I may have asked that first question prematurely. I just looked at the Iron Chef website and found this recipe. It's more or less what I was planning to do with the sauce. I'm not sure how to work water into the chicken with my hands until it's absorbed. The chicken I buy always seems plumped up with water anyway. The recipe says it makes 4 servings and there would be 2T of sauce in each serving, so the sodium content is easy to figure out. But the ingredients don't list ginger, and ginger is included in the instructions. So how much ginger would I use and should it be minced? Ingredients 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced across grain in 1/4 inch strips 3 Tbsp water 1 Â 2 Tbs flour (or cornstarch) 1 lb stir fry vegetables 2 Tbsp oil 1 medium garlic clove, peeled, minced 8 Tbsp Iron Chef General TsoÂs sauce Directions Place chicken in small bowl. Add water Tbsp at a time working in with hands until water is absorbed into chcken. Sprinkle flour (or cornstarch) over chicken and work in with hands to coat all pieces. Blanch Vegetables in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2-3 min. drain and set aside. Heat non-stick wok or large skillet on HIGH for 2 min. Add vegetable oil; swirl to coat pan (oil should smoke slightly) Add chicken, garlic, and ginger. stir fry for 3 min. Add Iron Chef sauce; stir fry for 2 min. Add vegetables and stir fry to heat through, 30 seconds Remove from pan and serve over rice.

Yes, it's fine to use. Here's an answer from Tetra Pak (a producer of aseptic packaging). "What happens to an aseptic carton packaged product after the expiry date? Can it still be consumed? Expiry dates are a guide to the product's acceptability with regards to aroma, flavour, texture, nutritional value and even the colour of the product. After the expiry date, there may be changes in these factors which will make the product less appealing but theoretically, there should be no "biological" changes to the product which will be harmful to oneÂs health. As manufacturers will want to ensure that the quality and longevity of their products are optimal at the point of consumption, it can be asumed that they will indicate an accurate expiry date/best before date on the packaging." Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Tetrapak FAQ

Isn't that so true! I myself was really shocked to come to this conclusion! I think this knowledge should remain in healthy circulation in the community. I wish there was a way to de-salinate the diaper-gel. My husband mentioned vinegar which might do the trick, but then it would be very acidic, and I almost wonder if it would liquify the diaper-gel. I honestly got curious yesterday and tore apart an unused diaper, shook out the crystals and now have about 2 cups of gel. I'll add vinegar to it and see if it completely breaks down. If not, then perhaps the acidic properties could be neutralized with calcium carbonate, as other neutralizers are just basically made of more salt, such as baking soda, which would bring us back to square 1. I'll add some white vinegar to the diaper gel and update you in a bit. Who knows... perhaps we may end up with a safe, salt-free plant gel! Wanna get in on this patent?? Loll Update: I didn't realize it, but calcium carbonate separates and releases salt when it reacts with an acid. I didn't even think about it's hidden salt properties, since I didn't see Na in the compound structure. ( CaCO3 ) Update: Vinegar turned the diaper gel into soup.

The mulch isn't the problem but already planted seedlings are. Are your seedlings planted in rows or scatter-sown? When row planted you would just rake the mulch back from the plants and then do what is called side-dressing of the row in a 4" deep trench about 3-4" out from the row of seedlings. Cover with soil and then rake the mulch back into place. If scatter sown that is impossible so all you can do is dig some pockets for it in among them - depends on the plant spacing. Using one of the many liquid forms of N would work better in that case. If you dilute it in water it needs to be well diluted and you still need to keep it from direct contact with the plants. And keep in mind that tested N levels all depends on the soil temp. The cooler the soil the lower in N it tests so as the soil warms the soil nitrogen levels will rise too. Don't over do it. Better to add frequently in small amounts at a time rather than over lead it. Dave