finally found my pickled carrot recipe ... it was in my cooking recipe data base because it is NOT for canning, but as noted it keeps up to a month refrigerated. It' best with fresh harvested carrots, but is not bad with regular store bought. I usually spring for organic. PICKLED CARROTS Makes 10 servings Source: Gourmet, November 2003 (originally November 1985) Good snack. Keep chilled in an airtight container up to one month. 1 pound carrots cut into 3 1/2 x1/3 inch sticks 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup cider vinegar 2 cloves garlic lightly crushed 1 1/2 tbsps dill seeds 1 1/2 tbsps salt Blanch carrots in nonreactive saucepan of boiling salted water, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer carrots to a heatproof bowl. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Pour picking liquid over carrots and cool, uncovered. Chill carrots, covered, at least a day for flavors to develop. can't recall who was asking about okra, here one that's seasoned a bit differently from the NCHFP http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pickled-Okra-108764

I only know about EKO b/c I was at HD one day trying to make a decision on soil amendments and I looked it up when I came home to see what it's made from. I don't think any bagged compost product is likely to be inherently unsafe, but the reality is you need to decide for yourself what you want to put into your garden. Try searching for the company's website and see what it says. If you're not comfortable with what the company offers, use a different product. On the one hand, I think composting biosolids is probably a really good thing for the planet. On the other hand, I'm not sure I want to use it on my veggies. I don't think pathogens would be an issue but I do wonder about the heavy metal content. For me, there is also a bit of an ick factor. I realize that is probably a very irrational factor, but it's my food, so it's my choice. I don't think I'd have a problem using it on ornamentals though. Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

This has been one of the most helpful threads on clothes that I have ever ever read. I just went through my closet yesterday, because I've been "out of action" and then away for so long, that I'd lost track of what I had. Also, we are now going from cool weather into our hot season, so I was ready to change things over. Well, I thought I was doing well yesterday when I filled a grocery bag with items I simply didn't like anymore. Now, after reading on here, I am going back in there, to pull out the two linen shirts I kept, because they are simply great shirts. I haven't worn either of them for 2 years, but they are classics, and so I thought I'd hang onto them, for that skirt that I might find that might just be perfect with them. Now I realise that there are a lot more "mights" to factor in... They might be out of date, might not fit, might just be a waste of space, might, meanwhile be useful to someone else, might be tired of hanging around for the skirt that I "might" find. They're out of here....gone! And the more posts I read on here the more things are going out. I think too, that as we get older, it's not variety we need, but what suits our shapes and lifestyles and age. When you're glowing with youth and vitality, can any clothing be a "mistake"? I have 3 slim lovely DILs in their 20s, and my son's GF is a beautiful 18 year old. They can throw on a hessian bag or a silk sheath and look stunning. They don't bulge, sag, wobble, spread or fade. I'm learning that it's no longer a matter of liking an item of clothing in the shop. It really has to like me. Sometimes I've thought it would be nice to just find something I like and know it'll look good, rather than having to search and wait to find the "just right" piece. On the other hand, when we're older, we can relax about "trends" and "fads" and get away with just a few good pieces. When I was younger, I remember avoiding stuff that made me look like my mother. Now I am my mother, and it's rather nice to go "classic" at last. I find that I now have clothes that seem to be able to go "anywhere", by just dressing them up or down. Put on black stockings and court shoes and a lace top with that simple black skirt and it's ok for a night wedding. Throw on some sandals and a T-shirt, and I can wear it to a beach party. Not quite that simple, but something like that anyway. We recently had a 92 year old lady visit us, and she looked like a queen. She was wearing the softest pale pink fluffy cashmere sweater with a classic blazer, and a floaty skirt. She looked a million dollars and I decided I wanted that look when I'm an old lady. It was comfortable, and yet so dressy. So I've already planned my old age look (LOL). But I realised when I was studying her outfit, that she could have worn it anywhere, at her age, and fitted right in. She wouldn't need anything else to wear outside the house. Thanks for all the helpful advice on here. Lily

The cover was delivered today. First off - the gold color is much lighter than shown in the catalog - much lighter. Actually, the shade goes better with the other colors in my bedroom though, so it's ok. I thought it was suppose to be 98" long, making it 6" longer than my comforter. Well, to me it looks as tho it is more like 12" longer. Weird, but I'll let that pass too. I put it in the washer and dryer, boy there were alot of wrinkles when it came out of the dryer. Sometimes those will smooth out eventually after it's on the bed, will have to see if it's true in this case. However, I had to fold it and put it away until colder weather; maybe I'll need to iron it? ugh. natal, we started a conversation about this comforter cover on someone's thread; so I thought I'd better continue it here. The question was how soft the material would be - it's soft but crisp for the time being.