Centexan

Did you mulch with hay? I had a bad experience this year with the tomatoes I planted in one of my raised beds. I raised the plants from seeds. They were healthy when transplanted - 35 tomato plants of at least a dozen varieties. After just a few days, they were about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall but the leaves were really curling up, including the growing tips. I researched the internet - one of the possibilities is "curly top disease". They looked almost like the curly ferns that people eat. As it turned out, about 10 of the 35 seemed to be unharmed and produced well...the other 25 remained sickly all summer and produced nothing. I think, after racking my brain and talking to the county extension agent, that I know what happened. Every year I mulch with coastal bermuda hay to try to not have to water so much and to fight our Texas heat. I had some hay which I had removed from last years garden which I started to lay under the first dozen or so plants. When I ran out of the old hay, I broke open some new bales I had bought last fall. It turned out, this new hay was around all the sick plants...also around a semi-dwarf apple tree (which put on very few leaves and only 3 or 4 apples, which have dropped). The extension agent and I are pretty sure that the coastal bermuda hay that I bought must have been sprayed with a herbicide. DRAT THE LUCK! Had to remove all the new hay. It will probably be 3 or 4 years before that soil will be back to normal! We live and learn.

Staceyy - I also save "things" as you do. The inner bags that come in boxes of cereal make great storage bags and can even be resealed if you have a food saver. If opened up and laid flat they are the best thing I have found to shape hamburger patties on....the meat won't stick to it. I also use them to lay meat on to salt/pepper and dredge in flour. Cut to size, they work very well between meat patties when freezing them. BiscuitMaker - My mom used to repeat that poem about the dirty dishes to me...in fact (back in my crafting days) I made a plaque with the poem on it and it still hangs by my sink.

Trish - what does "GMO" mean?? Also, when you parch corn, are you talking about using dry kernels of corn or fresh, off the cob kernels? Please elaborate a little more about the process of parching, i. e. how hot, how long, how brown? Can it be stored long-term after parching?