I am always amazed at the strong reactions of people who say they don't like Martha. I have to agree with previous posts, that I don't think these people have actually seen her show or read her magazine, because many of the reasons they give for disliking her are simply not true. For those of you, I'll tell you a little about her show. On her show she features guests as well as her own experts (employees), who show HER and her audience how to. That is what she is about - if you WANT to, you can do it yourself. You don't need to eat at a 5 star restaurant, you can have the 5 star chef show you how to do it at home. That is why she has guests do something they have never done before, or are not necessarily comfortable doing. To show that you can do it, and do not need to feel intimidated. Her show/magazine also features EXPERTS in their field give advice on health, gardening, taking care of your pets. Great tips, practical tips, inexpensive and expensive tips. Why is this so offensive, I'll never know. Obviously, if you aren't interested, then don't watch it/read it! I don't need to think she is the most personable woman in the world to like what she does. And who cares what she does with her money? Calling her materialistic is ridiculous. What about the billionaires who spend their money on solid gold faucets and million dollar parties? She is frugal by comparison and created a center devoted to geriatrics. If you ask me, she can spend her money as frivolously as she wants, she made it, what she does with it is none of my business, besides, I don't care, I have better things to get angry about. I'll save my anger for violent criminals, animal abusers, child abusers. As for her being a poor example for our daughters, I can think of worse, namely the Paris Hiltons and Lindsey Lohans of the world. I believe those who dislike her are INSECURE. They somehow believe that others feel they should "be like Martha". I don't feel I should to be like Martha, but I sure have gotten some amazing recipes from her website. I have a blackberry mint julep recipe that is out of this world. And shame on you for your rude remarks about her hair, my 6 year old knows better.

What hilarity! Love the fun posts, and learning a bit about y'all in the bargain. For those who have ever read my few posts, I'm the clueless one, the transplant subset. If there's subsets of subsets, I would be the transient transplant. I spend my life following my spouse's work, geographically speaking. I pack houses, and unpack. I accumulate all manner of flower pots and containers, then downsize, give away, and move again. My gardening efforts are full of hearty enthusiasm, as well as serial plant murdering (I like to blame it on local plant ignorance and not my PJIC disease, *plants jump into the cart*). Since we never get to live in one place long enough for either the humans or the plants to put down deep roots, we transient transplants collect any and all plants fervently, via swaps, pinching starts at public malls and other venues, and the local garden center. Then, we moan and groan about disposing of our pot ghetto when the next move is announced. Transient transplants spend way too much time covering up and disguising the objectionable architectural features of our current rental digs. We creatively hang plants, put up fishing line trellises to cover up nasty window views, and annoy the neighbors with our homemade garden accessories, obtained in pre-dawn trash-day scrounging. These charming accents (yes, even the old commodes planted with petunias), feed our collector (#6) genes, which we fervently nurture upon arrival in our latest garden planting zone. We don't consciously try to be specialists (#7s), but once we latch onto a type of plant that we don't kill in the newest climate, we grow it in every color known to the species. Oh, and yes, we have even been known to dumpster-dive in #2 and #4's trash bins, where the plant pickings are amazingly healthy, lush, and green. We transient transplants have become experts at covertly watching your work through our mis-matched window coverings (read - sheets), knowing there's gonna be really good pickings in YOUR trash this week. This serves to help our garden budget go further, knowing we must fill up our pots and fronts of landlord's planting beds to overflowing in such a short period of time, before we have to frantically put it all back, to get ready for the next household moving cycle. When the next move is announced, we lovingly dig up, label, package, and mail starts of all these frantically planted pot ghettos to our Northern friends, for safekeeping until we get settled into our next digs. In actuality, our Northern plant recipients can't even remember our names, or why they are receiving these care-packages of dirt and mushy, frozen green blobs, resembling a refrigerator science experiment....

This sounds similar to the method that Euell Gibbons uses for his dill crock. I found his recipe in "Stocking Up III" a few years ago, and have been using it ever since. Originally, I used it as an "end of garden" pickling idea, as I had a lot of this-and-thats at the end of the summer. But it was so successful, that I now use it for fermenting pickles and veggies before canning. The colors stay nice and the vegetables themselves remain crispy. His recipe goes something like this: Use lots of fresh dill between layers, etc. Layer vegetables including: garlic, red peppers, artichokes, small onions, cauliflower, peppers, nasturium buds, etc. I also used lots of small green cherry tomatoes, carrots need a bit of pre-cooking to soften them, also, he advises a short blanch for green beans and wax beans. Top off with more dill weed. I didn't have a crock, but used a gallon glass jug. I put a plastic bag filled with brine on the jug before putting on the metal lid (to prevent acid-reaction)and to discourage formation of yeast. He then covers the veggies with some brine, which he says is 3/4ths measure of salt to 10 measures of water. He also added 1/4 cup of vinegar. (I figured he meant cups by his use of the word measure - so if the crock is more or less than 10 cups, the measurements would need to be converted accordingly). He weights the crock with a board and a rock - but in my case, I used a brine-filled plastic bag on top of the veggies, to keep them submerged - then the plastic bag and metal cover. This is allowed to cure at room temperature for about 2 weeks. These can then be kept in the refrigerator or processed. To process: Sterilize jars. Pack in hot jars. Strain brine, bring to boil and pour over veggies. Leave 1/2 in. headspace. Seal and process 15 minutes in BWB. He also mentions making a new brine if desired - using 4 cups of vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Bejay

I have several pieces of outdoor furniture that need touching up annually with spray paint. Even when I pick a still day, a burst of wind will whip through and get paint all over me. I can't tell you how many times, I have had to get the paint speckles off my glasses. Windy days will also blow grass up on what you have painted for a nice textured effect! I must be having an old lady, whimsey day - - but I have a vision of painting the cages and stakes different bright colors.