HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: freezing pesto
Date: 8 Sep 92 18:46:31 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <thompson.715991622@hermes.socsci.umn.edu>, thompson@atlas.socsci.umn.edu (T. Scott Thompson) writes:
> I leave the cheese out because with my schedule I usually want to thaw
> it out in the microwave.  Unfortunately this tends to cook it a
> little.  With cheese in it you get a gooey mess that won't coat your
> pasta.

Frozen cheese tends to become more of a granular mass than a +/-
uniform one.  I like to make cheese sauces, don't  like to grate cheese,
so I toss some cheese in the refrigerator.  It will then crumble into
approximately the original curds.  

> Now for a followup question: Does anyone know how to get the frozen
> pesto to keep that wonderful bright green color without adding a lot
> of unnatural junk?

If it's going brownish or olive-ish, it's probably due to polyphenol
oxidase turning polyphenolics to tannins.  Same as the browning
reaction when you cut an apple.  Ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate
(vit. C) will inhibit the reaction.  Citrus juice is a good source
of vitamin C, as is tomato juice, if you don't want to powder up some
vitamin C pills.

Kay Klier   Biology Dept  UNI 
Xref: sparky rec.gardens:6531 rec.food.cooking:15930
From: nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,rec.food.cooking
Subject: Re: More (hot) pepper questions
Date: 8 Sep 92 16:57:40 GMT
Organization: NRL

In answer to the couple of recent postings about hot peppers and tomatoes:

1) The latest issue of Organic Gardening (OG) has a recipe for making hot sauce (like 
Tabasco), which can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.  I just tried
it to use up some of the Thai hot peppers starting to inundate my kitchen, and it 
seems to work although I think the number of peppers needs to be increased for 
the little varieties like the Thai ones (to improve the texture).  Anyway, if you're
interested I'll email you or post a condensed version (the original text is 
rather chatty and too long to type verbatim). 

2) I'm not 100% sure, but I think the cracks in the peppers are due either to excessive water
(e.g., alot of rain) or to uneven watering (like alternating periods of too much and
too little rain). I've seen the same thing, too, although the little Thai 
peppers tend to burst when they get overwatered. 

3) According to several sources (OG, cookbooks, etc.) and my personal experience, 
it's OK to freeze tomatoes whole if you intend to use them for cooking later. In 
fact, they peel (if you insist on doing that) easier when frozen, since that usually 
cracks the skin anyway. Just plop into boiling water for a few seconds as usual.
Another tip from OG: if you're making tomato sauce, don't bother peeling them, just
put quartered tomatoes in a food processor and chop to bits.  The peel is small 
enough to be unnoticeable in the final product, unless you prefer baby food...

BTW, I just discovered this group, and am wondering if there also is an existing 
group (or enough interest in forming one) devoted to organic gardening. Thanks!

                                                                  Judy
From: Bob.Batson@mtask.omahug.org (Bob Batson)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Please Read
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:25:27 CST
Reply-To: bob.batson@mtask.omahug.org
Organization: Multitasking Systems, Kansas City
Followup-To: rec.gardens

       PLEASE READ!    PLEASE READ!    PLEASE READ!    PLEASE READ!

Due to technical difficulties, my local System Administrator requests that
NO ONE send me any email for the month of September. Thank you very much
for your consideration.

BTW, if urgent, you can still send me email at the following address.

        bob.batson@p3.f322.n280.z1.fidonet.org

This is a different system and I can receive email on it, but cannot send
any email from it.

**************************************************************************

                Bob Batson

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: vsummers@polaris.cv.nrao.edu (Vince Summers)
Subject: Naturalism---could we have a group?
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Distribution: rec.gardens
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 14:22:33 GMT

     This is probably not the place to ask the subject question, but then
I don't know proper procedure.
     Have you notice that a large portion of GNUS is devoted to stupid
subjects like bestiality, homosexuals, hamsters and duct tape, sex pictures,
etc.?     
     Not one to wildflowers, birds, trees, naturalism (I think).
We have chem and mol bio, but have you gone out and admired the chem or mol bio
of plants on a sunny day?  Couldn't someone, perhaps from rec.gardens(?)
who is familiar with the computer system, has the interest if not the knowledge,
and who has the time, pursue this for us?  Not legal efforts at environmental
control.  There is already a sci.environment.  Politics, etc., needn't
be a part.  That could be up to the one initiating the group, of course.

Please think about it.

Vince Summers
vsummers@polaris.cv.nrao.edu
From: wendy@hpfcmgw.FC.HP.COM (Wendy Milner)
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 16:48:42 GMT
Subject: Re: Redbud in Colo.
Organization: HP Fort Collins, CO
Newsgroups: rec.gardens


The botanical gardens in Denver have a beautiful
red bud tree.  You might try calling them and
asking how they keep is so nice.

Wendy
From: gwv@eastrg2.cray.com (George Vandenberghe)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Raccoons in the Corn!
Date: 14 Sep 92 15:12:53 GMT
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.

I'm the guy who suggested keeping a clean corn patch.  Anyway your
butternut squash reminded me of something I have been told but 
never tried.  If you grow vining squash under your corn, raccoons
may stay away because they don't like walking on the prickly leaves.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: sharen@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com (Sharen A. Rund)
Subject: Re: Natural snail controls
Organization: Lockheed Missiles and Space Co.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 21:38:11 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.175236.26219@news.acns.nwu.edu> drmax@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Marianna Max) writes:
>In article <BuLCxD.2Ev@nntp-sc.Intel.COM> pharvey@mipos3.intel.com (Paul Harvey) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep14.220813.17062@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> 
>>jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan) writes:
>>>Does anyone know how to prepare them?  I'd like to know because I have a 
>>>slug of them.
>>
>>If you want the official word, UC Berkeley has a note on how to escargot for
>>a few bucks or so. The best escars are in Calif, of course, that's the Petit
>>Gris, but the PacNW banana slug is choice also as well as the WA/BC giant
>brown slug. 
>
>People really eat the banana slug? I grew up in the PNW and I've eaten some
>pretty strange things but banana slugs are really big and and ugly and Oh
>my gosh people really eat them. I saw an 8" banana slug eat a choclate chip
>once, maybe you could make them tast good that way.
>

did you know that   Banana Slugs  are the UC Santa Cruz' mascot ????

>
>PS I've heard that burying saucers of beer in your garden will kill slugs.
>The slugs come to drink the beer and drown.


-- 
________________       __        ________________   "They that can give up
\_________      \     /_ \      /      _________/  essential liberty to 
 \_________      \_____/  \____/      _________/  obtain temporary safety
  \___________________      __________________/  deserve neither liberty 
                     /______\                   nor safety."  
ALL disclaimers apply ....                           --Benjamin Franklin
Newsgroups: rec.gardens


 In article <79031@ut-emx.uucp>, gene@shallot.ots.utexas.edu writes:
 > I have a plant I was told is called a fire fern. It has red/orange  
 > leaves a little smaller than a dime and an occasional yellow flower.  
 > Its about 7 inches tall right now ( I got a 4 inch cutting 5 months ago  
 > ) and has around 50 leaves. It too will close (fold down) its leaves  
 > when touched anywhere. It also folds its leaves down at night. Its neat  
 > to touch a stem and watch 2-3 seconds later for leaves on various parts  
 > of the plant fold down. The leaves are more diamond shaped than heart  
 > shaped. Anyone know anything about this plant?

Probably is Oxalis hedysaroides "rubra".  This is an oxalis with an
upright, bushy growth habit.  The individual leaflets randomly flick
every few seconds when in bright light.  I believe that this is the
plant usually called "fire fern".  Plant is available from Logee's
Greenhouses.

The other possibility is Desmodyium gyrans.  This is often called "telegraph
plant".  Also has leaves which make random flicking motions.  Plant is
available from a grower listed in the Seed Saver's Exchange Yearbook.

--
Rick Walker
From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: cheese in frozen pesto?
Date: 10 Sep 92 04:45:11 GMT
Followup-To: rec.gardens
Organization: -

In article <1992Sep9.161547.17751@cis.ohio-state.edu>, 
amz@iguana.cis.ohio-state.edu (Arnold M Zwicky) writes:
> what i was told, years ago, was that freezing and thawing pesto
> with cheese in it tends to make the cheese taste rather bitter.
> 
> we've heard from people who don't freeze it with cheese, and from
> people who do.  anyone made the comparison, freezing some of a batch
> with cheese and some without, and then thawing them out together and
> tasting them side-by-side?  (yes, i know, not everything is controlled
> for; the *cheese* will be from different batches.)
> 
> arnold

Well, I'm in the freeze-it-with-cheese camp.  In fact, I've never even
thought of not freezing pesto with cheese until this thread started.
But I do have a question.  Are we all talking about the same kind of
cheese?  I use parmesan with some romano thrown in.  Is this similar
to what other people use?  I think these 2 cheeses freeze pretty well
even by themselves (but haven't really tested them).

Also, I uses the leaves, flower buds, and stems if they aren't woody.
Does anyone else do this?  Years ago when I first started making pesto
I used to pull off all the leaves and clean and dry.  It would take
hours to make a batch of pesto.  Now I just make pesto on a day the
sprinklers have run (free washing) and then run the whole think
through the food processor.  Cuts the time to make pesto in half and I
can't tell the difference.

One final question, is there anybody that reads this news group that
doesn't grow basil and make pesto?

Jim
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: scotti@mtl.mit.edu (Gretchen Fuller)
Subject: Re: paint harmful to plants?
Organization: MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 19:09:33 GMT

Several years ago a not-so-careful guy painted my house
and managed to paint most of the plants in the process.
While it looked wierd and the leaves that had paint on
them didn't last a whole long time, all of the plants 
are going great guns now.  These included holly, burning
bush (now a monster plant) and a number of lilies and other
bulb-type perenniels.

Scotti

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: pharvey@quack.sac.ca.us (Paul Harvey)
Subject: Re: why bother with corn?!!
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'.
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 23:34:41 GMT

In article <43.2ab17b37@ivgate> bob.batson@mtask.omahug.org writes:
>I hope you like to eat white sweet corn. If you haven't tried any, you
>can't find any better sweet corn than either COUNTRY GENTLEMAN or
>STOWELL'S EVERGREEN. I know, these two varieties have been around for a
>while, but they can't be beat for good corn taste (IMHO)!

I don't like white sweet corn, especially the modern ones, they just
taste like a load of sugar. I like full flavored yellow sweet corn, but
I prefer young field corn, now you're talking flavor, if I want sugar, I
can sprinkle my own on, thank you very much. :::::B^}
From: troberts@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: plant root hormones?
Date: 10 Sep 92 13:58:30 -0400
Distribution: world
Organization: Georgetown University

ROOTONE is advertised as a plant root hormone that encourages cuttings 
to grow roots and become real plants.  Has anybody out there ever used 
ROOTONE or similar substances?  Can someone send my a list of plants 
that will respond to this stuff, or point me to a FAQ list?

Thank you.
Ted
TROBERTS@GUVAX.GEORGETOWN.EDU
From: stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com (Steve Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: freezing tomatoes?
Date: 10 Sep 92 19:55:27 GMT
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA

In article <oef=F5T0Bwx2I9NPdl@transarc.com> Linda_Walmer@transarc.com writes:
>
>I have an abundance of tomatoes in my garden.  I am planning on making
>marinara sauce with some of them, and freezing the marinara.  Since this takes
>time, and I currently seem to be too busy, I would like to simply freeze the
>tomatoes to use later.  I was told that I could just submerge the tomotoes in
>boiling water (boil water first), until the skin cracks, and then freeze them.
>Is this possible?  How long will they last?  Do I have to skin them, I would
>prefer not to.  Also, do I just put them in freezer bags warm, or cool them
>with cold water first?
>
>Thanks for the help!
>
>Linda (walmer@transarc.com)

	I hate spending time in the kitchen during the warm months.  I have
	a very simple method, and it works great.  Wash the tomatoes well,
	and then set them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.
	When frozen, pop them little red balls in freezer bags.  When you
	want to use them, on a cold winter night for soup, chili, or your
	favorite pasta sauce, just run each one under hot water for a
	moment and the skin slides right off.  Presto, a skinned, real,
	almost "fresh from the garden" tomato.

	Steve

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Miller, Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA. 95959, Mail stop N32B
916-478-3059, stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com.  The Six Phases of a Project:
  1. Enthusiasm  2. Disillusionment  3. Panic  4. Search for the guilty
  5. Punishment of the innocent  6. Praise and reward for the nonparticipants
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: jah@mits.mdata.fi (Jani A. Heinonen)
Subject: Pollinating morning glories
Organization: Microdata International Telecomm Service, Helsinki, Finland
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:21:07 GMT

   My morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor/violacea) are currently flowering
and I'm wondering whether they need the help of insects or if they are self-
pollinating in some way (e.g. wind). If insects are needed, could I play one
using a cotton stick, for instance?
   By the way, is there a FAQ list or more than one on this newsgroup? If
there are, where could I get them?
-- 
Jani Heinonen                    "Tonight when I chase the dragon,
jah@mits.mdata.fi                 The water may turn to cherry wine
                                  And the silver will turn to gold
                                  Time out of mind."
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: cuzz@ellis.uchicago.edu (Laura Cuzzillo)
Subject: spots on peonies
Reply-To: cuzz@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: The University of Chicago
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 20:46:03 GMT

I have ugly brown spots all over my peonies.

Someone told me this was mentioned recently, but I
missed it.

What is it, and how do I deal with it?

Thanks,
Laura
cuzz@midway.uchicago.edu



Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: ahill@boi.hp.com (Andy Hill)
Subject: Re: Natural snail controls
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 18:41:47 GMT
Distribution: rec.gardens
Reply-To: ahill@boi.hp.com
Organization: LaserJets by Bill & Dave
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

falcao@felix.metaphor.com (Ronnie Falcao) writes:
> I live on the southern end of the San Francisco peninsula.
> Could I keep a DeKay's snake?

I don't know if DeKay's snake (a.k.a., Northern Brown Snake) is native
to the SF area or not.  They had no trouble with the St. Louis climate, so
I would think they would enjoy something a bit warmer.

> Given that someone else
> mentioned that they eat earthworms, do they have a net
> benefit or detriment in the garden?

I would assume the benefit would depend on the distribution of snails/slugs/
earthworms.  It would eat whatever is handiest.  Note that these are pretty
small snakes - I wouldn't expect a huge dent in the population of anything.

> Would the snake and my cats bother each other?

The snake won't bother the cats (DeKay's snake is quite small and unassuming -
seldom reaching 12" long).  Of all the snakes I've collected over the years,
DeKay's snake and Hognose snakes were the only ones that never tried to
bite me.  As for your cats, if they like killing snakes (have they ever
brought you a still-twitching "present"?), I don't think the DeKay's would
last for long.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: gere@umunhum.stanford.edu (Susan Gere)
Subject: Re: Raising PH - collect rainwater?
Summary: kids, don't try this at home...
Organization: Stanford University CSL
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 20:55:59 GMT

Much confusion reigns about:

>snyder@henry.ece.cmu.edu (John Snyder) writes:
>>haines@eng2.eng.monash.edu.au (Andrew Haines) writes:
>>>From rfrench@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Robert S. French)
>>>
>>> Our local tap water in Palo Alto has a PH of around 5.5.  This wreaks
>>> havoc with my hydroponic gardening, ...
>>
>> Various other posters have described methods of raising pH.  But of course 
>> you could collect rainwater to use instead of your acid tap water.  
>
> I'm curious:  do you know why your tap water is so acid?  (I don't
> believe that you have a problem with coal-mine seepage/run-off in
> Palo Alto, do you?)


hee hee hee, ha ha ha, HO HO HO !!

(whew. the mind reels, the stomach gasps...) 

Okay: first, you probably wouldn't want to DRINK tap water of pH 5.5, 
and there are difficulties already mentioned with pH testing (another
is there are different strips calibrated for different ranges).

Dispelling myths: We do not have strip coal mine runoff here in Palo Alto 
[though the groundwater IS contaminated with interesting stuff from high 
tech companies], nor is acid rain that bad... yet. 

And, alas, if we were to collect rainwater it would take all year to 
collect a 35-gal. barrel--Calif. is a semi-desert, it only LOOKS like 
Sunset Gardens because we drain the Sierras and subsidize rice farmers.

Finally, I called the city and got several answers: the annual water
quality report lists pH of 8.7 and the actual water engineers told me 
that this summer it has been between 9.6 - 9.8.  Ask the professionals,
it's their job!  I hate to think of what that poor little hydro tank
has gone through.
From: smt2626@hertz.njit.edu (sylvia m tou mfen stnt)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Compost heap
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:56:31 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.
Originator: smt2626@hertz.njit.edu



For those of you who know about compost heap and what not (I know I don't)
I just moved into a house that has a garden and where they don't pick up
the leaves.  The previous owners had just dumped their grass clippings,
leaves, weeds, etc. into a big pile to the side and borrow someone's 
chipper when needed to create ? mulch ? (I don't know if that is the
right terminology) and of course spread it around shrubs, etc.  While
this may work for them, it's an eye-sore to me.

Now, I want to continue this but in a more 'presentable' fashion, that is,
instead of dumping it into a pile on the ground, maybe a compost heap
bin or box or whatever.  Any suggestions as to how to go about this?
I have some idea but am not sure.  For example, is building a wooden box
to dump the organic material in better than say a giant size plastic
garbage can or should a dig a giant size hole in the ground?  Also what
about the stuff after it's been thru the chipper (which I think I can rent).
Where do I put that stuff (what's left after I placed it around plants and
stuff).  I would appreciate any advise and suggestions and anything.

Please e-mail your suggestions directly to me at sylvia@teak.njit.edu
or smt2626@hertz.njit.edu.  I don't always get to keep up with the news.


Thanks

		-- syliva
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: billmc@microsoft.com (Bill McJohn)
Subject: Re: morning glory seeds
Date: 10 Sep 92 04:41:09 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation
Distribution: na

In article <1992Sep7.083036.18666@leela.cs.orst.edu> 
chrisda@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU (David Christensen) writes:
>I never knew people grew morning glorys by seed.  Here they are a perennial--
>a perennial nuisance, that is.  I've had them take over my wood pile, climb
>nearby trees, and work their way under the siding on my house!
>
The perennial weed is a species of Convolvulus; the annual 
ornamental is Ipomoea tricolor.  Annual morning glories don't
have evil, creeping, unstoppable underground runners like
bindweed.  

Bill McJohn
billmc@microsoft
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Raccoons in the Corn!
From: A.S.Chamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove)
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 03:00:06 GMT
Organization: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Summary: electric fences again?
X-Reader: NETNEWS/PC Version 2c

Here we use an electric fence (really wire) to keep possums from
fruit. I am certain it would work with racoons. One wire a foot off
the ground with a battery-driven charger should work fine. you would
probably only need it on for a week or so anyway.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Arnold Chamove
Massey University Psychology
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: dadams@cray.com (David Adams)
Subject: Re: Flame: Why Kay Gardens
Reply-To: dadams@cray.com
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:27:52 CDT

>> Why would any American bother vegetable gardening when we have such
>> abundant, cheap food?  We know you love gardening, Kay.  You just enjoy
>> being around living plants.  Don't give me that "slob-gardener"
>> least-effort crap!  How about explaining to us what you *really* get out
>> of gardening?  :-)

I don't know who posted the original quote, but most gardeners could
substitute their own names for "Kay" here.

Yes we have cheap food in America.  Row after row and it is all the same.
It is all subsidized by our taxes!  If we would quit subsidizing it we could 
all keep our taxes, and more of us would be induced to grow our own 
food if we had to pay the true cost.   We would then choose more of the
varieties that we really like.

As a gardener I try to concentrate on growing things I can't find otherwise,
or things that are rare, or things that have some special significance to
me.  And what I *really* get out of it is what I learn, not what I can
eat.

---
--David C. Adams  Statistician  Cray Research Inc.  dadams@cray.com
___________________________________________________________________
       Old Sourdoughs never die.  They just ferment away.