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Before you dive into the specifics of making your own starter, it might help to know a little more about what you’re making, and what you aren’t. Contrary to perceptions, using a sourdough starter doesn’t mean you have to end up with sour bread. “The purpose of the sourdough is to bring out the sweetness…

The word artisanal has become so shopworn that it’s almost devoid of meaning. (To wit: we once saw a pizza outlet on the outskirts of a small town in northern France that was fashioned in the style of an ATM-kiosk under the following sign: “Artisanal Pizza.”) In stark contrast to this sorry state of affairs, we would like to suggest a few items for holiday shopping made by some of the masters we profiled in 2019.

You’ve read the news: Traditional 9-5 jobs are in decline; a patchwork, “gig economy” of contract workers is rushing in to take their place; and colleges can’t keep up with these changes. The resulting chaos creates at least one unaddressed challenge: In a world with fewer shared ladders for advancement, how do tomorrow’s workers build pathways to success?

The rich world of independent perfumery can inspire fragrance lovers to engage in many ways. To help you follow your nose, so to speak, here are some of the best resources for both the curious and the committed, regarding the craft of scent-making. First, shoppers can get a whiff of the artisanal perfumes crafted by…

For 15 years, the world’s folk art makers and enthusiasts have gathered, en masse, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to celebrate the possible when it comes to indigenous craftsmanship. This summer, in just three days, some 21,000 people spent $3.3 million to show that traditional artisans still matter.

Gold’s supposed health benefits fall into three categories: medicine, cosmetics, and cuisine. Let’s dissect them one by one: Gold Cosmetics Many excited claims and anecdotes about the cosmetic use of gold leaf gush from beauty websites, echoing the magic word “rejuvenation.” An aesthetician quoted in Harper’s Bazaar explains this phenomenon by saying that “The gold…

As with many subjects that draw perfectionists and collectors, the fountain pen world offers a variety of superb resources for finding great pens, understanding their fine points (excuse the pun), and fixing old pens that need some TLC. Here are some of the more prominent resources. Richard’s Pens – for decades, Richard Binder has served…

While annual wildfires and other “natural” disasters mount in Australia, California, and elsewhere, a growing number of researchers and pastoralists around the globe have found remarkable, untapped opportunities to limit these troubles. It turns out that animals, plants, soil, and air have long collaborated to regulate our climate through their water use—until we disrupted their partnership. An environmental author finds a pathway to reconciliation.

The word artisanal has become so shopworn that it’s almost devoid of meaning. (To wit: we once saw a pizza outlet on the outskirts of a small town in northern France that was fashioned in the style of an ATM-kiosk under the following sign: “Artisanal Pizza.”) In stark contrast to this sorry state of affairs, we would like to suggest a few items for holiday shopping made by some of the masters we profiled in 2016.