Hi Terri - 1. The Q & E way is to find recipes that use honey and substitute it 1:1. I have a bunch of honey-specific cookbooks and they were my original guideline when I developed recipes. 2. The general use information says 3/4 c. agave nectar for 1 c. sugar (or 25% less). It also depends on how sweet you like things - so "to taste" also applies. Some agave nectar products may seem sweeter than others. I may only use 1/2-2/3 c. agave nectar per 1-cup sugar. As an example, I make my banana bread recipe with only 1/4 c. agave nectar. The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. sugar. But because there is a sweet-tasting spice, cinnamon, in the recipe, it helps with the sweet-taste, as well as using really sweet bananas. 3. Just like substituting honey for sugar, you may need to adjust the liquid or dry ingredients. A general rule of thumb is to reduce liquid by 1/4-1/3 c., but if there is no liquid to reduce, add 3-4 T. of flour for each 1/2 c. agave nectar used. You have to 'play' with this some... This is where experience in baking comes in handy. 4. Depending on how much agave nectar is in the recipe, you may also want to reduce the oven temperature by 20-25°F to prevent over-browning. If there is over 1/4 c., reducing heat may be beneficial. That's also something agave nectar has in common with honey. 5. Agave nectar gives nearly the same texture as sugar does. It feeds yeast like sugar in yeast breads. It's actually an excellent choice for yeast breads because it's great for fermentation due to its high monosaccharide content. Agave nectar also has a high osmotic pressure. This characteristic helps to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and aids bread from molding quickly. It also increases the water retention properties of foods (hygroscopicity). I believe it's a "secret ingredient" to my homemade breads keeping fresh longer than those made with sugar. It browns like sugar (which chemical non-calorie sweeteners don't do). 6. As a food exchange (diabetic), 1 t. equals a free food. Two servings (or 2 t.) equals 1/2 carbohydrate exchange. 7. It remains liquid indefinitely because of the high level of fructose - unlike honey that tends to crystalize. 8. You can use it in combination with sugar or in combination with non-calorie sweeteners. When used with Splenda, it helps to counter the aftertaste and aids in contributing to browning and other characteristics missing from chemical non-calorie sweeteners that are attributed to sugar, while still maintaining a low-glycemic index. I've used agave nectar as my primary sweetener for about 10-years now. Hope that helps... -Grainlady

I used to have a rice cooker, just a cheapo one, and it cooked it just fine. It was a Salton. I got rid of it, just because I didn't like the crust it would form at the bottom; not knowing that the crust is a prized part of cooked rice. I now cook rice on the stove and it comes out wonderful, except that I too have to watch it for boil-overs. I have an Aroma single burner induction and a coil electric stove. My induction burner cooks too fast on #1 (and there's no lower setting). I do what I do on the coil stove.......have part of the pot off the heat. This controls the heat (for me).

Teresa, I don't keep mine in a dark place either, I just put it in a 5 gallon food safe bucket and put the lid on, after weighting it down. I do know some people just let it sit and ferment in quart jars on the shelf, I don't think the "dark" part is very important. Dad's was always on his unheated front porch. My recipe, which was Grandpa's, is 5 lbs. of cabbage and 3 tbls of salt. Michigan State University uses the same "formula". I don't see any reason why you can't do a much smaller amount, I just do a lot because it takes those weeks to ferment so I let a bunch ferment and then can it and I'm done for the year. I weight mine with a plate and jars filled with brine, but Aunt LulaBelle uses a ziplock bag filled with brine to weight hers down and it works fine too. How do I tell when it's done? I taste. (shrug) It's the only way that works for me. As for packing it, I don't use any tools except my hands, although Grandpa had a handy wooden tool he used to pack the sauerkraut into his crock. I just do a layer of 5 lbs of cabbage and 3 tbls of salt, mix with my hands then make a fist with each hand and lean on the mixture as hard as I can. It'll get pretty juicy in just a couple of minutes, then I add a layer. With a small amount, I don't think much packing is required, just enough to get "juice" to cover the kraut. Here are the instructions from MSU, includign a table on times to allow to ferment, depending on temperature. PROCEDURE: Work with about 5 pounds of cabbage at a time. Discard outer leaves. Rinse heads under cold running water and drain. Cut heads in quarters and remove cores. Shred or slice to a thickness of a quarter. Put cabbage in a suitable fermentation container (see explanation following processing times) and add 3 tablespoons of salt. Mix thoroughly, using clean hands. Pack firmly until salt draws juices from cabbage. Repeat shredding, salting, and packing until all cabbage is in the container. Be sure the container is deep enough so that its rim is at least 4 or 5 inches above the cabbage. If juice does not cover cabbage, add boiled and cooled brine (1-1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water). Add plate and weights, cover container with a clean bath towel. Store at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit while fermenting. At temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, kraut will be fully fermented in about 3 to 4 weeks; at 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, fermentation may take 5 to 6 weeks. At temperatures lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit kraut may not ferment. Above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, kraut may become soft. If you weigh the cabbage down with a brine-filled bag (6 tablespoons salt to 1 gallon of water), do not disturb the crock until normal fermentation is completed (when bubbling ceases). If you use jars as weight, you will have to check the kraut 2 to 3 times each week and remove scum if it forms. Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months or it may be canned. Good luck, I did a full 5 gallon bucket this year, and now I think I need to eat some pretty soon, I'd kind of forgotten it was down in the basement.

tishtoshnm - Congratulations!!! You can make corn bread with the cornmeal milled in the Nutrimill on the coarse setting. I just normally used a coarser grind than that, but it makes a nice light corn bread and I use freshly-milled wheat flour in the recipe. Golden Cornbread (source: Bob's Red Mill) 1 c. cornmeal 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour (I use hard white wheat and get great results - just don't do anymore mixing than it takes to mix the batter together) 1/2 t. salt 4 t. baking powder 1 T. sugar (optional - I use agave nectar) 1 egg 1 c. milk (I usually use 1 c. homemade kefir - homemade or commercial buttermilk would also work) 1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened SIFT together dry ingredients into bowl (I never sift, just make sure the dry ingre. are well mixed). ADD eggs, milk and butter. BEAT until smooth, about 1 minute. DO NOT OVERBEAT. BAKE in a greased 8-inch square pan for 20-25 minutes at 425°F. SERVE warm with butter and a beaming smile. ------------------------ WOW! That's a lot of oats. I'd suggest if you don't have one, beg/buy/borrow a FoodSaver and a roll of bags to store you oat groats in. There's a lot of fat in oats and they can go rancid if they aren't kept in a dark/cool storage area. You'll get longer storage if you vacuum-seal them and/or freeze them. I try to only purchase enough oat groats for about 2-years worth at a time. I have a Marga Mulino Flaker Mill that works for making flakes or a coarse grind, similar to steel-cut oats. The freshly-milled oat flakes cook a little quicker than whole oat groats. Here are some recipes that might help you out without investing in more "toys". SLOW COOKER CREAMY WHOLE OAT PORRIDGE (source: The Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood) 1 c. oat groats 1 piece (3-inches) cinnamon stick Pinch of salt 4 c. water Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Set on high heat, cover, and simmer overnight. ------------------------------------ OAT GROAT PANCAKES (source: The Splendid Grain) 2/3 c. oat groats 1/3 c. buckwheat groats, toasted 1-1/4 c. milk or soy milk 3 large eggs 2 T. unsalted butter, melted 1/4 t. sea salt 2 T. Sucanat or light brown sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. grated nutmeg Combine the oats, buckwheat and milk in a blender container. Cover and let soak refrigerated overnight or for 8 hours. [The next morning...] Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine. Preheat a griddle. Drop the batter by the lableful onto the griddle and bake for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Serve hot with the usual pancake accompaniments. [Grainlady note: It's important to soak oats before preparation (according to Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.). I add 2 T. whey from my kefir or drained yogurt, or you can add kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt to aid in breaking down the hard-to-digest phytates.] --------------------------------- IRISH OATMEAL (source: The Nourishing Traditions) 1 c. whole oats 2 c. warm filter water 4 T. whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk 1 t. sea salt 2 c. filtered water Place oats on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until they turn light brown. Process roasted oats to a medium grind in a home grinder (blender). (The resultant meal should be part flour, part small bits.) Soak from 7-24 hours in a warm place in 2 c. warm water plus whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk. (Note: Those with severe milk allergies can use lemon juice or vinegar in place of whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk.) The fine flour particles will rise to the top and may be lifted off carefully with a spoon. Bring additional 2 cups of water and sea salt to a boil, add soaked oatmeal and cook over very low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. [Grainlady note: I'd sift the flour out of the mixture rather than skim it off the top.] -------------------- Oat flour: 2/3 c. oat groats = 1 c. oat flour. BANANA CRUNCH CAKE (uses oat flour AND oatmeal) Crunch topping: 3/4 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked) 1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 2 T. butter or margarine, melted 2 T. chopped nuts (I use a LOT more ;-) 1/2 t. cinnamon Combine all ingredients; mix well. Cake: 1/2 c. butter or margarine 2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 c. mashed banana 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 1 c. oat flour 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (I use soft white wheat or spelt OR hard wheat and rye in a 3:1 ratio) 1 t. salt 1 t. soda 1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired (I only put them in the topping) (I also add 3 T. flaxmeal, but that's optional.) Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 9-inch square pan; sprinkle crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350°F) 40-45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. ---------------------------- OATMEAL SCONES 2 c. oat flour 1-1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 2 T. sugar 1/4 c. butter or margarine 3/4 c. buttermilk 1 egg Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. beat together buttermilk and egg. Add to dry ingredients, stirring with a fork until a stiff dough is formed. Knead lightly on board dusted with oat flour. Flatten into a round 1" thick and 5" in diameter; smooth out edges. Mark into 12 wedges with a knife. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Serve hot with butter and jelly. (source: Allergy Recipes, American Dietetic Association) Hope that helps you out a bit! ;-) -Grainlady