Home, Garden and Cooking
Energy Savers
This site, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, has information on insulation and weatherization, landscaping, appliances, and lots of other ways to save energy.
HowToCleanAnything.Com
Information on household cleaning methods, arranged by house exterior, interior, pets, auto, recreation, and stains. Six experts in carpet, janitorial, pets, chemicals, clothing, and computer cleaning, Takes e-mail questions from the general public.
DIY -- Do It Yourself Network
DIY answers the call for more how-to projects with easy step-by-step directions. Whether you're creating a craft, remodeling a home, or planting the perfect garden, the DIY Network gives you the details you need, and the DIY Web site lets you see it again, print it out and take it with you." Instructions on a variety of home and do-it-yourself projects, as well as workshops that provide in-depth instruction on a variety of topics.
Do It Yourself.Com
Information sources and service providers for do-it-yourselfers.
Hometime.com
Check out "Project List" for linked categories or repair, remodel and construction.
Instructables.com
Community for sharing tutorials on how to do various things, from ipod and bicycle modification to raised-bed planting. Has sections for art, crafts, food, games, green, home, life, kids, offbeat, pets, photography, ride and tech.
RepairClinic.com
Appliance parts and free repair help.
Toiletology 101
Online course about how a home toilet works and how to repair one.
Washington State Building Code Council
Find the state building codes for Washington, legislative language, and related links and acronyms defined. Links to the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Fire Code, and the Washington State Energy Code.
America's Master Handyman's Help Site
Provides "how to hints" for home repair, manufacturer contact information, seasonal hints, archived articles, "Ask a Question" section, and most requested phone numbers for home repair.
American Society of Home Inspectors
Information on problems such as aluminum wiring, septic systems, and lead in drinking water. In addition the ASHI Library provides articles and links to topics such as chimneys and flues, electrical, foundations, heating, plumbing and all the other fun things involved with being a home owner. You can also search for local home inspectors certified by ASHI.
Construction WebLinks
A searchable collections of links for the construction industry and related fields, including architecture and engineering. Included in Organizations are federal and state agencies, commonwealths, and territories and their laws and regulations; bidding and contract decisions, regulatory updates, and other legal documents of interest to the building industry; business and trade organizations; and colleges, universities, and libraries. Industry Topics contains licensing, financing, building codes, insurance and bonds, specifications, statistics, and more.
Green Building Initiative
Information about how and why to build green, with lots of links to other resources.
Sweet's Online: Building Product Information
A searchable collection of information on building materials based on manufacturer's catalogs, arranged in 16 building trades divisions. The Business Directory of construction may be searched by state and city, name of company, and business type. There are links to trade organizations and relevant federal agencies. From the publisher of the print Sweet's Catalog Files (since 1906).
theplumber.com
This site includes a basic handbook; FAQ with information on water heaters, toilets, drains, faucets, garbage disposals, dishwashers, and water distribution; discussion forum; news items; and a history of plumbing.
US Green Building Council
Information on green building, including LEED guidelines, news, building certification, education and workshops.
Buying a Home
HUD's Web site for homebuyers includes common questions from first-time homebuyers; rights of a homebuyer; calculating how much mortgage you can afford; dealing with a real estate agent; various homebuying programs, including HUD's special programs; and information on inspections, appraisals, and homeowner's insurance.
CoAbode
Offers a unique 'matchmaking' service to provide single moms with one or more children the opportunity to share housing, while pooling resouces and finances with another single mom of their choosing.
Craigslist housing listings
Free online classified listing site. Find or post rentals, rooms, sublets, commercial space, real estate for sale and more. Search listings by town name, price, keywords.
ForSaleByOwner.com
Database of homes for sale by owner (without a real estate agent) in the United States. Search for a home, or list your property. Also has information on local schools, price comparisons, loans, and tips on home buying. See also another database of for sale listings, allthelistings.com, which covers "62 states and provinces."
Landlord - Tenant Law for Washington
Designed to help answer questions about landlord and tenant law. Washington State Bar Association Consumer Information Pamphlet.
Landlord-Tenant Law for Washington - the Attorney General’s Office
Includes info for renters and mobile home renters. Includes pdfs of a booklet and checklist in English, Spanish, and Russian.
 Making Home Affordable
Information, self-assessment tools and calculators for homeowners to determine their eligibility for federal mortgage modification or refinance programs. Connect with free counseling resources, locate local homeowner events, read the key document checklist and FAQ.
Realtor.com
Enormous database of homes for sale, from the National Association of Realtors. Search for listings with a mapping feature. Includes a directory of realtors, mortgage information, real estate Q&A, and information on common real estate terms and topics including buying and selling a home. There is a mapping feature if the address of the house is available. In English and Spanish.
Tenants Union
Information for tenants about their rights in Washington state. Includes sample form letters and a hotline number (for King County residents).
Cyndi's Catalog of Garden Catalogs
Find all the mail-order gardening catalogs in the US and Canada.
Dave's Garden
Extensive databases on plants, bugs, gardening terms, and mail-order companies; articles on gardening; a plant exchange; and a large and active community of members.
Garden Guides
Garden forums, articles, excellent resources and advice.
Garden Helper
Gardening, flowers and plants. An ever-growing guide to home gardening.
Grow at Eartheasy
Provides good overviews of backyard vegetable gardens, raised beds, composting, natural lawn care, fruit trees, pest control, gardening with children and more, with tips and further resources listed.
National Gardening Association
A wide variety of gardening information, with sections on home gardening, kids, edible landscaping, urban gardening, as well as expert advice, zone information, calculators, a seed swap and message boards.
Organic Gardening
Organic gardening tips and solutions, monthly advice, national events listings, links to other organic
commercial sites and organizations, book recommendations, and subscription information for print magazine.
Square Foot Gardening
Includes advice and basic instructions on making your own easy and productive garden using the square foot method. From Mel Bartholemew, author of the popular books on the topic.
BinettiGarden.com
Marianne Binetti, the "compleat" home gardener, is a Northwest horticultural expert.
Center for Urban Horticulture, University of Washington
A horticulture reference library serving the gardening public, the academic community and professional is the field.
Fancy Fronds Nursery
Located in Pacific Northwest- information and care about all types of ferns.
Gardening in Western Washington
Presented by WSU Cooperative Extension.
Gardening with Ciscoe
Ciscoe Morris is the host of KIRO radio's "Gardening with Ciscoe" show.
Great Plant Picks
Great Plant Picks is a new plant awards program designed to help the home gardener identify unbeatable plants for their Pacific Northwest garden.
Growing roses in the South Puget Sound
Includes all types of successful rose, rose care calendar, planting and caring diseases and pests and pruning.
Maritime Pacific Northwest Gardening
Two Rainy Side Gardeners focus on resources, ornamentals, edibles, herbs, landscaping, natives, events and a forum.
Northwest Flower & Garden Show
Annual garden show in Seattle
Rose Petals; the unofficial Seattle Rose Society Website
Maintained by Don Julien, newsletter editor. Don't miss this rose site -- excellent Seattle information ranging from Getting Started, Fertilizer Basics. Seasonal care (pruning!)
Slugs and Salal
Everything you need to know about gardening in the Pacific Northwest.
Washington Native Plant Society
Appreciate, conserve & study the native plants and habitats of Washington.
Washington state Department of Agriculture
Information on the public and food, such as licensing and inspections, pests and diseases, animal identification, etc.
Monthly Garden Projects
Ed Hume’s year-round gardening calendar.
Washington State University Gardening in Western Washington
What to do in your Western Washington garden and when.
Gardening with Children from Eartheasy
The best things for kids to plant and why, tips and further resources.
KidsGardening.com
This site supplies many creative ideas for teachers and parents to use while gardening with children. Ideas
are provided for theme gardens and users can participate in activities or connect with other "garden" teachers.
Kinder Garden
An introduction to the many ways children can interact with plants and the outdoors.
Greenhouse Garden Companion
A site that focuses on all of your greenhouse gardening questions.
Hobby Greenhouse Association
Non-profit organization of people who enjoy growing ornamental and edible plants year-round through the use of various structures.
Hortsense
Washington State University cooperative extensions home gardeners fact sheets for managing plant problems. Excellent site for Western Washington.
The Garden Helper
Insects, bugs and pests that invade your houseplants and flowers.
The Bloedel Reserve
The primary purpose of the Reserve on Bainbridge Island is to provide people with an opportunity to enjoy nature through quiet walks in the gardens and woodlands.
Washington Park Arboretum
The Washington Park Arboretum is a spectacular urban green space on the shores of Lake Washington just east of downtown Seattle and south of the University of Washington.
Allrecipes
Search recipes by ingredient or category (including a wide variety of special diets, such as dairy-free), find menu ideas and cooking tips, and submit your own favorite recipes.
Chow
Recipes, blogs, forums, video--all kinds of "food media" and information.
Cookthink
“What are you craving?” Explore recipes by ingredient, dish, cuisine or mood.
Epicurious
Includes over 10,000 recipes, food etiquette rules, dictionary of cooking terms, lists of cookbooks by topic or by year, and access to recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet.
Food Network
The homepage of the television channel, this site features recipes and cooking in categories such as Quick & Easy, Healthy Eating and Holidays, plus videos and information from their cooking shows.
Serious Eats
A food blog and community. "Fresh, hot, delicious food content served up daily." Recipes, videos, columns and forums.
TasteSpotting
A "collection of eye-catching images that link to something deliciously interesting on the other side," including recipes, articles, products, and more. Search for favorite ingredients, dishes, etc., or simply feast your eyes.
Allrecipes Vegetarian
Vegetarian section of popular cooking and recipe site Allrecipies.com
Fatfree: the Lowfat Vegetarian Recipe Archive
Low-fat and non-fat vegetarian recipes.
Vegan Health
Nutritional information and articles on vegan and vegetarian diets
Vegetarian Resource Group
Nutrition, recipes, restaurants, and news for vegetarians and vegans.
VegWeb Recipes
Huge recipe sharing site for vegan/vegetarian recipes.
Glycemic Index
Information about the glycemic index, and a database of foods searchable by food, glycemic index value or glycemic load. The official website of the Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, Australia.
NutritionData
Nutrition information of various foods, with graphical diagrams. Includes a Food Category Explorer tool which lets you click on a Caloric Ration Pyramid or a Nutritional Target Map diagram to find foods that match specific nutritional requirements. With free registration, access recipe analysis, BMI and tracking tools
USDA Nutrient Database
Search for the nutritional values of food items.
Zeer
Get nutrition information for real products; search by product name or UPC, make shopping lists and join communities.
Cook's Thesaurus
Find cooking substitutions, as well as descriptions and pictures of over 1,500 cooking ingredients.
Food Safety
Information from the government about food safety, including how to safely cook and store food, foodborne pathogens, news and safety alerts, and a section for kids and teens.
Food Timeline
Read about the origins of foods from 17,000 BC to the present, along with recipes, links, a "USA Food Guide," an index, and an "ask a question" service. Maintained by a reference librarian, sources are cited, making it useful for academic research as well as being simply fascinating.
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Practical information on various methods of food preservation to use at home, such as drying, freezing and canning; seasonal tips and links to free publications (in Acrobat pdf).
Science of Cooking
Answers specific questions about food and science, such as "What is flavor?" and "What are trans-fats?" Detailed scientific information. Site supported by Google Ads at the beginning of articles.
Science of Cooking at Exploratorium
Recipes, activities, and webcasts aimed kids, with lots of information on the science of food and cooking.
Spice Pages
Encyclopedia of herbs and spices with pictures, origin, what it tastes like and why, scientific name, common name etymology, and useful links.
Spices at "A Pinch Of"
General articles and a Reference Desk section with detailed articles about a wide variety of herbs and spices.
Beer Advocate
All kinds of beer information and education, such as: basics, tasting, news, history, homebrewing, forums and a magazine.
Beertown
Website of the Brewers Association, with information on beer and food, beer and health, homebrewing, craft brewing and more.
Coffee - International Coffee Organization
Intergovernmental organization for promoting coffee and tackling the challenges of the coffee industry worldwide. Vocabulary, tips, statistics, how to grow and brew and other information.
Coffee Universe
All about coffee: the bean, growing, roasting, preparing, storing and more. For anyone from consumers to baristas and coffee industry professionals.
Epicurious Drinks
Articles on and guides to beer, cocktails, spirits, and wine are covered in this section of the Epicurious website from the publishers of Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines.
Tea Council
From the United Kingdom Tea Council, information on many aspects of tea, including making a perfect cup, FAQ, types, history, health, business, and media.
Washington Wine Commission
From the Washington Wine Commission, wine 101, information on Washington wine, events, and with a free account, create and save wine tours.
Washington Wine Country - Go Taste Wine
"Discover Washington Wine Country": Find lengthy lists of wineries, bars, shops, vineyards, tours and events; search by town or area.
Wine Lovers Page
Wine-tasting basics, label decoding, and large archive of wine tasting notes.
Wine Spectator
Search for ratings and prices of over 15,000 wines.
Wines Northwest
Great map of Washington wine areas, facts and information on touring the wine regions, and information on wineries in other Northwest states
Local Harvest
Country-wide organization that finds farms, farmers markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture and other farm subscriptions) geographically. Useful to get contact information and shop for farm products and crafts online.
Washington State Farmers Market Association
Directory of farmers markets in Washington state, organized alphabetically by town.
Aberdeen - Gray's Harbor County Farmers Market
Sunday, 11am - 4 pm, June 7-August 30 2009. On Broadway between Market & Wishkah in Aberdeen.
Belfair Farmers Market
Saturday, 9am-3pm, May 2 - September 2009. Theler Community Center parking lot, State Road 3 Belfair, WA 98528.
Centralia - Lewis County Farmers Market
Friday, 9am-3pm May 1 - September 18 2009. Corner of Pine St. and Tower Ave., downtown Centralia.
Chehalis Community Farmers Market
Tuesday, 12pm - 5pm, June 16 - October 27 2009. Boistfort Ave., downtown Chehalis
Hoquiam - Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair
Wednesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm, February to December; some Sundays in the summer. 1958 Riverside Ave, Highway 101 at 20th Street. Contact phone: (360) 538-9747.
Ilwaco - Saturday Market at The Port of Ilwaco
Saturday, 10am-3pm, May 3 - September 27 2009. Waterfront Way, Ilwaco.
Lacey Community Market
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m; July 11, August 8, and September 12, 2009. Huntamer Park in Woodland Square, Lacey. For Information: (360) 491-3214
Mossyrock Public Market
Friday and Saturday 9am-3pm May to Aug 2009. 258 Mossyrock Road West, Mossyrock. Contact phone: 269-2653.
Olympia Farmers Market
Thursday - Sunday, 10am - 3pm, April - October and then Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 3pm, November-December. Capitol Way and Market Street, Olympia.
Raymond - Public Market on the Willapa
Friday-Saturday, 10am - 4pm, most if not all year round. 4th and Heath, Raymond.
Shelton Farmers Market
Saturday, 9am to 2pm, the first week of May to the last week of September. 3rd Street between Cedar and Franklin in downtown Shelton.
Tenino Farmers Market
Saturdays, 10am-3pm, June 27 - September 26 2009.
Old Highway 99 at the Tenino Elementary School.
Tumwater Town Center Farmers Market
Wednesday, 11am-2pm May 27 - Oct 28 2009.
SW corner of Capitol Blvd and Israel Rd in Tumwater
Revised
9/17/2008
For Information or to Ask a Reference Question:
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Timberland Regional Library serves Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason,
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