Prejudice is an ugly thing to have. It clouds ones mind and shuts off the flow of imagination IMO. Prejudice for the most part occurs as a result of influence or experience, both of a negative nature. I wonder what it would look like to see someone with a prejudice towards compost/organic gardening? The people who are forced to tolerate this prejudice will be paying for a memory they had nothing to do with. This is not a good thing IMO. All who have read this entire thread should know there are more than 3 links total in my posts. The only way to not know this is to have not read the posts or paid little attention to what was said. To inject oneself into a conversation they know little of what has been said is rude to be kind, and insulting to say the least. There were 6 links total; three used as a reference, one used as an example of how to gather free information from commercial sites, one used as an example of humus potential, and one as an alternative watering technique. All were normal websites save one, that one was a "blog". To post a mans entire career, minus his tax returns for the last five years as a result of something posted on a "blog" is something I still dont understand. As well, my comments concerning "peat moss" are already registered as to how I handle matters I have no experience with. You would have had to read the posts to know this. My experience with compost tea does not lay in my future; it originates from my past. In late 02, early 03 aerobic compost tea became focused on message boards. On the "Dirt Doctor" forum and others sites aerobic compost tea was a very hot topic. Although there were many commercial machines, one of the first "do-it-yourself" models manifested on the "Dirt Doctor" website. "The Bruce Deuleys Little Texas Tea Maker" stepped up to the plate. A simple machine, made with parts purchased at Wal-Mart. When I saw it, I immediately made my list, checked it twice, and headed to the truck to go get my parts! In less than three hours I was brewing me a batch just like on the pictures, the rest is history. You cannot get better results for the money using "the little tea maker". I have gone on to make my own 55-gallon brewer with minor modifications to "The Bruce Deuleys Little Texas Tea Maker", with fantastic results. You can get the original link Here; it is found in the second "Dchall" post. I could sit here all day and type storied about what happens when you listen to "Dchall", but if you look at the lawn on the tea maker website you will get an idea of what can happen when you do. Organic gardening is more than research and experimentation, it is more than what I think; it evolved into what I feel. If you do this long enough you will feel when the pile is made right. You will feel when the bed is planted perfect IMO, the mulch thick enough, when it is time to go get those "cukes". Yes, eyes are important, and I use mine a lot just looking at my property when most around here are weeding. I dont post here to "be somebody", a big shot who knows all the answers. I came here to "become somebody", to become a member people trust and want to know what I feel/think about a question. I dont race to get my fruit ripe first; people race to get here first when the fruit is ripe. To gain trust takes time, but with it comes patience. Time will tell concerning all this, when that time comes I will be the last to say, "I told you so" Blutranes

The bad thing is that I'm hungrier, and it's hard to stick to the calorie level that seems to produce rapid weight loss for me. I've been missing my target fairly often, and it feels like my body wants more food. So I've started packing a bento-type lunch, as mentioned in another thread, in hopes that at least my calories will be healthy ones. This is a classic example of dieting vs. lifestyle changes. Dieting is a temporary way of eating with the goal of losing weight, while lifestyle changes are a permanent change in one's lifestyle with the ultimate goal of improving one's health in all areas including weight loss (if it's necessary). IMO when someone says they "can't lose weight", what they really mean is "I can't lose weight as fast as I want to", and so they give up. The "diet" industry has brainwashed us into thinking that if we don't lose at least 1-2 pounds per week, then something must be wrong, and that's a big lie. Choose fruit over chips -- not because they're a "diet" food or "low-cal" but because fruit is a much healthier choice than fried potato chips. Eat a salad full of veggies with lean chicken -- not because it's a "diet" meal but because it's full of healthy nutrients that are good for you! Include a piece of 100% whole grain bread if you want and even a little bit of butter -- yes, butter! Take smaller servings (and only one of each -- don't go back for seconds) and skip the gravy and creamy sauces --- they're not necessary if food is well-seasoned. Eat smaller amounts more frequently. Don't skip lunch if you're planning a nice dinner out -- just eat a smaller dinner (dinner out doesn't have to mean overeating). Have a dish of ice cream now and then, just not most days of the week. Don't eat "diet" foods (low-fat cookies, etc) --- just skip those snacks altogether and eat the real thing only on special occasions. That's how I slowly lost 50 pounds several years ago, about 1-2 pounds per month, eating ~1800 calories a day of healthy food choices and increasing my exercise, and have kept off every single ounce even during holidays and stressful times. During the holidays I don't eat as many cookies because "I don't do that anymore", simple as that. I dropped those bad habits and they're not a part of my life anymore. Prior to losing weight I had acid reflux and have a family history of diabetes. The acid reflux is completely gone (without taking a single purple pill) and probably so is my risk of diabetes. I don't have the metabolism of a race horse; I'm a typical middle-aged woman with a desk job. I made simple but important permanent lifestyle changes in eating and exercise, and I stuck with it and persevered no matter how slowly the scales budged, and some months they didn't budge at all!

I'll never forget my first curdling. I was in my mid 20's and after a brooklyn stoop chat with an elder neighbor, i decided to make his verbal recipe that his grandmother and mother had made. (he had never made it or cooked at all)...thick pork chops, single layer, seared, covered with onion, then braised in milk to cover. Two hours (ish)...then a can of whole tomatoes, squeezed in hand and the stem butt removed...(some cussing always when the careful squeezing always hit the wall a bit)...another hour or two and it was done. It was a time before i attempted it. Then, with 6 thick pork chops to fit our pan i seared, added onion, then milk, ...checked it and it was a curdled mess after just a few minutes. Horrified i was wanting to toss it out. DH said not so fast..."lets call Mom". MIL being a brilliant cook just laughed and said to simmer and reduce the liquids and caramelize the onions. The milk solids will firm and become nutty and said, "i gave you Marcella's books. Read her recipe for pork braised in milk!". ....I thought the milk was soured and bad. Old. I still find it odd but having made cheese i understand now. (I had wanted to give a meal of my neighbors recipe to him since i made more than for the two of us but did not) It was good, with reservations, at the time). ...i still thought we were eating spoiled milk, : ) Marcella Hazan's recipe is amazing. "By the time the loin is cooked the milk should have coagulated into small nut-brown clusters on the bottom of the pan. (If it is still pale remove the loin, uncover the pot, raise the heat and cook briskly until the milk bits darken.)" Adding tomato was just another element and we have made it many times since. Usually a frozen garden tomato or two. Here is a link that might be useful: pork loin braised in milk

Linda asked, "Why is home milled wheat sweet?". It's not the milling, it's the tannins in the bran that determine whether the grain is sweet or bitter. There are three genes that determine the bran color in wheat. Most red wheat varieties these days only have one or two of those genes, so they are not as bitter as they were a couple decades ago. The granddaddy of all hard red wheat, Turkey Red, has all three genes and is dark and somewhat bitter. White wheat varieties lack the genes that determine the bran color, leaving the taste of white wheat to be sweeter due to the lack of tannins in the bran. This is a selling point in the market for some commercial food products. It's why some brands of commercial "whole wheat bread" have a mild, sweeter, flavor than those made with red wheat varieties, as well as a very light color. Hard wheat keeps for decades without going rancid due to the bran coating the grain. Once the bran is broken (in the milling process), then the oil located in the germ of the wheat is exposed to oxygen and that's when it oxidizes and begins to go rancid. Other whole grains that are considered "soft grains", or oily grains, can go rancid while whole. In home food storage, we only keep those grains for a few years, at most. Honey in bread is also beneficial if you freeze your bread - helping to keep it moist; and it also aids in preventing mold growth if you aren't going to freeze it. -Grainlady