T1B

Posted: **Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:37 pm**

Any of you guys use these? I had one given as a wedding prsent a year and ahlf ago and it got shoved into the back of a cabinet. I was looking for my salad spinner and found the PC shoved in the back of cabinet.

Do they work well? What is best to make in them?

Posted: **Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:25 pm**

Mom used to use the hell out of hers.

Corned beef and cabbage, beef stew...just about anything that's typically boiled or stewed.

If you're unfamiliar with the principle(you probably are), the higher the pressure that water is under, the higher the boiling point. Without pressure, that pot of water boiling on the stove is at 212 degrees, give or take a few, which isn't always the ideal cooking temperature, since some things will tend to get mushy by the time they're cooked through.. Increase the pressure, and you can boil that same water at 350, which is great for certain things.

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:53 am**

That seems like an awful lot of effort for corned beef.
It's fucking corned beef, after all.
I do like corned beef and cabbage, but it's not exactly a gourmet cut. You brine it and cook the hell out of it just to make it edible.

Take the corned beef and cover with water, and add the spices that came in the package with it.

Boil in a large pot for a couple of hours.

Add carrots, potatoes, cabbage for the last 30 minutes or so.

Serve with prepared horseradish, dijon mustard, or both.
If you want to knock yourself out making that horsey sauce, then be my guest.
But jeez, it's fucking corned beef.

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:39 am**

I think I see your point. You could always turn on the exhaust fan.

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:41 pm**

I've been planning on putting in some raised beds before spring. Last year was my first try at growing more than one plant -- I had about 7 -- and they're pretty much randomly placed in open spots. Haven't gotten around to it yet though. I don't know what I'll plant. There's a lady at the Saturday farmers' market that sells seedlings every year for about $1.50 each and she usually has dozens of herilooms and hybrids. I'll probably decide on the spur of the moment.

Believe it or not, most of my plants from last year are still surviving and producing some fruit. Brandywine, Black Krim, Black from Tula, Thessaloniki, and a couple of others. I didn't get much fruit last summer...maybe I planted too late and it got too hot. I'm going to plant early spring this year.

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:03 pm**

Do the raised beds work better? My wife is the gardner- ususally plants a few different kinds of tomatoes (Roma's for her sauce, beefsteak), all kinds of peppers (for me) and eggplant. We have a high clay content in our soil- so tilling it and getting it ready her is a bitch. I was thinking of building some boxes and making her raised beds this year...

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:09 pm**

BBMarley wrote:Do the raised beds work better? My wife is the gardner- ususally plants a few different kinds of tomatoes (Roma's for her sauce, beefsteak), all kinds of peppers (for me) and eggplant. We have a high clay content in our soil- so tilling it and getting it ready her is a bitch. I was thinking of building some boxes and making her raised beds this year...

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/greenline ... 384.html#2

Looking for a better way to grow vegetables this year? Consider installing a raised bed. The advantages far outweigh the initial investment of time and money.

Most gardeners find that raised beds are easier to maintain and promote better plant growth. Walking in a garden causes soil compaction, which can cause problems with drainage and oxygen availability to the roots. It's also more difficult to weed when soil is compacted. With a raised bed, you can plant, weed and harvest without ever walking on the soil.

Raised beds can be filled with high-quality soil and it's easy to add compost or other organic matter. Long-rooted plants, such as carrots, do especially well in this environment, because there are no stones to hinder their development.

Plants in raised beds get more sun and air circulation and they can make better use of water. You often can plant earlier and harvest later, because raised beds warm up early in the spring and stay warm later in the fall.

Raised beds also make ideal places to grow plants that can be invasive in a regular garden – such as mints and horseradish. But ease and convenience is the benefit many gardeners appreciate the most. If you get a bad back and sore knees every year from gardening, a raised bed may put an end to those aches and pains.

Raised vegetable beds are excellent for gardeners who have trouble with their backs and older people who don't have limited flexibility. They are also excellent for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities and those who don't want to spend the summer on their knees in the garden.

Another advantage, at least around here, is that you can line the bottom with chicken wire or machine cloth to keep out the gophers.

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:13 pm**

Thanks Mikey... as always- You da man!!!

Posted: **Tue Jan 24, 2006 2:13 am**

Round here, the raised beds keep the slugs away. Lotta slugs in fall.

Posted: **Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:52 am**

my parents pre-cook spare ribs in the pressure cooker before they put them on the grill. they come out perfect every time. wish i knew more details, but all i remember is that fucking whistle going off before the ribs went on the grill, and them always being money.

T1B

Pressure cookers?

Pressure cookers?