Thanks for the link, I have been looking for ingredients for Al's gritty mix, but can't find bark fines in the nurseries around here. And I live in Mass.! Wonder if they are close enough to do local pickup?

Don't panic, patients is a virtue in gardening. Just make sure to keep everything moist enough (but not waterlogged) in the heat. You can always add organic matter on top of your soil as a mulch that will slowly break down and feed the soil microbes. Aged compost and worm castings are always safe to add and won't burn your plants. I like to fertilize using things like used coffee grounds or other seed meals since they are slow release fertilizers. If I have some greedy plants that like lots of nitrogen and phosphorus, I give them a small hand full of alfalfa pellets. Be careful with the blood meal as it is really strong and a little goes a very long way. Enjoy.

Here is one I had saved. I haven't tried it yet. It has vanilla powder which I don't think is found so easily, but I would just add vanilla sugar as part of the normal sugar or just leave it our alltogether. Hope this helps, Lisa Multi-Grain Buttermilk Batch Pancake and Waffle Mix Servings: 1 Servings Total Time (median): 0 : 00 Active Time: 0 : 00 * 8 c Unbleached all purpose flour * 1 1/2 c Buckwheat flour * 1 c Corn flour * 2 c White whole wheat flour * 1/2 c Cornmeal, preferable stone * 1/2 c Ground oatmeal * 2 c Buttermilk powder * 5 tb Baking powder * 2 tb Baking soda * 1/2 c Vanilla powder * 1 1/4 c Sugar * 3 tb Salt * 2 tb Malt powder, optional PANCAKES * 1 c Pancake and waffle mix * 1/2 c Water (up to 2/3) * 1 Egg * 2 tb Vegetable oil or unsalted butter Preparation (makes about 5 pounds) In a very large bowl, using a strong wire whisk, blend together all purpose, buckwheat, corn, white whole wheat flours, cornmeal, ground oatmeal, buttermilk powder, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, sugar, salt and malt. Package in required amounts (e.g four to six cups) Pancakes: Stir pancake mix together with water, egg and vegetable oil or butter. Add more water if necessary to make a soft pourable batter. If using as waffle batter, double recipe and follow manufacturers suggestions. Make pancakes in usual fashion. NOTE: For a more convenient mix, you can cut in 1 1/2 cups shortening into the dry mix. Omit oil when reconstituting. You can use solid butter in the dry mix (same amount as shortening) but then the mix must be frozen. Posted to EAT-L Digest 28 Aug 96 From: Pat Belanger Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 10:23:31 -0700 Here is a link that might be useful: multigrain baking mix

Lou - good point about settling on the bottom. I hadn't thought about that. The commercial mixes probably put in a filler so it doesn't do that. rachelellen - Thanks for the recipe and link. I will copy the one and check out the other. I found some receips using fresh ingredients and might give that a try too. SAZON Yield: 6 cups 3 md Onions; chopped 1 ea Pepper, bell, green; seeded, chopped 1 ea Pepper, bell, red; seeded, chopped 4 lg Garlic cloves; peeled, chopped 1 tb Oregano 1 c Scallions; chopped, both 1/2 c Parsley; coarsely chopped 1/2 c Coriander; chopped 1 ts Tabasco sauce 1 tb Paprika, sweet 1 c Tomato paste 1 c Oil, olive 1/2 c Vinegar, white Salt; to taste Combine all ingredients and blend, bit by bit, to a puree in blender. Pour into saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Cool and bottle. Used to flavor stews, beans, rice and vegetables. Easy to make and useful to have on hand. RED CHILI ADOBO SAUCE Makes about 5 cups 1/3 cup vegetable oil 12 medium (about 6 ounces) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican 1 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground 1/2 cup cider vinegar 4 cups chicken or turkey broth (use the turkey neck and giblets for making broth) Salt 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar 1. The adobo puree. Measure the oil into a large skillet and set over medium heat. When hot, oil-toast the chiles 1 or 2 pieces at a time until very toasty smelling and blistered, only a few seconds per side. Pour off all but a generous film of oil from the skillet and set aside. Transfer the chiles to a large bowl and measure in 4 cups hot tap water; a small plate on top will keep the chiles submerged. Let rehydrate for about 20 minutes. Measure the garlic, oregano, black pepper, cumin, cloves and vinegar into a blender or food processor. Pour in the rehydrated chiles, liquid and all (do this in two batches if necessary). Process the mixture to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh strainer set over a bowl. 2. From puree to finished sauce. Set the chile-frying skillet over medium heat. When quite hot, add the adobo and stir until reduced to the thickness of tomato paste, about 10 minutes. Stir in the broth, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or so. The finished sauce should be quite light in texture-not watery, but just one stage thicker. (A good test is to pour a little on a plate and watch it spread: If it flows evenly, it's right; if it doesn't flow much and water begins separating around the edges, it's too thick.) Season with salt (usually about 1 tablespoon) and sugar -- it should be a little sweet-sour with a hint of saltiness. Serve warm. Working ahead: The finished sauce will keep for days if refrigerated, well covered. Clare