Hi Dave,


 RH> We've stopped growing tomatoes and peppers now, did put in some sugar
 RH> snap peas last spring. We'd get enough for a few each, every so often
 RH> but never a great amount.

 DD> I like to grow tomatoes and the birds thank me for the tomato worms
 DD> they feast on.  Bv)= And I'm my own best customer for the chilies.

We stopped growing tomatoes when we realised we were gone most summers
when they came ripe. Could have done it this past summer, just never got
'round tuit. We tried, at the rental house, but deer got to them just as
they came ripe.


 DD>      88

 DD> A lot of my missing dishes went that way. Just never "came home" after
 DD> visiting someone else's kitchen.

 RH> I try to use disposable dishes when I take something somewhere and I'm
 RH> not concerned about getting the dish back. Alpaca (Peruvian chicken,
 RH> small chain in this area) puts their take out in a nice square box,
 RH> with cover that is really good for taking a meal to a shut in. Last
 RH> spring I made a small meat loaf, roasted potatoes and carrots with it
 RH> and it all fit nicely in the box, didn't need to worry about getting it
 RH> back.

 DD> My house mate is a packrat. I've all manner of take away containers,
 DD> etc piled in a corner of the kitchen counter. Even if I thin them out
 DD> when Dennis isn't paying attention they still threaten to take over
 DD> the whole counter.

 RH> I'll go on a clean out spree every few months so the pile doesn't get
 RH> too bad.

 DD> I do that every couple of weeks with the refrigerator. If I
 DD> don't/can't recognise it and the mutts aren't interested - in the bin.
 DD> I found a one pound sealed package of Italian sausage that I know was
 DD> over a year old.

 DD> It didn't smell funky when I punctured the plastic. So, Jasper (the
 DD> pit bull mix) enjoyed it very much. With no side effects.

Good that the dog had no reaction. We've had older stuff in the freezer
but kept frozen, it hasn't gone bad so we've eaten it with no problem.


 DD> My carbon steel knives I sharpen/hone myself. The stainless steel
 DD> (which is a real PITA to sharpen) I take to the guy who used to
 DD> sharpen the blades of my paper cutters when I was in the printing
 DD> business. He has figured out how to put an edge on a material that
 DD> "work hardens" when you file or cut it.

 RH> We'll put an edge on most of our knives but this guy does scissors too.
 RH> There's where we would pay for his services.

 DD> As I said - regular carbon steel knives are a piece of cake. But the
 DD> stainless steel chef's knives and santoku are beyond me. Never thought
 DD> of scissors. But, then I don't sew all that much.  Bv)=

Count up how many pairs of scissors/shears you have for normal
household/shop use; you might be surprised at the total. Some years ago
my younger brother cleaned out an aunt's apartment. He was surprised to
count 35 pairs of scissors/shears (35) but she also sewed. A while
later, I took some of her things and when we got back to NC, started to
go thru them. I found another pair of scissors but didn't tell him. (G)


 DD> One reason to raise your own tomatoes:

 DD>       Title: Green Tomato Pie DD>  Categories: Pies, Pastry,
 Fruits, Citrus DD>       Yield: 6 Servings

Looks interesting, might try it next year.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Our necessities are few but our wants are endless...

--- PPoint 3.01