I listened to Julian Assange on Democracy Now! this morning, talking about the WikiLeaks imbroglio and the 92,000 documents released publicly. He uses an interesting piece of logic. Since the documents contain the raw material of the field reports by the soldiers PLUS the names and dates of the units and actions, it allows anyone to compare and contrast details as the reports move up the chain of command and are redacted and tweaked for political purposes. As he said, this re

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It's a good year to make your own condiments. Not because the peppers and pickling cukes are overflowing, in fact just the opposite. A month of cold and rain in early summer delayed planting the summer garden. Gardeners have been telling me, with cautious optimism, that their tomatoes are finally fruiting. Folks seem a bit on edge, hoping for a warm September and the city water supply holding through the summer.

Your own condiments are always better, cheaper, and more wonderful. They aren't… Continue

The green fava beans are swelling in their pods. Ah, shelly fava beans simmered with garlic scapes or green garlic. Harvest the bottom favas first. If you leave them, they will turn into dry beans, but it will take until late August. As they age, the beans first develop a tough outer skin, which slides off after cooking. Then they harden into dry beans. The pods dry and shatter, so you want to get your favas in as soon as the beans are hard and let them finish drying under cover. Then you can st… Continue

If you have only the slightest green thumb, you should be swimming in broccoli right now. I just put up 12 quart bags for the freezer and the whole process took less than an hour. Blanche 3-5 minutes, plunge in ice water for the same amount of time, drain, bag and label. Yes, freezing takes energy, but think of how much energy you are using to get to work every day and all your other activities that tie you into the mainstream death culture. Also, if you are growing your own broccoli, the vit

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Beet seeds out of the packet are actually a dry fruit with several seeds inside. Consequently, even if you use an Earthway or other seeder, you will need to thin your beets. Now is the time to do so. 4-6 inches apart or about the right distance for nice-sized beets that are just touching. You could do it earlier, but if you thin now, the beet seedlings are well established and you get to eat the thinnings. Right now they should be 1/2 to 1 inch across and are a very nice size for pickling. I use… Continue