DEAR SUN SPOTS: Does the bubbling of homebrew delight you? Do you relish homemade pickles and fermented foods? If so, researchers at the University of Maine need your readers’ help.
Scientists in UMaine’s School of Food and Agriculture and Cooperative Extension are recruiting Maine residents to take part in a study about fermenting foods and beverages at home. Adults who make any of these foods at home, or would like to learn how to do so, are invited to complete a 10-minute survey at bit.ly/umfermentsurvey. Respondents must be at least 18 years old. All information provided will be kept confidential, and the survey is anonymous. Responses will help the research team understand which topics and formats for information are most preferred by Maine fermentation enthusiasts.
Fermented foods and beverages are growing in popularity due to their unique tastes and health benefits. Fermentation is a traditional food preservation method used to make foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kombucha and yogurt.
For more information, contact Mary Ellen Camire at 207.581.1733, camire@maine.edu. The survey link will remain open until July 16.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’m hoping your readers could help me obtain a cutting of a “Martha Washington” geranium. I’m apparently too late to get one at the nurseries, etc. I’m willing to travel and will pay for one or two. Thanks!
B. St. Jean, Lewiston, 576-2382
ANSWER: Martha Washington Geraniums (Pelargonium x domesticum) are perfect for Maine’s cooler weather. Also known as Regal Geraniums, this variety features richly colored blooms with velvety, ruffled petals. Colors range from red-purple shades, including lavender, pink, burgundy and purple. There is a host of bi-color blooms. Two common patterns are solid petals with white edging or white centers. They are beautiful and easy to manage; I don’t blame you for wanting some!
Dear SUN SPOTS: We make our own homemade suet and our old molds are cracking and becoming unusable. The price of commercial suet molds makes obtaining it prohibitive. We have many hungry birds to feed, especially Downy Woodpeckers, Blue jays, and White-breasted Nuthatches. If you feed feathered friends with commercial suet and have some empty containers stacking up, we sure could use them. Thank you in advance.
–Dick & Booty, gunner44@roadrunner.com, 207-998-5710
Dear SUN SPOTS: I like doing the Cryptoquip every day and while doing it I write my answers in the space above each letter. Lately the paper is making the spaces between lines too small. Can you ask the layout department to spread each line apart more please? Thank you.
Answer:
You ask a good question, and there’s a good answer.
We have a certain size space allotted for the Cryptoquip on the daily comics page because it has to fit in with many other items on that page. When the puzzler contains four lines, there’s plenty of space between those lines, but sometimes the Cryptoquip is more challenging and contains five lines, squeezing the space between those lines.
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