Heather Solos Dear Home Ec 101, I’m moving to Virginia in about a month, and in my visits I discovered a wonderful little farm nearby that sells free-range, organic chickens. But, the only way to buy them is whole and frozen. Generally, that’s wonderful! I love cooking with whole chicken. But, there are only going to be …
Fall is just around the corner. –Try telling that to the marketing people in our inbox. They keep sending emails that say, “Fall is officially here.” Um, no, not until next week; try again.– That said, in most areas of the country, the triple-digit days are over, and it’s time to head outside and check …
Dear Home Ec 101, I would like to know why we have to leave the pot uncovered when we are making stock or broth? Is there any particular reason? Signed, Lidsy Lohan Heather says: It’s all about ease and evaporation in the case of making stock with the French method. During the first hour of …
Dear Home Ec 101, Every time I have tried composting, it gets full of ants, and I freak out and spray the compost pile. That’s probably not so good, eh? Is it okay for a compost pile or bin to be full of ants? Signed, Scared There’ll be Ants in My Pants¹ Heather says: I …
Heather says: A few weeks ago I mentioned that I would be trying to increase the amount and variety of fish we eat. This week I decided to try out steelhead trout. Looking at the picture, you may think to yourself, Heather has gone off her rocker (again) that looks just like salmon. There’s a …
Heather says: It’s official, I have ordered the first run of Home Ec 101 t-shirts. (It took a little longer than I hoped, but it’s all in the screen printer’s hands now). I’m excited and nervous. I hope you love the designs as much as I do. Here is a sneak peek at the first …
Heather says: I’m not a gardener. Every once in a while -usually in late winter- I have these grand ideas that it’s going to happen and suddenly I’ll have the time and energy to invest in the garden. Then life shows up and it sits on my bucket list for a while longer. That said, …
I tell you, there’s just way too much to learn about food. ~Anonymous Home Ec 101 Reader As humans, we are constantly learning. Well, most of us, right? Learning to cook isn’t like a college course, well except for culinary school and then it is exactly that, but for our intents and purposes, that’s a …
Heather says: Yesterday’s post on How to Freeze Food inspired a few more questions. Rather than extend an already long article, this is the second installment on freezer tips. Can you do a post on freezing leftovers? I’m a single gal, and while I do cut down most recipes, sometimes I have a couple stuffed …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m completely lost when it comes to freezing food. I know this is a great way to have meals on hand, but once it’s in the freezer I don’t know what to do with it. Just last night I made too much enchilada filling. So I made an extra pan, covered it in foil …