I have live trap and a pellet rifle that work well as a squirrel and crow repellent. I try to keep the population at a level where the squirrels take only their fair share. I have persimmons, cherries, peaches, figs, pears, and berries. The crows were taking more than their allotment, so I shot a couple. The others gathered about and I beieve I understood what they were crowing about. Probably saying something like, "Look! What happened to Ed? Oh my God! Look, Harry is flopping about!" And then they all flew away from my yard. After that they avoided my yard for a couple of months. Probably have to renew the warning this spring. Squirrels are a different matter. I negotiated a deal with the squirrels to only take their fair share of my fruit. At first they kept their promise and life was good; I ate persimmons, peaches, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries and pears. Then they got greedy and broke their agreement, taking most of the fruit. I told my wife, "I'll show these squirrels who is boss here." She smirked! I bought a live trap and caught and relocated 13 squirrels in one year. The squirrels snitched on me and the local police told me it was unlawful to relocate squirrels even to a new beautiful woods. My wife smirked! I caught 7 more and drowned them in a garbage can; I smirked at the ones that got away. The squirrels obviously negotiated a deal with the crows and ground squirrels because they started taking more fruit. I bought a pellet rifle. I told my wife, "I'll show these squirrels who is the smarter!" My wife said, "That ship has sailed." What did she mean by that? This post was edited by CharlieBoring on Mon, Jan 26, 15 at 8:56

I realize I'm chiming in on this topic late but...there are definately many different tastes in garlic and different kinds that are good for different uses, like raw, cooked, powdered, storage, etc... I just spent the last summer studying garlic, how to grow it, medicinal qualities, types, and I am amazed at garlic! We planted a few hundred heads and are looking forward to our crop next year. Did you know that about 75% of the garlic in the US now comes from China?!?!? We are their biggest customer. Chinese garlic is known as "elephant garlic" or "white garlic" or "common garlic". One would never realize it but it's used in many many spices and flavorings in processed and restaurant food. The growing conditions of Chinese garlic are supposed to be up to US standards but in reality unknown, however the US requires it to be irradiated to be imported to the US. This is supposed to kill bacteria and other pathogens which is laughable because garlic is by it's very nature has antibiotic like qualities. Garlic is an interesting thing because it's actually (for lack of a better word) alive. When you crush it and let it sit for about 15 minutes the enzymes mix and it becomes (again for lack of a better word) activated or more potent. It's these properties that give it taste and health qualities. Irradiation kills these properties of the garlic leaving it dead and lacking health benefits. Irradiated garlic will not grow or will grow poorly. Currently there are no hybrid garlics or genetically modified garlics but big business is busy trying to accomplish this. I'm sure you could guess who. They are having trouble because of the "alive" property I mentioned earlier. Garlic is used in huge amounts in the US, mostly in the commercial spice industry where they use it in processed foods and restaurant food. We eat lots of tasty things that we'd never guess has garlic in it. The Chinese have killed US garlic growers because they just cannot compete. The numbers have dwindled and dwindled for decades. It's a very labor intensive crop and in the garlic industry US companies pay fair wages, overtime, provide insurance, workman's comp, pay government taxes, etc... whereas in China they pay don't pay these things not to mention the long hours and pitiful low wages they pay their laborers. Even with the expense of irradiation and shipping it halfway around the globe it's far cheaper than what the US can produce. I am just one person but I make sure I buy US garlic for this reason. Anyway, it's great that you'll try to plant some common garlic, and I hope you will consider some other varieties too. There's a big garlic world out there and many to choose from. Crushing(not cutting/slicing/mincing)and waiting about 10 - 15 minutes brings out a full flavor and "power". If you don't like the smell of garlic on your fingers from prep, just rub them on a steel surface under water until the smell goes away. Works with onions too. As far as medicinal uses, non irradiated garlic is currently being used all over the world to sucessfully ward off H1N1, the common cold, other bacterial and viral infections, heal cuts and wounds, treat stuffy sinuses, to treat cancer, as an anti fungal, I could go on and on. I'm certainly not saying it's a cure all, I'm not recommending it for any specific use, I'm saying it's a very interesting plant with an unusual way of attacking foreign invaders in the body and that there are some folks that claim to have success with it. I've read many of the garlic bulb sites on the web and spoken with many of the companies. By far my favorite is Gourmet Garlic Gardens, I've added the link below if you're interested. They have fabulous varieties to choose from and will gladly help you if you have any questions on what variety is best for your needs and area. There's a lot to read on this site! There are many other bulb sources who are great out there as well, this just happens to be my favorite. G.O. Here is a link that might be useful: Gourmet Garlic Gardens

I put in info that maybe someone can use. It is not only what I like. It is what many others like or I would not be using it. Many of the recipes I see here do not appeal to me but that is just my tastes. I would not discourage anyone from using them. It has always been my goal to keep about 90 % of the people happy. The other 10% may have their own personal tastes. I really do not like someone telling me my Sauce is inferior, because I use Powdered Garlic. It is not the only ingredient in a Pasta Sauce. In fact I do not like being critisized continually, when I am trying to help someone, especially when it is unfounded. ************************************ This Post was supposed to be about Powdered Or Granulated Garlic and to keep it from getting hard. I posted the best Garlic Powder that I have found to date. Since there are recipes Posted, I should really Post my Spaghetti Sauce recipe again. Just in case someone has missed it, in the past. ***************************************************** LOU-S SPAGHETTI SAUCE ( GRAVY ) Canned Tomatoes: I use one of the following brands Contadina, Red Pack, Hunts, All Red, Tutto Russo , Chento. When using fresh Tomatoes, I Pulse them in a Blender but leave some small pieces of Tomatoes and add one small can of Tomato Paste. Ingredients: 1 Large 29 ounce can of Crushed Tomatoes 1 Large 29 ounce can of Puree 1 small can of Tomato Paste Or 65 ounces of fresh Tomatoes ( Pulsed in the Blender ) 1 small can of Tomato Paste Put all the Tomatoes in a Pot large enough to hold the meat too. Start to simmer while adding the other ingredients. 2 teaspoons of Powdered Garlic ( add more later to taste ( OR ) Use 4, fresh Garlic Cloves, chopped small and Sauteed. one half of an Onion , Chopped Small or 2 teaspoons Onion Powder 3 Bay Leaves 1 teaspoon of salt ( or to taste ) 3 teaspoons of Sugar ( add more later if Sauce is too Acidic ) An Italian pinch of powdered Cloves or 3 Whole Cloves three Quarters teaspoon of Oregano One and one half teaspoons of Parsley one half teaspoon of Basil one quater teaspoon of Black pepper one half teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning 1 teaspoon of Chicken flavored Soup Base Add a Large handful of Parmesan or Romano cheese, when Sauce is done. For Meat. I add a Chicken Thigh, Meat balls and Sausage. Simmer one and a half to 2 hours. Take the Chicken out when it is tender.. For a Meat Sauce, Sautee some Sausage and Grind Meat Chopped small and add after an hour of simmering. LOU

So, as for some of liriodendron's specific points: At the amount that wholesale sheets would cost me and the ease of obtaining them, I don't think I would have to worry much about them wearing at the edges or getting polyester-y. I don't sleep in AC at the timeshare condo in August and the sheets are fine. I sew a lot and making fitted sheets + pillowcases would be trivial for me. You know, I have to admit that part of my motivation for switching to wholesale hotel supply sheets would be that I am sick of the retail sheet industry and would love to stick it to them in my own small way. A sheet is a plain, basic staple of bedding. Everyone I know buys and uses them. They're not inherently a specialty or luxury good. Now, I know that sheets *can* be indulged in as specialty and luxury goods. I know that people *do* make a hobby of learning about bedding fibers and collecting their favorite types. In no way do I have anything against people who want to do those things, but my point is, it shouldn't be necessary for someone who just wants to buy a household staple that won't fall apart or cost them an absurdly inflated price. In order to do this, no one should HAVE to collect esoteric fiber information. Nobody should HAVE to pass along clues by word of mouth as to who makes a decent product this month or year. Nobody should HAVE to scour eBay or find specialty stores to buy a plain, staple household item! The retail sheet industry seems to have done its best to twist and obfuscate facts in order to sell millions of poorly made products with planned obsolescence and few real alternatives. I would love to opt out of their marketing horsepoo and intentionally shoddy goods, and simply never worry about it again. $125 or so every handful of years, even if the sheets wear out faster than I would hope (and I think that rotating between 3-4 sets would do much to extend their lifespans), seems to me like a very small price to pay for that freedom.