Around your house 8/15/07

Food

Most ginger ales taste like something off a nursing home dinner tray -- insipid, watery and just shy of tasteless. Which is why if you enjoy the taste of real ginger -- that bracing snap that gently sizzles taste buds -- it'ss best to skip most conventional ginger ales. Instead, hunt down a few bottles of Ginger Brew, a deliciously pungent soda. Crafted by quirky Scarborough, Maine-based Maine Root, Ginger Brew has such a pleasantly strong taste of real ginger you almost expect to see fresh chunks of the yellow root floating in the bottle -- don't worry, you don't. Sweetened with organic cane juice, Ginger Brew would go well with seafood, as well as with a splash of vodka and a squeeze of lemon juice. Ginger Brew is available online at www.maineroot.com for $25.95 for a 12-pack.

Home

Q. I have a recurring problem with my water heaters rotting out after only about a year. I tested the water and it is only slightly acidic. I also made sure the PSI was not too high. Would getting an on-demand water heater stop this from happening so often?

A. Water resides full-time within both types of water heaters, tank-type and on-demand or tankless. Inside a conventional tank-type water heater, the water is stored in a glass-lined steel tank. This type can easily rust. In a tankless unit, the water is stored in the solid-copper heating coils. Although the copper tubing will not corrode nearly as fast as the steel liner in a tank-type unit, the copper will eventually break down if the water is highly acidic. We suggest that you look into one of the new water heaters with a solid plastic liner. Plastic is not affected by acidity or alkalinity and will outlast both the conventional tank type and the new tankless type.

Garden

Madonna lilies, bleedingheart (Dicentra) and bloodroot (Sanguinaria) can be divided and replanted. Divide bearded iris now. Discard old center sections, and borer damaged parts. Replant so tops of rhizomes are just above ground level. Prune to shape hedges for the last time this season. Order bulbs now for fall planting. Zoysia lawns can receive their final fertilizer application now. Apply insecticides now for grub control on lawns being damaged by their activity. Compost or till under residues from harvested crops. Sow seeds of beans, beets, spinach and turnips now for the fall garden. Spinach may germinate better if seeds are refrigerated for one week before planting.