KEEP CUT FLOWERS FRESH • Make your own preservative to keep cut flowers fresh longer. Dissolve 3 tablespoons (45 ml) sugar and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar per quart (1 L) warm water. When you fill the vase, make sure the cut stems are covered by 3 to 4 inches (7–10 cm) of the water mixture. The sugar nourishes the plants, while the vinegar inhibits bacterial growth. You’ll be surprised how long the arrangement stays fresh!
RID THE GARDEN OF NEMATODES • If your outdoor plants look unhealthy, with ugly knots at the roots, chances are they’ve been victims of an attack of the nematodes! The nematode worm, nemesis of many an otherwise healthy garden, is a microscopic parasite that pierces the roots of plants and causes knots. You can prevent nematode attacks by using sugar to create an inhospitable environment for the tiny worms. Apply 5 pounds (2 kg) sugar for every 250 square feet (25 m2) of garden. Microorganisms feeding on the sugar will increase the organic matter in the soil, eliminating those nasty nematodes.
CLEAN GREASY, GRIMY HANDS • To clean filthy hands of grease, grime, or paint easily and thoroughly, pour equal amounts of olive oil and sugar into the cupped palm of one hand, and gently rub your hands together for several minutes. Rinse thoroughly and dry. The grit of the sugar acts as an abrasive to help the oil remove grease, paint, and grime. Your hands will look and feel clean, soft, and moisturized.
MAKE A NONTOXIC FLY TRAP • Keep your kitchen free of flies with a homemade fly trap that uses no toxic chemicals. In a small saucepan, simmer 2 cups (500 ml) milk, 1/4 pound (115 g) raw sugar and 1/4 cup (50 g) ground pepper for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into shallow dishes or bowls and set them around the kitchen, patio or anywhere the flies are a problem. The insects will flock to the bowls and drown!
EXTERMINATE ROACHES • If you hate noxious pesticides as much as you loathe cockroaches, don’t call an exterminator. Instead, when you have a roach infestation, scatter a mixture of equal parts sugar and borax powder over the infested area. The sugar will attract the roaches and the borax will kill them. Replace it frequently with a fresh mixture to prevent future infestations.
WARNING: Keep this mixture away from pets and small children, as it is poisonous if ingested.
Kids’ Stuff
Here’s an easy way to make old-fashioned rock candy with the kids, with no strings, paperclips, sticks, or thermometers needed. Make the syrup by stirring 21/2 cups (625 g) sugar into 1 cup (500 ml) hot water. Pour the syrup into several open dishes and set aside. Add a grain of sugar to act as a seed crystal in each container. Within days or weeks you should be able to collect glittering crystals of rock. Use a spoon to scoop it out. Rinse and dry the rock before you eat it.
SOOTHE A BURNED TONGUE
That slice of piping-hot pizza looked great, but ouch! You burned your tongue when you bit into it. To relieve a tongue burned by hot pizza, coffee, tea, or soup, reach for the sugar bowl and sprinkle a pinch or two of sugar over the affected area. The pain will begin to subside immediately.
KEEP DESSERTS FRESH • You used sugar to make the cake batter; now use it to keep the finished cake fresh and moist. Store the cake in an airtight container with a couple of sugar cubes and it will stay fresh for days longer. You can store a few lumps of sugar in with your cheeses the same way to prevent the cheese from getting moldy.
