StanSherman

The bee problem in Central California dates several years before 2008. I've know beekeepers and nut growers who were worried years ahead of that. As far as I know GMO alfalfa's "advantage" is that it is "Round-up Ready". After emergence Glyphosate will not kill the plant but will eliminate broad leaf weeds. There is no incecticide. I'm not pushing GMO seed or Organic. It's informative to get widespread input. On of the biggest problems I see is the lack of knowledge of the general public. They are pushed by advertising/marketing schemes IMHO are less than ethical. "I just want to KNOW what is in my food. And I like to know if a farm is using "sustainable" farming methods. I support organic farmers, local, when possible." We can more of our own stuff than the local Amish. I know whats in it. How do you determine what is "sustainable"? I'm surrounded with 5th and 6th generation farmers and they will universally agree that for true sustainability they need to keep their financial ass afloat.

Free range is typically used with meat birds. In the US that is 99.99% some form of a Cornish Cross breed. They eat, drink and crap all within about 6 feet of their food. It doesn't matter how they are housed. "Free range" simply means they have access to the outdoors. That means there is a door that is open. Most chicken houses have 60,000 birds and a few may get lost and wander outside. If you want chickens that are housed outdoors typically they are in mobile cages. The correct term for that system is pastured.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium list does not show any problems with squid. There are some areas with overfishing like the Falkland Islands as featured in this article today. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/outlaw-fleet-scoops-squid-argentine-waters

I've tried to grasp the GMO honey bee issue for a while. The most recent reports point to neonicotinioids in corn and soy, but the farmers around here tell me they have stopped using them for a couple of years. They find other types of fungcide application more cost effective and environmentally friendly. We don't seem to have the problem here, but we don't have the super huge wide-open fields that some areas of the state have. The CRP and hunting lands add lots of habitat. I'd add "farm fresh" to the anoying list.

Some of the nicest squid I ever got were in San Pedro, Ca. The season starts pretty soon. They are the absolute best bait for line caught swordfish. They need to be larger to fit glow sticks for night fishing.

For a quick and reasonable card reader/service look at https://squareup.com/ The reader is free or very reasonable and you can be set-up in a day. I've got it on my android and it works great. They have POS systems starting at $250-500.

My only issue with Breville is their construction teniques. They don't make the units user repairable. Or toaster went out afet a couple of years and it's virtually impossible to fix it. The cost to send it in and have it done is virtually the same a buying a new one. IMO it's one of the few items where an extended warranty should be figured into the cost of the purchase.

Because of the children I had always assumed organic milk prices would hold their own, but they got hammered over the past few years. It makes it hard to convince farmers to go organic when they end up taking a higher risk for a lower profit. The discussion is difficult because most regions have different problems and both organic and non-organic regulators try and make a one size fits all solution.

This fella was figuring that all the "bio-available" nutrients would pass through the body via the blood after he returned home with a $500 blender. A few bruises over a $250 blender may be acceptable.

Anyone know of "OMNI Blender"? http://www.3blenders.com/index.html

We grew "Ringmaster" onions last season. They were bred for onion rings and as far as we are concerned they produce the best onion rings we've ever tasted.

I got a new small pressure cooker for Christmas and tried garbanzo beans today. The bag is three years old. 35 minutes under pressure and they are great. The following article got me thinking of you: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/chris_rickert/chris-rickert-put-deer-geese-on-the-local-food-menu/article_b692194c-3cc3-11e1-8404-0019bb2963f4.html You could go retro. An old buddy used to cook Thursday night dinners for the Grateful Dead road crew. Critter Du Jour. The favorite was usually venison Stroganoff. Great way to use up that sour cream.

Local, Organic, synergistic, craft-brewed artisan fair-trade eco-friendly coffee. Don't hate me for this but our local diner charges $3.00 for a grilled cheese with fries.

correct

That brings back memories of my first fig.

Halloween is only a week away. Kids love tomatoes much more than candy

We got some medium sized fingerlings out of our Peruvian purple, but you do get quite a bit of smaller round ones too. For those we just cut them in half and roast them. Actually there is a farm not too far outside of Madison doing a study on anthocyanidins (especially high in purple spuds) and their effect as an anti-cancer agent.

"Peruvian purple" is one type that keep their color.

Two people. Three refrigerator/freezers, one solo freezer and a RV with refrigerator/freezer. We have a limestone basement that doesn't fluctuate more than a couple of degrees. 400-500 quarts, 300-400 pints, 50 1/2 gallons of preserved home grown produce. This weeks project is taking the popcorn harvest and putting it into jars. (12) 1/2 gallons so far. I sure hope the end of the world comes soon, cause I'm starting to get a little self-conscious with the Amish laughing at me.

It's a pyrotechnic tool. It's made to produce stars for Italian style shells. Of course, it would need to be completely clean before switching purposes.

I now think this single purpose tool may have a second use. I can shim the height, fill the holes, scrape off the excess and let dry a bit. When ready, just press out the pieces.

Aluminum may tend to warp a little. I'd choose steel because it would not radiate as much heat to the outside and it's less expensive. Tempered glass is not a suitable substitute. I've blown one out like you and found a similar used oven for less than the factory replacement glass.

Aluminum could handle the temperature. Steel or stainless steel can handle much higher temps. You could always paint steel with high temp paint found in hardware stores for BBQs.

My physician described it this way. "If it's tasty the portion size is really small, if it tastes like crap eat as much as you like."

For small batches a food mill like Panaderia Canadiense posted or for larger batches a Roma food strainer. http://www.ultimate-weight-products.com/H-ROMA-200P.html?gclid=CKijs7q0qasCFUeFQAod3T7wzA We usually do 5-8 gallon batches. It's messy and best done outside but when we have to process a couple hundred pounds it works the best.