July 20, 2013

July 20 Photo of the Day
Hot

I have a gas stove.  It cooks with an open flame and gets hot!  The grate that holds the pot over the flame is made of cast iron and very hard to clean if you spill food on it or let it boil over!  I have never been able to clean them until this week!

 The grate on the left shows how all four had greasy, yucky buildup.  The one on the right has been cleaned.  Here's what you do.  Place the grate in a ziplock bag and pour 3-4 tablespoons of ammonia in the bag.  Seal and leave for about 12 hours.  Let chemistry do the work.  I put the bag outside on or in something like a bucket in case of leaking.  Much of the mess will fall off in the bag.  When it is ready pour off the ammonia (in a spot that will not kill a plant or where a pet might ingest it) and rinse.  I used the water hose and it knocked off anything left on the grate. 

It looked shiny and new and no fingernails were destroyed with a scouring pad that didn't help anyway!

July 20  Slice of Life
We had another cornpalooza on the Ponderosa today and froze 100 more ears! It took all morning.

 

Then we spent a few hours working at the Visitor House.

We checked on the Turkey Mama on the way, but she was gone.  The nest with 8 eggs was left unguarded.  We were afraid she had deserted, but on the way home, there she sat.

 Our tomatoes and beans may not look too good this year, but we have grown some giant eggplants and squash.

 

And the purple hulled peas are turning purple, so soon we will have to have a pea picking!