I remember approx. 15-20 years ago that Mother Earth News had an article about a geothermal greenhouse in cold country...Casper, Wyoming. The owner exacavated approx. 20' down below the eventual greenhouse foundation. He lined the walls with thick panels of styrofoam...walls and floor... and made a slurry of the excavated dirt and water and pumped it back into the foundation hole. If I remember right every couple feet of fill had black corrugated drain tile set into it in the form of a U...the narrow bottom of the U going into the bottom of the foundation excavation. He pancaked the U tiles progressively every few feet...alternating with his slurry backfill. When he approached ground level he backfilled with gravel. I apologize...it's been a while and I've always been accused of having "Anheuser's disease" for a poor memory...lol. Somehow he rigged an air circulation system up that moved the air through the drain tile and heated the greenhouse with it. Mother Earth News used to have interesting articles like that...now I find it more of an urban magazine touting the benefits of recycling yoghurt containers. If anyone has that article it would be interesting to read again. Nathan...I distinctly have the impression that he had no special insight into sizing the tile or determining how much to use. He just did it...and when the excavation was full he stopped. Terry

Does anyone have any additional experiences, comments, or insights regarding Electrolux's "Perfect Turkey" button (on some ranges and ovens), before some of us push this button for the first time in a couple of days? Today I called Electrolux (877 435 3287; free in US & Canada) and got some help. The Perfect Turkey feature does NOT cook initially at a higher temperature before lowering its temperature. Also, it DOES maintain oven at ~180 degrees for an extended period after the probe reaches its set temp, keeping things warm if needed (I gather this is not routinely done when using the probe). But other questions weren't answered: Can we cook a roast, or a leg of lamb (etc.), using this feature? [They were aghast at the very thought of this -- its for turkeys only (OK, and chicken).] I was afraid to mention game hens. Does this work equally well for cooking just breast meat or only leg and thighs? [No, its for turkeys.] Is there a minimum weight that Perfect Turkey assumes or requires to work appropriately? [Its for turkeys.] Should I change the probe temp if cooking either all white or all dark meat? Default = 180; but someone here suggested 170 was a better setting. [For turkeys!!!] Thanks in advance...

Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone! I was just thinking this morning that our T'day is uniquely American on this Thursday in November. I like that! And I like our turkey and Pilgrim symbols for this holiday. Stopped at the store last night to get some apple cider and .27 a pound sweet potatoes and even enjoyed all the shoppers buying their .27-a-pound sweet potatoes and umpteen cans of chicken broth! LOL! (my sister is bringing her candied sweet potatoes for our dinner, I was just stocking up on a good deal!) We will be feasting at Mom's house - which is a good thing, as I have a sick pooch here at my house. Have a wonderful day! Teresa

Right back attcha, Sal. Happy Turkey Day everybody! (And a special wish for our troops today!)