Tom, "John, are you using the white bags? I'd be concerned about the dyes and chemicals in the other colors.... " Good point. Heres what they (Greenbag Inc) say... "Is made from non-toxic, non-corrosive materials and safe color-fast dyes". I'm interested in these for several reasons, drainage, cooling and cost. I know they drain well, I don't think you could ever fill one with a garden hose. The upside down tomato bag I tried last spring stayed cool and it was black. The ones from Publix are a buck and I hear W mart's are cheaper. So I'll give it a try. john

After researching, I find that alfalfa meal decomposes fast and gives off quick heat, more so than alfalfa pellets. I cooked a geranium to death by planting in a clay mixed with alfalfa meal. I did the same with 2 rhododendrons in hot and dry summer. Years ago we detached our lawn in late fall and stored bags of grass clippings in the garage .. the entire garage was heat up, despite 40 degrees outside. NPK of alfalfa pellets is 2-1-2 ($17.99 for 50 lbs. bag), NPK of soy bean meal is 7-2-1 ($20 for 50 lbs. bag), and NPK of crack corn is 1.65 / 0.65 / 0.4 ($2.69 for 10 lbs. bag) at feed store. NPK of alfalfa hay is 2.45 - 0.5 - 2.1, sold for $8 per bale at the feed store. Corn is alkaline, has anti-fungal property. Soybean meal is also alkaline. Alfalfa meal is slightly acidic and naturally high in sugar, great for fungal germination. See below discussion "Afalfa Meal Heating Up Soil" in Organic Gardening Forum: â¢Posted by mprevost 7 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 13, 08 Throughout that time I've used only bagged composted chicken manure, alfalfa meal, soybean meal, and various mulches (leaves, grass clippings) to fertilize my soil. I have not seen this heating up occur without significant concentrations of alfalfa meal. Without a lot of alfalfa meal, it does not heat up. But if you put a lot of alfalfa meal under mulch or in a hole, it gets REAL hot in a couple of days. Like as hot as a very hot compost pile. 150 deg F or so. " **** From Straw: I haven't tested soy bean meal, so I won't recommend that. I tested cracked corn (grinded smaller with NutriMill flour grinder) ... awesome result, shiny leaves & many buds. Birds like to eat that stuff. The growth can't compare to alfalfa meal, but I'm aiming for buds and health in hot summer, and not top growth. Alfalfa hay is $8 per bale, best to mix that in with dirt, since the hay is hard to decompose, plus matting-up, blocking water. Some info. from the lawn forum: â¢Posted by lee_in_iowa 4 to 5 on the lin (My Page) on Thu, Apr 14, 11 at 11:35 Boy, I can't recommend the soybean meal. Never again! I tilled it into the top 4-6 inches of my raised beds one year and it grew me a bumper crop of cutworms and armyworms. It attracted pests I had never had before. For myself, I like to ask for bales of alfalfa hay." Here is a link that might be useful: Reference link on Organic Fertilizers This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 10:02

B: 1 egg, 2 egg whites, deli salsa, grilled corn omelet, coffee S: coffee and a granola lemon bar (my friend was an HOUR late-grrrrr-so I got hungry and chose the most healthy thing I could find in the coffee shop case; what a waste of calories!) L: 1 cup cottage cheese mixed with finely diced tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and spicy spices S: 10 pretzels D: Taco salad: 1/3 c refried beans, 1/8 c. shredded cheese, lot of shredded lettuce, tomato, ¼ c cottage cheese, salsa, 120 cal worth of baked chips on top. S: Arg. Lays Baked BBQ chips, 2 handfuls, and a ½ c of fritos. I hate having chips in the househate it! Salty snacks call to me. S to redeem myself: one red delicious apple. ----------------------- Marci~ It must have been the moon or something. I went on a snack hunt as well yesterday. Did some damage, but am back on track today. ...That's a cool pic you took, but I can see the damage the algae does. It's sounds like a nightmare to try and get rid of! Too bad someone can't harvest it and market it as a health food. JEN!!!!!! Start posting your menus NOW that Tara is better. I know when a kid is sick, hard hard it is to stay on track! You're tired and then fixing carb-y foods for sick kids is SO tempting. Is there anything more enticing than the smell of baking bread or toasting toast? :) Just start over...TODAY! I'm lining up all my pairs of boots to kick you in the hind-end...and I have a quick a few pairs! DeeMarie~ That endo appt sounds like REAL KINDA FUN!---not! We better ALL light a candle for your other tooth. You have a great attitude about it tho'. It's sounds like you're going to healthfood boot camp at work! Bon Voyage!!! NHSuzanne: I'm curious. Do you guys get ticketed if you don't take care of the noxious weeds? I have some property up north and if I don't clear the Canadian Thistle every spring, the fines start! The county fines people a 100 or more dollars a day for noxious weed spread. Now that's motivation to do yard work, eh? Needless to say, I've never gotten fined. We're expected to have a hella wind storm tonight. Remember last year when we were out of power for days? They're saying this one won't be as bad. That was a 10 and this is supposed to be a 7. I'm bringing in wood today and getting the candle and flashlights ready. And we're all sleeping downstairs tonight. There are 200 foot trees next to my house and they DO fall occasionally! If I'm not on tomorrow, it'll be because I have no power! Short story: Yesterday, my DD in college called me. She says, "Mom, I have a problem..." Well, I am thinking the worst, but then she tells me that she's babysitting a friend's offspring and that the baby has been crying for 40 minutes. I can hear the baby on her shoulder crying its heart out. 10 minutes later, we finally got the baby quiet--air in tummy or overstimulated; I'm not sure. Dimly lit room and some pats on the back, pressure on the tummy, etc---but talking my DD through that baby's crying spell gave me the strangest feeling. Now I know how my mom felt when I called her with my colicy babies! It's tough not to BE there to help! Is Raeanne on her wine tour in CA already? And where's Maddie? Patti? Tikanas? JOHN???????? Halloween is almost here, so let's get motivated to step away from the candy. Anyway, have a great day and stay safe!

Like others here, I use Tupperware. I have these that fit 5 pounds of flour, 5 pounds of sugar, 1 pound of confectioner's sugar, and 1 pound of brown sugar. I have a 5th one that also holds 5 pounds of bread flour (the one w/the white lid). However, I'm trying to organize my pantry better now that I have a large collection of Gluten Free flours so last week I just ordered Modular Mates in the Square, Rectangular, and Oval shapes...no round ones this time around (primarily b/c they don't fit as nicely on pantry shelves.) They even have a PDF file that tells you the capacity of each container in cups as well as pounds for flour, sugar, etc. It was invaluable when I was planning what I needed and what to order! And, b/c there are two colors for tops, I ordered the blue for Gluten-Free products and red for non-Gluten Free. BTW...Modular Mates are 40% off through this week. No, I don't sell Tupperware, but I have found they are the best plastic storage containers around. There was a thread on the "Cooking", "Cleaning", or "Organizing" forum (I don't remember which one) a while ago discussing pantry moths and how to get rid of them. It was mentioned that Tupperware will keep out pantry moths, etc. but that Rubbermaid does not.... Here is a link that might be useful: Tupperware - Modular Mates®