Hi HB, I grow all of these, except the galangal, and I am working on that this year. I have a couple of clumps in some damp sand in a container about 5" deep, and I have some sprouts showing. I am using this method, since I have read on several sites that people have great success with ginger in sand, so I fugure I'll try galagal and turmeric, since they are harder to find here. A friend in the SF area has had trouble growing a number of things, including kaffir lime plants. He told me this after I told him how easy they are to grow - I have two almost 6 years old, and have found that basically all you have to do is keep watering them! He thinks the trouble he has had with all of the herbs he has tried to grow has been from the moisture in the area - something to look into, and maybe find somebody from your area on this or another forum that can offer advise on this. Thai basil is incredibly easy to grow, and I have two plants inside that I started last October from cuttings, when the ones outside were getting ready to be pulled - they are also easy to start from seed, and, as long as you keep snipping the flowers, will keep growing forever...almost. I start my lemongrass every spring from some that I buy at the store, simply putting them in a glass of water, and changing it every couple of days. In about 3 weeks they are ready to plant - about a week into May here, and they are ready to harvest in Oct. I harvest them, clean them down to the usable stalks, then freeze them in 2,3,and 4 stalks bunches in Foodsaver vac-pacs. They last for over a year this way, and with 6 plants I always have more than I need until next harvest. I also freeze some of the greens, for use in drinks and soup stocks. This year I also got seeds for Thai coriander - I'll see how that turns out... Dave

Hi All! Not sure if anyone is still out there connected to this thread, but thought I would try. =) My family loves the good old Strawberry Rhubarb freezer jam that uses jello, I love it, too. My problem is, I try to make enough of it to last us all year (they love it that much!), but I dont' want to use that much freezer space. I have tried a couple of recipes this year, water bath recipes, that have not set up. One I was afraid may not have had the right ingredients to be a jar jam, since it didn't set up, so after a few hours, I threw it in the fridge to use as syrup. Low and behold it set. =) So, I found another and tried it. It didn't set either. (What is the longest it should take to set up?) 12 c rhubarb 3 Tbs pectin (powdered) 3 c sugar lime juice cubes (2 or 3?) dash red food color Put sugar on diced rhubarb and let it sit overnight to suck water out. Cooked and reduced it for about 15 miutes with lime juice, and added pectin near end. My recipe is homemade so your mileage may vary. Rhubarb is high acid, though, so it should be safe enough. >>> I like the look of the above recipe very much (it is from further up in this thread), it has very little sugar, doesn't require much in the way of other fruit (I'm trying to be as frugal as possible) and is said to set up. My question is this. Can I use one of my recipes that has not set up, just add commercial pectin to it? (I do like the flavor, just want it to set.) If so, how do I figure out how much pectin to add? I'm new to the jam canning process, and don't have much for local resouces, so I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks! Gabi

how interesting that deborah started this thread today--thank you! there is a very small (and CRAMPED) oriental market not terribly far from us and we stopped there yesterday to look around and pick up a few things just unknown to us. it was fun! i'd never had any thai food until 2 years ago and there was a nice restaurant that had a very small buffet every day. pad thai and tom gai soup were always there and most of the other dishes changed daily. i LOVED that soup and when i spotted fresh lemon grass yesterday, decided i had to attempt making it. there are about a dozen recipes for it on the "food down under" website and they are pretty similar to the one deborah posted. having said that, i simply don't recall the taste of either something like ginger (as a sub for galangel) or chili peppers in it but guess i'd be wrong about that :) in any case, i have dried red pepper flakes, or sweet chili paste with garlic or chipotle peppers in adobe sauce that i can use (VERY sparingly in our household). anyone have any suggestions on which might work best in this recipe? and maureen--ex or no, those sound like really great memories to me! it must have been quite the adventure for all of you! Here is a link that might be useful: tom gai

Had never heard of Tommy Tang until Diana L. posted this recipe here many years ago. Tommy Tang's Santa Fe Chile Pasta 3/4 pound penne or other short tubular pasta (1 pound box is fine) 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons roasted chile paste 1 cup coconut milk 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce 1 cup whipping cream 4 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and cut into 1/4-inch strips 4 sprigs fresh basil (optional) Cook pasta in abundant boiling salted water until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in heavy saucepan over high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Add chili powder and chile paste and stir 1 minute. Add coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to boil. Add cream and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring. Increase heat to medium, add cooked pasta and stir until well coated with sauce. Transfer to platter and top with sun-dried tomatoes. Garnish with basil and serve. ~Diana