Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Editors Note - In England we might also call this potting compost! Nev has also found a substitute to peat that can be used! I recommend using this mixture in conjunction with biodegradable newspaper pots.

Ingredients, compost, peat moss, sand,Vermiculite or Perlite, warning

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/seeds.htm

More than I can check:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/index.htm

2,501 posted on 04/29/2008 11:56:07 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://easierboard.com/cripes/?page_id=205

Crude, free heat.

For quite some time I’ve been meaning to take a stab at making a solar heater. For those who think this is fancy way of saying sitting in the sun you’re half right. Basically you create a sealed box with glass on the front, dividers on the inside and the inside paint black. By having the inside painted black it helps to absorb heat and therefore heat air that passes through the sealed chamber. A simplified part of the law of thermodynamics states that hot air rises. If you have an opening on the bottom for air to enter, as it warms in the sealed chamber it will naturally rise to the top and exit through the top port.

Here is my really simple and quickly and slapped together attempt at a solar heater. I have placed this in the window of my south facing enclosed porch. This also happens to be where the access panel for my shower/bath tub plumbing is located. My thinking is that any increased temperature can only help to prevent those pipes from getting really cold or freezing. My house was built in the 1880’s and therefore my bathroom was added to the existing structure of the house with three of its four walls being exterior. I will eventually be excavating underneath the tub in my bathroom. Until then I will keep it warm. Here goes.

Cut a piece of foam board that will fit inside the window which you would like to place it in.
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Cut the side pieces to fit the depth of the window.
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Attach the sides with a hot glue gun.

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Next glue in channel baffles of the same height as the sides. This will direct the hot air through the sealed heater.

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Next I cut out air inlet and outlet ports at the top an bottom of the box as well as primed the entire inside. Since spray paint will eat foam primer is the key to avoiding that.

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Next I glued pennies to the bottom of the box. I had seen this on another solar heater how-to. Pennies are copper and zinc and very cheap. Great conductors of heat, especially when painted black.
Also, this picture doesn’t show it well but I have placed panes of glass on top. I used caulk to adhere the glass to the heater box.

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Here I have painted it black.

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Finally after the assembly and painting I have placed it in the window. Now it may only increase the room temperature 5-10 degrees it cost very little and produces more heat than the cost I have invested.

2,502 posted on 04/29/2008 11:58:10 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

[As many of you may have noticed, I do not keep up with the latest gadgets, made and imported and sold by brainwashing to unsuspecting people....but give me a new idea on how to do something for yourself and with ‘free’ materials and I do get excited.......LOL, as I know you are.....these links tonight are I hope getting all of you excited, they are different, free or almost so and all can be tried at home, by you....as I would have once.

And I have not really touched all the ideas found here.....

granny]

http://containergardening.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/a-special-container-form-the-grow-tower-willem/

special container form : the grow tower (Willem)

Years ago, I visited a colleague in Beijing (Prof. Dr. WANG Tao), who showed me a peculiar way of growing garlic plants on vertical “poles”. In fact, the poles were PVC pipes, about 10-12 cm (4-5 inches) in diameter, in which a series of 4-5 cm (1 ½ to 2 inches) holes were drilled. The holes were spaced randomly around the pipe, about 4-5 cm (1 ½ to 2 inches) apart.

An impressive series of pipes were standing as “grow towers” in a greenhouse, so that in a relatively small space a maximum of plants were kept growing from floor to ceiling. Each pipe was filled with potting soil and the pipes were watered with a sort of drip irrigation system. In every hole of each grow tower a garlic bulb was growing splendidly (flowering towers !).

This brought me to the idea that a smaller number of plants could also be grown on PET bottles. It suffices to cut a number of holes in the wall of the bottle, filled with potting soil, to create a small grow tower (see my first experimental designs) :

Vertical grow tower

Bottle with 3 holes at one side. The same number can be cut at the opposite side. (Click on the picture to enlarge it).

Bottle grow tower

Mini grow tower : holes cut in the bottle wall fashioned with scotch tape.

I intend to set up some experiments with similar grow towers next week and I will post the results as soon as possible.

Today, I was reading an interesting description of other types of grow tower, made in wood. Here is the text that I found in The Tucson Gardener (2004) :

http://www.tucsongardener.com/Year04/strawberryadventures.htm

“

The Homemade Strawberry Tower
You would think by now that I’d be out of new strawberry plants but I wasn’t. I still had about 50 young, healthy plants that needed to find a place in the garden or were destined for the compost bin. I happened to read where someone suggested drilling holes in a whiskey barrel filling the barrel with potting soil and the holes with strawberry plants. That’s when I decided I’d build a grow tower from inexpensive wood just to see what would happen.

Using cedar fence boards and lots of screws I made a four foot tall by about 15 - inch square container. Then I drilled a bunch of evenly spaced inch and a half diameter holes.

I then treated the outside of the wood with a water sealer and moved the whole thing to a place in the vegetable garden where I placed it on four concrete stepping stones to keep it from sitting on the ground. I ran a loop of soaker hose down to the bottom of the four foot tower and hooked it up to the watering system.

Then came the hard part - planting the strawberry plants. I filled the container with a good potting mix and some slow release fertilizer putting plants in the holes as I filled the tower. At the top I added a few more plants. Eventually I had to replace three plants that didn’t make it because I may have planted them too deeply covering the crown.

I had plans to make a removable cage that I could slip over the tower with the beginning of fruit production to fend of birds and rodents but production wasn’t so great that I needed to build the cage. I did construct a simple frame to support shade cloth to help the plants make it through the hot summer.

I must admit I like the looks of my tower but it hasn’t been a big strawberry producer. My biggest fear is it may fall apart sooner than I’d like. I’m hoping it will last for three years. The verdict isn’t yet in. Until then the strawberry tower makes and interesting addition to the vegetable garden.(2004)”

—————

Looking at all these possibilities to construct “grow towers” from pipes, bottles, barrels, wood etc., I am wondering if some of you would come up with more interesting ideas. I am looking forward to your descriptions and preferably with photos.

What a wonderful world, this container gardening, in particular for people living in the drylands, who can grow vegetables and fruits without needing to install gardens in desertlike soils, saving a lot of water and getting fresh food with minimal efforts !

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

* My very simple strawberry bottles (Willem)

Categories:

* Horticulture / Gardening
* Pictures
* Water / moisture
* barrels
* containers
* desert / desert gardening
* drought
* drylands
* experiments
* food / food security
* fruits
* grow tower
* herb gardening
* plastic (PET) bottles / bags
* pots
* potting soil
* soil conditioning
* vegetables
* vertical gardening

« Several methods for strawberry production (Tucson Gardener)
Gardening with kids : Hands-on Kits »
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2,503 posted on 04/30/2008 12:06:26 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

[esky, appears to be an ice chest, as we use when camping.. photos....granny]

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/hayboxcooker.htm

A Hay Box Cooker An Old Invention – Out of New Materials By The self sufficient Guru Nev Sweeny

Nev Sweeney the self sufficient guruI first heard about the concept of the hay box cooker, which uses stored heat to cook food, many years ago. I made one out of straw, a pine box and a large glass casserole dish but it was not really successful. The main problem was that the casserole dish was too large so that you had to make too much food in one go, and there was not enough insulation between the casserole and the side of the wooden box. So I until recently I had gone without one of these useful devices.

While wandering through a neighbours garage sale I spied a large plastic cooleresky*, it looked well used, but it was intact and BIG (590mm x 370mm x 420mm high), so for the princely sum of $5 it was mine! To turn it into a haybox cooker I then needed to work out what cooking pot/s to use what and insulation material to use.

* Australian for cooler
Cooking Pots

I needed to work out the type of cooking pots to use, I had decided that the size of the esky would allow me to use two pots – a one litre and a two litre pot – so that I would have some flexibility depending on the number of people to be fed. The haybox cooker works most efficiently when the cooking pot is almost full of food.

Another way to improve heat retention is to ensure that the cooking pots have the least possible surface area for the volume contained, this is a sphere – which is geometrically inconvenient for my purposes, so I settled on a couple of squat, enamelled steel billy cans. The lids of the cans also have a rim which ensures that condensation on the lid is returned to the pot.

The enamelling on both pots is a dark blue and the idea was that I could use my solar oven to heat up the food and then put it into the haybox cooker to complete the process. That was the theory and for the 1 litre pot it works fine, but I found that when I tried the 2 litre pot it is just a wee to big, and prevents the glass front from entirely closing, which in turn lets the heat out. Another fine theory blown to hell due to lack of attention to detail!
Insulation

The obvious answer here was “hay”, being a traditionalist of sorts, but hay has some disadvantages in that it is not so effective an insulator as some modern materials and it tends to absorb steam and odours during the cooking process which then cause it to grow bugs (yuch!). I wanted something that was light, low maintenance and an effective insulator. As luck would have it, a friend offered me an 1800mm x 900mm sheet of polystyrene foam that wasinsulation in the haybox cooker 25mm thick and had been used as packing in a container, so I accepted it gratefully.

I still needed to cut it to shape and the classic way using a saw creates a hell of a mess with fine particles of polystyrene all over the place. So rather than do that I looked around to see if I could get hold of hot wire cutter, which makes a nice smooth cut with little or no little fiddly bits. After some searching I found a reasonably priced ($25) battery powered unit available from Hobbyco in the city (Sydney). Its limitation was that it could only cut polystyrene sheet up to 35mm thick so this was not much of a problem with my stuff being only 25mm thick.

I cut two slabs to act as the bottom insulation and then a number of strips A pillowwith holes in them to accept the cooking containers up to the level of their lids. Here the analogy breaks down! To use the rigid polyester foam over the tops of the cooking containers by carving out the correct size and shape was beyond my technology, so I remembered our family motto - “when all else fails – cheat!”. I bought some polystyrene beads, used for stuffing bean bags and made up a cushion by loosely filling an old flannelette pillowcase, which sits neatly on top of the cooking containers and acts and an insulator. I sewed the pillowcase closed, because anything less than an airtight seal and the beans escape and get EVERYWHERE!

One problem with the esky was that, in common with a lot of esky’s cooler with insulaitonnowadays, there is actually no insulation in the formed plastic top, I assume that the air gap in the lid is supposed to act as an insulator. I was not happy with this, so using a cut of funnel I persuaded a whole stack of the polystyrene beans to go into a moulding hole in the top. That was one tedious job, because the beans clearly did not want to go into the lid! Anyway once completed I sealed the hole with an (unused) industrial ear plug.

The haybox cooker was now completed.
Operation

The idea is to load up the cooking pot with your food in the same way you would a crockpot, this style of cooking lends itself to soups, stews and casseroles ie wet cooking so if you are after dry or crisp, this is not the way to hay box cooker with pots in itgo. Having filled your pots with ingredients and water up to about 25mm from the top, put it on the stove and bring it up to the boil, and boil for five minutes to get the heat into the centre of any larger lumps of ingredient. Once it has been boiling for 5 minutes quickly transfer it to the haybox cooker, smooth down the insulating pillow and clamp on the lid.
Leave everything undisturbed for 8 to 12 hours (No peeking!) and then open for a hot deliciously cooked meal.

To test our haybox cooker, I filled both containers and boiled them, transferring them straight to the cooker and then sealed it up. Early the next day, about 10 hours later, the 2 litre pot was still over 90°C and the 1 litre one was still above 85°C. The haybox cooker has served us very well, particularly during winter and I even used it to make a batch of my beef and veggie soup, a family favourite. I still looks a bit basic and I want to make a nice wooden box to go around it so that it looks like a piece of furniture rather than a well used esky…………………..eventually!

Nev Sweeney

2,504 posted on 04/30/2008 12:15:35 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

[When I posted the links for free cycle groups, a couple weeks ago, I noticed there was a Yahoo group in my area and I was curious, so joined......it is not something that I can take part in, but it would be if I could still get around.

They simply place a post for what they need or what they have and do not want.

And it is everything you can think of.

I smile at what I read and suggest that all of you join the one in your area, some plants and pots have gone thru and I really wanted to see the fancy wrought iron fence that was given away.

granny.

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/budgetorganicgardening.htm

Organic Gardening on a Budget

Whilst on my allotment yesterday I got to thinking about how most of my growing and gardening is done on a budget. There are cheap and easy ways to garden organically and there are many things I have learnt over the years.

Seeds - Tools on a budget - Pest control slugs - other organic pest control - Compost - Build your own
Getting seeds on a budget

I don’t know about you but when I walk into a garden centre in the spring I tend to go mad and start to buy loads of seeds. However, quite often I end up with many of them left the next year! So, the first tip is to plan what you are going to grow and how many seeds you actually need. There is no point buying seeds for plants that won’t grow well in your climate or ones that you won’t have room for, or else you simply won’t use.

Getting seeds from what you eat is another tip. Although it is not recommended, I grow all my garlic from shop-bought bulbs. Simply buy a bulb of garlic ;the bigger the better, remember - big cloves big plants. Plant each clove individually, and water in dry weather. Many growers recommend that you don’t use shop-bought garlic as it is more prone to disease but I have never had a problem.

You can do the same with potatoes, just chit them and plant them. This is a good way to use up the green potatoes that you would otherwise just chuck away. Ensure that they don’t have long white shoots on them, if they do simply pick them off. As with garlic, shop-bought potatoes are more prone to disease than seed potatoes. If you have had trouble with blight before then it is perhaps better to use seed potatoes.

Don’t let a lack of space put you off growing potatoes, for there are ways around this. This year I am experimenting with growing potatoes in a tyre in my back yard. I put three chitted potatoes into a compost filled tyre. As soon as there is 20cm of growth I will cover this over, leaving 10cm of growth. Then when they need earthing up I will add an extra tyre and continue this process until there is a small stack of tyres (up to 5) and hopefully a large crop of potatoes.

Squash seeds can be easily obtained from a squash (strangely enough). Cut it in half, wash the seeds and allow them to dry, then treat as you would shop-bought seeds. It is wise to discard the smaller seeds.

You have heard the saying ‘gone to seed’? Well this is not a bad thing if you want to harvest the seeds as seeds can be taken from many vegetable plants. A good example is beetroot; when left in the ground past harvesting time it will eventually go to seed. This is generally by the next season. Just leave in one or two plants and you will surprised with how many seeds you get. I left radishes, beans and onions to go to seed last year and am now growing plants from from the seeds this year. It is worth noting that you should only let onions go to seed after you have harvested them as once one goes they all will and the size of the bulbs with suffer.

To get seeds from a tomato plant harvest a very ripe tomato off your best plant and scoop out the seeds, put them in a jar, half fill with water and leave at room temperature for two days. Not all the seeds will be good but luckily it will be easy to find out which ones are as they will sink to the bottom. Separate the seeds out and put the good ones onto a bit of kitchen roll (or Toilet paper if you are really skint). After most of the water has been absorbed stick them on a plate and dry outside in direct sunlight and let them dry out. The seeds can then be stored until next year in a margarine tub (cleaned) or a jar.

It is also worth just asking people for seeds. Make sure that everyone you meet knows that you are, or are planning to be, a gardener. I get given seeds from all sorts of people - the beauty of getting seeds this way is not only that it is free but often they will come with some pretty sound advice.

It is also worth asking at your local freecycle group.
back to the top
Tools on a budget

It is not worth spending a fortune on tools when you first start out. The main tools that you need are a spade, fork, rake, hoe and a trowel. There are plenty of other weird and wonderful tools out there but if you are not entirely sure what something does then it is not worth forking out for them. I went out and bought a spade, fork and rake for £15 each when I bought my tools. I was not aware that some of the smaller independent garden centres sold second hand tools at a fraction of the price. It is definitely worth having a look around. Also ask your friends and family and perhaps your local freecycle group.

Buying cheap new tools can be a false economy, especially if you have heavy clay soil. It won’t be long until a flimsy fork will snap. If you are thinking of getting a hand fork from the local pound shop then think again, as they are useless; the thin metal bends almost as soon as it is used.

back to the top
Budget organic pest control - Slugs

One of the easiest ways to keep slugs at bay is to use egg shells. Slugs and snails don’t like rough surfaces and won’t cross them, so a natural barrier around your plot or around the plants that are particularly at risk will deter them. The beauty also is that egg shells are natural and so biodegrade and release calcium into the soil.

All well and good, but you must really have more than one attack against slugs. A simple slug trap made out of a pop bottle is a good idea. Putting down seaweed is another idea as slugs hate it and it also can act as a mulch.

For those feeling a bit warped you might want to try the slug milkshake. I can’t vouch for this as I have never tried it. First collect all the slugs you can in a bucket, then empty the slugs into a blender. This makes a fine slug milkshake that you can paint onto fences, pots and containers in your garden/allotment to keep slugs away. It works in the same way as Vlad the Impaler form of defense against the Turks. If you can see/sense mass murder of your people/slugs you will stay away. Oh and remember to wash that blender afterwards or you might not get dinner guests again.

For more slug control have a look at our thread on the forum ‘ 101 ways to get rid of slugs’. Last count we had got up to about 60.

back to the top
Other Budget Organic Pest Control

To get rid of aphids a soap solution in a spray gun sprayed on affected areas will rid you of the little blighters.

It is also worth thinking about which plants attract beneficial insects, such as ladybirds and hoverflies. Hoverflies like yellow flowers such as marigolds. Ladybirds are attracted to some herbs such as dill, parsley, catnip and lemon balm.

Some herbs, such as garlic and rosemary, will repel harmful insects. So you should plant herbs nearby to the plants that are more likely to come under attack.

Onions close to carrots will help repel carrot fly and in turn the carrots will help repel onion fly.
back to the top
Compost

Composting is another easy way to reduce cost. A bag of organic peat free potting compost will set you back at least £2.50 whereas making your own will cost you nothing and you will get much more than just a bag full. A simple compost bin can be made from four pallets tied together. For more information on composting have a look at our compost article.
back to the top
Build your own

Last year I built a small clotch using some wire coat hangers and clear plastic left over from some packaging. Unfortunately, last year my allotment was on top of a hill in an area that is very windy and it blew away - not the most environmentally friendly way of reusing plastic. If you are going to make similar things then ensure that they are secure.

Many gardeners will use old windows as cloches and this might be a simpler idea.

One of our forum members has made his own water butt, photos of which can be seen here.

I have used old milk cartons for growing seedlings; simply cut the bottom off and make holes in it. You could also use newspaper to make pots from .

A pond can be a useful addition to your allotment or garden and it need not be expensive to buy one, as you can see from an article about how I made a pond from an old baby bath just here. - Please ask your allotment rep or council before putting one in though as sometimes they can be frowned upon.

Above all, simply use your imagination; before throwing something out make sure you ask yourself ‘could I use that in my garden?’

2,505 posted on 04/30/2008 12:28:38 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/paulsprint.htm

Selfsufficientish.com - Paul Giles Famous Vegie Burgers
Ingredients

450g approx dried split peas

50 g dried beans (maybe more).

200g lentils.

200g breadcrumbs, (for cooking and at least the same for coating) .

150g of crushed nuts and seeds: add more for a more nutty burger but this is the major cost. However you can use hulled pumpkin, sunflower, squash seeds (make sure they are edible) or wild hazelnut etc.

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic.

100 g mushrooms, can be bought or picked but make sure they are safe check out www.agarics.org or visit amazon for a good mushroom identification book.

1 large~ish carrot.

1 teaspoon each of cumin, cayenne pepper and turmeric (I used 2 last time and got very spicy burgers).
Method/procedure

1. Put the peas and beans into a large bowl (they expand) and soak over night.
2. Empty the water and put the peas and beans into the large pan and boil them for at least 2 hours (watch out for the interesting coloured scum! And you may need to top up water!). The peas need to be really mushy. About 30 minutes before you finish add the lentils (these also need to be mushy).
3. Towards the end of the boil chop onions, garlic and mushrooms and fry them so there just cooked (onions nice and sweaty).
4. Add the spices, the nuts/seeds and breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl that can take all of the ingredients. Grate the carrot into the bowl as well.
5. Drain the peas lentils and beans well but try to save as much of the water as you can.
6. Add the mush of peas into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Now MIX! This can take quiet a while. It needs to quite doughy. If the mixture becomes too stiff and dry to work add a little of the water from the peas.
7. Once mixed part of the dough can be turned out onto a board that’s had breadcrumbs spread over it. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs over the top and press flat~ish. The dough should not stick once you’ve sprinkled the breadcrumbs.
8. Roll the dough out till it’s about ¼ to ½ an inch thick. Then take a pint glass and start cutting out circles (I mean burgers). You’ll probably need to use a flat spatula to move the burgers (they harden up on cooling a bit). Move the cut burgers to a place to cool (like a cooling tray?). When there cool you put them in the freezer (I wouldn’t like to say for how long!).
9. To cook (from frozen as well) treat just like other burgers, under a grill i.e. cook till brown and piping hot in the middle, fry them or stick them on a barbeque. Always ensure that they are piping hot before you serve.

Something to do with the drained water; leave it and see what happens to it in a day or two!

Converts measures, LOL, if you are smart enough to use it:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/measures.htm

2,506 posted on 04/30/2008 12:31:19 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/andysburgers.htm

Andy’s very simple Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 tin of chick pea’s
1 tin of pinto beans
1 tin of black eyed beans
1 slice or end or crust of stale bread
Method/Procedure

Throw all the ingredients in a blender. Take out when mixed and form into burgers. Pauls suggestion of using a pint glass to cut and size them is a good one. Now stick them under the grill fry them or barbeque them until they brown and that’s it.

[granny sez, where is the onion and garlic and the herbs?]

2,507 posted on 04/30/2008 12:33:51 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/chips.htm

Mikes Perfect British Fish n Chips

Making the batter

Having been a keen fisherman for 40 years including a period when I was a commercial fisherman you may be surprised to hear I am not such a keen fish eater. However I am partial to well fried fish and chips from a good fish shop and over the years I have tried to reproduce fish shop style Cod and Chips without much success.

I am pleased to say that fairly recently I resolved the mystery as detailed below.

Firstly the fish. For perfection I would choose Cod but have had excellent results with Pollock and Ling. For me the search for the Cod would not be on the high street but would start on a fishing boat leaving Whitby bound for the clear waters in the middle of the North Sea, The Outer Silver Pit, Clay Deeps or The Southernmost Rough. The journey to these distant waters takes 10 to 16 hours so it will take longer to aquire than it would on a trip to the high street. The Cod are caught on rod and line and cleaned, filleted, skinned, boned and portioned then chilled or frozen within 1 hour of capture. This fish will be FRESH!.

Next the Potatoes. They must be organically grown. I have found Pentland Dell hard to beat for chips but if they are to be beaten it is by Edzell Blue.

Next the batter. It is this batter that has enabled me to make my own fish and chips at home that will beat anything bought from a fish and chip shop.
Batter Ingredients

4oz plain flour
2 tbsp oil
6/7 fluid oz beer or lager
1 large egg white
weights and measures converstion chart
Method

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Mix in the oil and beer/lager. Whisk the egg white until stiff and fold into the batter.

TO COOK.

Firstly fry the chips until nearly done and store. Depending on how many people you are catering for and the capacity of your pan/fryer you may need to do several lots of chips.

When you have sufficient chips nearly cooked and stored you can start frying your fish. Coat it in the batter and fry until nicely golden. Again fry in batches until you have sufficient and keep it warm under a grill or in the oven. Now Re-Fry your chips, again in batches.

This second frying of the chips is the secret to making perfect golden chips. It only takes a few seconds to Re-Fry them so all the meal can arrive at the table piping hot.

Serve with fresh garden peas and a selection of your favourite condiments.

ENJOY!!

Mike.

How to grow the Potato:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/potatoes.htm

2,508 posted on 04/30/2008 12:38:13 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/toms.htm

Jacks Tomato

Glut of tomatos..Never again will you be wondering what to do with them..

2lb (1 kg)tomatoes any colour (mixed is nice)
10 - 12 mint or basil leaves
sugar free sweet vinegar (recipe below )

Lightly prick each tomato in several places with a cocktail stick .Arrange in a sterilised jar with the mint or basil.Pour in the sweet vinegar ,making sure it covers the tomatoes by at least 1in (2.5cm).Poke the tomatoes with a wooden skewer to ensure there are no air pockets.

Weight down the tomatoes then seal.The tomatoes will be ready to eat in 4 - 6 weeks ,but improve with longer keeping.

Sugar Free Vinegar

weights and measures Conversion chart

2 pints cider vinegar or distilled malt vinegar
1/4 pint apple juice
1tb spoons peppercorns
1tsp cloves
1tb coriander seeds
a few chillies (optional)

Put the vinegar and fruit juice in the pan ,bring to the boil and skim well.Make a spice bag with remaining ingredients,add to the boiling vinegar mixture and boil for 10 minutes.Remove the spice bag,pour over tomatoes.

You can make this vinegar mix in larger quantities and it will keep for 2 years and can be used for loads of other things if sealed in hot sterilised jars.

2,509 posted on 04/30/2008 12:45:32 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/coriander.htm

Coriander - Corriandrum Sativum

History - Growing - Container Growing - Nutrition - Culinary - Medicinal

Coriander Corriandrum Sativum is an annual herb and a native of Southern Europe and the Middle East. Corriander is the name given to the seeds of the plant whilst the leaves are known as Cilantro. Coriander is from the carrot family. It leaves are either tiny white or tiny purplish and are in clusters.

Most of the commercially produced corriander is grown in Morocco, Romania and Egypt. Although supplies can come from India and China and Coriander is often referred to as Chinese Parsley. Personally I use the seeds far more than the actual plant itself in cooking as they have a strong spicy taste that can liven up many dishes. The word coriander comes from the Greek word Koris meaning stinky bug, possibly a reference to the strong smell given off when the plant is bruised.
History and Mythology

The oldest coriander fruits were discovered in the Nahal Hemar cave in Israel. They are considered to be over 8,000 years old. Some Sanskrit (Sand script) texts talk of coriander’s cultivation in ancient India nearly 7,000 years ago although there are but a few plant fossils exist to back up the literature.

The Chinese believe that the seeds of a coriander plant have the power to bestow immortality. The peruvians used the seeds and the leaves to flavour food and the ancient Egyptians used just the leaves in soup. In fact seeds have been found in the tombs from the 21st Egyptian Dynasty.

Almost every place I have looked in to research herb mentions that coriander appears in the Bible so I suppose I should mention it too. The Old Testament says,”When the children of Israel were returning from slavery in Egypt, they ate manna in the wilderness and the manna tasted like coriander seeds.”

The wacky Romans introduced coriander to Britain, where it has become semi naturalised in some areas. They used to use it along with vinegar and cumin to preserve meat and legions would march carrying it so they had something to flavour their bread with. In Roman Britain it was seen as a high status food as it was considered fairly exotic.

It was grown commercially for a while in Essex for the gin distillers and vets also used it as a drug for the treatment of animals.
Growing Coriander

The first time I grew coriander I planted a shop bought plant out onto my allotment. Within no time it had bolted and started to flower. The second time I grew some straight from seed and did not transplant it, this grew fine and produced a lot more leaves. If you want to start off coriander before the last frosts indoors for transplantation, you might want to to growing in the newspaper containers I have written about.

Coriander grows the best in light well drained soil in a sunny position and in a dry atmosphere. It does not really respond to well to high humidity or damp, so be careful not to over water. Don’t plant near fennel is bad news for both plants.

Plant seeds directly in the soil in spring time after the risk of frost has passed, they should be thinly sown in shallow drills then covered with compost. If you are growing the plants for seed then they should be about 23cm (9 in)apart, if you are growing for the leaves then 5cm (2 in) will be sufficient.

You can pick the young leaves whenever you like they should be about 10cm in height and bright green.

You will need to cut the flower stems as the seeds start to smell ok, otherwise they just come off and go everywhere. Cover bunches of about 6 heads together in a paper bag tie in up and hang it upside down in warm, dry and airy place. Leave it for about 2 weeks and the seed should have all come off then stick them in an airtight container an old jam jar or something will suffice.
Growing Coriander in Containers

The size of your container is pretty important it should be 20-30cm (8-12 in) wide and about 15cm (6 in) deep. I would recommend growing it in a window box as I have successfully grown this along with dill, chives and rosemary in the same box. I have read that planting near fennel is detrimental to the fennel but the dill seemed fine.

Plant the seeds straight into the container in groups of 3 to 8 at 10cm (4in) apart the best time will be in the spring. Thin them when they are large enough to handle. Feed them with a bit of liquid feed about once a fortnight from the time the flowering stem is half grown until the time when the flowers fade. To maintain a good crop keep picking the mature leaves and ensure good drainage with plenty of broken crockery bits, bark or chipping’s. Do not over water the plant in the evening as coriander does not like wet ‘feet’.
Brief Nutrition

100 grams of coriander seed contains nearly 11 grams of starch, 20 grams of fat, 11 grams of protein, and nearly 30 grams of fibre.
Culinary

Coriander seeds are often used in curries and have a totaly different taste to the leaves. The leaves can also be used in curries and are nice in salads too.

Here is a really simple recipe for you to try that uses the leaves and the seed.
Carrots and Coriander

Ingredients

1 lb carrots, sliced
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground coriander seed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup water
Chopped fresh corriander leaves (Cilantro)
Method/Procedure

Sauté carrots in the oil until theyy are golden.

Add the ground coriander seeds, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are tender and crisp. Ensure that you do simer and not boil or you will burn the carrots.
Medicinal

Supposed to reduce flatulence also good for increasing the appetite. The seed can be used externally as a poultice and is thought to relieve rheumatism and painful joints.

2,510 posted on 04/30/2008 12:49:15 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/strongernettlebeer.htm

Two more Nettle beer recipes including a Stronger Nettle Beer

and more booze recipes in sidebar.

2,511 posted on 04/30/2008 12:51:26 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

To: All; gardengirl

Too many articles to check here and at the very end in center an invitation for writers to contact them:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/index.htm

2,512 posted on 04/30/2008 12:53:41 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/nature.htm

Medical Remedies Found In Nature
By Anthea Campbell

[Lists mostly common fruits and vegetables plus herbs.

2,513 posted on 04/30/2008 12:56:00 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

Posted by: “cityslickerz”

Dandelion Wines
Special Recipe Collection

“Dandelion wine is fermented sunshine.” Jack Keller

Dandelion wine is one of my favorite white wines, bar none. Dandelion
is from the Old French dens leonis, or lion’s tooth (from the sharply
indented leaves) and Middle English dent de lion. I don’t know anyone
who doesn’t recognize the bright yellow, many rayed flowers of
Taraxacum officinale at first glance. Most think of it as a weed, but
others look upon them differently. My wife actually planteddandelions
in one of our flower beds, and the result was quite stunning when
they bloomed en mass. Others look upon their leaves as salad or
greens, and indeed they are quite edible raw or steamed until the
flower appears, at which time its greenery becomes bitter. But for
the winemaker, the dandelion simply makes the best flower wine there
is.

Thought by some to have been brought to America from Europe, at least
two sources report that several North American Indian tribes have
traditionally used the dandelion for food and medicine. Thus, it
seems likely that the dandelion inhabited both the old world and the
new before Columbus ever sailed.

The approach to making dandelion wine differs enormously, as the
collection of recipes below will demonstrate. Some us the whole
flower heads trimmed only of the stalks. Still others use the
flowerheads trimmed of all greenery. Others will use only the petals.
Personally, I use the petals only, but have made several batches
where the calyx (the green cuplike sepals enclosing the lower portion
of the flower) is left on some of the flowers. My own recipes are the
last three on this page and they are the only recipes presented here
that I will vouch for. Pick the flower heads mid- to late-morning and
then wash your hands (they get sticky while picking the flowers), sit
in the shade and pull the petals off the flowers.

However, in truth it is the stalks that are bitter and a little
greenery from the calyx (”calyces” is the plural) actually adds a
little je ne sais quoi to the wine if not overdone. This little
something is actually engineered into the wine in recipe 30, below,
and wines made this way will keep for many, many years.

The recipes below call for as little as a half-pint to two gallons of
flowers per gallon of wine. I personally think ½ pint is way too few
while 2 gallons is overkill by two orders of magnitude. If you want
another way of measuring your dandelion harvest, Layk Thomas of
Angola, Indiana reports that one quart of loosely packed dandelion
petals weighs 80 grams, while one quart of tightly packed petals
weighs 100 grams. Whole blossoms weigh 110-120 grams per quart.

Dandelion wine is typically a light wine lacking body. Thus many
recipes use raisins, sultanas or white grape juice (or concentrate)
as body-builders, but you could use dates or figs or rhubarb instead.
Whatever you use will affect the color, so white or golden raisins or
sultanas, or golden figs, are usually used with dandelions (some of
these are usually available in bulk at Sun Harvest, Giant Foods, or
many other stores).

Many of these recipes call for 3 lbs granulated sugar per gallon of
wine — some even call for 4. Personally, this is too much for me.
Whether this much sugar will produce a dry, semi-sweet or sweet wine
will depend on whether you attempt to stabilize the wine and on the
yeast you use, as those which are tolerant of higher concentrations
of alcohol will still result in drier wine unless even more sugar is
added. People should make what they like. If you like dry wine with a
reasonable (12% alcohol level), use only enough sugar to achieve a
starting specific gravity of 1.088. If you like sweet wine, many of
the recipes below will produce it providing you don’t use a high-
alcohol tolerant yeast. Personally, I prefer my dandelion wines dry
to semi-sec, with a finished specific gravity of 1.002 to 1.006.

If you omit the body-building ingredient, dandelion wine is light and
invigorating and suited perfectly for tossed salad and baked fish
(especially trout). If you ferment with a body-enhancer but shave the
sugar, the wine will serve well with white-sauced pastas, heavier
salads, fish, or fowl. Sweetened, it goes well before or after dinner.

Dandelion Wine (1)

3 qts dandelion flowers
1 lb white raisins
1 gallon water
3 lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons
1 orange
yeast and nutrient

Pick the flowers just before starting, so they’re fresh. You do not
need to pick the petals off the flower heads, but the heads should be
trimmed of any stalk. Put the flowers in a large bowl. Set aside 1
pint of water and bring the remainder to a boil. Pour the boiling
water over the dandelion flowers and cover tightly with cloth or
plastic wrap. Leave for two days, stirring twice daily. Do not exceed
this time. Pour flowers and water in large pot and bring to a low
boil. Add the sugar and the peels (peel thinly and avoid any of the
white pith) of the lemons and orange. Boil for one hour, then pour
into a crock or plastic pail. Add the juice and pulp of the lemons
and orange. Allow to stand until cool (70-75 degrees F.). Add yeast
and yeast nutrient, cover, and put in a warm place for three days.
Strain and pour into a secondary fermentation vessel (bottle or jug).
Add the raisins and fit a fermentation trap to the vessel. Leave
until fermentation ceases completely, then rack and add the reserved
pint of water and whatever else is required to top up. Refit the
airlock and set aside until clear. Rack and bottle. This wine must
age six months in the bottle before tasting, but will improve
remarkably if allowed a year. [Adapted recipe from C.J.J. Berry’s
First Steps in Winemaking]

Dandelion Wine (2)

2 qts dandelion flowers
2 lbs 11 ozs granulated sugar
4 oranges
1 gallon water
yeast and nutrient

This is the traditional “Midday Dandelion Wine” of old, named because
the flowers must be picked at midday when they are fully open. Pick
the flowers and bring into the kitchen. Set one gallon of water to
boil. While it heats up to a boil, remove as much of the green
material from the flower heads as possible (the original recipe calls
for two quarts of petals only, but this will work as long as you end
up with two quarts of prepared flowers). Pour the boiling water over
the flowers, cover with cloth, and leave to seep for two days. Do not
exceed two days. Pour the mixture back into a pot and bring to a
boil. Add the peelings from the four oranges (again, no white pith)
and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto
acrock or plastic pail containing the sugar, stirring to dissolve.
When cool, add the juice of the oranges, the yeast and yeast
nutrient. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation
trap, and allow to ferment completely. Rack and bottle when wine
clears. Again, allow it to age six months in the bottle before
tasting, but a year will improve it vastly. This wine has less body
than the first recipe produces, but every bit as much flavor (some
say more!). [Adapted recipe from C.J.J. Berry’s First Steps in
Winemaking]

Dandelion Wine (3)

2 qts dandelion flowers
2½ lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges (juice only)
1 gallon water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Chablis wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Stir in sugar until completely dissolved.
Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all greenery. Put flowers,
juice of oranges and yeast nutrient in primary and add boiling water.
Stir and cover primary. Allow to cool to room temperature and add
activated yeast. After 48 hours, strain off and discard flowers.
Transfer to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment to dryness. Rack, top
up and refit airlock. Repeat every 60 days until no further sediment
is deposited during 60 day period. Stabilize, wait two weeks and rack
into bottles. Set aside 6 months before tasting. [Adapted recipe from
Leo Zanelli’s Home Winemaking from A to Z]

Dandelion Wine (4)

3 qts dandelion flowers
2 lbs 6 ozs granulated sugar
1 lemon (juice and zest)
7 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all
greenery. Best wine uses only the petals. Put flowers, juice and zest
of lemon in primary and add boiling water. Stir and cover primary and
set aside for 7 days. Slowly pour contents through nylon straining
bag and squeeze to extract all liquid. Combine one quart of the
liguid and the sugar in pot and stir while bringing to a boil. Add
half of this back to strained liquid, stir in yeast nutrient and pour
into secondary to cool. Store remaining half of sugar liquid in
capped bottle in refrigerator. When liquid in secondary is at room
temperature, add activated yeast and fit airlock. After seven days,
rack and add reserved sugar liquid and stir. Refit airlock and
ferment to dryness. Rack, top up and refit airlock. Repeat every 60
days until no further sediment is deposited during 60 day period.
Stabilize, wait two weeks and rack into bottles. Set aside 6 months
before tasting. [Adapted recipe from George Leonard Herter’s How to
Make the Finest Wines at Home]

Dandelion Wine (5)

3 qts dandelion flowers
1 lb golden raisins
2 lbs 7 ozs granulated sugar
2 lemon (juice and zest)
1 orange (juice and zest)
7 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
all-purpose wine yeast

Set aside 1 pint of water and put the remainder on to boil.
Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all stalk. Put flowers in
primary and add boiling water. Stir and cover primary and set aside
for no more than 3 days, stirring daily. Slowly pour contents through
nylon straining bag into 1-gallon boiler and squeeze bag to extract
all liquid. Add the sugar and zest of citrus and bring to low boil,
holding for one hour. Return to primary, add citrus juice and
recover. When cooled to room temperature, stir in yeast nutrient and
add yeast. Recover and ferment 3 days. Strain into secondary, add
raisins and fit airlock. After wine clears, rack, add reserved pint
of water and any additional required top up and refit airlock. This
wine should be racked every 2 months and bottled after 6-8 months and
cellared another 6 months before drinking. [Adapted recipe from
C.J.J. Berry’s 130 New Winemaking Recipes]

Dandelion Wine (6)

3 qts dandelion flowers
2/3 cup (150 ml) white grape concentrate
2 lbs 7 ozs granulated sugar
2 lemon (juice and zest)
1 orange (juice and zest)
7 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
all-purpose wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all
stalk. Put flowers in primary and add boiling water. Stir and cover
primary and set aside for no more than 3 days, stirring daily. Slowly
pour contents through nylon straining bag into 1-gallon boiler and
squeeze bag to extract all liquid. Add the sugar and zest of citrus
and bring to low boil, holding for one hour. Return to primary, add
citrus juice and recover. When cooled to room temperature, stir in
yeast nutrient and add yeast. Recover and ferment 3 days. Strain into
secondary, add white grape concentrate and fit airlock. After wine
clears, rack, top up and refit airlock. This wine should be racked
and bottled after 6-8 months and cellared another 6 months before
drinking. [Adapted recipe from C.J.J. Berry’s 130 New Winemaking
Recipes]

Dandelion Wine (7)

4 qts dandelion flowers
1 cup white raisins
3 lbs granulated sugar
4 lemons
4 oranges
1 gallon water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
all-purpose wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all
stalk. Put flowers in primary and add boiling water. Stir and cover
primary and set aside 7 days, stirring twice daily. Slowly pour
contents through nylon straining bag into clean primary and squeeze
bag to extract all liquid. Add the sugar, lemons and oranges cut into
¼-inch slices (peel and all) and raisins. Stir well to dissolve sugar
and add yeast. Stir daily for 10 days, then strain into secondary.
Fit airlock and set aside until wine clears. Rack and set aside
another two months. rack again and set aside to age 4 months. Rack
into bottles and cellar 6 months before drinking. [Adapted recipe
from Mettja C. Roate’s How to Make Wine in Your Own Kitchen]

Dandelion Wine (8)

6 cups dandelion petals
1 lb white or golden raisins (chopped)
2 lbs granulated sugar
3 level tsp acid blends
½ tsp yeast energizer
1 gallon water
¼ tsp tannin
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Put flower petals and all ingredients except
yeast into primary and add boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar
and cover primary with plastic sheet. When cooled to room
temperature, add yeast. Stir daily for 3 days. Strain into secondary
and fit airlock. Rack in 3 weeks, top up and refit airlock. Rack
again in 3 months. When clear and stable, rack into bottles. Age 6
months before tasting. [Adapted recipe from Stanley F. Anderson and
Raymond Hull’s The Art of Making Wine]

Dandelion Wine (9)

2 qts dandelion flowers
23 oz Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
sugar to starting S.G. of 1.090
6½ pts water
wine yeast

In primary, mix grape concentrate and water and use a hydrometer to
determine how much sugar to add. Stir well to dissolve sugar and then
add yeast. Cover and allow to proceed through violent, initial
fermentation. When fermentation settles down, wash and trim flowers
of all stalks. Leave calyces (the green cuplike outer covering of the
flower) on ¼ to ½ the flowers. Put flowers in nylon straining bag
with a dozen sterilized glass marbles and tie closed. Immerse bag in
fermenting primary and cover. Squeeze bag twice daily for 5 days and
then remove bag and squeeze lightly. Discard flowers and transfer
wine to secondary and fit airlock. Rack after 4 weeks, being careful
not to splash wine, and top up and refit airlock. Rack again when
wine clears and again 3 months later. Stabilize wine, wait 30 days
and rack into bottles. Age at least on year before tasting. If kept
for 3-4 years, the wine takes on a remarkable whiskey flavor.
[Adapted recipe from W.H.T. Tayleur’s The Penguin Book of Home
Brewing & Wine-Making]

Dandelion Wine (10)

4 cups dandelion petals
¾ lb white or golden raisins (chopped)
5-2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 level tsp acid blends
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet, crushed
water to make 1 gallon
Rhine wine yeast

Put flower petals and all ingredients except yeast into primary and
stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover primary and set aside for 24
hours. Add yeast and stir twice daily until specific gravity drops to
1.030 (about 7 days). Strain into secondary and fit airlock. Rack
when wine clears, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 2 months
until no more sediments appear. Stablize, wait 2 weeks and rack into
bottles. Age 6-12 months before tasting. [Adapted recipe from Robert
and Eileen Frishman’s Enjoy Home Winemaking]

Dandelion Wine (11)

7 cups dandelion petals
1 lb white raisins (chopped)
2 lbs granulated sugar
3 level tsp acid blends
½ tsp yeast energizer
¼ tsp tannin
1 Campden tablet, crushed
1 gallon hot water
wine yeast

Wash flowers and use petals only. Put petals and chopped raisins into
nylon straining bag, tie closed and put in primary. Pour hot water
over petals, stir in sugar until completely dissolved, and add all
remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover primary and set aside for
24 hours. Add yeast and stir twice daily until specific gravity drops
to 1.040 (about 5-6 days). Strain and siphon wine off sediments into
secondary and fit airlock. Rack when wine clears, top up and refit
airlock. Rack again every 2 months until no more sediments appear.
Stablize, wait 2 weeks and rack into bottles. Age 6-12 months before
tasting. [Adapted recipe from Robert Massaccesi’s Winemaker’s Recipe
Handbook]

Dandelion Wine (12)

6 qts dandelion petals
1 lb white raisins (chopped)
3 lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons
2 oranges
1 gallon water
Montrachet wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers trim off all greenery,
leaving petals only. Put 4 quarts of petals in primary and thinly
slice lemons and oranges onto petals. Pour in boiling water and
cover. Stir daily for 10 days, then strain off pulp and squeeze to
extract all liquid. Bring this liquid to boil and add 2½ pounds
sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return to primary, add chopped raisins
and cover. When cooled to room temperature, add wine yeast and
recover. When fermentation is vigorous, add remaining two quarts of
petals and recover primary. Ferment 7-10 days, stirring daily, and
then strain wine into secondary and fit airlock without topping up.
After two weeks, add ¼ cup of sugar-water (remaining ½ pound sugar
dissolved in 1 cup water) every other day until secondary is full.
Then ferment to completion. Rack and age 3 months, then again in
additional 3 months. Stabilize, wait 2-3 weeks, and rack into
bottles. Age another 6 months minimum. If bulk aged in oak cask for 6
months before bottling, this wine will improve for over 20 years with
outstanding results. [Adapted recipe from Steven A. Krause’s Wines
from the Wilds]

Dandelion Wine (13)

3 qts dandelion flowers, trimmed
3 lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges, peeled
½ pectic enzyme
¼ tsp tannin
1 gallon water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off all
greenery. Put petals in primary and pour boiling water over petals.
Cover and stir twice daily for two days. Pour into pot, add half the
sugar and bring to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring well to dissolve
sugar. Strain back into primary and recover. When cooled to room
temperature, add activated yeast. Recover primary and stir daily for
5 days. Stir in remaining half of sugar and stir well to completely
dissolve. Let settle overnight, rack into secondary, and attach
airlock. When wine clears, rack every two months through three
rackings. Stabilize, wait 2 weeks and bottle. Age 6-12 months before
tasting. [Adapted recipe from Dorothy Alatorre’s Home Wines of North
America]

Dandelion Wine (14)

6-8 cups dandelion flowers, trimmed
3 lbs granulated sugar
1 gallon water
3 tsps acid blend
¼ tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne or Montrachet wine yeast

Wash flowers and trim off all greenery, using petals only. Put petals
in 1½-quart pan and cover with 1 quart water. Bring to simmer for 10
minutes, then put lid on pan and turn off heat. Let steep for 1-6
hours, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be. Meanwhile,
boil remaining water and dissolve sugar, acid blend, yeast nutrient,
and tannin. Strain dandelion petals through nylon straining bag and
squeeze bag to extract all liquid. Combine dandelion-water and
remaining ingredients (except yeast) in primary and cover. When
cooled to room temperature, add activated yeast. Ferment 3-5 days
(until specific gravity is 1.020), then rack to secondary and attach
airlock. After 30 additional days, rack, top up and reattach airlock.
Set aside 3 months, then rack, top up and reattach airlock. Repeat
after additional 3 months and add stabilizer. Wait 30 days and
bottle. Cellar this wine for a year before drinking. Best served
chilled. [Adapted recipe from Terry Garey’s The Joy of Home
Winemaking]

Dandelion Wine (15)

2 qts dandelion flowers
1½ lbs sultanas, chopped or minced
2½ lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges
¼ tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
3 qts water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off all stems.
Combine flower heads, sultanas, sugar, and juice from oranges in
primary and cover with boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar,
then cover and wait until cooled to room temperature. Add tannin and
yeast nutrient and stir well, then add activated yeast. After 7 days,
strain and squeeze pulp before discarding. Transfer to secondary (do
not top up) and attach airlock. After 2 weeks, top up and reattach
airlock. After additional 2 weeks, rack, top up and refit airlock.
Rack every 2 months for 6 months. Stabilize, wait 2 weeks, and rack
into bottles. Hide this wine a year before drinking. [Adapted recipe
from Brian Leverett’s Winemaking Month by Month]

Dandelion Wine (16)

2 qts dandelion flowers
1 qts unsulfited white grape juice
2¼ lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges
¼ tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
5 pts water
wine yeast

Put 1 quart water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off
all stems and greenery. Place flower heads in nylon straining bag,
tie closed and put in primary. Pour boiling water over bag and cover.
Meanwhile, put another quart of water on to boil and dissolve sugar
in it. Add it, remaining pint of water and juice of oranges to
primary. Stir in yeast nutrient and tannin, recover and set aside to
cool. Add activated yeast. Squeeze bag 2-3 times daily for 3 days,
then remove bad, squeeze to extract liquid, and recover primary.
After wine has settled overnight, rack into secondary (do not top up)
and attach airlock. After 2 weeks, top up and reattach airlock. After
additional 2 weeks, rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack every 2
months for 6 months. Stabilize, wait 2 weeks, and rack into bottles.
Age one year before drinking. [Adapted recipe from Brian Leverett’s
Winemaking Month by Month]

Dandelion Wine (17)

2 qts dandelion flowers
3 lbs granulated sugar
1 lemon
1 orange
1 gallon water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off all stems
and slice lemon and orange thinly. Combine flower heads and sliced
citrus in primary and pour boiling water over them. Cover and leave
for 10 days. Strain off all solids and add sugar and yeast nutrient,
stirring well to completely dissolve. Add activated yeast and cover
primary. After 3 days rack to secondary and fit airlock. Rack and
stabilize after 2 months. Wait 2 weeks and rack into bottles.
Improves with age. [Adapted recipe from Mrs. Gennery-Taylor’s Easy to
Make Wine]

Dandelion Wine (18)

1 gallon dandelion flowers
3 lbs granulated sugar
1 gallon water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off all stems.
Put flower heads in primary and pour boiling water over them. Cover
and leave for 5 days. Strain off all solids and add sugar, stirring
well to completely dissolve. Add activated yeast and cover primary.
After 14 days rack to secondary and fit airlock. Rack and stabilize
after 2 months. Wait 2 weeks and rack into bottles. [Adapted recipe
from H.E. Bravery’s Home Wine Making Without Failures]

Dandelion Wine (19)

3 qts dandelion flowers
1 lb white raisins, finely chopped
2½ lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons (juice only)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 gallon water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim off all stems
and greenery. Combine flowers and raisins in primary. Dissolve sugar
in boiling water and add lemon juice and yeast nutrient. Pour over
dandelions and raisins. When cooled to room temperature, add
activated yeast and cover primary. Stir daily for 3 days. Strain
through jelly bag, pour into secondary and fit airlock. Rack after 1
month, top up and reattach airlock. Rack and stabilize after 3
months. Wait another month and rack into bottles. Age 6 months.
[Adapted recipe from Annabelle McIlnay’s Making Wine at Home]

Dandelion Wine (20)

9 cups dandelion petals
1 lb white or golden raisins, finely chopped or minced
2 lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons (juice and zest)
3 oranges (juice and zest)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp pectic enzyme
¼ tsp tannin
7 pts water
Côtes-du-Rhône or Hock wine yeast

Prepare flower petals beforehand. Put water on to boil. Meanwhile,
prepare zest from citrus and set aside. Combine flowers and zest in
nylon straining bag and tie closed. Put bag in primary and pour
boiling water over it. Cover primary and squeeze bag several times a
day for 3 days. Drain and squeeze bag to extract all liquid. Pour
liquid into pot and bring to boil. Stir in sugar until completely
dissolved. Stir in chopped or minced raisins, cover pot and remove
from heat, letting sit 45-60 minutes. In primary, combine juice of
citrus fruit, tannin, yeast nutrient, and heated liquid. Cover and
allow to cool to room temperature. Add pectic enzyme, cover and set
aside 10-12 hours. Add activated yeast and cover. Stir twice daily
for 5 days. Strain through nylon straining bag into secondary and
discard raisins. Fit airlock and set aside. Rack after wine falls
clear, adding crushed Campden tablet and topping up and reattaching
airlock. Rack again every 2 months for 6 months, , adding another
crushed Campden tablet during middle racking and stabilizing at last
racking. Wait another month and rack into bottles. Cellar 6 months
and enjoy a bottle. Cellar another 6 months and enjoy it all.
[Author’s own recipe]

Dandelion Wine (21)

2 qts dandelion heads
3 lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges
1 gal water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and cut off the yellow
heads, discarding the green parts. Put in primary and pour the
boiling water over the flowers. Cover primary and leave for two days.
Pour back into pot. Thinly peel the oranges and add peelings (no
pith) to pot. Bring to boil and hold 10 minutes. Strain through
double layer of muslin back into primary. Discard trappings and add
sugar to liquor, stirring well to dissolve. When cool add the juice
from the oranges and the yeast. Cover with cloth and set aside for 14
days. Rack into secondary and attach airlock. After wine clears and
fermentation ceases, rack again, top up and refit airlock. Set aside
to age 6 monthsand carefully rack into bottles. Allow bottles to age
another 6 months and enjoy. [Adapted recipe from The National
Federation of Women’s Institutes’ Home Made Wines, Syrups and
Cordials]

Dandelion Wine (22)

1 gal dandelion heads
½ lb chopped golden raisins
4 lbs demerara sugar
1 lemon
1 orange
¼ oz ginger root
1 gal water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash dandelion heads and trim off
stalks. Pour flowers in primary and then pour boiling water over
flowers. Cover and leave 3 days, stirring frequently daily. Strain
into a pot and add sugar, citrus rind (no pith) and bruised ginger.
Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes, stirring to disslve sugar.
Strain again into primary and cover while cooling to room
temperature. When cooled, add citrus juice, chopped raisins and wine
yeast. Cover primary and stir daily until violent fermentation
subsides. Strain into secondary and attach airlock. When wine clears,
rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack after 3 months and again 3
months later. Stabilize, set aside a month, and carefully rack into
bottles. Keep a year before drinking. [Adapted recipe from The
National Federation of Women’s Institutes’ Home Made Wines, Syrups
and Cordials]

Dandelion Wine (23)

4 pts dandelion flowers
3½ lbs granulated sugar
½ oz acid blend
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 gal water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash dandelion heads and trim off
stalks. Pour flowers in primary and then pour boiling water over
flowers. Add sugar, acid blend and yeast nutrient. Stir well to
dissolve sugar. Cover and let stand overnight. Drain, strain and
lightly press pulp. Discard pulp and return to primary. Add activated
yeast, cover, and leave until vigorous fermentation dies down. Rack
into secondary and attach airlock. When wine clears and all signs of
fermentation cease, wait on week and rack into clean secondary. Top
up if necessary and reattach airlock. Allow 2 months for yeast lees
to form. Rack again, top up and reattach airlock. Rack every 2 months
until no new lees have formed, then stabilize, top up, and return the
airlock. Wait 2 weeks and rack into bottles. This wine improves with
age for about 2 years. [Adapted recipe from Julius H. Fessler’s
Guidelines to Practical Winemaking]

Dandelion Wine (24)

3 qts dandelion flowers
1 lb chopped white or golden raisins
3 lbs demerara sugar
2 lemons
1 orange
1 gal water
wine yeast

Bring the water to the boil. Meanwhile, wash dandelion heads and trim
off stalks. Pour flowers in primary and then pour boiling water over
flowers. Cover and leave to steep 3 days, stirring several times
daily. Transfer to a pot and add sugar and thinly pared rind (no
pith) of the lemons and orange. Bring to boil for 1 hour. Put it all
back in the primary and add the thinly sliced lemons and oranges, all
pith removed. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Add yeast and
cover again. Stir daily for 3 days, then strain into secondary. Add
chopped raisins and attach airlock. After 2 months strain off raisins
and allow the wine to settle overnight. Rack, top up and refit
airlock. When wine clears, rack again, top up and refit airlock. Rack
after additional 2 months and stabilize wine. Refit airlock, wait 2
weeks and carefully rack into bottles. Age at least 6 months.
[Adapted recipe from Mrs. L. Kent’s Farmhouse Fare]

Dandelion Wine (25)

1/2 pint dandelion petals, tightly packed
1½ lbs white or golden sultanas, minced or blanched and pureed
1½ lbs granulated sugar
3 oranges, juiced, with zest of one
1 tsp malic acid
1 tsp yeast nutrient
5 pts water
wine yeast

Add all ingredients except dandelion petals and sugar to primary.
When fermentation starts vigorously, add dandelion petals and ferment
3 days. Strain, stir in sugar well to dissolve, and transfer to
secondary. Fit airlock and ferment to dryness, racking as needed.
Bulk age under airlock 6-8 months. Stabilize, wait 2 weeks and rack
into bottles. This is a light, dry wine with a distinctive flavor.
[Adapted recipe from Betty Sampson’s The Art of Making Wine]

Dandelion Wine (26)

4 pts dandelion flowers in calyx
4 lbs demerara sugar
2-3 lemons, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 gal spring water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trin off any stalk.
When water boils, add flowers to it and return to boil for 20
minutes. Strain boiling liquor onto the sugar and stir well to
dissolve sugar. Add sliced lemon, cover and wait until cooled to room
temperature. Add activated yeast. When fermentation changes from
vigorous to slow, strain liquor into secondary and squeeze lemon
juice into wine. Attach airlock and set aside to clear. Rack into
sanitized secondary, top up and reattach airlock. Bulk age under
airlock 6-8 months, then rack into bottles. Age to taste. [Adapted
recipe from Cindy Renfrow’s A Sip Through Time: A Collection of Old
Brewing Recipes]

Dandelion Wine (27)

2 gals dandelion flower heads
3 lbs granulated sugar
3 lemons, peeled and thinly sliced
3 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 gal water
wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trin off all
greenery. Pour water over flowers, cover and leve to steep for 3
days. Strain and return liquor to primary. Peel citrus thinly and add
peel to primary. Remove pith from peeled fruit and slice into
primary. Add sugar and yeast nutrient and stir well to dissolve. Add
yeast and cover primary. Let ferment 3 weeks. Strain, allow to settle
overnight, then rack into secondary. Attach airlock and set aside to
age. Rack every 3 months until wine is clear, inactive and no longer
drops sediment. Rack into bottles and store for 6-12 months. [Adapted
recipe from Jan Phillips’ Wild Edibles from Missouri]

Dandelion Wine (28)

1 qt dandelion petals
¾ lb chopped or minced golden raisins
2 lbs finely granulated sugar
3 lemons, juice and zest
3 oranges, juice and zest
1 tsp yeast nutrient
7½ pts water
wine yeast

Prepare flower petals beforehand. Put water on to boil and pour over
dandelion petals in primary. After 2 hours, strain, press and discard
petals. Return water to heat and bring to low boil. Stir in citrus
juice and sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Add citrus zest and
chopped raisins. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When room
temperature, stir in yeast nutrient and activated yeast and recover.
Stir 3 times daily for 10-14 days. Strain into secondary and fit
airlock. After 3 weeks, rack into sanitized seconary, top up and
reattach airlock. When wine clears, wait 30 days and rack, top up and
refit airlock. Repeat racking procedure every 3 months for 9 months.
Rack into bottles and age 6-12 months longer. [Author’s own recipe]

Dandelion Wine (29)

9 cups dandelion petals
1 11-oz can Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate
1 lb 10 ozs granulated sugar
2 lemons (juice and zest)
2 oranges (juice and zest)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp pectic enzyme
¼ tsp tannin
6¼ pts water
Côtes-du-Rhône or Hock wine yeast

Prepare flower petals beforehand. Put water on to boil. Meanwhile,
prepare zest from citrus and set aside. Combine flowers and zest in
nylon straining bag and tie closed. Put bag in primary and pour
boiling water over it. Cover primary and squeeze bag several times a
day for 3 days. Drain and squeeze bag to extract all liquid. Pour
liquid into primary and stir in sugar until completely dissolved.
Stir in remaining ingredients except yeast, cover and set aside 10-12
hours. Add activated yeast and cover. Stir twice daily for 5 days.
Transfer to secondary and fit airlock. Rack after wine falls clear,
adding crushed Campden tablet and topping up and reattaching airlock.
Rack again every 2 months for 6 months, adding another crushed
Campden tablet during middle racking and stabilizing at last racking.
Wait another month and rack into bottles. Cellar 6 months and enjoy a
bottle. Cellar another 6 months and enjoy it all. [Author’s own
recipe]

Dandelion Wine (30)

9 cups dandelion flowers (6 cups dandelion petals and 3 cups
dandelion flower heads, trimmed)
1 11-oz can Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate
1 lb 10 ozs granulated sugar
2 lemons (juice only)
2 oranges (juice only)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp pectic enzyme
¼ tsp tannin
6¼ pts water
White Burgundy wine yeast

In primary, combine all ingredients except dandelions and yeast. Stir
well to completely dissolve sugar. Stir in dandelions, over primary
and set aside 10-12 hours. Add activated yeast and recover primary.
Stir twice daily until violent fermentation subsides. Pick and
prepare flower petals and heads. For dandelion flower heads, wash and
trim off stems only. Put dandelion petals and heads in nylon
straining bag with 1 dozen sterilized glass marbles for weight. Tie
bag and submerge in liquid in primary. Gently squeeze and dunk bag
several times a day for 5 days. Drain bag, squeezing lightly only,
and transfer liquid to secondary. Fit airlock and rack after 2 weeks,
topping up and refitting airlock afterward. After wine falls clear,
wait 2 weeks and rack after adding 1 crushed Campden tablet to clean
secondary. Thereafter, rack every 2 months for 6 months, adding
another crushed Campden tablet during middle racking and stabilizing
at last racking. Wait another month and rack into bottles. This wine
is for the long term and for winning competitions, so cellar it for 2
years before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]

2,514 posted on 04/30/2008 1:59:34 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

Re: Wheat Differences
Posted by: “suzanne”

Classes used in the United States are

Durum ? Very hard, translucent, light colored grain used to make
semolina
flour for pasta.

Hard Red Spring ? Hard, brownish, high protein wheat used for bread and
hard
baked goods. Bread Flour and high gluten flours are commonly made from
hard
red spring wheat. It is primarily traded at the Minneapolis Grain
Exchange.

Hard Red Winter ? Hard, brownish, mellow high protein wheat used for
bread,
hard baked goods and as an adjunct in other flours to increase protein
in
pastry flour for pie crusts. Some brands of unbleached all-purpose
flours
are commonly made from hard red winter wheat alone. It is primarily
traded
by the Kansas City Board of Trade.

Soft Red Winter ? Soft, low protein wheat used for cakes, pie crusts,
biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry flour, and some self-rising
flours
with baking powder and salt added for example, are made from soft red
winter
wheat. It is primarily traded by the Chicago Board of Trade.

Hard White ? Hard, light colored, opaque, chalky, medium protein wheat
planted in dry, temperate areas. Used for bread and brewing.

Soft White ? Soft, light colored, very low protein wheat grown in
temperate
moist areas. Used for pie crusts and pastry. Pastry flour, for example,
is
sometimes made from soft white winter wheat.

Hard wheats are harder to process and red wheats may need bleaching.
Therefore, soft and white wheats usually command higher prices than
hard and
red wheats on the commodities market.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat

Suzanne

2,515 posted on 04/30/2008 2:01:20 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

Which herb to grow:

The herb that is best for you really depends on a number of factors.
First,
what do you like to eat? If you like Greek and Italian, then you will
want
to aim for the oregano/basil families. If you like Mexican, then you
will
want to go for Mexican oregano, cilantro, and maybe a chile plant of
some
sort. If you like Middle Eastern food, then you might like za’atar. If
you
like German food, then perhaps you will like dill or caraway. (Me, I
like
‘em all, so it would be impossible to choose!) Secondly, what is your
climate like? Most herbs are fond of heat, but some like French
tarragon can
seldom withstand the heat of my area which is zone 8. Also, you might
want
to consider plant form when deciding what to plant. Some herbs are
culinary
knockouts, but not exactly beautiful plants. For example, dill is often
long
and lankly and not really all that appealing to look at, but the flavor
of
fresh dill cannot even be approached, much less duplicated by any
commercially available preserved from.

Personally, I would consider dill and basil as neither retains their
flavor
well when dried. They also do not ship well, so it’s almost impossible
to
buy fresh of any quality. But you can’t beat fresh basil in sauces, or
pesto, or in fresh vegetables, and a leaf or two on a tomato sandwich
is
heavenly. Basil comes in myriad varieties from tiny little rounded
mounds of
miniscule leaves to tall lanky plants with leaves big enough to use for
wraps, so take your pick. Dill, grown for both dill weed and the seeds,
is
indespensible in the weed form for baking fish, or making dipping sause
for
fried fish and is wonderful in various sorts of salad dressing from
ranch
types to vinaigrettes. It’s wonderful to add a couple tablespoons
chopped
dillweed to equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream and then toss that
with
little boiled red-skinned potatoes that have been quartered.for an
awesome
potato salad. And of course, the dill seed heads are irreplaceable for
making dill pickles. Dried dill is just not at all the same. And it’s
so
easy to make those claussen type dills in a jar on the countertop.

That said, I want far more dill and basil than I can raise in a single
pot!
So you may want to do what I do with those, and plant a row in the
garden.
Then you can have enough to steep your own fresh dill vinegar to
preserve
that flavor for the winter months, or to make dill weed and basil
butters
and oils to freeze for later use. Home dried herbs are often more
flavorful
than their commercially available versions as well.

Oregano and sage and rosemary are great, but I find that they do better
for
me in a raised bed than in a pot. Oregano can become an attractive
ground
cover if you have a place that is difficult to mow. It is an
enthusiastic
grower, so would probably crowd out its pot companions. Sage is
sensitive to
too much moisture and does not like heavy soil, and rosemary, is much
like
the sage in that it likes to be well-drained (so ditto on the heavy
soil),
but it also does not appreciate drought conditions so you need to be
sure to
water consistently. I have not had huge luck growing either sage or
roasmary
in pots. If your winter is fairly mild, you will often have these fresh
throughout the entire year once they are well established.

We had a hollow sweet gum tree fall in the front yard a couple of years
ago.
I had my husband cut the huge trunk into rounds, placed them about the
kitchen yard, and filled with a mixture of garden soil, purchased
compost
and rotted horse manure. I planted my herbs in these, and they
flourished
like I have never seen them before.

Cilantro and chives are two more that have no preserved version that
are
comparable to the fresh. Chives will likely do well in your pot.
Cilantro
will grow quickly, but unless you find one of the long-standing, heat
resistant strains, will have to be replanted every two or three weeks
as it
bolts pretty quickly in the heat of summer. However, here there is
almost
always a plentiful supply of very fresh cilantro at reasonable prices
in the
market. It is sold in nice-sized bundles like the parsleys usually are.

There are various thymes, from green French and English sorts to
variegated
lemon and orange scented types. All of these are very low growing with
tiny
leaves, so are nice ground covers for low traffic areas. Would look
nice
tucked into that pot alongside some chives.

Another herb that is a premium whose commercially available forms are
only a
faint shadow of the fresh thing is French tarragon. If your summer is
not
too hot, this would be a great addition for your herb pot. I have a
great
recipe for a very crisp, very sweet pickle that calls for this herb. It
is
one of those rare, valuable recipes that does not require canning.

Bronze fennel is another plant grown for its striking foliage and for
its
seeds. It’s a cousin to dill, but is a perennial where dill is an
annual. It
becomes quite a large plant, and is very attractive to butterfiles. My
plants always have a few caterpillars feeding on them in late summer.
The
ferny leaves are great in salads, and the seeds are used to flavor
italian
sausage. It can withstand winter well, so you might want to plant it in
the
ground.

Actually an excellent choice for a visually appealing pot, as I wander
mentally through my herbal experiences in this post, would be a bay
tree.
surrounded by things like chives, tarragon, thyme and a prostrate
rosemary.

Elise

2,516 posted on 04/30/2008 2:22:03 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

T O D A Y ‘ S Q U O T E
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four
pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she
never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
T O D A Y ‘ S T I P S
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
HODGE PODGE DAY: RECYCLING TIPS

Today I have some nice tips from readers on recycling
in your garden.

REUSING SODA BOTTLES IN YOUR GARDEN
Because I am caring for extensive gardens, I do not always
have the time to nurse along slip cuttings—some require
high humidity and some take a long time to root.

I use 2 liter very clean soda bottles as mini-green houses. I
personally do not drink a lot of regular soda, but when I want
something bubbly I get seltzer (no sodium like club soda)
which has flavors added to it without sugar. Any 2 liter bottle
will work, the point is the gardener needs to make sure it is
really clean of the sugar or bacteria will spoil the cuttings.

I remove the label, and cut the top almost all the way off at
the shoulder of the bottle, leaving it connected like a little hinge.
The cuttings should have leaves stripped from the bottom two
leaf nodes and enough water placed in the bottle to cover the
nodes. It helps the cuttings if you re-nip the ends under water
immediately before placing them in the bottle. Leave the bottle
in bright indirect sun. The cap can be used to regulate moisture.
Pot up the plants when rooted and introduce to full sun 1 hour
the first day, 2 hours the next day (called hardening off), etc.
until they are fully in the fun for 6 hours. About 2 weeks after
that the plants can be transplanted to their permanent location
if desired. You can use the liter-bottle green house for small
potted plants too-reduces the stress of moving them from place
to place. ~Catherine the Herb Lady http://www.herbs2u.net

The next time you want to fertilize a plant and want a nice slow
soaking, take a gallon jug, add in the fertilizer and fill with water.
Using your scissors, punch holes in the bottom and position the
jug in the garden beside the plant. Be careful not to slip the
scissors off the jug and hurt yourself. A screwdriver or nail will
work just as well. When the jug is empty, throw it away.

Another good use for the gallon jugs is to cut off the bottom
and plant the jug in the garden with the small opening (the lid
removed) down into the ground. Set the jug about 1/2 to 3/4
down into the ground. Fill in around the jug and make it secure.
I fill the jug with compost to hold the bottle open and the plant
gets a slow fertilizing every time I water with the hose. They will
pretty well survive the season but will start breaking down and
will be ready for the trash can. It is a great way to get the water
deep to the plant roots. I don’t let old jugs lie around on the
ground so I doubt there is any seeping into the water table. I
do keep water chilled in the refrigerator for drinking but in a
glass jar since I prefer the taste over plastic.
~Nita at PhancyPages.com

Never put anything wooden in dishwasher. One of your readers
suggested putting popsicle sticks in dishwasher. They can
very easily flip out onto the heating element and catch on fire.
Washing them with soap and water work much better, after all
they are being stuck into the dirt as markers. ~Gay A.

MORE: great tips on gardening under pine trees:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/pines.html

2,517 posted on 04/30/2008 3:43:14 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

http://news.google.com/news?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&q=Americans+++to+make+ends+meet&btnG=Search+News

« View all web results for Americans to make ends meet

The Associated Press
Americans unload prized belongings to make ends meet
The Associated Press - 17 hours ago
Struggling with mounting debt and rising prices, faced with the toughest economic times since the early 1990s, Americans are selling prized possessions ...

Americans raiding pensions to make ends meet
Management-Issues, UK - 8 hours ago
But with a quarter of Americans prematurely withdrawing money from their pensions to pay for mortgages, loans or just to keep their heads above water, ...

A New Measure of Income Adequacy for Older Americans Reveals Many ...

PR Web (press release), WA - 3 hours ago
Older women and people of color often struggle even harder to make ends meet, according to Shirley J. Wilcher, Executive Director of the American ...

Americans making tough choices in order to make ends meet
WZTV, TN - Apr 25, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — As gasoline and food take a bigger bite out of American incomes some researchers are asking — what are they doing without? ...

CNNMoney.com
Bush calls out Congress on economy
CNNMoney.com - 21 hours ago
“Everyone is having a tough time to make ends meet.” Schumer also said that Bush has failed to address the most important factors that continue to drag down ...

Making Changes to Head Off Credit Disaster
NPR - Apr 29, 2008
Morning Edition, April 29, 2008 · Americans struggling to make ends meet can quickly find themselves in over their heads when credit card and other bills ...

Locals feel economy’s squeeze
Hi-Desert Star, CA - 4 hours ago
The reality is, the rapid cost increase in food, gas and other items has people struggling to make ends meet. And many of them are angry and worried. ...

DC Rice: The Bottom Line
Frederick News Post (subscription), MD - 9 hours ago
And, some of these same political figures will complain about the CEOs who make too much while many of their employees struggle to make ends meet. ...

Tension in Egypt shows potency of food crisis
USA Today - 10 hours ago
We don’t know how to make ends meet,” says Om Hashem Shaban, balancing on her head a torn white sack full of fresh bread. Like the poor elsewhere, ...

Indiana’s NewsCenter
A holiday from gas prices?
Washington Post, United States - Apr 29, 2008
Why is it ALWAYS we the regular citizens who have to struggle to make ends meet and yet those who have control and are the wealthiest among us, ...

Clinton’s Plan to Address Soaring Gas Prices UC Daily News
all 438 news articles »

2,518 posted on 04/30/2008 8:54:22 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

Food-buying panic hits Canadian stores

Tiffany Crawford, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, April 24,
2008

More On This Story
* _McParland: Other than debt, hunger and misery, everything’s
going
to be OK_

(http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/04/24/other-than-debt-hunger-and-mass-gloom-everything-s-going-to-be-ok.aspx)
* _Spiralling rice price feeding food fears_
(http://www.nationalpost.com/rss/story.html?id=468775)

Ian Lindsay/Canwest News Service The price of rice at the T&T
supermarket at
Keefer Place in Vancouver will soon have to rise with wholesale prices
that
doubled.

With food riots spreading from Haiti to Thailand and retail giants such
as
Wal-Mart implementing rice rationing in the United States because of
shrinking
supplies, analysts say Canadians will soon be paying a lot more at the
grocery store.

Already, panic buying has hit some Canadian stores.
Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers Association of Canada said he
was
getting calls in British Columbia that store shelves were being emptied
of rice
by panicked buyers. “I was in one of the national chains and there was
one
packet of rice left on the shelf.”

“It’s a human trait to hoard, but there is only so much food to hoard,”
he
said. “The world crisis is obviously going to have a ripple effect into

Canada.”

continued...

2,519 posted on 04/30/2008 10:42:09 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)

To: nw_arizona_granny

Just popping in for a very brief post. If I find time later, I’ll dig out some rice recipes, but don’t hold me to it. Very busy here with elder care (my parents)........and prepping for a blizzard we are supposed to get tomorrow and Friday. YUK!

I would like to pass on my favorite “rice tip”, one that I have used frequently in my cooking classes.

Rice can be boiled just like pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil, dump in your required amount of rice (make sure you have enough water so that your rice can “swim”). Do not cover the pot. Cook until it tests tender, or the way you like. Drain, fluff with fork and serve. I often substitute part of the water with chicken broth, apple juice, a bit of lemon juice, or a combination.

For me, this is easier, faster, and more easily controlled than steaming or other methods.

2,520 posted on 04/30/2008 1:34:00 PM PDT by Rushmore Rocks

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