Q. I’m offering the salad for a picnic with about 100 visitors. How a lot ought to I put together?
A. When making salad for a big group, the rule of thumb is about 3 ounces per particular person. Some greens weigh greater than others, nevertheless, so that you’ll have to tailor this determine to the precise recipe.
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For instance, to arrange Caesar salad for a crowd of 100, begin with about 20 kilos of romaine lettuce, which interprets into 15 heads. A bunch of spinach (a rugged inexperienced that’s good for summer season salads) weighs about as a lot as a head of romaine. If the recipe requires blended subject greens, you’ll want 12-14 kilos of unfastened mesclun (which weighs much less as a result of there aren’t any cores).
All greens wilt when dressed, so it’s finest to divide them into a number of massive serving bowls and add the dressing solely as extra salad is required, or serve the dressing on the aspect.
Q. The one factor that separates my residing and eating rooms is an arch, in order that they really feel nearly like a single area. Ought to I paint them the identical colour?
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A. I feel you’ll be a lot happier for those who paint the rooms a single shade. The ceilings can distinction barely with the partitions, however a monochromatic colour scheme will preserve the areas from feeling too busy.
You’ll be able to then use furnishings and equipment to herald extra tones. Material could be very helpful for this, and it’s a pleasant method to improve the concord between the rooms. For instance, you may repeat the sample from the eating room chairs in the lounge curtains or pillows.
Q. Typically soil could be very sandy. What may be finished about it?
A. Soil has fashioned over many millennia via the weathering of rock and the decomposition of plants, so altering its make-up isn’t simple.
Earlier than you sort out the issue, think about why the soil is sandy within the first place. The problem isn’t restricted to coastal communities. Sandy soil is discovered inland, too, the place glaciers deposited massive washes of sand way back.
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If the soil is inherently sandy, the best choice is to not struggle the actual fact however to work with it. Many vegetation thrive in sandy, free-draining soil.
If you’re decided to develop vegetation that gained’t tolerate these situations, similar to many greens, delphiniums and peonies, you will want to take action in raised beds crammed with bought topsoil. Though the beds require an preliminary funding of time and sources, they’re long-lasting and suited to many vegetation.
In some areas, erosion has brought about soil to grow to be sandy. As a result of sand particles are among the many heaviest soil elements, lighter-weight particles, similar to natural matter and silt, are progressively washed or blown away, leaving solely sand. If wind is responsible, you possibly can plant a windbreak of timber to guard your property. Treating water-caused erosion is trickier, because it might be from flooding, irrigation or channeled rainfall from a close-by mountain or cliff.
In every case, it is best to seek the advice of your municipality to see what you are able to do legally to guard your property. A standard technique is to plant timber, shrubs and grasses with quick-growing root programs that may stabilize the soil.
As for amending sandy soil, one approach is to combine copious quantities of natural matter into a minimum of the highest 4 inches. This may improve the water and nutrient-retaining capabilities of the soil, ultimately giving it the unfastened, crumbly consistency of loam. The one factor it is best to by no means add to sandy soil is clay. In reality, sand and clay are two of the primary elements in concrete, and that’s just about what you’ll find yourself with.
Contact the author: Write to Ask Martha, care of Letters Division, Martha Stewart Residing, 11 W. forty second St., New York, NY 10036 or takeoutfood.finest@gmail.com.
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