Kidney beans require adequate warmth and humidity to thrive. Plant them in the spring once you feel fairly certain that the last frost has already passed. The temperature of the soil should be 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). If at all possible, avoid letting the soil temperature drop below 60F (16C). Ideally, the air temperature should be 65 to 80F (18 to 27C) throughout most of the growing season. If a frost does arrive unexpectedly after your kidney bean plants have sprouted, cover the seedlings with a bit of mesh cloth or canvas to help protect them from the freezing temperatures. Kidney bean seeds should be planted 1 to 1-1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) deep. Many gardeners prefer to space seeds 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) apart initially. After your seedlings reach a height of roughly 3 inches (7.6 cm), thin them out to a more appropriate spacing, removing the weakest seedlings when possible and preserving the strongest. For most varieties, you will need to sow separate kidney bean seeds 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm) apart from one another. More specifically, pole or vine varieties do well when spaced 4 inches (10.16 cm) apart, while compact bushes may benefit more if spaced up to 8 inches (20.32 cm) apart. The seeds should germinate within 10 to 14 days.

Summary: Wait until after the last frost passes. Plant the seeds deep enough. Give the seeds enough space.

Small pieces of food are prone to clumping when they're all thrown into the same container together. One way around this is to spread out and chill the runners on another surface first. Afterwards, you can funnel them into a freezer bag and put them away without having to worry about them coming out in one big chunk. Wait until the beans harden to the touch before consolidating them into a single container. This will typically take 20-30 minutes, though you can leave them in the freezer until they're fully frozen, if you prefer. Once the beans have had ample time to dry, they can go directly into their storage container. Fill each bag roughly of the way full, leaving about 1 inch (2.5cm) of headspace at the top. Press the bags from both sides to gently squeeze out the excess air, then seal them up. Check your freezer bags for holes, splits, broken seals, and other signs of damage before closing them up. If you're short on storage bags, a large, resealable plastic container with a locking lid will also do the trick. For more convenient preparation, consider dividing up the beans into precise portions and bundling them in plastic wrap within each individual bag or container. Write the name of the item and the current month somewhere in plain sight on each bag. That way, you'll be able to keep track of how long they've been in storage. Keep the labels facing the front of the freezer so you can check them at a glance. There's no need to get too specific with the date, since runner beans and similar veggies will last many months in the freezer. They'll have the best flavor and texture if used within 3-4 months. However, their high water content coupled with their frigid surroundings means they'll never really go bad, so you're free to keep them put away until you need them. Be sure to use up the beans in the order that you put them into storage. When cooked, frozen runner beans should retain most of their original flavor and texture. Dispose of the frozen runners if they begin to wrinkle or take on a dull color, or if large chunks of ice have begun forming on them inside the bag. Similarly, you'll want to play it safe and throw out bags that show signs of damage after being placed in the freezer. When exposed directly to the cold for too long, the taste and texture of the beans will effectively be ruined. Blanched runner beans are more likely to freezer burn if you don't dry them off thoroughly before packing them up. It's a good idea to replace runner beans that have been frozen for longer than a year with a new batch, even if they still look edible. After enough time, bacteria can begin slowly creeping in, making them unsafe to eat.

Summary: Freeze the beans on a baking sheet before you bag them (optional). Place the blanched beans into plastic freezer bags. Label the bags with the contents and date. Store the beans for up to a year. Watch out for freezer burn.

Use whatever tool feels most comfortable to you. A shovel might be your best bet for removing large sections of bark quickly. Or you can use an axe or an adz to chip away the bark which should easily break off. Bark scraps make good kindling for fires. Keep them if you plan on camping or making fires. Using a pencil, draw along the sides just how your want your ends to taper. On the top of your log draw where the ends taper and mark where the center of the boat will be. The center outline will look a bit like an oval. If you suspect it could rain and wash away your outline, consider lightly chiseling in your outline, using a small chisel and hammer. Make perpendicular cuts across the length of the log. You'll then use a chainsaw, adz, or axe to split out all the sections between the cuts. You'll want to have help and some rope to carefully roll the flat bottom onto the ground. You should now see a rounded part at the top. Again, make perpendicular cuts across the length of the log and then split out all the sections between the cuts. Don't go too deep, since you'll be cutting into the sides of your canoe. You can use either a chainsaw to crudely remove large chunks of wood, or you can use an axe or ads to chop away as much wood as you lik. Usually, the ends are tapered into points. This allows your canoe to move in either direction. Look to your outline and leave at least 5/8" to 1" on the sides. Be careful to stop at least 2" to 3" from the bottom of the log. This will prevent you from accidentally cutting holes into your canoe. While it might seem like you're cutting out too much wood, you need to in order to reduce the weight of your canoe. Removing the bulk of the wood will help its buoyancy.

Summary: Strip the bark from your log. Draw an outline on your log. Create a flat bottom for your canoe. Roll the log over. Create a flat top for your canoe. Cut out the ends. Cut away the center.

The oil should come halfway up the sides of the pan. Canola, vegetable, sunflower, and light olive oil work well for this type of frying. Have the battered food ready for when the oil is hot. You can check if the oil is hot enough by sticking a wooden spoon into the oil. The oil will bubble around the spoon when it is ready. Make sure that every piece has plenty of room. You do not want to crowd the food, or it will not fry properly. The food should sizzle as it touches the oil. If it does not, the oil is not hot enough. Wait to add the other pieces. Use tongs if possible. Forks can be used to flip, but they are not ideal. You only want to flip once to ensure that the batter cooks correctly. Flipping too often or too soon can cause the batter to fall off. Once you have removed your food, place them on a paper towel. You can use tongs or a slotted spatula. The paper towel will soak up excess oil, giving you a crispier batter. The meats should rest for a moment to finish cooking. Serve immediately.
Summary: Add an inch of cooking oil to a skillet. Batter the food before frying. Add your food to the hot oil. Flip halfway through. Transfer to a paper towel.