I mist pretty regularly. Then again, as Nc-crn said we are in an arid climate with our fair share of heat and intense sun. Even with adequate watering the roots simply cant keep up with the rate of transpiration in our ultra-low humidity climate with the mercury pushing towards triple digits. So I have three options: let my plants fry, overwater and drown them, or set my hose sprayer to mist. Molds and such are pretty much non existent here. The thing with misting is that you are not so much watering the plants but slowing the rate of water loss through the leaves. First off by cooling them down and secondly by raising the humidity so the water that is being lost through the leaves cant evaporate as quickly. So as it is with most things it comes down to your specific situation whether its right for you to mist or not.

Dial gauge canners are not considered accurate unless the gauge is tested annually. Which is why we always recommend buying the optional 3 piece weight set and using it as a weighted canner instead. Weights are much more accurate. The venting - you always vent for 10 mins each time. If you did not vent then the corn may be underprocessed. Check the step-by-step guide I linked above and let us know if and how much you deviated from it. Corn can be quite risky if not done properly - not usually a first attempt food - and just because the jars seal doesn't mean it was done properly. Also did you adjust for altitude? Learning to manage the burner takes a bit of practice runs and is best done with jars of colored water rather than food until you get it pegged. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Pressure Canning

ES is supposed to be good up to Zone 4 but a lot of people have reported problems with it in that zone. As a result, the nursery that introduced it now recommends protection in Zone 4. No changes for those in Zones 5 and higher. Did you loose your ES due to problems during winter, for some other reason or are you uncertain? You can use "anything" that works for you to build a "cage" that will hold the leaves and prevent them the leaves from being blown away thru Spring by winter winds. You can leave the stems there, covering with leaves, lots of leaves, jillions of them. The more leaves, the better insulation you are providing. The leaves will eventually get wet due to melting snow and or rain so, no they do not have to start dry. You can mix all kinds of leaves, including maple, but skip those that originate from trees that produce juglone (Black Walnut Trees and Butternut Trees). Make sure the area near the end of the stems is protected as that is where the flowers buds develop. When young or recently planted, climbers can be protected in the same way if you want but they should not be overwintered after a while. For one, they will get large and this will not be practical. And more important, as long as the Zone is ok then do not need to protect them (maybe mulch them well with 3-4"). For example, H. Anomala subsp. Petiolaris is good through Zone 4 so it will not need protection where you live.

I have been debating the sink question for our remodel and hope there's someone who can HELP ME! My original thought was a big single sink (Ticor S508) because I'm so sick of the double, can't put the big pans in, kind of sink. But, I had so many people tell me that I'm going to miss the flexibility of 2 sinks, that I'm thinking of a big side, small side (Ticor S6512) as an option. I would really LOVE your thoughts. Maybe there's something I haven't considered about these 2 options.