| How to Clean Button Mushrooms Posted: 26 May 2021 05:00 PM PDT Button mushrooms are a hardy fungus that go well with a variety of foods. Whether you're eating them fresh or preparing them in a cooked meal, it's important to ensure that you're working with clean produce. To get your button mushrooms as spotless as possible, brush and rinse away any obvious dirt from the surface. If you'd like to get your mushrooms extra clean, try peeling the outer layer of skin from each mushroom. With a little bit of prep time, you'll be ready to enjoy clean, tasty button mushrooms! [Edit]Removing Any Dirt - Brush away any visible dirt with a paper towel if you're eating the mushrooms raw. Take a dry paper towel and rub any dusty or grimy spots on the mushroom. Continue wiping until all of the dirt is removed. As you work, set aside a clean bowl or pan so you can separate the clean mushrooms from the dirty ones.
- If you don't want to use a paper towel, try using a pastry brush or your fingertips instead.
- Since they can absorb moisture easily, you don't want your raw mushrooms to be soggy when you're using them as a salad topper. Because of this, it's better to wipe off your mushrooms instead of rinsing them.[1]
- Rub each mushroom in a pan of cool water if you're planning on cooking them. Fill a wide, circular pan at least halfway with cool water. Take each individual mushroom and place it under the water to get it soaked. Next, rub your fingers in short, smooth motions along the cap and stem to get rid of any obvious dirt and other specks. Once you've finished rinsing and scrubbing your mushrooms, set them aside on a clean plate.
- You might see small, thin pieces of mushroom skin fall off at this time. Don't worry—that's just a sign that your button mushrooms are getting clean.[2]
- Rinse the mushrooms under cool water before cooking with them. Set all of the dirt-free mushrooms in a pan, bowl, or colander to keep them in one place. As you hold the bowl over the sink, turn on the faucet so the mushrooms can be doused with cool water. Move the container of mushrooms in a circular motion so that all of the mushrooms get evenly rinsed.[3]
- Since cooked mushrooms will be exposed to other ingredients, it doesn't matter as much if they're a little damp going into the cooking process.
- If you want, you can stop the cleaning process here. Some people don't see the need to peel way any mushroom skins, and that's perfectly fine.[4]
[Edit]Peeling Away the Skin - Pinch and remove the stems if you don't want to use them. Check your recipe and determine if the recipe needs entire button mushrooms or just the caps. If your dish doesn't need any mushroom stems (or if you'd just prefer to remove them), then feel free to get rid of them. Use your thumb and pointer finger to grip the stalk, then tug it out with a firm pull. If the stem refuses to budge, trying twisting it a bit.
- If you know from the get-go that you're not going to be needing your mushroom stems, feel free to remove and toss them before you wipe off any dirt.[5]
- Start peeling away the skin from the mushroom cap with a knife. Use a knife with a short blade to pry away the skin from the edge of the button mushroom cap. Look for the especially wrinkly sections of mushroom skin along the curve between the cap and stalk. With the blade of the knife, start peeling off the skin from the cap.[6]
- You can also use your fingers to peel away the outer skin.
- Work in sections, going in a circle as you remove the skin. Continue peeling away the outer skin of the button mushrooms with your fingertips or the blade of a knife. Take note that the skin will probably come off in triangular chunks. Keep removing the skin until the entire surface of the button mushroom is white.[7]
- When peeled, white button mushrooms will look like chunks of mozzarella cheese.
- Cut away the skin from the mushroom stems to get rid of any dirt. If you've decided to keep the mushroom stems attached, use the same peeling technique to remove their skin. Unlike the caps, the skin will peel from the stems in thinner, smaller pieces. Once a mushroom is fully peeled, set it aside in a separate container.[8]
- Store the button mushrooms in their original packaging. Keep the button mushrooms fresh by placing them back in their original carton. Since all of the mushrooms have absorbed some water in the rinsing and peeling process, carefully wrap the carton with plastic wrap. Try to wrap the container up pretty tightly, but keep it loose enough so the mushrooms have room to breathe.[9]
- For instance, when you tap the plastic wrap with your finger, it shouldn't be rigid. Instead, there should be a little "give" to it.
[Edit]References |
| How to Make Pansies Bloom Again Posted: 26 May 2021 09:00 AM PDT Pansies bloom in early spring and can add some lovely color to your garden after winter. Pansies are generally one of the first plants to come up in the spring, and will continue to bloom until the temperatures rise and cause the plant to become dormant. However, when temperatures drop in the fall, pansies can bloom again if you take a some time to prepare them in the spring. [Edit]Making Your Pansies Bloom Again - Pinch seed pods to help your pansies bloom again. Pansy seeds will grow in long fall climates or they'll remain dormant until the next spring in many areas. Therefore, in order to fool pansies into blooming again, you will need to remove the seed pods before the seeds fully form.
- This can be achieved by pinching the spent blooms from the plant, cutting back extra growth, and fertilizing for blooms rather than leaves.[1]
- Remove any dying blooms regularly. Check your pansy twice a week for any blooms that have died. Remove all dying blooms from the pansy plant to encourage the plant to put its energy towards new blooms and growth.[2]
- Remove any damaged blooms when you remove dead blooms.
- Be careful not to accidentally remove any new blooms.
- Keep the soil moist and apply a phosphorous fertilizer. Water the plant to keep the soil around the pansy moist. Pansies enjoy soil that is damp.[3] Try to apply a phosphorus fertilizer but avoid applying nitrogen to the area unless the fertilizer is a slow release variety, as pansies generally can't handle high levels of nitrogen.
- If the plant is allowed to dry out or receives too little nutrition it will stop producing blooms and need to be replanted.
- Cut away growth and leggy stems. Cut back growth and leggy stems from the plant because these areas will not produce new blooms. When these parts of the plant are allowed to grow unchecked, they can drain the energy of the plant, causing it to produce less blooms.[4]
- Check for seed pods that were not pinched back as blooms. If you find any existing seed pods, remove them right away.
- If your plant is an heirloom you may be able to save the adult pod and collect seeds to start more pansy plants indoors.
- Plant a new blooming pansy if your existing ones begins to die back. If the plant stops producing blooms and begins to die back, you will most likely need to replace the plant with a new blooming pansy in order to benefit from new fall color.[5]
- If this occurs frequently do not feel like you've failed; certain areas of the country simply are not suited for year round pansy growth.
- If you can't find new pansies at your greenhouse to plant in the fall, remember that pansies are simple to start from seed indoors.
- Plan ahead for next year and start the seedlings indoors four to six weeks before fall. After the temperatures get warmed, plant the new seedlings outdoors.
[Edit]Placing Your Pansy in a Bloom-Encouraging Location - Grow your pansies in the correct conditions. To start, you need to consider the placement of your pansies. They should be in a cool, moist, protected area of your garden.[6]
- Consider placing them under a tree that will provide shade for the pansies.
- Keep critters in mind when selecting a location for your pansies. While the pansy plant is very hardy, its flowers will be eaten by critters, bugs, and anything else that might come along so try to plant them in a protected area.[7]
- Protect your pansy from the elements. Pansy plants will look rough and not well cared for if they are placed in an area with large amounts of wind and rain. Try to reserve a safe spot in your garden for them that is shielded against the wind.
- Move your potted pansy out of direct sunlight. If placed in a container, be sure your plant does not receive sun during the hottest hours of the day.
- Move the container during the summer to a cooler area to encourage blooms year round.
- Understand why pansies tend to stop blooming. The reason pansies stop blooming is in the design of the plant. Pansies bloom early in the spring, produce seeds, then die back in the summer.[8]
- If you are having trouble getting your pansies to bloom again, consider planting new pansies in the fall to enjoy fall blooms.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Cope with Being Bored Posted: 26 May 2021 01:00 AM PDT Everyone gets bored sometimes, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with! If you're looking for a few creative ways to beat boredom, we've got you covered. Below you'll find a list of fun activities you can try to pass the time on a dull afternoon. We'll also touch on some things you can try if the boredom is starting to get you down or making you feel a bit lonely. [Edit]Crank up the music. - Music tends to make almost everything more fun. Whether you're stuck doing boring chores, trying to pass a dull day at work, or just aren't sure how to fill your free time, listening to a few good tunes can help. Stick with upbeat music that you enjoy to help you feel reenergized and engaged.[1]
- Try making a playlist of your favorite tunes on Spotify or tuning into an internet radio station that you're unfamiliar with.
- Check online to see if any of your favorite artists have any live streams coming up.[2]
[Edit]Have a solo dance party. - Close your door, put on some tunes, and bust a move! Dancing is cathartic, it boosts your mood, gets your heart rate up, and it's just plain fun. Since you're alone, you can really let loose without worrying about being judged or feeling silly. Put on something with a beat and dance an afternoon away.[3]
- If you like disco, anything by Donna Summer or the BeeGees will get you moving.
- If classic rock with a beat is more your speed, try Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."[4]
- If you love a good club hit, check out Lady Gaga's "Applause," Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music," and Beyonce's "Countdown."
- If you're a K-pop fan, you can't go wrong with BTS! Start with "Telepathy" and go from there.[5]
[Edit]Create a vision board. - Vision boards allow you to set goals and get crafty all at once! Start by choosing any goal or project you want to focus on. Then, grab a stack of magazines and cut out images that reflect your goal in some way. Arrange the images on poster board and glue or tape them in place. Then, prop up the board somewhere in your room where you can look at it often and feel inspired.[6]
- If you don't have magazines, print images from Pinterest or Instagram.
- Create a digital board if you prefer to work that way. For example, use Pinterest or Tumblr, or download a vision board app.[7]
[Edit]Take a class. - Learning something new is a great way to pass time. You can check out your local community college for classes or browse available classes online (some of those might even be free!) You never know what you might end up being awesome at.[8] If you're looking for ideas, you might consider:
- Signing up for an online art class.[9]
- Checking out improv classes at a local theater.
- Streaming a cooking class from your kitchen.
- Taking a foreign language class or using a language learning app.[10]
- Learning to knit on YouTube.[11]
[Edit]Put together a puzzle. - Stimulate your mind with an epic jigsaw puzzle. Putting together a jigsaw puzzle is a fun way to spend an afternoon indoors, and you can do it alone or with friends/family. All you need is a large, flat surface where you can spread all of your pieces out.[12]
- If you aren't feeling super motivated to work on personal projects, completing a puzzle might provide the mini confidence boost you need.
- As an added bonus, studies show that working on puzzles reduces stress![13]
[Edit]Play a game. - You have tons of options whether you're solo or with your crew. If you're stuck at home by yourself, try playing a video game, doing crosswords or Soduku, or dealing out a few rounds of Solitaire. If you have friends or family around, board games and card games can be a blast.[14]
[Edit]Build a fort in your room. - Grab some blankets and embrace your inner child. Building a fort is just good, silly fun! Gather some blankets, pillows, and couch cushions and build your masterpiece. Sprawl out on a few comfy pillows and spend an afternoon reading or watching movies in your fort.[15]
[Edit]Let yourself daydream. - Daydreaming can help you feel more relaxed and content. Allowing your mind to wander freely can be a beautiful thing. If your mind tends to wander into negative places, picture yourself in your happy place, like on a gorgeous beach or in a beautiful forest. Give yourself permission to unwind and let your mind go.[16]
- You might also spend time thinking about a fond memory or mentally reliving an amazing experience you had as a child.
[Edit]Stream a TV series or read a trilogy. - There's nothing wrong with binge-watching a show occasionally. Coping with boredom doesn't have to mean filling up your time with as many productive tasks as possible! If you're feeling mentally or emotionally exhausted, honor those feelings. Let yourself binge-watch a series or read all day! Think of it as a mental vacation so you can recharge.[17]
[Edit]Connect with friends and family. - Spend some quality time with your tribe. Boredom can feel lonely and claustrophobic, especially if you're stuck in the house. Try reaching out to a friend or family member online or calling them up for a chat. Or you can set up a Zoom meeting with friends or host a streaming party with your siblings![18]
[Edit]Turn mundane tasks into games. - Dull activities don't have to be relentlessly monotonous! It may sound silly, but this can help you engage more with what you're doing and pass the time faster. For example, if you hate doing dishes, challenge yourself to do them as fast as you can. Can you beat your time from yesterday?[19]
- If you're in a boring meeting, make a game of counting how many times Bill in Accounting shakes his head or how often Ellen from Sales clears her throat.
[Edit]Join a group or volunteer. - Try this if boredom is starting to make you feel a bit lonely. Do what you can to get outside of your own head a little! Join a club or sports team so you can mingle with people who share your interests. Or you could volunteer at a soup kitchen or women's shelter, sign up to read to the elderly at a nearby nursing home, or mentor a young person in your community.[20]
- If you're interested in activism, consider volunteering at an animal shelter or joining an environmental preservation group.
- If you can't physically volunteer, look into ways you can help community organizations remotely.[21]
[Edit]Create a to-do list if you feel aimless. - Structuring your day can make it feel more meaningful. Boredom can make everything seem a little pointless. If you want some structure, try starting your day by making a list of tasks you want to accomplish. If that sounds too boring, make a list of things you want to explore or learn that day![22]
[Edit]Try journaling if boredom is making you anxious. - Writing in a journal can help you explore thoughts and emotions. If boredom is bumming you out a bit, you're not alone—a lot of people feel this way when they get bored. Writing or drawing in a journal can help you work through emotions, process thoughts, and learn more about yourself. It can also be fun! Give yourself freedom to put whatever you want in your journal and see what emerges.[23]
- If you aren't sure what to write, try making a list of things you're grateful for or describe the events of your day in detail.
- Avoid negative coping mechanisms like drinking, smoking, drugs, gambling, or stirring up drama. Those might seem like good ideas in the moment, but they aren't healthy and won't fulfill you.[24]
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
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