and probably the backups in the reactors and there is no way our government can keep the rods cool sustainably on all 40 reactors. Mr Stein outlines the meltdowns that will happen and how to prepare and get to safe ground. A great read and all backed up by scientific research and current data.

- - -

The Creature from Jekyll Island :

A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
http://www.amazon.com/Creature-Jekyll-Island-Federal-Reserve/dp/0912986212/

The Creature from Jekyll Island is a detailed look into the history and creation of the Federal Reserve. An important read that helps explain why the US dollar has lost over 90% of its value in the last 100 years. Go back into history and research how a group of banking elite met on an island off the east coast, used fictitious names, planned their scheme and created the Federal Reserve, which is neither federal nor a reserve.

- - -

Homegrown Whole Grains:

Grow, Harvest, and Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn and More

http://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Whole-Grains-Harvest-Barley/dp/160342153X/

A book I came across recently after becoming curious with the grains we eat here in America thanks to a website called Root Simple. I am finding out its simple and easy to grow your own grains in your backyard. With only 1000 square feet of growing space, you can produce 50 pounds... plenty for most families, which can be turned into 50 loaves of bread! Lots of great growing and harvesting tips in here. I may just start a grain this year!

- - -

Official Boy Scout Handbook
http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/literature-media/handbooks/12th-edition-bsa-handbook.html

Not something I sit down and read straight through, but a quick handy reference guide that has all sorts of great tips in it. Im so forgetful and the knots section always comes in handy around the house. You can pick up the newest Bicentennial edition in the link above for only $10 or find a used copy on Ebay. Mine is the 1980s edition (pictured above) that I grew up with and am familiar with. You can get used copies for $10 on Ebay or only a couple dollars in a thrift store or used book store.

New Years Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (iheartubuntu) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:59:54 PST

When 2012 came up quick and struck me in the face, I made a point to do a better job researching the food that I put into my body. Our bodies are reminiscent of a car or any piece of machinery. If we regularly maintain our cars they will last us a long time. If we dont, the car falls apart. There are strict fuels to use, strict lubricants something similar of our bodies. If we eat poor quality foods over time bad things will happen. It got me thinking...

The healthiest people I know dont live in America. They live in Europe. Have you ever traveled to Europe? Every time Ive been there I drop 10 pounds and feel vibrant and healthy and yet I drink a gallon of beer and eat plenty of good food. The food there is different. They dont have GMO (genetically modified organisms) food. they dont have Monsanto RoundUp Ready corn or pesticides. They probably have far more nutrients in their food then we do here. People over there dont take an average of 3 prescription drugs a day either. They walk more. They enjoy their lives more. They breathe cleaner air then we do. They dont have planes leaving trails in the sky that spread and form clouds filled what only God knows. They dont have 40 different vaccines or get yearly "flu shots". They dont have high fructose corn syrup in their food. They dont load up on antibiotics like Americans like to do. They dont seem to watch what they eat or exercise insistently like we do. And funny thing.... they dont really live and eat all that differently then we do here.

I could go on. But in saying all of this... what is the solution? Not all of us can grow our own crops like the Dervaes family in Pasadena, CA. They are great stewards of the land.

So what can you or I do? Im going to eat as much organic and non GMO as I can. I think this is an excellent start. Have you ever ate a meal and you are still hungry? Why is that? Maybe we just arent getting nutrients anymore. Eating organic will help this. I dont have all of the answers. I have a ton of questions and we can start solving things by beginning to ask these sorts of questions. Im happy I do not take any prescription drugs. Look at Whitney Houston, Marylin Monroe, Heath Ledger, etc... the didnt die of natural drugs that are illegal, they died of man made prescription drugs which are fully legal and readily available to anyone who has an internet connection. Makes you think.

The photo above represents most all European women I know. In shape, healthy, eats like horses, super clear complexions and so on. There is a reason for it and I think it starts with our food. What do YOU think?

Tomorrow I will do a post about my car (exciting I know), a recipe on Sunday that is quick and easy and perfect for breakfast with just a few simple ingredients. And look for my post next week on what books Im currently reading. And finally Im going to get busy with some renovation posts which the site has been lacking.