Around your house 6/27/07

Garden

To maintain themselves, hummingbirds must feed every 10 minutes or so during the day. Hummingbirds need nectar or sugar water, and insects provide a great source of protein. Your visitors seeking nectar from your flowers also capture many insects such as spiders, tiny flying insects and those insects that feed on your flowers. Hanging baskets of fuchsia, petunia, geraniums and begonia all appeal to hummingbirds, while window boxes of catmint, impatiens, nasturtium, rosemary and geranium will bring them in close. They come to feeders of sugar water through late fall so keep your feeder up and full through that time of year. Color is the word to remember, along with deep-throated floral displays. Hummingbirds are drawn to red, while white is really not an attraction. Choose plants that hummingbirds prefer and keep that feeder of sugar water close by.

-- University of Illinois Extension Office

Home

Ready for big three-day weekends? Is your deck? If your entertainment area is a wreck, it's time to hit the deck with something new. Tired of cleaning and sealing your deck, pounding nails back in or, even worse, flipping or replacing boards? It might be time to step up to composite decking. The best brands use virgin polymers instead of recycled materials. You'll get a high-quality look with more styles, colors and finishes than ever before. Some even have built-in UV protection to ward off the harmful rays of the sun. Some are fastener-free, too, which means no more popped nails or screws that hurt feet and catch on shoes. Composite decking not only looks like beautiful natural wood when it's installed, it'll stay looking that way.

-- AP

Food

Using a mortar and pestle to grind seasonings or dried peppers may seem a bit old school, but for truly authentic Indian and Mexican cooking -- the sort in which heady, spicy aromas assault you in the most wonderful way -- it's essential. And using Typhoon's cast iron mortar and pestle makes the whole experience all the more pleasurable. Most mortars (the bowl) are too small to allow serious pounding and grinding without the ingredients flying out, and aren't heavy enough to be stable during use. Likewise, the pestles (the thick handle used to do the grinding) generally are too short to allow a solid grip. None of which is the case with Typhoon's seasoned cast iron model. This delightfully heavy set weighs in at nearly 6 pounds and holds almost 2 pints, making it deep enough to contain even pesky peppercorns, which love to fly out when crushed in this manner. The pestle's long handle also allows for easy handling and is heavy enough to do much of the pounding work for you.

The matte black cast iron is beautiful. It also is responsible for the set's only downside: It's not water-friendly. The set cannot go in the dishwasher or be left damp; it will rust. Be sure to dry both pieces well after washing.

-- AP