Reap the benefits: Eat what you grow

Make the most of your garden's (or farmers market's) nutrients and eat your veggies.

There are lots of ways for gardeners to get more food from their gardens. They can improve the soil, optimize the layout of growing beds, rotate crops, plant in successions, keep up with picking — things like that. But what . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Keep your food close to home

Make fostering culinary relationships with local farmers your New Year's resolution

‘You are what you eat." I first heard this phrase from my grade nine home economics teacher, Brenda Nelson. At the time — as a teenager — the meaning struck me as a gentle admonishment to avoid full-fat indulgences. Today, . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Avoid attic asbestos by re-routing renos

Question: My home is a side-by-side bungalow, where the front part of the house has a cathedral-type ceiling over the living room, kitchen and dining area. The adjoining wall between the homes is 11 feet high and the galley-type kitchen . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Authentically cool condo

Husband and wife turn home into a space truly meant to be lived in

SEATTLE — It’s one of those apocalyptically hot August afternoons, when even the trivial elevation of Lower Queen Anne feels just a little too close to the sun. And then you climb higher — to the renovated penthouse condominium of . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Being comfy is the best New Year's resolution

If you want to watch movies and chill, you'll need a few items to make yourself cosy

The year is practically over. We successfully got through the December grind, the holiday parties, the Christmas festivities and the overindulgent eating. Tomorrow we ring in the new year and, if you’re lucky, there’s nothing on the agenda but to . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Which devices made the grade for 2016

Many are tested, but few have made the grade for Gizmo Guy’s Gadgets of the Year honours, now dubbed The Besties.1. PlayStation VR and Samsung Gear VR: As exotic as a trip into space (or Tahiti), all-enveloping virtual reality finally . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

What's the differencebetween olive oils?

QUESTION: I noticed a number of different uses for olive oil on your website. Which is the best olive oil to buy? What is the difference between virgin, extra-virgin oil, etc.?— JoshuaAnswer: Extra-virgin olive oil (the best of the best) . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Too much work to make resolutions

Unless I resolve to get these projects done, I might as well not even try

New Year’s resolutions? I’ve got way too many projects waiting here at home to waste my time thinking up resolutions.Unless the resolution is to get all those projects done before 2017 ends — and that’s just setting myself up for . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Talk about an ice breaker

Frozen pipes can pose a real problem -- but there is a solution

When the temperatures dip below -25 C and the winds begin to howl, installation deficiencies within the exterior walls of your house can quickly reveal themselves in nasty and unpleasant ways: a soft yet frigid breeze blowing from a light . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31

Full of life and light

Two-storey home stylish and functional

It’s something that all homebuilders strive for — to design homes that are not only stylish and functional, but that also stand out from the crowd.One look at The Malone III — a 1, 596 sq. ft., two-storey design found . . .

Posted: 2016-12-31