Growing Green Beans The green bean growing season is a long one. Start planting your green beans any time after the threat of frost is passed and the soil starts to warm. Add a few more green bean plants every two weeks to stagger the harvest, and you’ll be able to pick fresh green beans through the fall. In mild-winter areas, you can even plant a few more green beans in the early fall to extend your harvest even longer....
Tools and Materials: Forcing vasesPrechilled hyacinth bulbsGlovesWater Step 1: Chill the bulbs (if needed) Before you get started forcing hyacinth bulbs, they need to be chilled. Usually, you can buy pre-chilled bulbs, but you can also chill regular hyacinth bulbs (Walmart) yourself. Place them in the crisper drawer of your fridge for at least 12 weeks, and keep them away from produce (it’s a good idea to keep your bulbs in a paper bag)....
When to Harvest Basil Whether you start basil from seeds or buy a young plant, the best time to harvest basil depends on the size of your plant. You’ll know the time is right when you see that the plant has unfurled at least four sets of leaves. Your basil plant should be between 6 and 8 inches tall before you harvest its leaves. If you know when the plant was seeded, you can count on the basil being ready for harvest 60 to 70 days later....
Types of Flashing Flashing helps prevent any moisture (which can collect due to condensation or small gaps in the siding) that flows downward from infiltrating behind the house wrap where it can do damage. Therefore, the upper piece of wrap or flashing should always overlap any lower pieces. The type and location of the flashings will vary depending on the type of windows and doors. If you have vinyl- or metal-flanged windows, for instance, you can install drip-cap flashing ($79, The Home Depot) over the window itself or over the top trim piece that you install....
Spices come from the seeds, bark, roots, fruit, or stems of a variety of plants and trees, and dried herbs are dehydrated versions of a plant’s leaves. In culinary uses, any of the above can help enhance both sweet and savory dishes. For a refresher on all things fresh, check out our complete fresh herb storage and life-extending guide here. Then read on for everything you need to know about selecting, storing, and organizing spices and dry herbs....
One of my coworkers made a recipe from a YouTube video (with more than 15 million views and counting!) that sounded too good to be true. It’s a chocolate cake that requires five ingredients, plus some water, and is ready in five minutes. The most amazing part? It doesn’t require an oven, but rather the microwave. So after chatting with her and learning it “made a surprisingly legit cake for so few ingredients” and watching the video by Emma’s Goodies, I decided to give it a go....
How to Make a Kid’s Beetle Costume for Halloween Supplies Needed Printable bug patternCardboard Utility knife Acrylic paint: black and goldPaintbrush Hot-glue and glue sticksBlack 1-inch-wide elastic Two black chenille pipe cleaners Black knit hat Black shirt and pants Step-by-Step Directions Create your own little bug with a few crafty tools and materials you might already have on hand. Your little one will be ready to crawl into the Halloween festivities....
How to Make a Canvas Tote Bag Supplies Needed 3/4 yard faux leather vinyl or printed fabric (handles, bag bottom)1/2 yard natural canvas fabric (bag front and back, facing)7/8 yard patterned fabric (lining)1-1/4 yards fusible fleece interfacingFabric shears or scissorsTape measurePencil or penIronIroning boardQuilter’s pins and clipsSewing machine90/14 heavyweight sewing needleDenim sewing needleThread6-inch sewing gauge Finished Bag Tips Finished bag measurements are 15 1/2 x 15 x 6 1/2 inches. Quantities are for 44/45-inch-wide, 100 percent cotton quilting and canvas fabrics (Joann, $13)....
Ingredients to Make Tiramisu As with any recipe, the first thing you need to know is the ingredients. This is the basic makeup of most tiramisu recipes. We’ll be using our classic tiramisu as the foundation for the steps to making the dessert from scratch. Ladyfingers: Sponge cake piped into fingerlike shapes. You can make your own ladyfingers or purchase two 3-ounce packages. Wondering if you should use soft or hard ladyfingers for tiramisu?...
What You Need 18-gauge green cloth-covered florists wireWire cuttersGlue stickAcrylic yarn (we used taupe, gray, aqua, seafoam green, light tan, and dark tan)Liquid starchDisposable rimmed platePlastic wrap1⁄8 yard tan linen18-inch-diameter grapevine wreathHot-glue gun and glue sticks18-inch length of ribbon Step 1: Wrap Yarn Use a glue stick to apply glue to end of green cloth-covered florist’s wire. Secure yarn approximately 1 inch from wire end on glued area. Wrap yarn tightly around the wire to cover the 1-inch end....
How to Make a Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder Supplies Needed 4-ounce Mason jarRed plastic office folderPen or markerScissorsHole puncher½ cup sugarHanging Mason jar lid Step 1: Remove Metal Band and Lid Remove the original band and lid from the Mason jar. You won’t be using these to make your hummingbird feeder, so feel free to repurpose them. Step 2: Make New Lid Hummingbirds have a heightened sensitivity to warm, bright colors and have been known to prefer red the most when seeking a snack....
Amelia Simmons, author of American Cookery published in 1796, is credited with a pumpkin pudding recipe in a crust that would become the basis of today’s beloved pumpkin pie. While canned pumpkin is the simplest option for piemaking, it’s not complicated to master how to make a pumpkin pie using real pumpkin. Perhaps you’re itching to learn about making a pumpkin pie recipe from real pumpkin because you can’t find canned pumpkin (never forget the shortage of 2020!...
But like our morning specialty java brews, it can get expensive. So how do you watch your wallet while still appeasing your cravings? One way to start is to make your own at home, starting with one of the essential elements. Here is how to make your own tapioca pearls. Step 1: Pick Your Tapioca Pearls Making your own tapioca pearls from scratch has a lot of benefits. When you create them yourself, you get to dictate the size, eliminate additives and preservatives, you have more control over the texture, and can add flavor....
Get the recipe for Danish Fruit and Cheese Pastries. Ingredients You’ll need: 1 package active dry yeast1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)1/4 cup butter, softened1/4 cup granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups all-purpose flour1/3 cup milk1 egg1 egg yolk6 tablespoons cold butter, thinly sliced (about 18 slices)1 recipe Almond-Cheese Filling1 tablespoon butter, melted1/2 cup cherry preserves, melted and cooled slightlyOptional: Powdered sugar icing Get step-by-step instructions for how to make powdered sugar icing....
How to Make Empanadas Before you get started, you’ll need to make some empanada dough using milk, flour, yeast, salt, and rendered lard or shortening. It’s a lot of the same ingredients bread calls for, only you’ll be handling them more like pie pastry. You can find the full basic dough recipe in Samuelsson’s shrimp and pork empanadas recipe. Test Kitchen Tip: Rendered lard is a form of melted-down pig fat....
How to Make Meringue Start by following your recipe for making and baking the pie crust and filling in a pie pan ($5, Target). Then follow these steps for preparing the meringue. We’re using a basic meringue recipe for pie in this demo. Step 1: Separate Egg Whites Separate the yolks from four eggs using an egg separator ($6, Bed Bath & Beyond). Place the whites in a large bowl. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature 30 minutes....
This rainforest native requires constant warmth and high humidity, so it can be tricky to grow this spice outdoors in many regions of the United States. Cardamom should be brought indoors to overwinter, and it can work as a houseplant, however, it rarely flowers when grown in a container, therefore it won’t produce flavorful seeds indoors for your culinary creations. You’ll also need to give this plant plenty of space—it can grow from 6 feet to 16 feet tall....
Where to Plant Basil Plant basil alongside other culinary herbs in your garden such as parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and dill for a bountiful collection of fresh fragrant foliage. Seed a row of your favorite basil variety in the garden to ensure plenty of fresh leaves for making pesto or flavoring summer dishes. When planted near tomatoes, basil displays an ability to repel pests such as thrips (tiny winged insects) and tomato hornworms....
Where to Plant False Lupine False lupine, also called Carolina lupine, is native to the Southeast. Much more tolerant of heat and humidity than true lupine, false lupine blooms for several weeks in spring, sending up erect spikes of showy, bright yellow pea-shape flowers that resemble those of true lupine. Flowers are followed by brown seedpods nestled in the upright, grayish-green foliage. It is a great plant for perennial borders, cottage gardens, wildflower gardens, and cutting gardens....
Where to Plant Goji Berry Goji berries are at home in a berry patch or orchard. Plant alongside raspberries, blueberries, and other small fruit crops. Goji berries also can work in a mixed shrub border. Give them plenty of space to expand and leave ample open ground for moving around the plant during harvest. Goji berry fruit quality is best during hot, dry growing conditions. Cool and humid environments produce limited crops of goji berries....
