While working on my Honeybee BrainyFile for kids, I was trying to come up with a game for the Killer Bee section. The lesson was about the introduction of the Africanized bees into our world via a selective breeding mishap. I...
Author - Cricket
Mesquite: Arizona and Hawaii have something in common!
Visiting Moloka’i has been such a beautiful experience. The moist air, the sound of the waves, and the lush green environment are so far from Arizona’s desert climate, the it’s hard to imagine anything in...
Preserving Your Harvest
Date and Price Coming Soon Let’s can something! Join me for the basics of water bath canning. We will go over equipment, methods, and safety practices to make your harvest last. This is a hands-on class that will send you...
Backyard Beekeeping
Date and Price Coming Soon Join me for this overview class on how to keep bees in your own backyard. You will gain practical knowledge of what a typical year of beekeeping is like in Phoenix, and leave this course with a solid...
A new home for my bees at The Arizona Worm Farm
For the last two years my bees have enjoyed my wonderful garden and have thrived there under the huge, lush fig tree. But it’s time for them to move to another location now. I visited the Arizona Worm Farm at South Mountain...
Growing and Using Hibiscus Sabdariffa
Living in Arizona has become such a pleasure as I discover how to use the plants that grow so well here in the desert. Hibiscus Sabdariffa, also known as Roselle, is one of those fantastic plants that actually thrives in the...
Compost Made in 24 Hours!
Compost in 24 hours… Seriously! The first time I met Jessica Marquardt was when she was an intern in the Master Gardener class I was mentoring. It was funny because I happened to be managing a hands-on station all...
Keeping Bees and Friends in Washington
In case you didn’t know, I used to live in Washington before moving to Arizona. I didn’t keep bees then, but I did keep friends. One of them also turned out to be a pretty awesome mom and beekeeper. Kathleen and I...