|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
As summer is winding down, a big thank you goes to readers who took time out from their busy end-of-season activities to share tips and tricks they’ve discovered to make life a little easier. From preparing the season’s sweet berries to staying safe at the ATM, the following life hacks from readers are sure to be helpful!
And remember, readers, send in your favorite hints for a chance to win a three-course dinner for two at the Publick House in nearby Sturbridge!
This reader shares her “berry” good method to freezing seasonal berries:
This is my helpful hint for berries. The window of perfect ripeness is short for many of our favorite berries. They freeze very well, treated with care. They’ll maintain bright flavor for months.
1. First gently wash and thoroughly dry whole berries. Choose plump whole berries to freeze; discard any broken or bruised berries.
2. Lay the berries out on a rimmed baking sheet or plate in a single layer, leaving as much space between them as possible, and slide the sheet into the freezer. This prevents clumping.
3. Once frozen, transfer the berries to an airtight container or Ziploc bag and return them to the freezer. They’ll be ready when you are.
Donna Lewandowski
Charlton, MA
A reader shares a duo of timely tips:
Soups and chowder will soon be going strong, and here is an easy tip to enhance traditional homemade vegetable soup. Put an entire ear or two of corn in to simmer with your stock and vegetables. When tender, take the corn out to cut the kernels off, then put the kernels as well as the cob back into the soup. The cob will continue to add a sweet flavor and nutrients.
Hydrangea stems are ideal for filling in or sprucing up a scanty planter as they make an appealing filler to use up container space. My pedestal planter has a full sweet potato vine and some variegated low-growing curly-leaf coleus. Adding a few tall stems of darkening purple and bluish hydrangeas supplemented its beauty.
Annie Wuelfing
East Brookfield, MA
Better safe than sorry is a mantra worth repeating, and this simple trick requires just a click!
Having read about another attempted robbery involving an ATM, I wanted to remind drivers of newer cars that their cars unlock (some doors) when placed in “Park” at the Drive-Up ATM. It takes just a second to lock your doors to stay safer while you use the ATM. As always, we should lock our cars whenever we leave them, too, no matter how brief the reason. I even lock my car while gassing up so I can leave my valuables inside. Stay safe, my friends!
Kathleen McClintock
North Brookfield
This repurposing tip protects both your decking and your back!
Looking ahead to winter and the chances of snow increasing, I have a great tip for owners of a deck made from Trex or other composites that might get scratched by those metal shovels.
Pick yourself up a telescoping foam head snow broom. These are normally used on car windshields but are safe enough to use on your deck so you don’t scratch the composite with a metal or plastic shovel. It pushes the snow, so no heavy lifting either!
Noelle Wade
Charlton, MA
A reader includes her cat in her morning workout – a purr-fect win-win!
Another experiment this morning and my brother’s cat Cookie loved it! I do push-ups, yoga, stretches, etc. on the porch railing each morning and Cookie the cat always jumps up on the railing, and of course wants to be petted! So now I stroke her with one hand, do my repetition counts out loud x 30, she gets stroked, I giggle, she purrs and I can still get my workout done. When I need both of my hands for pushups against the railing, I do head bumps against her and she loves that attention too!
Motivation for both of us. Such a gentle, peaceful breeze this morning too, made my day!
Viola Bramel
(Formerly) Northbridge, MA
Prize Winner
Congratulations to Annie Wuelfing of East Brookfield, whose name was drawn for Dinner for Two at the Publick House. She shared the two timely tips above.
*Note: You can send up to three tips at a time to be entered into the Publick House Contest and will receive an entry for each tip!
Win Dinner for Two
Your tips can win you a great dinner for two at the historic Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge! Simply send in a hint to be entered into a random drawing. One winner per month will win a fabulous three-course dinner for two at the renowned restaurant, located on Route 131 across the town common in historic Sturbridge. Because I’m in the business of dispensing tips, not inventing them (although I can take credit for some), I’m counting on you readers out there to share your best helpful hints!
Do you have a helpful hint or handy tip that has worked for you? Do you have a question regarding household or garden matters? If so, why not share them with readers of the Spencer Journal? Send questions and/or hints to KDRR@aol.com. Hints are entered into a drawing for dinner for two at the historic Publick House Inn.
