Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets irate about certain condescending people. My agreement with Dave was actually in regard to the original poster and her garden. Yes, Lloyd's notes and pics were thorough enough to make his incident quite clear. Of course, his field is more susceptible to nitrogen deficiency due to the crop's need for nitrogen and the shallow root system early on. Grasses really eat it up while many other plants could suffer from the amount wheat thrives with. Grasses are more affected by the nutrient levels in the first few inches of soil while plants like tomatoes are rarely even affected by the first few inches. That's my understanding, anyway. I have never grown wheat, myself. In Lloyd's case, he had two areas that grew in the same weather conditions and so those variables, well, weren't variables. They were variables, though, in the original post if I understood correctly because the whole garden had leaves spread on it and the weather wasn't the same this year as last year or last year as the year before pretty much anywhere in the country. Also, Lloyd had the same plants in each area which eliminates the variable of differing plant needs. But, that doesn't make it a good indicator of the problem of the original post because the plants aren't the same so the rooting isn't the same, the needs aren't the same, the type of leaves used may not be the same, the original soil is likely not the same at all, etc. My point was that my garden did better this year than last and I made no changes to my soil practices. It would be incredibly reckless of me to assume that if I had put leaves alone on my garden last year that they were the cause of my garden doing poorly because it simply would not have been true. It would have been a coincidence or at most the problem just would have been worse. But the fact is that the problem would have (and did) occurred without applying uncomposted leaves and leaving them for the growing season. I think the main point to take from this thread is that nitrogen loving plants certainly seem to do much better in finished compost than unfinished. I have used leaves on my garden as a winter mulch and pulled them off for the compost bin in spring. That is recommended in one of my "organic" gardening books. I only did that because in the fall my compost bins get completely full and I can't bring myself to discard the extra material and send it to a dump. I'll be doing so again this weekend as the leaves fall in full force, too.

I'd suggest you substitute low-glycemic agave nectar for sugar in baked goods if you are a diabetic (it is an appropriate sugar substitute for most diabetics - but you should check with your health care professional or nutritionists). It has the benefit of acting/performing like "sugar" in baked goods (including browning, tenderizing baked goods, and feeding yeast in breads), unlike chemical sweeteners (like Splenda), and you get a better end product. It's much sweeter than sugar and you can use much less. For things that require 1-cup of sugar, I usually use half that amount of agave nectar (or no more than 3/4 of a cup agave nectar for 1-cup of sugar - for people with a really "sweet" tooth). I sweeten a quart of homemade ice cream with only 1/4 c. of (low-glycemic) agave nectar. I mill soft white wheat for flour for baked goods that require less gluten (such as brownies, quick breads, etc) or spelt (also less gluten). Less gluten and gluten development will keep the texture more tender. Fat AND sugar are also tenderizers. Eliminate either of those and you have to find other ingredients that will work as tenderizers (baking science 101). The bran in whole grain flours absorb a lot of moisture, as well as the gluten in flour, and white whole wheat flour is generally higher in gluten than all-purpose. Therefore you may need to adjust the flour amount down a bit, or increase the liquid to compensate for bran and gluten. -Grainlady

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend, Mildred, from Arkansas. She got a similar recipe from Pleasant Hill Grain but wasn't happy with it, and together we "tweaked" it. This recipe is designed for a Zojirushi Bread Machine (make the dough only - not baked in the bread machine), but it will work if you want to make it by-hand. We call it "Mildred Bread" at our home, and there is a 3x5 recipe card with the ingredients safely taped to the bread machine. It's our everyday bread. I make loaves, dinner rolls, burger buns, hot dog buns, cinnamon rolls, etc. all from this same dough. Sometimes I'll make one 1-pound or 1-1/2-pound loaf and use the remaining amount of dough for rolls, cinnamon rolls, burger buns, etc.... This recipe is a bit wordy with explanations (that's the teacher in me from teaching so many bread classes ;-), but once you've made it, you'll be able to follow a 3x5 recipe card with the ingredients listed on it, like I do. CAUTION: Not all bread machines are capable of mixing 100% whole wheat bread dough, so check your user's manual. Enjoy, -Grainlady 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD Sponge: The night before, remove the bread machine pan and add the ingredients: 3/4 c. warm buttermilk (I use homemade kefir) 3/4 c. warm water 2\-1/2 c. freshly milled hard wheat (red or white) flour 1/4 t. ascorbic acid (if you don't have, or can't find, ascorbic acid, use Fruit Fresh \- but the acid is important!!!) 2 t. SAF\-Instant Yeast (I suggest SAF\-Instant Yeast and have never used anything else for this recipe) Place the pan into the bread machine and set on the Quick Dough setting and allow the ingredients to mix together well for a few minutes (you may need to scrape down any dry particles with a spatula), then turn the bread machine off (at the button, don't pull the plug or you risk damaging your bread machine computer). Shut the lid, and allow this mixture to set overnight. (If you are in a hurry, let the ingredients sponge for 1\-1/2 hours and then finish making the bread.) \*\*If making the recipe by hand, mix the ingredients well using a Danish Dough Whisk or a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl (using a shower cap, a Quick Cover, or a sheet of plastic wrap) and allow to sit on your counter at room temperature. If you have a dough\-rising bucket, use it for mixing the dough as well as for rising. After mixing in a dough\-rising bucket, snap on the lid and allow the sponge to sit on your counter. The next day (or anytime after 1\-1/2\-hours), remove the bread machine pan and add these ingredients to the sponge: 2 T. coconut oil (melted \- or use vegetable oil or melted butter) 2 T. honey or agave nectar 1 egg (I also add 1/3\-1/2 c. of chia seed gel, but that's optional.) On top of these ingredients in the bread machine pan add: 2\-1/4 c. freshly\-milled whole wheat flour 2 t. salt Place the pan back into the bread machine. Set bread machine to Quick Dough Cycle and start the machine. After it has been working for 5\-minutes, or so, be sure to check the hydration of the dough. You want a nice soft ball that is slightly sticky to\-the\-touch. It's better to err on the side of a wet dough than a stiff dry dough, so adjust the dough by adding more flour, or adding more water, if necessary. As soon as the dough has completed the kneading cycle (don't allow the dough to rise in the bread machine), turn the machine off. Remove the pan from the bread machine and dump the dough out onto a SILPAT (no flour necessary). With oiled hands so the dough doesn't stick, pat the dough into a dough\-rising bucket (I use a 2\-quart plastic food storage container that has graduated measurements on the side. I got the container at the local restaurant supply store, but you can find dough\-rising buckets at King Arthur Flour and elsewhere on\-line. I have them in three sizes for different amounts of dough.) Snap the lid on the dough\-rising bucket and allow it to rise until just under "double". (If the dough comes up to the 1\-quart line, it will be double when it reaches the 2\-quart line.) Check the rise after 20\-25\-minutes. It rises quickly if your kitchen is warm, and slower if your kitchen is cool. \*\*If making the dough by\-hand, add the 2 t. salt, 2 T. agave nectar (or honey) and egg to the sponge mixture, and then add enough of the 2\-1/4 c. of whole wheat flour to make a nice soft dough (add more flour than 2\-1/4 c., if necessary). Add the flour gradually \- a little at a time, and beat each addition of flour into the mixture before adding more. A Danish Dough Whisk is the perfect tool for this process (as well as stirring all batters and doughs), but a wooden spoon will also work well. If you do a good job of mixing, you won't need to spend as much time kneading. When making bread dough by\-hand, you need to spend a good deal of time beating the dough with the spoon or Danish Dough Whisk. You develop the gluten during the mixing, as well as during kneading. When you don't have the strength to mix it with a spoon anymore, place the dough on an oiled counter top and knead until the gluten has developed (6\-10 minutes). If you use an oiled counter top you won't have to add flour to the dough. By doing a good job of mixing, you will need only a little additional flour \- or none at all. If your dough is a shaggy sticky glob, you didn't do a good job of mixing. Oil your hands so they don't stick to the dough while handling it. Place dough in a dough\-rising bucket, snap on the lid, and allow the dough to rise until it's just below "double". Follow the remaining instructions... \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- When the dough has doubled in bulk, you will need to take the lid off the dough\-rising bucket and punch it down. To do that, oil your hand and make a fist. GENTLY drive your fist through the center of the dough. Now grab the outer edge of the dough and pull it into the center hole. Do this all the way around. This moves the cooler outside dough to the inside (you have essentially turned the dough inside\-out.) This method degasses the dough and also redistributes the yeast throughout the dough. Place the dough out onto a SILPAT (a silicone mat). Handle the dough with oiled hands \- no flour necessary. If you are making more than one loaf from this dough, now is the time to scale it (weigh it on a kitchen scale), and divide the dough into equal portions. Round each portion. You round the dough by cupping both hands around the dough ball while it sits on the counter and gently pull the dough from the top to the bottom, moving it slightly each time you pull it down, until you have a nice, smooth ball of dough. A smooth ball of dough will get the gluten strands running in one direction and will hold in the gasses in. Cover the dough (I use a bowl or my dough rising bucket, or a sheet of plastic wrap) and allow it to rest for 10\-15\-minutes. This allows the gluten strands to relax. To form a loaf... With oiled hands, pat the dough out on the Silpat until it's about 1\-inch thick and the width of the pan you are going to use. Roll the dough up and pinch the seam closed. Tuck the ends under the bottom. Place the dough, seam side down, into a greased loaf pan/s and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to double in bulk. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 25\-minutes, or until it's between 195\-200\-degrees F when you check it with an instant read thermometer.

For hard cheese like Parmesean, I sometimes throw it in the food processor like lowspark suggests - it's what I do when making pesto. We have a couple of the shredder/storage containers like grainlady mentioned. Ours came from Ikea. I find them very convenient and the shredders that come with them work well. We have micro planes that work nicely when wanting to grate directly on to something. For doing a lot of cheese, the shredding disk on the food processor is nice, but I only use that when the amount is worth cleaning it. Usually, I shred by hand. My hands are small so when using a big block of cheese, I'll often hack off a piece that I can hold more comfortably and shred that. It makes it a lot easier.