N Thomas

Michelle Bisson wrote:N Thomas,

Do keep us posted from time to time if you decide to keep them indoors.

Will do.

I'm a novice baker with a question about chickpeas and bread. I'd like to make a grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free and nut-free bread using canned in water chickpeas. Can anyone recommend a recipe? Also is it possible to make the dough without drying out the chickpeas first?

kadence blevins wrote:I've only done granola a few times but I really liked it when I have. The basic idea of granola is to toss some stuff together and toast it in the oven. Ta-da!

I have used a little syrup or honey when I've done it so using a parchment paper on the cookie sheet for easier clean up. And doing several batches on a tray you can get by with one piece of parchment for it all.

Is the purpose of the syrup or honey to ensure the granola sticks together? Is there a nonsweet food I can use to get stuff to stick together?

I went to a store and bought a bag of crunchy granola that was great and pretty paleo compliant. The ingredients were "Organic Coconut, Roasted Peanuts, Cane Sugar, Sea Salt." I'd love to figure out the recipe and make it myself. Anybody have thoughts on how to prepare granola from these ingredients?

I've had some strawberries growing outside in containers all summer. My daughter wants to bring them inside our house and keep them growing over the winter. I'd like to do so but fear bringing in bugs with the plants. Is there a way to bring the plants and containers inside and keep our house bug free (without spraying the strawberries with insecticide)?

Thanks everyone!

Lauren Ritz wrote:I'm not sure of the answer to why this is happening, but when I do fermentation I use a plastic bag full of water rather than a glass weight. It fits down perfectly, shapes itself to the jar, and conforms to the shape of whatever is under it.

That's ingenious! I'll try it.

I've been making cucumber pickles for about a year and the results are poor. I'd like the forum to troubleshoot. If I make 30 pickles maybe 6 will be passable. Most will be squishy and the tops are often moldy. I use pickling cucumbers sold at local grocery stores. As far as I can see they are unwaxed. I have experimented with sea salt, Himalayan salt, and Kosher salt in varying amounts. Kosher salt works better but not great. I don't add any other seasonings. I always use distilled water. I use organic dried Turkish bay leaves by the handful to encourage crunchiness. I use quart mason jars and put glass weights at the tops of the jars to keep the pickles submerged. However, sometimes the pickles are too large for the jars and push above the waterline. Or, over the period of a few weeks, the pickles rearrange themselves in the jar and end up above the waterline and the glass weights sink to the bottom of the jar. Recommendations?

Hi everybody,
Does anyone have recommendations on how to reinvigorate my suddenly weak water kefir? Here is some background. I have had a batch of water kefir going for the past 6 months. It had been pretty vigorous until the past week or so. I've fed it molasses a few times a week and given it a pinch of baking soda monthly when it got too bubbly. It has been living in pure/organic low-fat coconut milk in a sealed quart mason jar. The only thing that has changed in the environment where the water kefir is stored is that our house has gotten much warmer due to the sudden arrival of spring. The house temperature used to be 60 degrees F and is now 70 degrees or higher. Recommendations?

Hi everybody,
I'm seeking books and websites focused on growing fruit trees in containers. Can anybody recommend some?
Also, can anyone recommend any online sellers of dwarf fruit trees?
Thanks!