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Maybe you want to get started gardening with just a few herbs, but, like us, feel like a natural born plant killer. Grow Bags provide breathe-able, portable containers you can plunk down just about anywhere to grow herbs and small vegetables.
We suggested looking into a windows box garden over the weekend, but for apartment dwellers without such amenities, and those who fear the dangers of over-watering or too much heat, Gardener's Supply offers these 13-by-10 bags. They're made of double-layer polypropylene, similar to what long underwear is made of, and that allows excess water to escape, air to get in, and direct sunlight heat to dissipate, while still providing a fairly firm container for your plants. The bags come in a few different shapes for herbs, tomatoes, peppers, salad greens, and potatoes—plants which can, generally, grow on front steps, patios, or anywhere that gets a little sun and a little water each day.
You have to buy your own potting mix or dirt and seeds, but after following the directions on the seed packet, you're pretty much good to go. If you want to upgrade and ensure constant moisture, even when you're forgetful during dry spells, there's a self-watering tray that fits exactly two Grow Bags. We're eager to start out with two bags of our own, now that the weather's started to turn the corner here in Buffalo.
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Broiling is a great way to semi-recreate the effects of outdoor cooking inside. As simple as broiling is, you can still muck it up by keeping your oven closed too tightly.
Windows: It may not stick around that long once the powers that be find out, so if downloading and watching Hulu videos offline could help you out, grab StreamTransport. The tricky little app provides full-quality captures of streaming shows and movies.
Food blog Cheap, Healthy, Good is all about stretching food frugality very, very far, while keeping the meals tasty and leftover-friendly. An older post illustrates how one roast chicken can make 17 meals for a total of $26.
A solid kitchen knife paired with some knife-handling know how goes a long way towards making cooking a more enjoyable experience. Check out this video and accompanying guide to get the basics down.
In a series of blind taste tests performed by The Atlantic's Corby Kummer, he found, to his surprise, that much of Walmart's new locally-grown fruits and vegetables taste just as good as (and sometimes better than) what you'll find at higher end stores like Whole Foods, but at a far better price. Kummer bought a bunch of fresh eggs, cheese, spinach, pears, and other locally-produced food from both Walmart and Whole Foods, cooked up a meal, and invited a bunch of friends over for a blind taste test. Here's what they discovered: