Eric Thomas

A trick I learned long ago when I did the same thing: capsicum oleoresin, the "hot" component, is soluble only in oil, not water.  Let the pot sit and cool, then skim the fat or oil off the top.  That will reduce the heat considerably.  Good luck.  A cold beer chaser helps too! 😁

You can still find quite a few of these for sale.  Unbreakable.

Well, I'll bump this thread with a request.  I have a Magna Grecia hoe, one of the old school units that don't bend tines.  Despite gentle care for over 30 years, the handle is finally giving up.  I can't find a genuine replacement handle anywhere, and I can't find a 60" hickory blank to carve one. All the handle blank suppliers I can find on the innerweb stop at 54".  Just not quite long enough.  Does anyone know of a source for the original-style handles (semi-square profile with a square wedge head), or for well-seasoned hickory or other suitable hardwood handle blanks so I can make my own?  

Thanks in advance.

When my son (now in his 40s) was young, we would go to the grocery store, and he would, predictably, want some sort of treat strategically placed in the checkout aisle.  Our state at the time had a 6% sales tax.  I finally got tired of telling him 'no' on the treats and told him that if he could calculate the sales tax, in his head, before the checkout clerk hit the total button (he could see the running total on the screen), that I would buy him the treat of his choice, within reason.  

By some miracle, the boy suddenly learned to run a percentage in his head. Fast. He wasn't always exact, but we gave points for 'close enough'.  The skill has served him well; he has gone on to learn many mental math tricks.  

We have the obligatory "Fraidy-hole" storm shelter here in Oklahoma, for when rotary weather stops being a spectator sport and gets serious.  We squeezed a little more out of the budget and bought what amounts to an oversized unit for two people and a dog.  It's nominally rated for "12 People," though I would want the other 11 to be very good friends.  It's big enough for a set of shelves and a stack of milk crates for cabbage and potatoes, and a few apples.  So, I guess we're "stacking functions."

We buried ours, although it's rated for 1/3 exposure for critical storm performance.  It has two vents, so we put a 4" PVC DWV tube for a convection ventilation system.  Doesn't freeze in the winter, but the steel door, set at a 40º angle, does tend to bake in the sun, even though the rest of the structure is under at least 10" of soil.  I'm going to build a shed roof over it all this summer and put an insulated door on the front.  Should work quite well.  

All excellent bits of advice.  The one thing that you may not think about, especially if you install the unit yourself, is the proper way to install the drain.  This is unbelievably common, I've seen it (and fixed it for the owner) many times.  It's the 'drain loop.'  Fail to install this right and you'll have perpetual flood of water in the bottom of the washer.  https://youtube.com/shorts/vN18PrjbEEw?si=LG8sXqFf725cZsQW

Just remember, you're not buying a tool, you're getting married to a battery.  Milwaukee is my fav, I have a LOT of them.  

I have to get my eyes checked, I thought it said, "How do you keep your PLANTS up"   I was already to launch into an elucidation.....  But, there's what God intended the working folks to wear, the humble overall.  

Rebecca Norman wrote:It seems to me that the issue is not just the specific additive. Even if it's organically produced, when people buy "King Arthur Flour" they think they're getting plain flour. Wheat ground up to a powder, with more or less of the bran and germ retained or removed. That's all.

If their additive is so great, let them market an improved bread flour with it. But please still sell just plain flour.

100% agree.  I don't think the actual substance is bad, it's a naturally occurring enzyme.  We wouldn't have life on Earth without those biocatalysts.  But if you're going to add it, tell me.  

I'm confused (I'm also an avid baker and sell my wares to the permies.)  I use KAF Organic Bread Flour, and I can see the "Enzyme*" additive on the ingredients.  Researching the Aspergillus oryzae enzyme, I see that it's also the same as kōji mold, used to make a lot of different products including soy sauce and saki.  On the outside, these substances seem eminently natural and well-accepted by most.  

I do not understand where this is a problem and hoping for some enlightenment, as I want to make the best (healthiest) bread possible.  At what point in the 'processing' does this otherwise naturally occurring mold turn into a harmful substance?  

Thanks.