Hi, I'm in NC too! Red clay can be a big issue here in NC; its very fertile once you can get a plant into it!! Be ready to add organic material (compost, "nature's helper" ground bark fines, etc). Choose your garden site carefully, you'll need 6-8 hours of sun AFTER the leaves have all come out on the trees. You don't want your plot too far from the house or from a water source. If you know where you want your garden located already, I'd suggest sending hubby out now with a bunch of cardboard to cover over the area. (Weight down the cardboard with bricks, boards, or mulch.) That will start killing back the sod in your garden plot and will make life much easier. Depending on your location, you will also need to consider fencing to keep out rabbits or (heaven help you) deer. Usually rabbits only terrorize pea plants for me, but with last year's drought they ate everything off and I had to put a 2.5' fence around the garden to save anything. I agree with the earlier posters about starting small but have one suggestion. If you know, for example, that you eventually want a 25' x 75' garden but don't feel like you can swing that this year with the pregnancy I'd recommend using the "future garden" site as a place to stack your cardboard, newspapers, leaves, grass clippings, etc this year. It will kill off the grass in the garden addition area for next year and keep all of your garden amendments close at hand this year. I don't recommend the garden cloth/weed barriers for your garden paths UNLESS you are lucky and somehow managed to get the only yard in NC without couch grass/bermuda grass. I'd suggest either setting up your garden with paths that are at least 3' wide this year, to allow you to use a stool or rolling garden bench when tending your plants. Mulching the paths with pine needles or ground up wood will keep it relatively weed free (I use several layers of newspaper under the mulch when first setting this up) and conserve water as well. Most city landfills have days or times of the day when you can pull in with a truck and a tarp and they'll load free mulch into your truck for little or no cost. They will require that you tie a tarp over it before leaving. Check with your local landfill site. As to what types of vegetables you plant, that's all in what you like to eat. Some things are more work to get going (example: asparagus, artichokes) but you should plant what you are interested in having fresh. I personally don't plant potatoes or carrots because clay soil makes both of these more work and less chance of a great outcome AND they're cheap and plentiful at the store. Tomatoes, lettuce, cukes, beans, and squash are another story. What you grow tastes much better than the store and its relatively easy to have a nice haul. I don't grow corn because we typically get several high wind storms every summer and that cancels out the crop. I love growing flowers and herbs alongside of my veggies for the beauty and benefit. Nothing like weeding with a crowd of butterflies and hummingbirds! Let me know if you are near the mountains of NC, I'd be happy to meet you and give you starts of herbs for your yard. Grow well and prosper neighbor!

Are you sure she understood you were using a FoodSaver and vacuum-sealing the jars? I purchase freeze-dried food in #10 cans and rotate it from our home food storage to the pantry on a regular basis. When I open a can I immediately transfer it to canning jars and vacuum-seal the jars with my FoodSaver using the jar sealer. Another option is to add an oxygen absorber to remove the oxygen and seal the jar that way. An even better method is to add the appropriate size and number of oxygen absorbers for the size of the jar AND vacuum-seal it. 1. To insure a good seal make sure you heat process your jar lids in hot water per FoodSaver instructions: Always pre-soak new metal lids. Bring water to boil, then turn off Pre-soak lids 5-10 minutes. This softens the sealing compound so you get a better seal. Make sure the lid is completely dry before using it on the jar. 2. Make sure the rim of the jar is free of any kind of food particles. It works best to use a canning jar funnel to load the food into the jars because it helps keep the rims clean, but you will still need to wipe the rim (use a clean dry towel - cloth or paper). I've used the FoodSaver method for years (I've owned FoodSavers since 1986) and I've never had a jar develop moisture that maintained the vacuum. I DO check the jar seals once a month on all my jarred inventory that I've sealed. I just opened a quart jar of freeze-dried strawberry slices I vacuum-sealed last year and they were as good as the day I vacuum-sealed them. I've been making some of Chef Tess Bakeresse meals-in-a-jar (especially some of the single-serving ones so hubby can use them in his lunch at work). (Check out her new cookbook - "The Gourmet Food Storage Handbook" by Stephanie Petersen - aka Chef Tess Bakeresse) Those that include freeze-dried meat I'll use an oxygen absorber AND vacuum-seal it to double my chances it remains sealed. And any leftover freeze-dried meat I'll use both - oxygen absorber AND vacuum-seal. The link below at her web site will give you more information that might help you out. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Chef Tess Bakeresse

Just wanted to thank everyone for your great ideas. I liked the idea of calzone but don't have any yeast or pizza dough. Then I considered making ravioli or lasagna noodles, but I didn't have any time to "play with my food" today--maybe next time. Glad to know it can be frozen or used "nude," too. DH would like that! :) For tonight, I think I'm going to have to go with the quickest option: baking it with pasta and sauce. Thanks again, everybody, for all your suggestions! p.s. The eggplant rolantini was a hit! I'll definitely be making it again. Sue

Used to do this for my DS when he was a youngster. Use your imagination. Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich 1 tablespoon butter, softened 2 slices bread 2 slices mozzarella cheese **I used regular cheese slices 4 slices pepperoni (sandwich size, sliced ultra thin)I used balogna 3 tablespoons pizza sauce *use your spaghetti sauce ***I spread the sauce with the cheese and meat on the bread before grilling Directions Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice in a heated skillet, butter side down. Top with cheese, pepperoni, and another slice of cheese. Cover with second bread slice, butter side up. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, turning once. Let sit for a couple minutes. Cut into 4 long slices and serve with pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.