pedalpowered's Profile

Does stock ever get bitter if it's left to simmer too long? I'm just wondering if there's a point where the flavor starts to go downhill as cooking time increases.

True compost tea is aerated.

Freezing scraps works really well - and not just for saving to take to a composting facility. It is a good practice to freeze scraps before adding to an indoor worm bin for two reasons 1) freezing/thawing ruptures cell walls, which leads to quicker decomposition. Fast decomposition = fewer opportunities for fruit flies, fungus gnats and odors to develop. 2) Freezing kills eggs and larvae of fungus gnats and fruit flies, which are often on the surface of fruit and vegetable peels (also a good reason to wash store-bought produce). You can keep down fungus gnats and fruit flies in an indoor bin by also following two rules 1) keep the surface of the bin DRY, not moist (they lay eggs on moist surfaces). I know everyone says to put damp newspaper on top but that is just bad bin hygiene. Everything else should be moist below only. 2) Incorporate cornmeal or spray occasionally with chamomile tea, which have natural anti-fungal properties. Less fungus = less stuff for fungus gnats to eat.

I have the same dresser and it has marks on it where someone put multiple stickers and then peeled them off. What do I do about that?

criv227 that is because it was a hybrid. since hybrids are produced with two inbred, pure strains they will either not produce viable seeds or - as in your case, produce seeds that revert back to one of the parent varieties.

Compost piles generate a lot of heat. If the microbes are going strong, they will heat a compost pile to 120F or more, and in the winter, the core of the pile should never freeze. One problem with using bins like the one above is that they are so insulated to prevent an odor from escaping, that beneficial bacteria can't get in. We have an outdoor pile in Chicago right now, in just a wooden frame surrounded by hardware mesh, and you can stick a pitchfork into it without a problem. If your pile isn't getting very hot, it's going to take forever to break down.

these remind me of the russell stover rosebud mints, which my grandma used to keep on hand for her bridge group. i used to sneak those mints all the time, and russell stove sadly stopped making them.

I live in Chicago and don't have any dirt of my own for a root cellar, but I have a makeshift one from a wooden box, a plastic tub, and lots of hay. I keep it on the balcony and it keeps root vegs nice and crispy cold November-February. They might last longer than February but by then everything has been eaten!

i own a le creuset and a martha stewart dutch oven. they are the same age and receive about the same amount of use. the martha stewart dutch oven looks terrible, the le creuset looks perfect and has a lovely patina on the bottom. the ms dutch oven does not heat as evenly as the lc, the enamel scratches very easily and is more difficult to clean, and is a lot heavier!

we grew hops and had our first harvest this fall - nearly 1 pound from one vine! we brewed two batches of beer so far and dry-hopped both with fresh, whole cones.