Hi aulani, Sounds like a good recipe. Will have to try it sometime. I just threw together a tomato salad from the garden using Dona Hybrid, Sprite, Black Cherry, and Sweet Quartz tomatoes (which didn't have alot of juice) along with a diced Roumanian Rainbow Sweet Pepper and Basil from the garden. Added store bought cubed Monterey Jack cheese (would have used feta if I'd had it), a bit of diced sweet red onion and some pitted kalamata olives. Dressed it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I've got a thread on "Whole Hog" about cuts for processing, and as I was about to add some ground sea salt to my salad, it occurred to me that instead of salt, homemade pork cracklings or bacon chunks would be a great addition to the salad. Hope I'm not hijacking your thread. I think it's a great idea you posted about using juicer tomatoes in salads. Anne

"How does all this relate to the "grow box" setup which holds 4 gallons of water so that the plant always has what it needs?" This is a good question and any time someone brings up a "less water / more flavor" discussion, a question like yours comes up as does one like this "I grow my tomatoes hydroponically and they taste great". I think the limiting water discussion has a lot more to do with plants in the ground. Since water levels in the ground fluctuate a lot more than in a SWC or (obviously) hydroponic containers - I think that the plant is in a different mode of water consumption; sort of a "get it when you can" / "feast and famine" mode. So when you water the plant takes up as much as it can, probably a little more than it needs - and that may be where the watered down taste comes from. In SWCs and Hydroponic containers, the plant never feels the need to grab more water than needed since it's supply is steady as a rock... Just a theory I have, related to the watering / taste discussion.

I've been making this icing for years. My recipe is slightly different (flour/milk/vanilla amts.) Waldorf Astoria Frosting Cook together until thick: 1 c. milk 3 T. flour (Beat until cool) Cream together & beat until light & fluffy. 1 c. butter 1 c. sugar 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Combine the two mixtures, adding the cooked portion gradually. (I always just incorporate the two mixtures & beat it briefly.) Love this frosting but it probably resembles a filling a bit more than a frosting. That is, if you want fancy swirls & peaks, I don't think it's going to work for that. Maybe the other recipes using more flour might be a bit more decorative? Anyway, I love it just cause it tastes good and is just sweet enough w/o being too-too sweet. Oh, I always use salted butter and a 'glug' of vanilla--don't measure. Several posters here rave about KA's 'Fiori di Sicilia' flavoring so maybe that would amp up your frosting? (I haven't gotten around to ordering any of it yet...)

When I make stir-fry, hubby likes some of the veggies, especially onions, be over-cooked and caramelized. And I agree, it gives a nice flavor. He also likes grilled onions on his hamburger, instead of raw. In fact, if I caramelize onions, I've gotten hubby to eat quite a few things he might not otherwise, such as stir-fried amaranth leaves with caramelized onions (a recipe I found on-line). I hope your beans turn out. My slow cooker cooks much too hot (even on low) to do anything overnight without drying out. I use my Thermal Cooker for that application. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Another Kitchen Must-Have - Thermal Cooker