Well, I am in my second year of pepper growing and pretty much every bit of advice has come from people on this forum. This is, in fact, the only gardening forum I go to. I hope to have something to offer as seeds this year for trade, though I fear no one would want the varieties I have (pepperoncini, Cayenne, Hungarian Wax, Cali Gold, Red Bell, Anaheim, Inferno) since they are fairly common. Hopefully next year Ill have some more interesting things to contribute. All that said, I think it's awesome that folks here will share seeds that represent thier hard work and passion for peppers!This thread was the first time I had become aware that it was a common thing to do. So thanks to all you guys who do such a cool thing. Tim

If you want a stew, this is a favorite of mine and super easy. People always want the recipe. Five Hour Oven Stew 1-1/2 # cubed stew meat (I prefer chuck) 5 medium potatoes-cut in 2" cubes 2 cups baby carrots 1-2 medium onions-quartered 1 cup celery-cut in 2" slices 2 cans(14-1/2oz) stewed tomatoes (I use the ones w/basil, garlic & oregano) 2 Tbls. quick cooking tapioca 1 Tbls. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper Combine all and bake in a heavy dutch oven at 275degrees for 5 hours. With a loaf of good crusty bread and a green salad, this makes a great, easy, fool-proof meal.

The link below gives the official industry line on the advantages of liquid vs. powder detergents. No disadvantages are mentioned :-) Nevertheless the rest of the cleaning101.com site is also worth exploring. Personally, I don't see how one can accurately measure the new concentrated liquids, since they're so thick and the dosages are so small. Sept. 2009 issue of Consumer Reports had an article entitled "Shake, rattle, and squeeze: How much is left in that container?" They "emptied one of each product in the usual way, waited a few days for the remains to settle, and poured, squeezed, shook and tapped as much as any frugal but rational consumer might." Liquid detergents tested were All and Tide, concentration not mentioned. 7-16% of the contents were left behind in the bottle. Here is a link that might be useful: http://cleaning101.com/laundry/LaundryFSRev.5-10-25-05.pdf

The three FoodSavers I've used since 1986 have all worked as they were intended for bags, jars and canisters. The first one, which happened to be a used machine, failed when one of the children vacuum-sealed a powdery substance and it was sucked into the motor. The second machine died when a friend borrowed it and I didn't realize they were vacuum-sealing a large amount of food, and they didn't follow the instructions to allow time between each use so the machine could cool down, and they burned the motor out. The current one has been in use for over a decade. I suspect many problems are due to failing to read the user manual and following instructions: -Drawing in liquids, powdery, or fine-grained products into the unit. You can place a coffee filter over powdery items in jars/canisters to help keep the fine powder from migrating to the lid during vacuuming. You can prevent liquids from being drawn into the unit by placing a folded paper towel at the top of the bag (but below the seal area), place the wet food in another bag FIRST, before vacuum packaging. -Failure to clean the rim of the jar/canister, and failure to heat the canning lids to soften the sealing compound before attaching it to a jar. -Heavy use it's not intended for - like vacuum-sealing a large purchase of meat one package after another. You need a commercial-grade machine for heavy use. -In the early machines you needed to place the bag in the machine with the rough side down, and "the bag should not overhang into the vacuum channel itself, or touch the rubber gasket" (outlined in the user manual, complete with pictures). -Failure to close locking clips on each side of the unit properly - on machines that had the locking clips. -Failure to wipe any excess moisture or residue from inside the bag surface at the open end. When possible, roll the side of the bag over to fill it (it's also helpful to use a wide-mouth funnel to help keep the top of the bag debris-free, then roll it back up when the filling is complete, in order to help keep the top edge of the bag clean. -Note how use of any other bags "may damage your machine and invalidate your warranty". -Sealing contents that are warmer than room temperature because the vacuum may cause the contents to bubble out of the container or jar. -Failure to leave adequate headspace. -Failure to set the sealing time adjustment switch (if your unit has one). -Sealing foods you shouldn't vacuum seal - like strong-smelling vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and whole avocados with their pits. You can place a wad of plastic wrap, paper towel, or a piece cut out of a Styrofoam meat tray over bones. You can also double-bag meat - raw, frozen, or raw that you quick-freeze. For instance, if I purchase a bag of frozen chicken pieces, I'll package them in user-friendly amounts in small plastic bags, place them back in the original bag, and place that in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum-seal shut. For raw meat I'll portion it using a Ziplock product called "Perfect Portions" (7-3/4"x11-1/4" bags - 150 bags per box) and quick-freeze those on a cookie sheet, then place the meat in the Perfect Portions bags in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum-seal shut. I'll be interested in getting my next one to see if the new versions are a bad investment, as so many have experienced. If that happens, I'll resort to using Oxygen Absorbers to vacuum-seal canning lids on canning jars. -Grainlady