The scent-repellants probably only work for critters that breath with lung like structures. The mites that spread RRD only breath through their 'skin'. So unless the scent molecules hitch onto them and irritate them, it wouldn't happen soon enough. I've had RRD on plants of many different sizes. The small ones that got it were often at the windward edge of a bed and where where the wind would break (and drop mites). The big plants make their own wind baffles and that's where the problem is. In my other beds, if all the roses are about the same size, the winds slide over them (and so far seem to be dropping the mites on grass.) I think there may also be a tie in to when the plants slow down at midsummer and the mites can't bite into undifferentiated growth/meristemic tissue. R. multiflora out in the wild seems to get sick really easily; R. setigera along the same fencelines is less susceptible but then setigera doesn't make the massive plants here. THe problem is keeping wind moving and not having dead spots/ dead as in wind dropping to no wind spots within the roses. In our species garden I haven't lost anything yet to RRD. (In a previous location a tenth of a mile away I lost two species to RRD; they were in better soil and on irrigation.) Maybe being dried out in the summer/fall has been a good thing for their longevity. What repels these mites/what makes them move on/ is when they land on a surface and sense that it isn't a rose. Then they position themselves so the next puff of wind will move them on. This MAY be why some of the antitranspirants might work to prevent RRD. But this comes with no guarantees of any sort. Speaking of sprays...has anyone here tried Quassia chips? It was used in the early 1900's to repel aphids, is totally natural and supposed to be a hundred times more bitter than quinine.

Lisa, this is my favourite starter. It is a pure starter, made from just rye flour and water. Nothing else. Once you get it going and it is easy to keep. YOu just have to feed it occasionally. Once you get your starter active, you use it to make a biga or a levain and that is what you add to the French baguette recipe rather than yeast. For the Biga, I just add 2 ounces of starter to 1 1/2 cups of flour and a cup of water and let it develop overnight. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Sourdough starter - Amy's bread =============================== copied from: http://countrylife.net/pages/recipes/672.html Amy Scherber's Sourdough Starter RYE STARTER From AMY'S BREAD, copyrighted. Amy's bread This starter is begun with rye flour because rye just LOVES to ferment and is an easier starter to get going than a wheat starter. When I first made it, it had a bubble or two within a couple hours. The procedure is to start it with rye flour, then transform it by changing what you feed it. The original rye will dilute to nothing over time and you'll end up with a white flour (or whatever other grain you choose, it could be whole wheat or pumpermickel, or you could leave it as a rye starter) and water based starter, but it had the advantage of beginning it's life from highly fermentable rye flour. Start it with organic rye flour and spring water. Once you have it going well you can switch to all-purpose white (or other) flour as you choose. The use of spring water is recommended for maintenance, however, as tap water may contain elements (such as chlorine) which may be detrimental to the health of your starter. I also recommend that you use a container that you can mark the volume levels of starter each time, so that you will know when it has doubled. Use a marking pen or tape or any other means to indicate on the container the starter levels each time you feed. Phase 1 - Combine 2 oz organic rye flour (room temp) with 4 oz spring water in a clear container. The batter should be about the consistency of very thick pancake batter, add more water or flour if necessary. Cover & let it sit for 36 - 48 hours at 75 - 77 degrees (a little cooler is okay but over 80 you will incubate the wrong kind of bacteria and your culture will have an unpleasant bitter taste). You should start to see tiny bubbles forming after about 24 hours. By the time it has doubled, there will be a noticeable network of small bubbles throughout the batter & it will be foaming & bubbling on top. (If the batter has not doubled within 48 hours, feed with 2 oz water & 2 oz flour (add more of either if necessary for the consistency) and let it sit another 24 hours or until you see some definite activity.) Phase 2 - Stir the culture down, notice how soupy it's become. The batter should have a noticeable sour smell & a mildly tangy taste at this point. Add 2 oz water & 2 oz flour and stir vigorously until well-combined. Let it sit for 12 hours. It should be showing a fair amount of activity at this point. You should see lots of foaming & bubbling through the sides as well as on the top. Don't be concerned if the culture deflates & loses volume. This means the yeast has exhausted its food supply, but it will continue to increase in acidity. Don't worry if your culture isn't dramatically active yet. As long as there is some noticeable activity going on and the mixture smells & tastes sour, you're on the right track. Phase 3 - The culture should now have a pronounced, sour, fruity taste and smell, it should not taste musty or bitter (if it does, discard and start again, paying close attention to the temp of the culture at all times). Now you can start "transforming" it into a white (or other) flour based starter. Use 6 oz of the starter, add 3 oz water & 3 oz flour, stir vigorously. Let it sit for 12 hrs at 75 - 77 degrees F. Refresh it again, setting up a maintenance level of 12 oz of starter. This will be your "mother" starter that you use to build the sourdough starters/sponges needed in individual recipes. Each time you take part of the mother out to build a starter, you must refresh it with equal weights of flour and water to bring it back up to its maintenance level. To maintain - Use 6 oz of the mother culture (discard the rest), add 3 oz water & 3 oz flour, stir vigorously, let it sit at room temp until doubled in volume. A strong mother will double in 8-12 hours. If yours doesn't do that, let it continue to sit out until it has a nice tangy taste and smell; discard all but 6 oz and repeat this procedure. Repeat this procedure as many times as necessary until the mother doubles within 8-12 hrs. It may take several days. Don't get discouraged, it's worth the effort. To use for recipes - Combine 1/2 c (5 oz) Mother from the refrigerator, add 3 oz flour and 2.5 oz warm water (85 - 90 degrees). The mixture will be stiffer than the mother. Let it sit, covered, until doubled in volume (if it doesn't do so go back to maintenance procedure). When the starter has doubled, it is ready to use in a recipe. Measure the amount needed and discard any that remains.

Here you go June. Looking forward to the results of your taste test. Ann Decadent Brownies 1 Cup butter 20 Ounces chocolate 1-1/2 Cups sugar Pinch of salt 4 eggs 1 Cup flour vanilla to taste 1 Cup toasted pecans/walnuts (Optional: use 3/4 cup brown and 3/4 cup white sugar Add a shot of espresso Method One Melt chocolate and butter in microwave bowl. Beat in sugar and salt Beat in eggs add vanilla Mix in flour Mix in pecans. Pour into rectangle cake pan that has been lined with tin foil and rubbed with butter. Bake in oven at 350 for approximately 30 minutes. Do not over bake. Should still be soft in the middle. Put into freezer immediately for 1 hour or until cold. Cut into 8 bars and wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze. Method Two Another Option. Both methods are good and I use them interchangeably. Melt butter and sugar together over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate and stir until chocolate melts. Continuing stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add one egg at a time and mix until each is well incorporated before adding the next egg. Add vanilla (and espresso if using). Stir in flour and salt and mix well. Stir in the pecans or walnuts and pour into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 ðF for approximately 30 minutes. Do not over bake. Brownies should be set in the middle but still slightly soft. Place immediately in the freezer. When cold, remove and cut into bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

shambo- Maybe this recipe from "Natural Meals In Minutes" by Rita Bingham will work for you, or give you an idea for changes you can make to the original recipe. -Grainlady WHEAT AND SESAME TORTILLAS 2 c. whole wheat flour 3 T. dry milk powder 1/3 c. sesame seeds 2 T. butter or applesauce 1/2 t. salt 2 T. yogurt 1/2 c. lukewarm water Combine dry ingredients. Use hand or electric beaters to cut in butter or applesauce until mixture resembles fine crumbs. [Grainlady note: I love this hint. Since the first time I made these, I now use my electric hand-held beater to cut fat into dry ingredients - it's so easy and so fast compared to cutting fat in with a pastry blender.] Slowly pour in water and yogurt, mixing lightly with a fork. On a floured board, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover and let stand for 10-minutes. Divide and shape dough into 8 balls. Cover, removing one ball at a time and roll paper-thin on floured board. Place on heavy, hot, ungreased skillet, over medium-high heat. Blisters should appear right away. Brown on one side and turn. Cook about 30 seconds. Makes eight 9-inch tortillas. [I like to use this recipe for wraps - LOVE the addition of sesame seeds - yum!!!] -------------------------------------- The link below has another favorite recipe and it has variations using cornmeal and all-purpose flour or whole wheat and all-purpose flour, and 2 T. shortening. It's especially easy to mix in a zip-lock storage bag and a great project with children. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Native American Tortillas In a Bag