photo by g~

DEAR SARA: Help! What can I do with a lot of apricots? I was expecting a bumper crop of apricots from my tree. We picked them, and we have about 25 pounds in varying degrees of ripeness. Except for jam, what else can I make with them? By the way, I don’t have a dehydrator. Thanks! — Dutchie, e-mail

DEAR DUTCHIE: You can freeze or home-can them. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation (www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/apricot_sliced.html and www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/apricot.html) or borrow the “Ball Blue Book” from your local library for directions. You can build a solar dehydrator, too. Look for the book “The Solar Food Dryer: How to Make and Use Your Own Low-Cost, High Performance, Sun-Powered Food Dehydrator” by Eben V. Fodor. You can use them in pies, cakes, muffins, cobblers, ice cream, on meats and poultry, and mixed in salads or oatmeal, too.

photo by dilligaf

DEAR SARA: How long will a cooked semi-boneless ham keep in the refrigerator? — Lil, Ohio

DEAR LIL: Here’s a handy refrigerator-and-freezer storage chart from the Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/UCM109315.pdf. You can print it and keep it in your household notebook. Cooked ham can be stored in the refrigerator for seven to 10 days. If sliced, three to four days. You can freeze it for up to two months.

DEAR SARA: There was a fairly recent article about how to clean silverware by, I believe, soaking the utensils in hot water with baking soda. Do you happen to have this recipe? It is so much cheaper and easier to clean silver this way. Would you help me out? This would be greatly appreciated by others who read your article in the newspaper. Thank you. — Joyce J., e-mail

DEAR JOYCE: There are a couple of ways to clean silverware with baking soda. You can make a paste with water and baking soda. Rub it on, rinse, and polish with a soft cloth. Or you can line a pan with aluminum foil, set your silverware in it, pour boiling water over it, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda into the pan. Let silverware soak for an hour. Rinse with water; let it dry flat on a towel, and polish.

DEAR SARA: Where do I find coupons for baby stuff? Every once in a blue moon, I get a coupon for Enfamil, and my Kroger is good about printing out coupons for my next baby-food purchase with every transaction. But I don’t seem to find that many coupons for Pampers or baby wash. — Tanya N., Texas

DEAR TANYA: You can call product manufacturers. For example, you can call Enfamil at 1-800-BABY123 and ask about its Family Beginnings program. Or visit manufacturers’ Web sites for diapers, baby food, baby care, etc., and sign up for their mailing lists or newsletters. Other Web sites to visit are grocery stores (many have baby clubs), pharmacies and stores such as Target or Babies R Us. (Sign up for their registry.) You’ll find some coupons in baby and parenting magazines, on product packaging, newspaper-coupon inserts, your pediatrician’s office or from friends and family. Here on my Web site, http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/view.php?pg=printable-coupons you can find printable coupons, too.

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