The Edible Learning Lab – all 274 lessons – are now online! More than 3 years ago, Dave and I sat around a campfire in Sedona painting the broad strokes of what would become the Edible Learning Lab and even then we dreamed of it being available online to teachers all over the world. We …Read More about From Paper to Pixels
About Tim Miner
Composting Methods
Composting is a process that offers a variety of approaches, each having their own merits. Often, small-scale farmers and home gardeners will employ more than one method for composting waste from the kitchen, yard, and garden to minimize waste and recapture those valuable nutrients so they can be reapplied for the benefit of the next …Read More about Composting Methods
The Value of Worm Castings
Worm castings are one of the amazing products from Mother Nature that serve a multitude of purposes, some active and others more passive in their impact on the food production process. Consider this, composting with worms can reduce the waste that makes it into the landfill by 30% for a single household. That would include …Read More about The Value of Worm Castings
Seed Saving by Traits and Characteristics
Saving seed is nothing new, in fact, it’s been a standard practice of farmers for generations. Saving seed helps to contain costs and was seen as a way to maintain control over the process. It’s an expression of self-reliance really. Though there has been a shift in recent years, seed saving is still a viable …Read More about Seed Saving by Traits and Characteristics
DIY Water Filter
I walked into class at our flagship Lab in Wyoming one afternoon and posed the following question to the class. “If we were camping and forgot to load the cooler with water and we didn’t have a filter what would we do?” Of course, with a class of 3rd and 4th graders, I got answers …Read More about DIY Water Filter
DIY Seed Screens
The seed savings process is pretty simple but it can become more involved for certain varieties. The challenge we’ve found in the Edible Learning Lab is in the process of separating the seed from the chaff and other organic material so that we can store just the seeds for next season. There are few tools …Read More about DIY Seed Screens
Filtering and Treating Rainwater
Dave and I often discuss a shared daydream, a vision for the future, that is extremely compelling to the two of us. We both strive to build the perfect homestead. Perfect in our own eyes, of course. Dave has his vision and I have mine and though they are individualized concepts of perfection there is …Read More about Filtering and Treating Rainwater
Measuring Rainfall and Collection Potential
Rainwater is the lifeblood of the garden. The pH is optimal for garden plants, and the soluble nutrients provide a nice boost. But rain is anything but predictable. The clouds roll in and you think you’re in luck only to get a drop or two. Other times, out of nowhere the drops start falling from …Read More about Measuring Rainfall and Collection Potential
Pre-Sale: 2017 Edition of Edible Learning Lab Curriculum
As you read this post, the Modern Steader Team is putting the finishing touches on the 2017 Edition of the Edible Learning Lab Curriculum. The shiny new edition includes more than 200 new lessons making it easier than ever to bring edible education into your K-12 classroom. And so to ring in the new year, …Read More about Pre-Sale: 2017 Edition of Edible Learning Lab Curriculum
How to Dechlorinate Water
One of the foundational processes in the Edible Learning Lab is the promotion of good bacteria. Bacteria are beneficial to healthy soil and plant development in a number of ways. One of the most important relationships exists between rhizobia, a specific soil bacteria, that fixes nitrogen for plants at the root level. Plants are unable …Read More about How to Dechlorinate Water