Just before summer warms soil temperatures to an intolerable level for cool weather legumes, fava beans are at their largest, sweetest stage. The long, bright-green pods hide a delicious ancient delicacy nestled inside their silken, white lining. Favas are known throughout the Middle East and most of Europe. In England, they are called broad beans. […]
how-tos
Posted inHome
Tools That Almost Never Work
Organizing Culprit No. 1: The Filing Cabinet The No. 1 organizing fail is the one you’d least expect: the filing cabinet. That’s right. For anyone except the most organized people, filing cabinets are where papers go to die. This unorthodox view comes from years of working with client paperwork — the most important and useful […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Why Keep Gentle Bees? Part 2
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from “Mason Bee Revolution: How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World One Backyard at a Time,” a book by Dave Hunter and Jill LIghtner recently released by Seattle-based Mountaineers Books. Read Part 1 to learn about the types of gentle bees and how mason bees are different. […]
Posted inGarden
Planting Lilies for Continuous Bloom
Sometimes overlooked when planning the West Sound garden, lilies make great perennial accent points during their season of bloom. This area has a few commercial growing fields and sources for bulbs, but no plant clubs in the immediate area. Lilies are very popular in the Midwest due to their winter hardiness. In West Sound, the […]
Posted inAt Home
5 Easy Ways to Safeguard Kids’ Tech Devices from Predators
Summer vacation is almost here — which means kids are going to be looking for new ways to fill their time with entertainments. Mobile devices and computers are no doubt at the top of their lists. But before you let your kids loose on the web, spend a little time making sure they know how […]
Posted inAt Home
Recipes for a Smokin’ Father’s Day
If the surge in barbecue and smoking competitions across the country is any indication, grilling has become an art form. This Father’s Day, grab dad and gather around the grill to try a technique that’s rising in popularity — smoking — and create memories together. From secret marinades to tricked-out grills and smokers, competitive smokers […]
Posted inGarden
How to Choose Binoculars
It is time to get out there and enjoy the wildlife in your own backyard — or take your new binoculars and spotting scopes to an area park and view the wonders of birds and other critters in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When looking for new binoculars or a spotting scope, plan on spending an […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
10 Tips for ‘Greening’ Your Gardening Habits
Spring is a great time of the year to spruce up your gardening habits. From cutting down on the trash generated by gardening, to gardening in a way that reduces the amount of household items you need to buy, there are ideas for every shade of green thumb. Here are 10 tip to help you […]
Posted inCommunity News
Master Gardeners to Teach Class on Organic Vegetable Gardening for Year-Round Harvests
Thanks to our mild climate, more and more gardeners are realizing that they are able to grow nutritious produce in their own backyards all year long. With a little preparation, you too can expand beyond the warm-season crops that are more commonly grown. Cool-season crops such as carrots, kale and chard make fine choices for […]