MSGID: 1:229/452 48856FDD
-=> MICHAEL LOO wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

 >  ML> why wood is still the material of choice
 >  ML> so many places.

 > Several - availability, cost, ease of working with, sustainability
 > (altho that's not in the forefront), etc.

 ML> Out east, availability of stone, especially
 ML> before Reconstruction, was way higher than
 ML> wood, yet almost all the houses were wooden,
 ML> with the trees having to be dragged down from
 ML> nonarable land, as cultivation had been close
 ML> to 100% since the 1700s. The Civil War and
 ML> the loss of labor did push the balance back
 ML> toward the situation you describe, though.

People who can manipulate wood, even crudely, and the tools to do so 
are far more common than masons who can work with rock/stone. 
 
 > Downsides are that it burns more easily than stone, steel, iron, etc.
 > And it's subject to rot and termites.

 ML> Yes - out here, being on the border of the
 ML> desert, we have both wet and dry rot, plus
 ML> both termites and carpenter bees. Sometimes
 ML> I think Lilli's house will come apart before
 ML> that looming tree falls on it. I figure if
 ML> it holds out for 5 years, that'll be enough,
 ML> certainly for my projected lifespan. I was
 ML> wondering if one could infuse the rotted
 ML> areas with some krazy glue type substance to
 ML> give it a few more years.

Dry rot is wood decay caused by certain species of fungi that digest 
parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness.
 
Main difference between wet rot and dry rot is that wet rot needs a 
higher moisture content to grow. Wet rot fungus likes to grow on timber 
with a high moisture content of around 50% and above while for dry rot 
to grow it will germinate at a lower timber moisture content of around 
20% to 30%. 
 
There are a number of fillers, patches, repairs out there - many epoxy
based - but not all. I first learned more than I wanted to know about
wood rot when I owned the wooden sailboat. I also learned from that that
sometimes the only salvation is replacement of the bad wood.
 
Minwax makes a product - https://tinyurl.com/MINWAX-STUFF 

Also take a look at: homeguides.sfgate.com/repair-wall-stud-dry-rot-85605.html
and: https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/how-to-save-rotting-wood

 > I got lumbered with 5 cans of French Onion Soup in a rare mistake by a
 > new-hire in the grocery picking crew at Hy-Vee. I had ordered 5 cans of
 > Beef Consomme - which I use as a basis for some sauces/gravies but more
 > often just to drink like "beef tea".

 ML> I like real beef tea, which I've made only
 ML> rarely and only if there's someone sick in
 ML> the household.
 
There's not a lot to chose from. And the can opener aspect makes it so
convenient.  Bv)= 

 > She immediately credited me for the cost. When I offered to return the
 > product I was told I could keep it, on them. So, I tried a can of it.
 > Eeeeewwwwwwww. Nothing at all like the French Onion Soup I have had in
 > a number of restaurants. Sweet and salty at the same time with an off
 > putting undertone I could not identify. Certainly nothing like what I
 > have made for myself.

 ML> My onion soup turned out to be a little sweet
 ML> itself, but she likes it that way. As far as
 ML> the offputting undertone, if it was Campbell's,
 ML> last I had of it, sixty years past, there was
 ML> the distinct taste of cheap sherry. It's no
 ML> doubt become cheap-sherry-substitute-analog by
 ML> now, for the benefit of the SBC people, to
 ML> which all I can say is that I give them the
 ML> digital.

 > Jasper and Isidora (the pooches we are dog-sitting) seemed to like it.
 > The other four cans were dropped off @ St. Martin di Porres food pantry.

 ML> I've been told that the overseasoned stuff we
 ML> tend to feed ourselves (and our poor) does
 ML> not do well by the canines.

Yet they thrive. And beg for more.

 >  > Speaking of vacuum insulation .... and soup ---
 >  >       Title: Thermos Noodle Soup
 >  ML> I presume this is in the way of camping food.
 > Or where it was originally aimed - school backpacks.

 ML> Ah.

 >  ML> Riddle me this: why do all the canned cream
 >  ML> soups (that I've encountered) taste different
 >  ML> from each other but not like the ingredient
 >  ML> they are named after?

 > Other ingredients. And I do get a taste of broccoli from Campbell's
 > C.O.B. soup. Not prominent, but there.

 ML> I think I saw that back when broccoli was
 ML> a rarity, and CoB was in the frozen section
 ML> along with cream of potato and of shrimp
 ML> and, if I recall correctly, oyster stew. I
 ML> don't recall having tried that, though.

Still available in the refrigerated/frozen area(s). 
 
 >       Title: N.Y.T. French Onion Soup
 >       1 tb All-purpose flour

 ML> Looks okay, but the flour is a mistake. If your
 ML> stock isn't thick enough, add a quarter teaspoon
 ML> of gelatin or, better, don't make the soup at all.
 ML> A glug of Cognac would go well here.

Everyone has their favourite thickener. Mine varies according to usage.
 
This is really a consomme you don't bother to clarify. Lovely as a soup, 
it can also be made into a meal by adding some dumplings or noodles.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Beef Tea
 Categories: Beef, Vegetables, Herbs
      Yield: 6 servings

      2 kg Beef rib bones
      2    Onions; halved
      1    Garlic bulb; halved
      3    Parsnips; quartered
      2    Carrots; quartered
      1    Tomato; halved
      2    Bay leaves
           Leaves from 1 celery stalk
      4    Thyme sprigs
     20    Black peppercorns
  2 1/2 tb Dry sherry (opt)

  Set oven @ 180°C/360ºF. 

  Place beef bones in a large roasting pan and roast,
  turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until browned all
  over. Add onions, garlic bulb, parsnips and carrots 
  to pan in the last 30 minutes of baking.

  Place beef bones and vegetables in a large saucepan or
  stockpot with tomato, bay leaves, celery leaves, thyme
  and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover by at least 2
  cm. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum and fat,
  then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 2
  hours and up to 8, depending on how much time you have.

  Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids and
  skimming off all except the last bit of fat, then season
  with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a nip of sherry, or
  fill up a Thermos of it to take the next time you
  venture into the great outdoors.

  COOK'S NOTES: Oven temperatures are for conventional; if
  using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by
  20ºC/65ºF. 

  All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are
  lightly packed. All vegetables are medium size and
  peeled, unless specified. 

  RECIPE FROM: https://www.sbs.com.au

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... I wish everything was as easy as getting fat.

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