The Staycation Is Still a Thing

Need a way to shrink those long drives and your environmental footprint at the same time? Consider staying in the Davis/Sacramento area for a true staycation, or consider sticking relatively close, exploring some of the beautiful sites and great entertainment options available within 100 miles of home.

The Whole House Fan

A whole house fan literally cools the “whole house.” Simply put, any time the air outside the house is cooler than the air inside, a whole house fan can quickly bring large volumes of that cooler air into the house, pushing the warmer air up into the attic where it is then vented to the outside. The result is a cooler, more comfortable home.

The Elephant in the Room 

This column is titled “The Elephant in the Room” because there is an aspect of the climate crisis that is rarely talked about, or at least not given primacy of place in ranking the many factors involved in heating up our planet. The issue is population, the number of people we have now, and the number the Earth will soon be supporting.

Apricot Baked Oatmeal: This baked oatmeal recipe is perfect for the summer season! Make it on a Sunday evening and store it in the fridge until breakfast time each morning. Reheat your portion in the microwave for a fast meal without heating up your entire home!

Cabbage Slaw: Dive on into summer picnics and potlucks with this incredibly delicious and healthy cabbage slaw recipe! What’s great about this dish is that it is great eaten on its own, as a snack, or packed into all sorts of sandwiches or plant-based burgers.

What can valley gardeners expect as climate changes?

Three weather phenomena will mark the progress of climate change in our area: endless sunny days, loss of tule fog and valley fog, and extreme heat waves.

The challenge for gardeners is that change will not be linear. Last year was hotter than average, but this year might be milder. There will be more heat waves, they will be hotter and last longer and yields will be down those years. Most winters will have sufficient chilling, but an increasing number will not.

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