Preparation: Cut potatoes into small pieces (1-1/2 to 2 ounces) about the size of a walnut or large ice cube with two or three "eyes" per piece. Dust with sulfur and let set several days before planting to allow the potato to "heal" or "cure". The cured pieces will retain their moisture and the sulfur helps to prevent rotting. Garden sulfur (4, 5 or 50 lb. bags) bags are available in most lawn & garden centers or farm supply stores. Potatoes planted later when the soil is warmer and drier are less likely to rot and can be planted immediately after being cut. Planting: Potatoes like to be in the ground deep. It is most ideal to dig trenches 4" wide, 4" deep and place rows 30-36" apart. Place seed potatoes or whole small potatoes 12" apart in the trench and cover with 4" soil. I usually plant 5 lbs. of potatoes--just enough for spring eating. I take my 5 lb. bag of sulfur and dust my cut potatoes. Then I dust the top of my covered potatoes with the remainder of the sulfur. I also side dress with 1 lb. of Triple Superphosphate (0-46-0) and 1 lb. of 5-10-10 per 25' row. Potatoes need extra phosphate for root growth and then do not like too much nitrogen or you will get all plant and no potatoes. "Old timers" who plant by the moon, plant root crops on new moon (Good Friday) and above grounds crops on full moon. This is the first year (2002) that I have tried it and I have the best stand that I have ever had and they came up much faster. So we will see what the harvest is like! Care: Be patient, it takes potatoes a little while to come up. After the potatoes have emerged from the ground several inches, hill the soil up around the plants. You may need to repeat the process one more time. This protects the potatoes growing deep in the soil from sunlight which can turn the tender new potatoes green and bitter. I also like to mulch with straw or horse manure with shavings to help with weed control. We have a near-by stable and the daily pickings from the stalls make excellent mulch. I have found the manure tends to be "hot" so be careful not to burn the plants. Harvest: You can harvest new potatoes in 10 weeks. For larger potatoes, wait until the vines have died. The potatoes will have developed tougher skins. Dig, wash potatoes and let dry under a tree for several days. Pick out any potatoes with rotten spots or that cut during digging. The potatoes are then ready to storage in a fruit cellar or dry, dark, cool room. You do not want the potatoes to freeze as the insides will turn dark when fried. The hungry Colorado Potato Beetle will be your biggest challenge. So be prepared to spray or dust regularly. They can strip the leaves before you know what happened so keep regular watch over you potatoes!!! Compliments of � Hertzler Farm and Feed Inc... Kylie

"They are kinda slimy and gross looking as they thaw out, but they DO make wonderful banana bread!' I've always been more concerned with them being slimy and gross getting 'em INTO the freezer! I've been planning to do this anyway as i hate wasting food BUT always forget and then end up tossing them when the gnats start pounding on the door! there's also the thought in the back of my head that since I don't cook/bake much (almost never here) I figure I'll just get 'em frozen and end up tossing them in 2 yrs from the freezer! I really do plan to do this once I get settled in the new place tho - I'll have a regular stove/oven and I think it'd be a good way to have a healthier snack for me than a hostess cupcake or even a maple iced donut! the chicken - I don't get to Costco but when a local store (one of our lowest priced groceries) has their extra 10% off for seniors day I try to get there and buy some chicken to freeze. Lately I've been buying a pkg of chicken strips to bake and then I freeze them about six to a baggie (put 2 in, roll the bag over, put in 2 more, roll the bag again, repeat. I can usually get about 6 in the bag). That makes it easier for me to cook up and use. I can pull 1 or 2 strips out of the baggie to chop into enough chicken salad for a sandwich, toss in with my rice and veggies or even leftover noodles (cooked!) sent home with me by my sister. I also used them to feed my old girl when she wouldn't eat her dog food or an egg etc. I'd toss a chopped up strip into my small measuring cup with some water and mw it, then mix some of the juice with some of the pieces into her dog food - she gobbled that up! marti - that'd make it a lot easier for me! If I'd known that worked I'd probably have a few in the freezer now! I'll try that the next time one starts to turn before I've had a chance to eat it.

If you are a DIYer, here are some plans that you could easily modify to get a similar look: Farmhouse bed I've made a couple of versions of this bed so far and it is very easy with minimal tools needed. You could add some decorative molding to it if you want it a bit more fancy. The plans are available in other sizes as well on that site. You could even make a bench similar to the one shown - she has plans for something similar there as well and it is on my Spring DIY project list.

This would be easy for an upholsterer to replicate. I had a number of pieces recently done by a local upholstery shop including a bed and a sofa by showing them a picture of what I liked.