lovebenton0

Have a cuppa for me on the dock -- I had a drink for you on the beach the other night! Mine was NA but it's the thought that counts! And maybe a waffle, too? Will be waiting for The Cabin report when you return, as always.

Every state in the South, and certainly particular regions of some states, have distinct ideas about what real barbecue is. Although the Methods of Cooking -- slow, long, and smoky-- are common, pieces and parts or which meat is acceptable, and yes what sauce is acceptable vary greatly. To someone from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas beef is not a bbq option. People in TX and in Kansas don't know how to bbq because they think that beef can be bbq'd -- that was made clear during many a bbq discussion with fellow grad students while in AL. We were all from different states in the South with me from TX and another woman from Kansas. And when can't you get your mouth around actual food then the next best thing is to talk about it. I think all our hunger discussions were over bbq, we never tired of it for two years. Around here, Central TX, we have the tomato based sauces, spicy or sweet, and the great "purist" vinegar sauces. I've never seen a mustard based sauce here -- that's for baked beans!

In addition to the other comments, Mayhaw Man. We have had to cut tomatoes -- yes do cut them so stems stay attached, even in clusters if you want a bunch to ripen at approximately the same time. If in clusters set them carefully so the tomatoes still have room to breathe. I set mine in flat baskets or some just on the counter in the kitchen when we have dozens at a time to salvage for whatever reason. I have picked them still green and had to hurry if I wished to use them in that state before they start to ripen. You can prolong the ripoening by following the other good advice of wrapping in newspaper or in paper bags. Never refrigerate them -- not good for tomatoes anyway -- and if they start to ripen too fast to use all of them fresh, make salsa or freeze them whole for later use once ripe. And how's your okra? What variety are you growing this year? We are putting in our fav again, Louisiana Velvet, this week in the spots left by tomato plants that didn't make it and squash that have been overgrown by larger sisters surrounding them. Disappointed in the heirlooms we tried, no Brandywines for us. So gumbo to pickling what's your favorite okra?

Rain, rain, rain. I agree, that's been a boon and a bust this season so far. The herbs are going crazy, and the assorted chilies are heavy with fruit, but the bigger tomatoes are getting water-logged. Those little Sweet 100s have been just that -- small, but beautiful and sweet. Shame about your artichokes, Jess, as an experiment, but a crying shame about the corn! Think it will recover? No corn for us this year -- but the bamboo is looking a bit like monster corn stalks out front. What do I do with it for bamboo shoots to use them for stirfry? Keep cutting it back for new shoots to come up? Then what? Anyone know? I'd love to be eating it! Pains me to have something around I can cook with and not do it. Probably need to check the Asian forums. The Snowy eggplants are finally coming along -- compared to the Ichiban which we have been eating for about three weeks now. I have hopes they will be interesting eating as well. Anyone else trying those this year?

Sunshine . . . finally! Plenty of weeding to do now that the gardens have been drenched for days. If we can't get out there soon the weeds will be staging a take-over. But the canteloupes are growing, even with the rain, biggest one is reaching softball size now. And the squash are coming in faster than before. We're eating eggplant or zucchini everyday now. How can I complain about that! Still waiting for the bigger tomatoes -- but the little Sweets are the sweetest cherry tomatoes ever. Had to take out two tomato plants, one beefsteak and one Brandywine, they were dying there with no reason why that I can tell -- just yellowed and went punier than before. My mr pulled them up -- leaving open places for the okra to start.

I have friends who have Hearing Ear dogs. One is a Westie, and small as she is she is able to help by alerting Sonja to the phone, doorbell and of course timers, although she recently got some that have flashing lights. I have trouble standing for long periods so finally broke down and bought an electric scooter with an elevating seat. It helps when I simply can no longer stand. The seat swivels so it makes it easier to work at a counter. I know that was a bit OT of me to bring in the hearing/service dogs topic. However, the point is really that there are many different ways people with disabilities can try to achieve what they want and need to do in their lives. The flashing timers/alarms/alerts are a great way to go when you know what you are waiting for. My phone flashes for me, and if I'm facing in that direction -- in that room -- at the time it always catches my eye. At least I know someone is calling and can check the caller ID to see if it may be important. Kitchen timers would be especially helpful as your attention would be focused on the coming alert to some extent. In Part I there is a link to a web site for many such devices. Yoga has also been shown to be of considerable help for some people with vestibular disabilities, much in the way the vestibular therapy is -- to help re-train your brain/body communications to accept new ways to process balance information. This, of course, is different for each individual. I have also been helped to a small degree by doing yoga, which makes it safer for me to function in the kitchen as well. The exercise is not bad for us either as it helps build up our stamina and endurance. Working on ways to make my kitchen time as pleasant and safe for me as possible helps me to enjoy my cooking time with less stress, less injury, and less oops! in the meal completion. Keeping a stool or chair handy is always a good idea (part of that "making a safe place for yourself in the kitchen") for anyone with standing or balance problems. I have used the electric "go-carts" at the grocery store for shopping a few times when I got there and realized that I could not do the job even hanging onto the grocery cart. They can be helpful when needed -- you just have to realize that you will be making new friends at the store when you need those items on higher shelves.

You also might try this advice from jschyun for your powdery mildew.

This is a little long in coming, but to add a recipe to your pureed meals, without neglecting your tastebuds, try this Central Mexico Mushroom Soup. The recipe is based on mushroom soup I enjoyed quite often while living in central Mexico several years ago.

Central Mexico Mushroom Soup Serves 4 as Soupor 6 as Appetizer. This recipe is based on my fond memories of mushroom soup I often enjoyed while living in San Miguel D'Allende, near Guanajuato in central Mexico. 1 lb fresh white mushrooms, chopped 1 medium sweet onion, minced 1/2 c chopped green chilies (mild)/seeded 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp comino (ground) 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 2 c (chicken or beef) broth or stock 1/2 c fat free half and half 1 c water or more if needed 2 T butter for sauteing salt to taste 1 T corn starch Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic, and chilies on medium heat until tender, but not browned. Add stock and water one cup at a time heating thoroughly just to the edge of a boil with each addition. Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes, covered, then another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat and cool enough to allow you to pour two cups at a time into your blender. Blend on medium, pulsing, until soup is mostly smooth in consistency. Add the cornstarch to the last 2 cups of soup in the blender, blending well. Gently bring soup back to simmer, adding half and half. Do not allow to boil at this point, but cook several minutes until the soup holds well with the cream and cornstarch. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a slice of fresh mushroom, slices of avocado, and drizzle of sour cream before serving. Keywords: Vegetables, Healthy Choices, Easy, Soup, Mexican ( RG1063 )

Central Mexico Mushroom Soup Serves 4 as Soupor 6 as Appetizer. This recipe is based on my fond memories of mushroom soup I often enjoyed while living in San Miguel D'Allende, near Guanajuato in central Mexico. 1 lb fresh white mushrooms, chopped 1 medium sweet onion, minced 1/2 c chopped green chilies (mild)/seeded 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp comino (ground) 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 2 c (chicken or beef) broth or stock 1/2 c fat free half and half 1 c water or more if needed 2 T butter for sauteing salt to taste 1 T corn starch Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic, and chilies on medium heat until tender, but not browned. Add stock and water one cup at a time heating thoroughly just to the edge of a boil with each addition. Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes, covered, then another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat and cool enough to allow you to pour two cups at a time into your blender. Blend on medium, pulsing, until soup is mostly smooth in consistency. Add the cornstarch to the last 2 cups of soup in the blender, blending well. Gently bring soup back to simmer, adding half and half. Do not allow to boil at this point, but cook several minutes until the soup holds well with the cream and cornstarch. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a slice of fresh mushroom, slices of avocado, and drizzle of sour cream before serving. Keywords: Vegetables, Healthy Choices, Easy, Soup, Mexican ( RG1063 )

I wasn't pointing a finger at you, jeniac! I was speaking to the general situation of people not realizing who the deaf people are in the crowd, not knowing that someone can't hear them or even if they have some hearing not being able to understand words or know which direction the noise is coming from. Not all deaf people have the ability to read lips, or do ASL, and many who are "new deaf" like myself find it very difficult to function out in a hearing world when suddenly cut off from speech and the sounds of life. It takes practice. I do speak some ASL (although as I've said I'm woefully out of practice and need to correct that by doing more work on it), and I can lipread some. I do lipread more than I realize and have plenty of opportunities to practice that! But all this takes a concerted effort and time. You are doing well with your co-worker and seem to be attempting to build a broader base for communication. Hey, "thank you" is a great place to start. There are web sites available for learning some basic ASL. I will try to locate at least one and post here for anyone interested. I do use a cane all the time now even at home for my safety, but when I'm in the grocery store, for instance, it is easier and safer for me to hold onto the cart and stash my cane in the basket. So this makes me not obviously disabled to people coming up behind me or coming at me -- and even so they do not know I am deaf. It is an impossible situation and actually painful to wear the CI in the chaotic loudness that a grocery store produces. Even the times I have tried it isn't much help as the noise just balls up into a wall of noise and I cannot pull out any particular thread of sounds. This problem is common for many CI wearers. The busy butcher/deli counter/bakery helper can become impatient with you -- but once they become familiar with you and know you are having a difficult time most will be very helpful and accomodating. The same applies to restaurants as well, causing many a busy wait person to look at you like "how did I get this dummy anyway?" It is just a build-up of frustration on both sides and can be alleviated to some degree by informing the wait person you are deaf at the beginning. I could not agree with more! All around people need to know what we can accomplish -- not just the big things, but the everyday life tasks that we enjoy doing as much as the next guy! We need to know it ourselves. It is incredible in this country that even today there are so many parents who still have to fight for their child's education. I hesitate to bring up Stephen Hawkins like he is the only lighthouse in the night -- certainly he is not -- but what if someone would have said to him after his disability left him physically deteriorating in his early twenties -- nah! you've done some good work, may be brilliant but you're just not worth the effort. Bravo for all the tough parents out there, and all the determined people who just deal with disabilities as part of life, in all their everday tasks and pleasures. I'm on a waiting list for a hearing/balance dog through an assistance dog provider org in TX. I hope that will give me a greater sense of autonomy, to be able to go places on my own, including just outside in my own yard and gardens many days. One of the people who has a hearing dog now has said that before she often wished her deafness was more obvious to people so they would understand, in situations like we were discussing. With her hearing dog aide it is now more obvious as the dogs wear a special patch with a pouch on their backs that states this is a working dog (of whatever type) when in public. She says this has made it easier for her to deal with those situations -- and nothing like a cute well-behaved dog to break the ice with new people. The dog alerts her to timers and other sounds important for her to hear. I am eager to be part of a dog team -- anxious to have my life in the physical world expanded once again without the need of another human to aide for me. Something as simple as standing to perform a two-handed kitchen task -- when no other option is available or when I just want to -- will be much easier and safer for me when I can depend on the dog to help me keep my balance and to alert me to timers and other sounds out of my range. This is part of my new kitchen equipment. Now if I could just train the doggie to do the dishes . . .

That plant had the homeowners' association on my ass last week when they sent me a notice of "unsightly weed overgrowth," over my driveway-side fence. I sent them back a picture of my ungainly, six-ft. Brandywine plant, along with a few chartreuse fruit, and polite instructions as to curing them along to red/pink. Can't wait to see what they'll make of the corn patch..... But the sad part of this story is a dastardly horn worm is trying to make short work of the middle third of the same plant, and I can't seem to find the sucker. My B's are not doing very well, and no corn this year. What am I not doing for the B's? They are watered, and well-fed, just not doing much of anything for me in return. But OMG I hope they don't tap me for the bamboo growing below the rockwall on the front street side. Thank goodness my six foot fennel is in the back inside area of the garden terrace.

Fifi, I'm with Jess on this. Try it! And I think you should envision date trees in your future -- how else will those little seeds know what to do? I've seen a small avocado tree grow from a regular grocery store avocado seed -- something I have not been successful at doing myself. However, I did have a great pineapple plant for years in Houston, fifi. Frustrated balcony gardeners get to grow all they can! I've got the space here to grow what I want but I'm still not over the "what can I encourage to grow" phase. I have a sweet potato sprouting in my kitchen window right now. Some of us are just born experimenters.

It is possible, however note that the leaves are not curling nor yellowing. There was a big push to get the F1 hybrid out in the market last year and again this spring. Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart had them here. The plain grays, locally known as "Mexican Squash" has a small leaf. When attacked by PM the leaves immediately yellow and curl. This plant looks like it is heavily infested but doesn't appear to be suffering. My gardener brought in a basked full of squash this morning, including a bunch of the F1. Most of my garden is watered by drip method, however one end still has standing sprinklers and the leaves of most of the plants there have white on them, however it is borax from the soil. One advantage is that many species of insects simply can't live in soil with this much borax. You are correct, the hybrid will not reproduce - however it has great blossoms for stuffing and frying. The white is not PM on the squash. They are quite healthy. They look like that as the water spots are drying and the flash on the camera just picked it up -- moisture and mineral water out here around the lakes, we filter our water for drinking. I'll hit them with the milk dilution if PM appears. I don't remember whether we got these particular plants at Lowe's or Home Depot, but both places are notorious for generic marking of veg plants. We buy what we can from a special nursery way on the other side of town, Marbridge, but they don't always have everything we want when we can get there. Then we just fill in the whatevers with plants from the bigger outlets nearby or grocery stores. We ended up with a mystery pepper that way also this year that my mr thought was a serrano -- definitely not! But I'll have to let it mature before I know what it is!

Deafness and vestibular (balance) disabilities are not related except in cases when disease or injury affecting one system also affects the other, or there may be two separate causes. In my case, I was deaf for about a year before the vestibular symptoms of the Meniere's disease appeared. I do have some severe problems with imbalance that affect my general coordination and grip as wll as my vision. Thankfully not everyone with imbalance disorders has this degree of difficulty; unfortunately for some it is much worse. The addition of balance disorder to deafness makes the experiences of everyday life a new challenge. In my case, with cooking, it means that I not only have to concentrate on the food more attentively, but also on myself. Am I standing straight? Do I have a grip on the container? Can I see the floor to walk while carrying something? I am a disaster in the kitchen when more than one other person is in there with me. I have a cochlear implant (CI) but layers of noise can be very difficult to decipher and usually just become a background of waterfall proportion without directional capabilities. Often I cannot wear the CI, so I am just "deaf girl" then (as my husband signs to me). Concentrating on work while deaf may sometimes be simplified by the fact that one is not distracted by environmental sounds. However, there is an awareness that has to develop -- a sort of "watchdog" -- to allow a deaf person to remain safe and functioning in an environment with hearing people. Deafness is not a disability that jumps out at you unless you see someone speaking in sign in public, otherwise, we look just like everybody else. So hearing people are not watching out for us, are generally not aware we are in their midst. We don't mean to be "in the way" and do not want to be considered rude, but the watchdog can't keep track of everything all the time. It is frustrating for others as well as the person who is deaf, and I try to keep that in mind, letting people know I am deaf and not ignoring them. I understand what you mean, jeniac, about the flow of movement in a professional kitchen (I've been there). However, think also about the other side, your co-worker's view of that. He does not know when to get out of the way for someone, or if someone is trying to get his attention from a distance, outside his view. That is frustrating at times. A good thing for you to try in order to understand this a little bit more personally: Go to the grocery store during a peak shopping period (ugh! in itself!) with your ears plugged tight. I think that experience alone will be enlightening. Come back and tell us what you experienced -- I would be interested to have your view on the exercises suggested by Jenna and myself. Kudos to you for wanting to understand, and I echo more kudos from Jenna about your sensitivity to your co-workers situation. Learning ASL does entail a different way of thinking about communication. I am out of practice -- my vocabulary in ASL is probably only about 400 "words" right now as I do not use it as often as I did when I was out working. My husband never connected very well with the ASL and has devised his own sign language, and I have to keep track of his as well. We probably sign to each other (ASL and "Chuckism") an average of an hour a day now since I have my CI and can hear most of the time. However, when we are out in public -- grocery store, restaurant, out walking in town, or at a party our sign communication is essential. Tapping a deaf person on the shoulder to get their attention is fine, if you have OK'd that with him. When I was working people would reach into my office and flick the light off and on. That's great as long as I wasn't standing up at the time -- being in the dark without support for even a moment could cause me to fall down! So it is important to make an arrangement with the person for ease of communication.

Perfect for those lighter tomato sauces also. Good idea, Susan. If it's good enough for grandma . . . Then you can choose to can some for salsa, basilgirl, if you want.

Thanks, andiesenji. Mystery solved. I posted your quote in TX Gardens thread. Delicious squash. I would recommend it to zucchini growers.

New info on the "Mystery Squash," which is not a mystery any longer. Thanks, andiesensji. That's it for sure. It is zucchini, but the best zucchini I've had. I would recommend it.

Thanks, GG. I knew that cross pollination was a problem with inter-typical squash, but did not think about getting plants (I have four, all growing the same type squash now) that would be subject to this. I won't be saving these seeds to depend on food production, but am curious to see what they produce. The squash is wonderful -- just good luck if the cross pollination effect is the source of the fruit.

:laugh:

They are wonderful. I sliced in wheels, grilled them over open flame with sweet onion slices and baby yellow crookneck slices then tucked them all in a foil puch with a squeeze of lemon and lemon basil. Fantastic! Thanks, tanabutler. We're closing in -- so far they also look similar to Magda Korean squash and somewhat similar to tatuma, however the coloration is off for both of those according to my experience with tatuma, and looking at pics of Magda. Having no trouble growing them so far! We've eaten two, have two more in the basket now for dinner, and about seven more growing quickly at various stages on the two mounds. Not to mention the babies popping out of the blooms. Lots of Japanese eggplant coming into the kitchen also. Time for a veggie dinner.

What did you, and any of you with peaches, do with the loaded crop this year? We only got 5 dozen off our crazy peach tree that we ate as fast as we picked them, but the neighbors loaded me down with about 30 pounds of peaches! I made a ginger dough cobbler, batch of jam, and batch of ginger-spiced peach butter. We gobbled the rest!

I guess that might depend on what you think a "good" tortilla is. Unless somebodies changed the tortillas in MX City -- I certainly haven't tasted a change around here -- I would still eat a tortilla in MX City over one sold in TX! But can we get someone to fund a research trip for that?

you must've been at the table behind us; the owner sat down and received his accolades, and then mentioned the chef was from Rainbow Lodge, of all things. We had a great meal and good bottle of wine for less than $80. .............Roaring Fork has a great list, too. Rainbow Lodge in Houston? New York? San Juan?

I made some burlap "tents" actually these are cylinder of burlap which I put around the bays when the weather begins to get very cold at night (late November) but leave it bunched around the base of the little tree. I have a large bag of leaves next to each tree so that when the news says we are going to have very low overnight temps I can pull the burlap up, stuff leaves into it and staple it together over the top of the tree. That is just enough insulation to keep it from freezing and still allow me access to the leaves when I need them. One is in a more exposed area and that one has its own little string of holiday lights which gets plugged in and a large plastic bag (actually a lawn furniture cover) goes over the top when the temps are going to be in single digits. The small amount of heat from the lights is enough to protect the tree from temps that have been as low as 2. I also have these lights in some of my large pepper plants which are now several years old. These are the chile tepin and pequin which are wild plants and not strictly annual plants. I kept a tomato plant going through the winter year before last with these lights and a plastic tent. I had brandywine tomatoes off the vine for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks! I missed this wintering advice for my bayleaf trees earlier. With a big, old, shade-tree liveoak growing through the center-cut hole in our back deck I have no shortage of leaves when I want to gather them. I pack them around a lot of my container plants to help them through the summer heat/rapid evaporation here. It does help. I have a mystery squash we have been doodling our noodles over in the TX Garden thread. The tag said "zucchini" but it's not like any zucchini I've grown before. Elongated, but fat, and with dark green base color, a bit stripey with lots of almost white speckles, yet still from a bushy plant. Good about half-size of a typical spaghetti squash, and the same shape. The inside is creamy white, thin-shelled. We love it -- been great grilled. I plan to save some seed. Here's one still ripening on plant. Anyone know what this is?