I never ever use chlorinated water on plants or in my ponds, period. I had a well dug to avoid chlorine and flouride. I also collect rain water. No one knows what they are really getting with all of this packaged fertilizer, table salt or anything else in my opinion. The best thing for anyone is to research, study and do trail and era. Use what works best for you in your area. Good old organic compost; manure is good enough for me here. There are pros and cons to it all you just have to try the others ideals or YOUR OWN if you want and find out what best suits you. There are surely lots of ideals that I think are crazy but others would swear by. I think that the ideal with Sea Extracts are even though some contents are not needed for plants to live, they tend to thrive with the combination of whatever it does for the plants, weather it be a mixture of the soil and the organic materials mixed or some strange mystery as for exactly why it works just like lots of things people use and swear that it makes the biggest best plants around. Good for all of them and their ideals. It is wonderful when someone finds something that makes their plants thrive! Phoenixryan, I don't know if you garden in containers or the ground there however I would think that you have sand naturally there. Here in Tennessee we have good old clay. It is probably one of the worst types of soil around as it starves plants because it is a water hog and holds all of the moisture in it's cells and does not release the water to the plants. So some of your good old sand mixed in with my clay and a couple of other things would make some nice soil. Sand with all of it's fast draining properties have smaller water molecules however they will readily give it up to the plants. Now the big thing is where does your sand come from? Sea sand contains salt and iron yet others do not so you have to watch what kind of sand you use too. Now on another note some plants can take in minerals and they are just fine. Plants around the oceans, in the ocean and ect. People use kelp for fertilizer, it lived in sea water? Go figure, the plant was able to use the sea water and thrive but uses the minerals and changes their properites into something new. It came from the sea, lived in sea water yet people use it to fertilize and swear by it. Go Figure? Another interesting article: http://www.nps.gov/archive/whsa/factsheets.htm Barb grow some cheap cheap plants and use some of that Sea Salt out of your kitchen and let us know what it does. Test one with milk while your at it as you would be suppised what it does! hahahaha Tammy

Pretty soon here, you want to find some seeds for 'Imperial Star' artichoke. Plant Feb/Mar, 70-80%ish germination, and let them get as large as they can. They're frost tolerant, and, I think, need some frost for future flowering, so set them out early and cover if its going to get down in the low 20's. They love to grow in rich soil full of decomposing organic matter. They're aphid magnets and need a regular hosing off with some sort of soap. The first year, you'll pick 3 or 4 per plant, which hardly seems worth it. but.... Overwintering requires a couple of wheel barrows of grass clippings / leaves dumped on top so there is a foot thick layer all over it. When they come up the 2nd year, expect about 25 - 50 artichokes per plant, because by then you've realized the small ones are a whole lot better than the big ones. I did this for 4 years with 10 plants. I actually got tired of eating artichokes - I'd eat a dozen small ones for lunch - and the next day, there were 50 that had to be eaten, and then reconfigured the garden and haven't done it again. Anyway, its fun to try.

Thanks for the soup recipes. I have a combo of about 4 recipes in one pot on the stove as I write. The house smells great. Also didn't hurt I that I just made a batch of schmaltz for the matzoh balls and it smells just like I remember the hallway walking down to my Bubbe's apartment. Hmmmmmmm. Wish she was here to smell it with me. Anyone know if I make it today for Sunday night will it be ok in the Fridge or should I freeze it? Here are the recipes requested: Passover Crispy Sticks From the New York Times Passover Cookbook (Hope they don't mind my posting it) 1 large egg ½ cup water 1 tsp salt 1 cup sifted matzoh meal 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp kosher salt 1. In a mixing bowl, using a beather, beat together the egg, water & salt. Gradually stir in the matzoh meal. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. 2. With lightly greased hands, pinch off a ½ inch nugget of dough and roll it out into a pencil shape between the palm of the hand and a clean flat surface to make a thin strip about 1 ½ inches long. Place on a flat plate. Repeat until all the dough is used. 3. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the dough strands, a few at a time, and fry until golden. Drain sticks and shake in a paper bag containing the coarse salt. Makes 3 dozen. The Roasted Red Potatoes with Shallots & Fresh Herbs recipe is from Recipezaar. Here's a link: http://www.recipezaar.com/183190 Happy cooking!

Lori, those look yummy! Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites ==================================== From Perfect Entertaining website. These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat! Makes 60 bites 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.