People are rarely allergic to the things that make up a house — that is, the paint, wood, steel, plastic, and such. Instead, it’s the microscopic things growing and accumulating in the house that cause allergies. Those unwanted occupants come in several forms, but the most prevalent in-home allergies are dust and its components (primarily dust mite and cockroach droppings — yuck!), molds, fungi, and pet dander. Our room-by-room plan will help you identify allergy “hot spots” and get them under control.

ENTRANCE

* Use a doormat made of synthetic material. A doormat made of natural material (such as rope or other fibers) can break down and become a good environment for mites, mold, and fungus, which then get tracked into the house. Wash all mats weekly.

* Clean dead insects from porch lights. As they decompose, they become an allergen source.

* Put a rack by the front door for footwear. Encourage your family and guests to remove their shoes when entering. This will reduce the amount of dust, mold, and other allergens that are tracked in.

BEDROOMS

* Tackle the dust. Clean behind the bed and dressers, under the bed, and on the top of the ceiling fan. Always use a damp cloth; dry cloths just spread the dust around.

* Eliminate the following items, which are dust and dust mite magnets: wall-to-wall carpeting, blinds and curtains, down-filled comforters, anything made with feathers, stuffed animals, and upholstered headboards.

* Make the bedroom a no-pet zone. Keep your door shut so they can’t even cross the threshold.

* Strip your bed. Wash everything, including the comforter or blankets, in 130°F water. Wipe down the mattress with a damp rag.

CLOSETS

* Keep clothing in zippered plastic bags and shoes in boxes off the floor.

* Forgo mothballs in favor of cedar chips, or store clean woolens in sealed plastic or airtight containers. You can also place garments in the freezer for several days to kill moths and larvae.

* Check corners and walls for mold. You may have a leak you’ve never noticed because it’s in the back of a dark, crowded closet.

BATHROOM

* Check under and behind toilets to make sure there’s no mold growing because of condensation. Make sure toilets are installed properly so water doesn’t leak into the walls or floors, which could encourage mold.

* Wash the shower curtain in hot water once a month. Or use a shower curtain liner that you can replace inexpensively every couple of months.

* Wash the bath mat in hot water every week. The dampness from stepping onto it wet from a shower can attract dust mites and cause mold growth.

* Run the exhaust fan or leave the window and door open when taking a shower or bath.

LIVING ROOM

* Get rid of your overstuffed couch. Replace it with leather or vinyl, which will not be as hospitable to dust mites and other allergens.

* Consider replacing the carpet. Solid-surface flooring, such as laminate, vinyl, or wood, is much less likely to harbor allergens. For the same reason, consider swapping fabric window curtains with simple shades.

* Check your houseplants. Put pebbles on top of the dirt to prevent mold spores from getting into the air too easily.

KITCHEN

* Put the contents of all open boxes of food in airtight containers to discourage insects.

* Clean the tray under the refrigerator with a bleach solution. It’s a mold magnet. Add salt to the drip tray to help reduce the growth of mold and bacteria.

* Check under the sink. Quite often, a sink sprayer leaks around the fittings, and water drips under the sink, soaking everything down there and creating a perfect environment for mold.

BASEMENT

* Inspect every inch of your basement, including crawlspaces, for signs of dampness and mold. If you find any, clean the area with bleach solution.

* Check all belongings stored in the basement. Anything that is stored directly on a concrete floor — such as boxes, newspapers, clothing, or wood — is vulnerable to mold and rot from condensation.

* Measure the humidity with an instrument called a hygrometer, available in most hardware stores. You want a reading below 50 percent.

Technorati Tags: Technorati Tags: allergies, removing allergens, Technorati Tags: dust, humidity

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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One of the greatest rewards of gardening is sampling that wonderful flavor that only fresh picked vegetables yield. You might not consider your microwave as the choice appliance for cooking fresh vegetables, but I’m hoping that after you try this recipe you’ll understand why it is such a favorite of ours. The freshness and juiciness of the vegetables are locked in during this virtual steam cooking process. If there’s a favorite recipe for preparing fresh summer vegetables for your table I encourage you to share it with us. Let’s swap recipes! I’ll go first!

Italian Squash Medley
Serves 4

¼ c. butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 t. dried oregano leaves
½ t. dried basil leaves
½ t. sea salt
1/8 t. black pepper
2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced thin
2 medium zucchini, sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced thin (optional)
1 large tomato, cut into wedges

To a 2-quart casserole, add butter and garlic and microwave until butter melts, about one minute. Stir in seasonings. Add all the sliced vegetables, except the tomato. Toss ingredients in the casserole to coat. Cover and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and toss ingredients. Cover and return to microwave for another 4 minutes or until squash is tender and cuts easily with a spoon. Fold in fresh tomato wedges. Cover casserole and let stand on the counter for 2 minutes before serving.

Deborah Tukua

Technorati Tags: vegetables, microwave cooking, squash

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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This may sound like a silly question, but my husband and I were having a discussion at dinner last night that we’d like to invite you to join us in. Josiah and I spent time at the creek yesterday in the sun together. I spent most of my time floating on top of the water relaxing, not exerting myself in the least. At dinner I was more hungry than usual. This reminded me of spending summer afternoons on the lake or in a pool as a child under the hot Florida sun and getting terribly hungry afterwards.

Lowell said, “If you had worked out in the hot sun and sweat, you’d be thirsty and probably lose your appetite. So if you want to lose weight in the summer, swimming won’t help.” That reminded me of our visit to Savannah, GA a couple of summers ago. I remembered saying that I’d probably lose weight if we moved there because I only wanted to drink water and didn’t care if I ate or not.

What about being in water on a hot, humid day triggers hunger? Can anyone else relate to this or have an explanation? Rabbits won’t eat until they’ve quenched their thirst, so… I surely don’t have the answer, do you?

Deborah Tukua

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Summer is the season when many people make a move from one house to another. Whether moving to the next neighborhood or across the country, it’s important to pack well. Some of our closest friends will be making a move soon. When asked if I had any newspapers to pack up their dishes I remembered something better. Newspaper of course has ink all over it. Newspaper print would leave a smudge on the dishes. Who wants to rewash everything when relocating? I had another idea for her and I’m hoping that you have other great packing and moving tips to share with our friends.

I went to a small newspaper/ printing company and purchased the unused end of a roll of paper. I’m talking about the same paper that the news is printed on. Often they sell these to the public for various uses. You can make banners with this long roll of paper, cover tabletops, and line the bottom of your refrigerator drawers with it. It is a handy household item to keep around. But let’s get back to our moving discussion.

While we’re thinking about helping friends pack and move, what helpful advice can you give us that really helped during packing and moving for you?

Deborah Tukua

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Some of you have guessed that I am a new transplant to Savannah. I left the big city for a quieter less stressful life. There is one thing however, that I miss from New York City -mandatory recycling. It became second nature to me to separate glass, plastic metal and paper. I had a sectioned system in the kitchen - recycling gave me a sense of satisfaction and pride. I was very surprised when I got down here and found out that recycling was not required. As just one person, I know how much glass, plastic and metal I use, multiplying that by this entire city is overwhelming.

I am looking for smart and creative ideas on how to re-use jars and bottles. I try not to purchase products that come in plastic. One thing that really irks me is how when you order a sandwich or a piece of cake or just about anything these days, it comes in a plastic or styrofoam container. What happened to wrapping food in butcher paper? Salad bars can use paper boxes instead of those plastic nightmares. If everyone refused to buy these things, the stores would have to come up with alternatives. I suspect many if not all of you, will not need to be converted to this way of thinking! If anyone has spear headed a recycling program in their community, let us know about it! If we think of ourselves as Earth Citizens (watch for a family oriented educational experience we are developing- Farmers’ Almanac Earth Citizens) we will all be better off.

Jane

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Last Saturday we scoured our property high and low picking as many wild blackberries as we could reach. While combing the top of our hill, we startled a deer also enjoying the early evening. The free berries only ripen once a year, so we pick them while we can. Since we were picking berries in untamed places, I told our youngest son what to expect besides berries in our buckets. We called them red bugs in north Florida where I grew up. Here in Tennessee and in north Alabama where we live now, they call them chiggers. Whatever you call them in your parts, they’re sure to leave a remarkably red bite on your skin in all the wrong places! Our son couldn’t understand how something he couldn’t see or feel while berry picking was going to bite him. But seeing him scratching three days in a row, let’s me know that he understands now.

It took a full day or so before I felt the full effects of the chiggers. Then, it was time to hit the cabinets in search of relief. As a child, my dad taught us to paint fingernail polish on our red bug bites. He still practices that remedy and I have bed sheets to prove it. He uses the brightest shade of red fingernail polish he can find to help him easily locate the spots when a second coat of polish is needed. I’ve been experimenting with other remedies. Since this is usually a once a year event I tend to forget what I did the year before for relief. First, I tried Tea Tree Oil, which should also help heal the bites. But it didn’t really stop the itching. I tried hydrocortisone cream. I’ve heard a dab of ammonia works, but I don’t have any on hand. Lowell suggested I try using the window cleaner because it had ammonia in it, but I knew his suggestion was more for humor than medicine. Laughter is good medicine and it did take my mind off the itching momentarily. Finally I got the bright idea to use Calamine Lotion. That seems to work the best for me. If you’ve got a remedy to recommend, I’m all ears and scratching to hear it!

We picked 3 quarts of wild blackberries that evening and even though they were free, I’m wondering if the price that I am continuing to pay was really worth it. I guess I’ll find out the next time I serve my Wild Blackberry Ambrosia.

If you’d like to try my Wild Blackberry Ambrosia, a definite cool and sweet treat to beat the summer heat, it’s found in Citrus Morning, Noon & Night: A Citrus Cookbook. Visit Holly Creek Books for more information. In Tennessee country cooks make blackberry dumplings. I’d love to have a recipe if anyone has a good one to share!

Itching in my Kitchen,
Deborah Tukua

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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I have become so much more aware of vegetation, foliage and trees since moving to the South. It seems there is a never ending array of beauty here, especially now in the fertile summertime. I am trying to learn all the plant and tree names and I constantly make mental notes of things I want to plant in my yard. I love the tropical look here- the banana trees, the elephant ear plants, the sago palms. Maybe because I spent so many years in the Northeast and had to endure month after month of bare trees, do I savor the lush greenery of the steamy south.

When you think about it, a tree is a remarkable thing. Chances are it was around before you saw it and will outlive you by many years. It provides us with so much- a tree can absorb odors and pollutant gases and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. They provide oxygen, shade, which in turn could help conserve energy, they prevent erosion, they give us food, and wood and paper and are home to many small creatures. Maybe those tree huggers have the right idea!

The streets here that are lined with live oaks are positively breathtaking. There is a lacy delicate tree across the street and I finally was able to identify it- a mimosa tree! The magnolias are another favorite.

When I was a child in Wisconsin, many of the beautiful elm trees in our area were infected with Dutch elm disease and the massive specimen in our front yard had to be cut down. My mom let us stay home from school that day to watch. I took pictures of it coming down. And I cried.

Send us a great tree story- did you have a tree house? Do you have a photo of a special tree? Did you used to climb trees? How about carving your initials?

Jane

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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The Dog Days of Summer

Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as…
1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity
But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”
In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.
They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).
The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.
In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth’s tilt.

Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Jerry Wilson

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Ergonomic Garden Tools and Tips

Ergonomics = choosing the tools that fit you and the job. The most important thing is to pay attention to what your body tells you — if it hurts, don’t do it. Experiment with different positions and tools. Muscles will typically fatigue in less than a half hour of repetitive activity. Work slowly and steadily, taking breaks and switching tasks often. A rest of as little as five minutes can start to relieve swelling joints.

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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