Jon Wiest

Is there a reliable way to clear a woodchip path of snow in winter?  I have an old paver path that clients use at my home, but it needs replacement.  The neighbor wants to help me put concrete in, but if I can make natural materials work, I'd much rather do that (and then ideally, avoid salting it too).  My concerns are snow/ice and making sure there's enough traction.

If I had to guess, I would say your toasting process isn't getting hot enough, or there haven't been enough seasoning layers built up.  If your lid fits ok (safety first...) upside down on your burner, I think I would do it the easy way: make breakfast bacon for a week or two in the lid.

Re: water on cast iron - most of the food that comes in contact with your pans has a huge amount of water in it. The sizzle when you fry food is actually the water boiling!  Unless you're leaving them to soak, I wouldn't worry about water in your cast iron (again, assuming the seasoning layer has been well-built).

seasoning science:
http://www.cookingissues.com/2010/02/16/heavy-metal-the-science-of-cast-iron-cooking/index.html

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here.

I have a question about some hops plants that I planted last fall. I'm planning on using them for the typical dual-purpose shade in the summer and beer-making. When I bought them, the guy gave me a bunch extra, intimating that I could plan on a bunch of the plants dying. Counting on that, I planted them pretty close together, figuring the survivors would be more spread out. Welp, here spring comes, and not a single one is dead. Whoops.

So, my questions:
1. How close is too close for hops plants? I do plan on trellising them to spread across the back of the house and keep the bines apart, but the root systems will still be pretty close (currently about 2 ft).
2. Can I move them in the spring? Should I dig up some of them now before they all compete for resources?

Should I know anything else?
thanks.
jon