Maria asks…
What to bake as a gift for garden party hosts?
I will be attending a garden party at the end of the month, and my partner and I were thinking it would be nice if we gifted the hosts something like a cake or quiche that we could bake. Any tips or ideas? What would be good.. we are clueless.. thanks.
GardenersCardiff answers:
If it’s a May garden party, you’d want something quite summery…
I like the idea of cheesecakes, or tarts with summer fruits like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Or, how about a summer fruits crumble, which would taste gorgeous with a large dollop of vanilla ice cream!
Mary asks…
What cooking and/or gardening online stores will deliver to a customer in Germany?
I want to send a gift to a business colleague in Germany and am having difficulty finding something that can ship there. I’m looking to spend around $200.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Here are two websites that may ship Internationally, according to what their website states:
Crate and Barrel – International Orders: If you live outside the United States and would like to place an order we would be happy to assist you. You may contact us by telephone at 630-369-4464 or by fax at 630-527-1448.
(2) Bed Bath and Beyond – For information regarding shipments to US Territories or international shipments/billing please call 973-785-4333 or email them at customer.service@bedbath.com.
Good Luck!
Mandy asks…
Where can I find Christmas gifts for a keen gardener?
Been looking online for home / garden products, but not the standard things I’d find in a garden centre…Any ideas of where I can buy products that are a little bit special?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I was in Whittards of Chelsea coffee supplies a few weeks ago and they had a tea set for gardeners which i thought was awesome! The cups were like plant pots, the spoons were like spades, there was a teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug, all on a tray. They were so different I wished I knew someone to get it for!!
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James asks…
What is the best way to tame guinea pigs?
Yesterday I bought 3 male guinea pigs (9 weeks old). They’ve made themselves quite comfortable in their new hutch overnight and have eaten loads already. Naturally, they are still very skittish and nervous of people walking up to the hutch, but I am keen to get them hand tame as soon as possible. What is the quickest and easiest way (and most stress free for the guineas) of doing this? I’ve read conflicting info online.
GardenersCardiff answers:
There are two main factors in taming any small animal. The first is not doing anything unpleasant to them when they are being brave, and the second is naked bribery. Because there are lots of foods that guinea pigs really like that they can have quite a bit of they are actually quite easy to tame. I use dark green salad leaves for treats, but also nice fresh grass and dandelions from the garden in the summer (don’t overdo dandelions as they are diuretic). If you don’t have access to a garden why not grow some nice fresh grass or greens on the window ledge!!
When you first get your guinea pigs it is best to leave them alone as much as possible for the first couple of days. It is very tempting to keep picking them up and showing them to people but this is very stressful for them when they are in a new environment so please resist this until they have settled in.
Make sure that each guinea pig has a nice house to hide in. Otherwise when they are startled the more dominant piggie will kick the other one out of the box and this can cause fights particularly amongst males. If possible don’t disturb your pet when he is in his box as this will make them feel more secure. It is sometimes necessary to catch them by tipping over the box but do this as little as possible in the early days.
Feed your guinea pigs at the same time every day. They will soon learn to assoicate the sounds of feeding with something nice happening. Ours squeak when they hear rustling and/or the frige opening. Also have times a couple of times a day when you give them treats.
At first you may have to just put a treat outside the door of the nest box and move away but over time you should be able to get a guinea pig to take it from your hand. This is the most difficult part of the process and it is worth persevering. I had to have a rule that if he didn’t come and get it in a reasonable period of time I take it away again. This is because he had learnt that I would eventually give up and leave it and wouldn’t take it.
Once you have a guinea pig feeding from your hand it is often quite a quick process to get them to come further and further out of the box and eventually come to the edge of the cage to be fed. Before long your guinea pig will be standing ready for a treat. It is absolutely essential that you don’t use a treat to catch the guinea pig at this point as it will stop them trusting you. Once they get to trust you really well you will be able to pick them up.
Thomas asks…
College student with more fridge space then freezer space, meal ideas?
Our pod has a tiny little freezer thats always full but oodles of refridgerator space (not including my empty minifridge). I normally like just buying costco frozen meals and throwing those in the oven, but with our limited space im looking for ideas for easy meals that will keep well in the fridge. Any help greatly appreciated, Thanks
Also if possible looking for high calorie high protein meals (athlete looking to gain weight)
GardenersCardiff answers:
Here some ideas
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/garden-fresh-lasagna/3ba05ac1-14b1-46fd-937b-d51e91388bc5
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/chicken-alfredo-with-sun-dried-tomato-cream/736a04e4-a42b-47c9-9805-f16430c3ed9f
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/healthified-mexican-pasta-skillet/e86a1cb2-a7b3-4cb7-906a-9a2d7a9c218f
also if you want a home-made veggie beef soup here is one that is soo easy you can make it fast
1/2 lb of ground beef
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of diced tomatoes (italian or regular)
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
a small/ med onion diced
1 can of corn
2 cans of beans (whatever you like)
1 can of mixed veggies
1 cup of rice
salt & pepper
2 tsp. Sugar
Brown Beef til no longer pink, add onion and cook for 3 – 5 min. Add rice, tomato soup,diced tomatoes, worchestershire sauce, corn, beans, and mixed veggies. Stir together. Salt & pepper and add the sugar (if ya want). Bring to a boil. Once to a boil turn down to low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until rice is tender and soup is hot.
This is great with some crackers, grilled cheese or toast
Cherry Brownies (soo good)
1 box of brownie mix
(whatever ingredients needed for brownie mix)
1 can of cherry pie filling
Prepare brownie mix as directed on box and pour into greased baking pan. Pour pie filling in and mix up. Bake as directed on box.
They are oh so good and guys love them! Add some vanilla ice cream for an even better dessert.
Hope this helps! ENJOY
Susan asks…
What are some ideas for recyclable crafts?
What are some ideas for easy, medium, or hard crafts made out of recyclable crafts? For example, I once made a snow globe out of a baby food jar, a small object, water, and glitter. I don’t want to have to buy anything such as those Crayola Crayon Makers. Ideas?
GardenersCardiff answers:
The first link is a baby food jar garden,this can also be done in other jars tall short,you could do a scene of woods or garden or any other view you like.
I like shadow box’s myself for some reason doing miniatures relaxing to me so i might do this above in some fashion using a large pickle jar.
Second link is a Time capsule idea..I am thinking you could do this short term or long term.
I have one I open about every few years. However was thinking of doing one for just the time between now and the end of summer. Most likely it will my writing and a few photos of my yard now.
Third one is decorating a bottle I have done this myself since I was around 6yrs old..My first one was using food coloring or shoe polish anyway I took some masking tape and covered the bottle in the tape then went over it with stain(color) looked interesting after I was done. Sat on my Granny’s shelves for 20yrs along with other children’s art pieces.
Other sites
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/index.shtml
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Paul asks…
What are some cheap and fun summer crafts for kids?
I’m the craft director this summer at a camp and I need ideas for easy 30 minute crafts to do. There are 3 different age groups; 3rd-5th grade, 6th-8th grade and then high school. The supplies would need to be simple, but still be entertaining. Any ideas would be a great help!
GardenersCardiff answers:
I just came across this blog that has incredible projects using simple, easily available & inexpensive materials. Browse through all the hyperlinks listed for crafts that may appeal to the children :
http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2012/03/20/10-ways-to-use-a-toilet-paper-roll/
http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2012/03/16/14-cheery-rainbow-craft-projects/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120404233434AA1AuRK — crafts with bottle caps
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/305461_art-made-with-weird-materials — art with weird materials
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArQFt8SehduWiFR9sJz4wwwjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20120409180615AAZe6Er — my answer has many ideas along with links
Collecting & creating from stuff found in Woods ( Nature Crafts?): http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120401091946AAKS7RF
http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/paper-dolls — simple paper dolls with printable templates. Will keep little kids busy playing for hours 
Can also be used as tools to learn about diff cultures….
Origami
Kirigami
Paper cutting crafts
Paper sculpting
Paper beads
Party decorations
Button crafts
Clay modeling
Gardening
Decorating stuff – vases, pots, boxes, containers, etc.
Tons of resources online, including videos. Simply Google with relevant keywords.
Hope these help
Lisa asks…
How do I start landscaping from scratch?
We just moved to a house that has nothing but grass. I what to plant bushes and flowers and 2 or 3 trees but I have no clue where to start! What are the easiest but stongest plants, flowers and trees for a beginner like me? Is there a certain time of season to plant? How do I know where to plant so they don’t get too much sun? How do I know how much water to give and what time of day to give it… Please help, your advice would be greatly appreciated!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Take a garden hose and edge out where and what you want your beds to look like ( i made mine a free flowing curve). Then dig the bed out and turn the soil over, rake it out. I put some compost and peat moss and raked that in as well. Plant your trees, flowers etc (grill the guy at homedepot) They also have a one year guarantee on trees and plants (save your reciepts). Lay out the flowers and trees while they are still in buckets (this will help you see what the bed is going to look like. Once you like the arrangement. Start planting. After, cover around the plants with landscape fabric, to prevent weeds from popping up and mulch it over! Easy and fairly cost effective, compared to professional help that is!
Robert asks…
What are some good, easy, quick summer dessert recipes?
I need something tasty and easy to make. A good dessert for the summer. I have a pretty good one that I will share if your interested.
You need:
Grahm cracker pie crust
2 cups of vanilla ice cream [blue bunny is the best]
lemonaid powder mix
cool whip [the whole tub of it]
Mix it all together and put it in the pie crust and let it freeze, it’s delicious.
GardenersCardiff answers:
In the summer my mom always made this dessert that everyone loved she would get a (clean) garden pot and put chocolate pudding, and gummy worms and gummy spiders… And then on top she would put crushed up oreos and set it in the fridge till it got really cold then she put fake flowers in it and a garden shovel is what you served yourself with… It was reallly good! Kids especially love it. And adults find it clever. It looks like your scooping your desert out of a muddy plant with worms and spiders…
Its very tasty!
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