When I was in my twenties (I'm ~35) I decided while working at a nursery that I would build my physique through working with the potted plant material. After some time which was for me difficult to believe, I did become the healthiest/strongest I had ever been in my life, priorly being in incredible physical shape being an all around athlete... which included bar games too if you catch my drift. Anyway, I did this primarily through carrying 1-gallon nursery containers - all day long - 4 each with both hands and I also --- did 'lifting' exercises as I moved throughout the nursery carrying the various plant material. Now as a result of that, I have major stiffening of the muscles in my hands. It's extremely painful and cramping at times. I went to see a doctor several times thinking it was carpal tunnel but eventually all it came down to was like many of you now are dealing with, a "time" for me to know "when" was "enough." I was given a prescription which I later found out, was simply Aleve. My old philosophy: Keep up the movement of all your muscles. I literally created my body through crazy/'strange' exercise techniques such as always performing circular motions with everyday common household items such as chairs. I would as one one example: lay on my back on the floor and first do one set of >B>forward circular motions and then reverse things and do an equal number set of reverse, circular motions. Or, while standing upright I would take that chair (or anything) and do the same circular motions. I would also do sit-ups extremely slowly "feeling/isolating" every tiny muscle I could find through concentration. A lot of this I learned through martial arts as a child, and certainly "push-ups" and anything/everything else as such, if you're able to do so, even slowly.... is the very best types of exercise. Off topic: I've lost 36 pounds during the past 3-4 months just by simply eating less. I actually allowed myself to get to 250 pounds with my 5'7" frame. It's been a long time since I cared. This mostly due to psychological problems and now a seven year old journey I've been on since my first visits to psychologists and psychiatrists in 2001. I'm proud to say that I've gained much of my life back. It was very meek and gloomy back, so far back those six, seven, even two, three, four, and five years ago --- it's now only been in the past 6 months I've figured out to simply trust:))) my friends and re-integrate back into society. A long ass journey folks... I wish all of you the best. Take care, Dax

I didnt get back here last nite! Question first! Ian, is the 1/4 tsp. of yeast really correct, or is that a typo? That sure doesnt seem like much yeast for that much flour, or is that because its used in a starter? Ive never used a starter before! And do you know if it makes any difference to use regular or rapid rise yeast? I happen to have both around here right now. Jennifer, I really cant help with the high altitude question either! When I bake, which really isnt all that often, sometimes I "adjust" the recipe for high altitude and sometimes I dontand Ive really never been able to tell much difference, so mostly I dont anymore! Ive also noticed that when you use a mix, they usually call for a little bit more water and a little bit more flour, and that just doesnt make ANY sense at all to me. A little more of one or the other maybe, but BOTH! Whats up with that! I did find the site below with some good basic high altitude cooking info that might help you since youre so much higher than us "low landers!" Since Ians rolls are made with such a "wet" dough, I think Id try it just the way it is, making sure, as Ian says, that it seems wet enough. Youre 3000' higher, but Im gonna try it just like it is the first time. Happy baking, Skybird

We'll pick a couple off of a vine when there's the slightest hint of color in surrounding fruit. This also applies to green cherry tomatoes than can be sliced in two and fried. Re cooking. If you like batter, etc. that's fine but for a healthier snack for the family and more 'tomato' taste then simply fry the slices 'as is' in the pan. Slice up a tomato and remove the slices from the pan at different times. This will let you know the amount of cooking that best suits your taste buds. Add a few herbs, pepper, balsamic vinegar, etc after cooking to enhance the dish if desired. The 'greener' or less ripe the tomato then I cook them slightly longer. Less green then not as long. There's no real rule to follow because the sweetness and acid varies among varieties and varies within a variety depending on the particular growing season.

digdirt2: Yes, have numerous times as has Carolyn, Mule and several others have both here and on Tomatoville (as you know gb) as it has also been discussed ad infinitem on that forum. And yet, nobody has actually provided a reference. And people keep calling it a "membrane" that "seals", even though an abscission zone is not a membrane and does not seal in tomato fruit. <The original research papers were out of Kansas State University AG research station I recall and have been referenced in hundreds of articles over the years. > And yet, nobody here or at tville has ever managed to point to an actual reference in any of these hundreds of articles. I find this odd. <The research is based on the changing chemical nature of the vasculature structure between the pedicle and the abscission zone of the fruit as they ripen.> I'm going to guess that you haven't actually read the article. I actually had a friend with access look up this article for me a year or two ago, and I read it. And the article is about how, in maturing tomato fruit, the xylem (water transport vasculature) decreases and all transport of wet and dry matter into a maturing tomato fruit is taken over by the phloem (dry matter transport vasculature). It says nothing about a stop to transport of dry matter into a tomato. It certainly says nothing to support the claim that ONLY water enters a tomato from color break until it's picked and its implications actually debunk that idea. <Many scientific studies: Tomato fruit abscission studies> Did you read your search results? They have nothing to do with the question at hand and most of them are about the no-joint gene variation in which an abscission zone never forms at all (lime green salad is a variety like this, for example). <Given all that research is commonly accepted then I don't understand why it is so hard to accept the same studies done on tomato fruit. But some are determined to not accept it. That is their choice but it doesn't make the research any less valid.> Commonly accepted by whom? The people I see claiming the "sealed membrane" are all either from tville or quoting people from tville. Can you point to an independent, scientific source that says this? Because I've looked a lot, and I can't find one. The accusation that people are only believing what they want to believe can be leveled in both directions. And when you look at the actual science, it doesn't back up the "sealed membrane" camp. The fact is, tomatoes continue to get both water and dry matter and volatile compounds from the plant up until at least the point of becoming table ripe. This is not up for debate--it has been shown. Whether most human beings can detect these changes in a fruit ripened to table ripe on the vine vs. in a fruit that was picked early and ripened off the vine is, as I've always said, an individual matter, and whether the average human cares enough about subtle differences is yet another individual matter. But the "sealed membrane" claim so far looks to be folklore, not science.