My secret? No secret, really... I do spend a lot of time caring for them... my recipe is as follows, though... I use nothing but unglazed clay pots, my medium is a mix of cocopeat, vermiculite, and a bit of Miracle Gro potting soil, with a layer of charcoal pieces on the pot bottom for drainage... I alternate between Miracle Gro liquid houseplant fertilizer and Schultz's Bloom Plus, both used rather dilute... every once in a while, I add a few drops of Superthrive to the fertilizer water... I also use fish emulsion fertilizer every once in a while... I sort of alternate fertilizers, since I can't seem to find the proper NPK numbers in any one type... I think the 2 things that have proven to show better growth for me are the Superthrive and the cocopeat, or coco coir, used as the medium base. Cocopeat, or coco coir, as it's called, can be found online at most Hydroponic type stores... a while back, there was a thread containing information and links about coco coir. I bought a whole bale of the stuff, and it'll take me quite a while to use it all... I just had it shipped right to my door! I made sure to get the kind that has been pre-washed to get rid of excess salts... I don't think there's any one secret to growing nice plants, per se... I think it's a combination of using good products, plus keeping a close eye on things... I tend to hover! I am definitely going to try adding a little sand to my mix, though... it sounds like it would aid in better drainage, and give the mix a better "feel" to it... What do you consider your best gardening secret? Do tell! :-)

This is a Blue Ribbon sauce from the Tulsa State Fair. Fire Starter Hot Sauce 20 fresh red habanero peppers -- stemmed 2 cups yellow mustard 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons cumin powder 2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 8 fresh peaches Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Process in BWB for 20 minutes. Makes three to four pints. This is VERY hot if you leave the seeds in. I'd stick with the red peppers though for the color. I made a micro batch(1.5 pints) of Mild last night by cutting the recipe in half using 1 15 oz can of peaches and 6 de-seeded habs. It turned out DELICIOUS. I love to use this stuff on a bratwurst or a burger.

Lentil Millet Casserole 2 TBLSP butter (or more, can use olive oil or a mix) 1/3 cup raw millet (I guess you could use rice) 2 TBLSP dry lentils, cooked 2/3 cups sliced mushrooms 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 carrot, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp. onion salt (or add 1/2 small onion, diced, to the saute) 1/8 tsp. rosemary 1 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 TBLSP chopped fresh) dash marjoram Saute the raw millet in the butter until each grain is lightly coated. Add 2/3 cup water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and summer until the millet is tender ` 30 min. Saute veggies, then add cooked lentils and millet. Turn into an oiled casserole. Top with extra mushroom slices if desired, and dabs of butter. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for up to 30 minutes. Makes 2 servings so double the recipe for a family of 4 Lisa's Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms 1/4 cup coarsley chopped walnuts 1/4 cup raisins 1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice Olive oil for cooking mushrooms 4 steamed acorn squash halves Fill squash with stuffing and bake for about 30 min. at 350. My optional additions 1 stalk celery, thinly diced 1 scallion Sunflower seeds instead of walnuts Healthy dashes of tamari Kasha-Cheese Skillet 1 lg. onion, chopped (1 cup) 4 TBLSP butter (or use olive oil) 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 cup med. kasha (buckwheat groats) 2 cups water or vegetable broth 1 tsp. salt or to taste 1 cup cottage cheese 1 cup frozen corn 4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup) 2 or 3 tomatoes cut into wedges, or top with diced sundried tomatoes, rehydrated. Saute onion in butter or oil. Stir egg into kasha, add to onion, stirring constantly until each grain separates. Stir in water or broth (and optional salt) and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in cottage cheese and corn. Sprinkle with cheddar. Broil until cheese melts. Garnish with tomatoes. Note: I use a big saute pan that I can put in the oven. But if you can't start this dish in an ovenproof pan, transfer to an oiled baking dish after you add the cottage cheese and corn. Elegant Lima Beans 4 cups cooked lima beans 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce 4 oz. shredded swiss cheese, or use greek kasseri cheese if you can get it. 1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts 1/4 tsp. dried basil, crumbled 1 green pepper, diced 3/4 cup water or dry white wine 1/2 tsp. salt (optional) 1/4 tsp. pepper minced parsley for garnish Combine limas, sauce ingredients (tomato sauce, spices, water, green peper). Simmer until thick. Stir in walnuts and cheese. Spoon into 8 cup baking dish. Top with parsley, bake for 30 min at 350 degrees.

My Reynolds parchment paper is good to 420ð, too. I don't think I never need to go over that when using it. Mostly, I use parchment paper for baked goods, but when I use it for the occasional main dish, it's something that's cooked fairly gently, not blasted. My problem with the Martha wrap is having to throw away two products, instead of just one. I usually recycle my parchment paper a few times before I throw it away, and even then, I'm wishing I could recycle. Unfortunately, I've tried the Silpats, and don't like them nearly as much.