N Thomas

I've found that using a truly airtight jar makes a big difference in crunchiness. Do you have a gasket to seal in the air on the jar?

Chris Sturgeon wrote:All experience with live traps and relocation has shown me that if we humans create a vacuum, nature will fill it.

Do you have space in your life for a dog? A terrier would just love to harass some ground rodents. You can train them to not kill if you don't want second-hand chipmunk blood on your, er, hands.
Otherwise if you have space, lure them away with something that they like more than your garden. Fruit and nut trees in your zone 5?

Good luck! Cute little terrorists aren't they?
Keeping Chipmunks Away - website

A dog is not an option. Can anyone recommend a trap?

Hi everybody,
My garden is overrun with chipmunks. What do people recommend in terms of a humane solution?

Be sure to use distilled water. May cities use ammoniamate or chloromate in the tap water which kills kefir.
Also what temperature are you storing the kefir at? My water kefir likes 60F to 90F. It grows fastest at 70F.
I also grow my water kefir in coconut milk and occasionally dairy milk. When I tried growing my kefir in a solution of water & sugar, they were very weak.

Hi Jamin,
Thanks for a really detailed, helpful post. This is better info than I would have gotten at the nursery. You suggested I plant the trees in the ground. We live on a small urban lot with a scarcity of sun and an abundance of lead in the soil. To solve both issues, I'm looking to plant the trees in potting soil from the nursery in our sunny driveway.

Hi folks,
I'm anew gardener interested in growing some dwarf apples in containers in potting soil in USDA Zone 6b. Can anyone recommend some varieties? Will I need to cross-pollinate? If growing in containers, is it realistic to expect any fruit? Do apples suffer any insect, fungus, or similar problems I need to watch out for?

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?