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Your Questions About Gardening « gardenerscardiff.co.uk
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gardenerscardiff.co.uk

For the Best Gardeners in the Cardiff Area

   Jun 14

Your Questions About Gardening

Mary asks…

Looking to start microbrewing my own beer, what’s the best place to start?

Is buying a kit the best way, what are the essential ingredients and tools, and which can i do without?

GardenersCardiff answers:

Beermaking demystified!

You can make your own beer with little effort and a fraction of the cost of commercial beer. This simple method uses just one fermenting process, so only one container is needed.

Large, reusable 2 liter plastic pop bottles are used to bottle the beer, saving the work of washing, bottling and capping 60 – 70 regular-size glass bottles.

And with every batch, you’re sparing the environment the impact of manufacturing 60 – 70 aluminum cans or glass bottles.

What you need

Equipment
The few items you need to brew your own homemade beer can be found at your nearest beermaking supply shop, or at most hardware stores.
– One 10-gallon “food grade” plastic pail with lid. Cost: about $12.00
– Siphon hose. You’ll need a 74″ length of 5/16″ “food grade” vinyl tubing. Cost: $2.00
– Hose clamp for siphon. Cost: $1.00
– Twelve 2- liter plastic pop bottles, with lids.

– Hydrometer. Cost: $8.00. A thermometer is also useful.
– Large pot, or turkey roaster.

Ingredients
– Malt Extract. One 40oz. Can of any flavor you like ( light, dark, stout), or a 1.5kg “tall” can of same. The 1.5kg can contains more malt extract so you can make a larger batch or use the same method here to make a richer beer. You can also buy ‘pre-hopped’ extract which will impart more of a hop flavor to your beer.
– Yeast. 1 tsp brewers’ yeast. Note: some malt comes with little packets of yeast included.
– Sugar. 6 – 7 cups of regular white sugar, or 8 – 9 cups of corn sugar (preferred).

For even better results, consider using two cans of the malt extract and not using any sugar. This adds to the expense, but greatly improves the taste of the beer.

These ingredients should cost between $10 – 15 depending on your choice of malt extract. The yield will be about 23 liters of beer, which equals 65 – 70 bottles or cans of beer, of the regular 345ml size.

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How to brew
Sanitize
It has been said that 75% of brewing is good sanitation. First, clean all equipment with warm, lightly soapy water. Rinse well to remove soap residue. Then sanitize using household bleach at a quantity of 1 tbsp/gallon of water. Or you can purchase a no-rinse acid sanitizer such as StarSan, which is effective and leaves no aftertaste.

Brew
1. Pour 10 liters of fresh, cold water into the 10 gallon plastic pail (carboy). If the pail is new, wash it out first with a mixture of water and baking soda to remove the plastic smell.
2. In your largest pot, bring 7 liters of water to a boil.
3. Add one can of malt extract. Stir and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
5. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, pour contents into the carboy. Pour, or ‘splash’, the contents quickly, which adds air to the mixture. The more air the yeast get initially, the better. It allows them to rapidly grow and get things going.
6. Top up with bottled drinking water or tapwater until temperature is neutral. (If using tapwater, it is recommended to boil first to kill bacteria, then cool to room temperature.) Test using a clean, sanitized thermometer. The carboy will now be a little more than half full.
7. Sprinkle in the yeast, and stir well. Cover with lid. (Set lid on loosely; if capped too tightly, a carboy can explode from the carbon dioxide gas that is produced.)

Keep covered and avoid unnecessary opening. The beer will be ready to bottle in 6- 10 days, depending on ambient temperature of the room and amount of sugar used in the brewing. Room temperature should be 20-24 Celsius at the highest; 16-20 Celsius is better but it will take the beer a day or two longer to ferment.

Test for readiness with a hydrometer. Set hydrometer into the beer and spin it once to release bubbles which cling to it and give a false reading. The “ready to bottle” reading should be about 1.008 for dark beers and 1.010-1.015 for light beers. If you don’t have a hydrometer, you can judge readiness by tasting a sample – it should not be sweet tasting. There should be little or no bubbling action in the beer.

Bottle
Set the carboy on a sturdy table and the 12 2-liter bottles on the floor, with newspaper underneath to catch drips or overflows. Using a funnel, put 2 level teaspoons of sugar in each bottle.

Siphon the beer into the bottles, trying not to disturb the sediment on the bottom of the carboy. (One method is to tape a plastic straw alongside the bottom end of the siphon hose with 1″ projecting beyond the end. The tip of the straw can touch the bottom of the carboy without the siphon drawing up sediment.) Tip the carboy as you near the bottom.
It is important to not splash or agitate the beer too much when bottling as any oxygen introduced can lead to oxidation and a “cardboard” taste.

As you fill the bottles, keep the end of the siphon tube near the bottom of the bottle to avoid frothing. It is essential that the bottles ar not completely filled – leave an airspace. Screw the caps on tightly. Invert each bottle and shake to dissolve sugar on the bottom. Set bottles in a warm area for the first few days, then store in a dark, cool spot. You can drink the beer within a few days of bottling, but it will improve with age.

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Enhancements
Once you’ve made a few batches of your own homemade beer, it’s fun to experiment with different ‘enhancements’. When adding your own personal touch, however, caution is always a good idea; try things in small amounts so as not to over-do it.
Here are few suggestions:
Molasses. Add a cup or two of molasses to the malt while it’s cooking. Cut back a bit on the sugar. This will impart a darker, more full-bodied taste to the beer. Blackstrap molasses is darker and richer; Fancy molasses is lighter.
Licorice. Throw a few sticks of licorice into the malt while it’s cooking. Leave in for 5 – 10 minutes, then remove any unmelted pieces before pouring the brew into the carboy.
Hops. Put whole hops (dried) or hop flakes into a cheesecloth bag and add to the cooking malt. A handful is plenty. This will give a distinctive hop flavor to the beer.
Herb teas. Try adding 3 or 4 teabags of Celestial Seasonings “Bengal Spice” tea, or “Apple Cinnamon Spice” tea. Add to the cooking malt and remove after 10 minutes. This will add a bit of spice to the taste of the beer, a very interesting flavor.

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Enjoy!

Pour your beer carefully to avoid disturbing the sediment. Re-capped partially full bottles will retain their “fizz” for up to two weeks, so don’t feel you have to empty the bottle (unless you’re looking for an excuse!). After two weeks, unfinished bottles should be emptied.

Batches of homemade beer can vary in quality. Darker beers will work best with this recipe for the most consistent results. If your beer is a little short on “fizz” or falls a little short of your expectations, try mixing 50/50 with your favorite commercial beer.

If the empty bottles are rinsed out immediately, washing them later will be easy. Simply rinse with warm, lightly soapy water. Rinse well to remove soap residue. A mild bleach solution can also be used to clean the bottles.

Remember, your beer will continue to improve for months. It’s a good idea to start a second batch right away so you can get well enough ahead to enjoy fully matured beer.

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John asks…

What can you assume about a girl who likes this kind of music?

What can you assume about a 14 year old girl who listens to the smiths, morrisey, the Beatles, Billy Joel, Simon and garfunkel, and basically a lot of indie bands. Also, what if she owns a record player?? Does this make her “odd?” I think it’s pretty awesome (and yes, that girl is me) (:

GardenersCardiff answers:

First to the people that say you SHOULD do this or that or listen to whatever need to go back into their own box.

Second for those that are saying you’re fishing for compliments or bragging about what you like. Really? She’s 14 years old people which means even if she is completely secure about liking these things if she feels the need to post this question she has an underlying insecurity & just needs some positive validation. Fishing for compliments is an insecurity, bragging is an insecurity, & feeling the need to prove to your peers that you’re not odd by getting people on Yahoo Answers to say you’re not is an insecurity. Don’t compound the insecurities a Teen already has by questioning her character or intentions & giving them another one insecurity. Geeze Louise people. Basic Psych 101 here.

Now onto you…when I was growing up in the 80s (Yes I’m 33, so that sound ancient to you) artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Guns & Roses ect. Were the big deal & I liked & listened to those groups. However I loved the stuff my Daddy loved like; The Eagles, Billy Joel, Elton John, The Who, America, Dr. Hook, The Guess Who. Now most of these were big in the 70s & I was listening to them in the late 80s when Pop & Hair Bands were Kings. To this day I absolutely love my Daddy’s music as do my siblings. We’ve all have “stolen” his Dr. Hook CD I don’t know how many times until we all got IPods. My very favorite as a 10-12 year old (Oh yeah should mention that’s the age I was listening to that music) was Tracy Chapman. Her voice was like nothing I had ever heard & I listened to that tape till it died & got another & another for the rest of my life. “Fast Car” is in my All Time Top Favorite Songs. Now as a 30something Woman w/ 2 babies & been w/ my Husband for 15 years, every one of the bands Daddy loved are on my IPod & guess what’s not? W/ the exception of a few by Madonna, Michael & Guns & Roses…none of the others are.

It sounds to me that you have an old soul & an appreciation for the depth & quality of music. I’m like that. I do absolutely love a great Timbaland/JT song or a Katie Perry song just for bubbly goofy dance around times. Then I love Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Seether, Breaking Benjamins for times when I need to blow off steam or an intense workout. I’m not saying Contemporary music is bad or has no depth. I’m a huge John Mayer fan (his music not his life) & I think one of the most poignant songs ever written is “Daughters”. I have everything on my IPod except anything w/ the words; speed, death, metal, gangster or rap in it. I love Hip Hop & R&B, Classic Standards like Frank & Dean, I love the Opera singer Sara Brightman, great Jazz artists, great Blue Grass bands, love Country, some Techno, Alternative & of course the one & only Johnny Cash has a huge spot on my IPod & on & on & on.

My point is this don’t feel the need to conform to what others say & think you should be or listen to, however don’t reject something b/c it’s mainstream & popular. Don’t put yourself into an “Indy or Vintage” box. Be open to trying out different genres & Artists & even different songs by Artists you don’t think you’d like. For example my Husband loves a lot of very hard rock bands that I can’t stand, but every so often he’ll have a song on & I’m like…”What is that? I like that” & he always says no you hate this band. So, I have just a few songs from like The Toadies. So be open & you will become a person of even more depth & diversity which is always a good thing.

Ken asks…

How do I go about starting my own money making online business? how have others done it such as myspace?

or craigslist, wish upon a hero. How have they created their sites and got them up and running and how do you make money writing blogs thanks.

GardenersCardiff answers:

There are many ways to make money online, but the most common, and most lucrative way to make money online is to sell products for companies willing to share the profits with you. The process of marketing to people online is called “Internet Marketing” and it is a multi billion dollar industry. Hundreds of thousands of people, just like yourself, are making money online everyday by partnering with companies who pay commissions based on sales that you help generate.

This sounds difficult but it’s not because these companies have “Affiliate Programs” setup for their partners (Affiliates). You can partner with thousands of companies online and start selling their products in literally minutes. So how do you start selling a companies products as an Affiliate? Simple, all you need to do is send visitors to their websites. This sounds simple, and it is, but finding the right kind of traffic and enough of it is more difficult. There are websites that teach people techniques to drive traffic to Affiliate sites and earn HUGE dollars online. Making $500 a day online is quite normal and you can get started very quickly if you know the right techniques.

The most common misconception about Internet Marketing is that only people with good computer knowledge and marketing skills can take part. This is NOT the case.

·You DO NOT NEED a website
·You DO NOT NEED your own product
·You DO NOT NEED any previous experience (none)

What you will need is a guide to help you learn how to get started. Everyone has heard of being “Scammed” on the Internet, and although this is only somewhat true, many people have learned about making money online from companies who do not have good reputations in the Internet Marketing world.

There are many companies out there that offer good techniques and strategies but with little support or coaching. If you are just getting started with Internet Marketing, support is one of the first things that you need to look for when choosing a guide. Also, steer clear from anything that offers you “Overnight” success, or “Get Rich Quick” programs. There is no such thing as “Getting Rich Quick” on the Internet. It doesn’t matter what you hear, you will never make money on the Internet overnight. Internet Marketing is a real business and it takes time to grow your business to a point where you are earning $500 / day. If you are dedicated to learning the correct techniques and are willing to put in the work, you WILL achieve your goals of making money online.

Check this link out and let me know if this helps:

http://www.my-linker.com/hop/MakeMoneyOnline1

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