This quick-and-easy container salad garden will start serving up fresh goodies in as little as a few weeks. Pair it with a pot of  cherry tomatoes and you’ll be set for salads for months to come.

To grow cucumbers, you’ll need an outdoor spot where your planter will get at least eight hours of sun a day; if your only available locations get much less than that, stick with just the lettuce and the onions, which will tolerate and even appreciate fewer hours of sun or even some light shade, especially in the heat of the summer.

You’ll need:

1 packet lettuce seeds (or 1 six-pack seedlings from a nursery)

1 pound onion “sets” (or 1 packet onion seeds)

1 packet cucumber seeds (or one seedling from a nursery)

1 64-quart bag organic potting mix;  Organic Mechanics is a good choice

1 bottle liquid organic plant food; try Terracycle’s All Purpose Plant Food

1 20″ x 26″ mixing pan (dimensions are approximate)

A mixing pan makes a great planter because it is inexpensive, long-lasting, provides lots of growing room, and is big enough to keep the soil from drying out as fast as it would in smaller planters and commercial window boxes. Ask for one at your local big-box hardware store.

How-To:

1. Poke ¼- to ½-inch holes every few inches around the bottom edges of the pan so excess water can drain. (If you put the holes in the flat bottom and then put the planter on a flat surface, it may not drain as well.)

2. Put your planter where you want it and then fill it with potting mix.

3. Water until the potting mix is evenly moist. Top it off with a little more potting mix, adding enough so it comes to about ½ inch below the rim of the planter and making sure the soil surface is level.

4. Plant two cucumber seeds (or the cucumber seedling) in the center. Poke two shallow holes an inch or so apart with your finger, drop a seed into each, and cover. (If both sprout you’ll snip off the smaller seedling after a few weeks, leaving just one plant.)

5. Plant your lettuce in two horizontal rows about 3 inches away from each of the pan’s shorter ends. Use your finger to draw each row and then sprinkle a couple of seeds near each end and in the middle, or plant a seedling in each location. Press lettuce seeds firmly into the potting mix with the ball of your finger, but don’t cover them, as lettuce often germinates better if it has light shining on it.

Water carefully around the lettuce seeds until the seedlings appear and send down roots, so as not to wash the tiny seeds away.

6. Plant your onions along the two remaining sides. Plant six to 12 of your onion sets, or about 12 to 24 seeds (that should keep you well supplied with green onions on a weekly basis) 1 inch from the edge of your container, about 4 to 6 inches apart.

Make sure the pointed end of each set is up and completely buried. Repeat this step once a week, placing the new sets or seeds at least an inch away from onions that are already growing.

7. Water every two or three days to keep the soil evenly moist (in hot, dry weather you may need to water every day). Once a week, feed organic fertilizer according to the label directions.

Time to pick!

• In about three weeks you can gently pull out or snip off extra lettuce seedlings, leaving the most productive plant in each spot, and eat up the “thinnings” in a salad.

A week or two later, you can start harvesting your full-grown lettuce leaves. Gently bend them down and away from the plant so the leaves separate from the stem, leaving the center of the plant and the roots intact.

By harvesting only the outer leaves, your six plants will continue to feed you for many weeks, or even all summer and late into the fall. If the center of the lettuce plants start to grow tall, that means they’re preparing to flower, and the leaves will get bitter. Plant more lettuce seeds right away to replace those plants, and cut the old plants off at the surface of the soil.

• Onions will be ready to harvest in as little as three weeks, a bit longer if grown from seeds. They’re ready to eat when they are as big as you want them. Leave them longer and the bottoms will start to thicken into bulbs. If you continue to plant more sets (or seeds) every week, you will have green onions to harvest all spring, summer, and fall.

• The cucumber will start to flower after about a month, sooner if you planted a seedling, but not every cucumber flower has the potential to grow into a cucumber: The “male” flowers only make pollen and wither, while the “female” flowers (you can see the tiny infant cucumber attached to the back of the bud/flower) accept the pollen and swell into, well, cucumbers.

Plants often make just male flowers for a while and then start making female ones as well; so hang in there, your cukes will come. Let each fruit grow until it is as big as you’d like (use the package description to know their maximum size), but pick them before they start to change color.

Seed Suggestions

Lettuce: Romaine lettuces are always a good choice.  They have more crunch and substance than leaf lettuce and it takes just a few of their large leaves to make a salad. Romaines are also more tolerant of heat and dryness than leaf lettuces. Some  favorite romaine varieties are ‘Green Forest’ and ‘Rouge d’Hiver’; Winter Density is a bibb-romaine lettuce that tolerates both heat and cold, making it good for fall production as well.

Onion: Onions sets are sold at nurseries, garden centers, and even some supermarkets in the spring. Select small, firm bulbs and buy only as many as you want to plant right away. Or buy more than you need, and store the rest in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator, and they will stay dormant but ready to grow for months. Any variety of onion set will grow into good green onions. A mix of colors is fun if you have the option. If you can’t find sets, any variety of onion seed will do; ‘Evergreen Bunching’ is a good choice.

Cucumber: Look for a variety that has “bush” in the name, as most cucumbers produce long vines. ‘Bush Slicer’ and ‘Spacemaster’ are two good varieties. Some cucumbers are sold as pickling cucumbers, but there is no reason you can’t eat them fresh: ‘Picklebush’ produces tasty one-salad-sized (4″) cukes. The descriptively named ‘Lemon’ cucumber is a tasty short-vine cucumber worth looking for that bears round, yellow fruit.

Who doesn’t love a picnic? Picnics are a great way to enjoy the outdoors while spending time with friends and family. Picnics are great at the park or beach, where after you eat, you can play with the kids or just enjoy the scenery. It is the ultimate stress buster! But don’t forget when your planning that adventure outdoors to put a little “green” in the basket.

Here are some easy ways to green up your next outing.

Choose a Location Near You

Hosting your own picnic? Choose a picnic site close to home, and walk or bike to your picnic location instead of driving. Look for a green space nearby — a local park, a sports field, a Conservancy preserve or a friend’s backyard!

Use Re-Usable or Compostable Serveware

Instead of packing paper plates and disposable utensils, pack serveware that you can wash and use again and encourage your guests to do the same. If this won’t work, many brands are now offering compostable plates and silverware.

Bring Healthy Foods

The lower a food is on the food chain, the lower its impact on the environment. For example, it takes about 634 gallons of water to make a hamburger. So, add more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to your picnic meal — those things are good for you and the planet!

Pack Local, In-Season Ingredients

Nothing ruins an eating-well high in the U.S. faster than seeing a sticker on your apple that says New Zealand.  Prevent the shipping-around-the-world blues by picking up your produce from a local farmer’s market.

Lose the Napkins

No one wants to walk around with mustard on her face, but paper napkins aren’t the answer. Use the picnic as an opportunity to use that cute gingham handkerchief that came with your cowboy Halloween costume five years ago. Or, you know, any old cloth napkin will do.

Compost and Recycle Your Trash

We’re betting someone at your picnic has a compost bin (Are you ready to give it a try? It’s easy!). Enlist that person to take home all the compostable scraps from the event, and another person to collect any recyclables.

Clean Your Picnic Site

A good picnicker is one that doesn’t leave trash at his picnic site. A great picnicker is one who picks up trash at this picnic site. Use the picnic as an opportunity to make your local green space just a little greener.

Enjoy Nature

Once your meal is over, take some time to enjoy your natural setting. Take a hike, go bird-watching or just sit back and enjoy the sounds of nature. Have kids in tow? Try this Nature Treasure Hunt!

Courtesy of Nature Conservancy

Our every day life  produces an hefty quantity of waste. What better way to say thank you to Mother Earth thank you commit to composting.  After all, composting is the Earth’s natural  recycling program. You add materials from around the house that you once considered garbage, and they will decompose into feasts for worms and microbes and produce rich soil for your garden. By composting, you’re using your waste to create more life.

You must learn how to compost correctly, or you’ll just be creating a toxic dump in your backyard. But composting is not as daunting as it sounds: You’re basically throwing stuff in a bin and mixing it with other stuff, rather than tossing it in the garbage can. Composting does take time, though; it will take between six and 12 months for your composter to produce the dark brown, nearly black material that you can add to the soil in the garden.

Here are some basic  composting  pointers to get you started. Choose a quality composter or make your own.

You’ll need a Composter

You may choose to purchase one or make yourself. There are many types of  composters  on the market: tumblers, grates, bins, pods, even glorified garbage cans. Research and compare the various types online or at a local garden shop and decide which one suits your needs and space requirements; just be sure it has a lid.

Alternatively you may choose to make a composter yourself with stakes and chicken wire or recycled wooden pallets. Binding, screwing or wiring four wooden pallets together to make a box creates an easy, functional composter and keeps the pallets out of the landfill. Ask a local business if they can spare a few.

Choose where to a locate your Composter

Use a level spot with excellent drainage away from walls or wooden fences. If you can it is a good idea to keep the composter away from trees as well because their roots will seek the moisture and nutrients in your compost pile.

You’ll need to allocate 4 or 5 square feet of space; the more space you have, the easier it will be to access. Holiday scraps you may compost  Now that your composter set up, it’s important that you use it correctly. Begin by laying down a base layer consisting of branches and twigs about 6 inches deep.  A wooden pallet may also work well as a base layer. This will assist the air circulation under the material you will add to the composter. Creating proportionate layers of brown and green material is a smart strategy.

Much of your Holiday waste is compostable like wreaths made from evergreens or other greens, cut flowers and, of course, plants.

Your green layer might include:

•    Grass clippings

•    Tea leaves and  organic  tea bags

•    Coffee grounds

•    Dead flowers

•    Weeds ( just leaves; not roots or seeds)

•    Old plants

Your brown layer might include:

•    Wood material, twigs, wood chips (best if shredded)

•    Coffee grounds

•    Recycled brown paper, cardboard, paper-towel rolls (best if shredded)

•    Leaves (in moderate amounts) and pinecones

•    Eggshells and paper egg cartons

•    Sawdust, wood shavings

•    Hay and straw (in small quantities)

•    Clothes dryer lint, pet and human hairs

•    Uncooked kitchen scraps

Items that should not be composted:

•    Meat or fish

•    Grease, oil or cooked food scraps

•    Kitty litter

•    Manure of any type

•    Dirty diapers

•    Ashes from your barbecue

Kitchen scraps are abundant during the holidays, and most of these scraps qualify as either green or brown material, depending on what you decide to cook for your holiday meals.

A good practice is to set aside a bin in your kitchen for collecting food preparation scraps. Consider a stainless steel bucket with a lid, which you can keep on your kitchen counter within easy reach.

The lists above are worth keeping on hand until you memorize them.  Pay careful attention to what not to include, and begin collecting your scraps.

Remember, cooked food should never be added to a compost pile as it lacks the necessary enzymes that break it down. When your counter-top container is full, empty it into your composter and mix it in. If you’re just getting started and the composter is empty, it is advisable to toss in some grass clippings to cover your kitchen scraps to deter pests.

Happy Composting! Happy Earth Day!

Got a house full of musty winter air? Rather than pull out the store-bought scented candles or those cloying “air fresheners” that pollute your indoor air with phthalates (synthetic-fragrance ingredients that, researchers are finding, interfere with reproductive hormones and even promote childhood obesity), head to your kitchen.

This recipe for an all-natural air freshener is as organic as you want them to be, and can be made in virtually no time!

Simmering Potpourri

The herbs, spices, teas, and flavoring extracts in your cabinets are the easiest, fastest fix for musty air. It’s also a great use for spices that are a little old and have lost their flavor, and for kitchen scraps like orange peels that would otherwise get tossed.

Here are a few suggested kitchen cabinet blends to get you started, but feel free to experiment with what you have on hand that suits your nose.

1-inch section of cinnamon stick, broken, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon whole or ground cloves

1 teaspoon whole or ground allspice

Peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange

1 bay leaf, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated gingerroot or ground ginger

The last apple no one will eat because it’s gotten mealy or wrinkled, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup dried mint, rosemary, thyme, and/or sage

In a saucepan, place your selection of ingredients in at least 2 cups of water, bring the water to a boil, and turn the burner down to ultra-low so the fragrant steam will be released slowly over a long period (add water as needed so the pot doesn’t burn dry). Or pour the hot mixture into a small slow cooker or a fondue pot over a candle.

If the mixture is still fragrant when you need to leave or it’s time for bed, pour it into a jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. The fragrance will reignite whenever you simmer it again. Once the fragrance has all been released, dump the dregs into the compost.

More simmering options: Buy (or harvest from your garden and dry) fragrant rosebuds or petals, lavender flowers, fragrant evergreen needles (these work fresh too), or other fragrant natural materials and use them in your simmer pot.

You can also buy pure essential oils and add a few drops to your simmering water, but I prefer to use them—especially the more delicate ones—in a diffuser that doesn’t expose them to heat.

Now is the optimal time to start your garden! From mid-February to early March is the time for soil prep.  Well-prepped soil is an essential part of growing beautiful veggies. This means tilling, hoeing, weeding, and fertilizing.

Planting in raised beds is the most efficient method of growing veggies and it’s easy to do. While breaking up the soil and adding fertilizer, just mound up the turned up soil to about 8-12 inches above the ground. Raised beds allow for better drainage and keep the warmth in the soil. Keeping a compost pile is a frugal and organic way to fertilize your garden.

Compost is so nutrient-rich, it is sometimes referred to as “black gold”. While there are organic fertilizers available commercially, making your own compost is a chemical-free, green-friendly option that allows you to recycle much of your kitchen waste.

The type and quantity of the materials used will result in different levels of various nutrients. A lot of soil is deficient in nitrogen, so some good nitrogen containing items to add to compost piles are fresh grass clippings, tea leaves, coffee grinds, hair, and vegetable and fruit leavings.

The other essential component for a healthy compost pile is carbon, which the composting microorganisms require for metabolism. Carbon-rich items include dead leaves, dead weeds, sawdust, straw, dead twigs and old hay.

To start your compost pile, layer some of the nitrogen and carbon containing items on top of each other, making sure not to compress the pile, as it needs to breathe. Layer 2-3 inches of topsoil over the whole pile, and mist gently with water. Repeat the layering until the pile is as tall as it wide. Then, just turn the pile once a month and mist occasionally to keep it moist.

Voila! Homemade “black gold”!

Stay tuned! We will be sharing gardening tips each week to help get you started with your spring gardening.

We always welcome your tips too!

Love your pet, Naturally™

ArcaNatura produces high-end, organic products for dogs, cats and horses.

•    100% Natural
•    Clinically-proven
•    Contain no added dyes or fragrances

All of ArcaNatura’s wellness products are highly biodegradable, eco friendly and utilize recyclable packaging.

Telephone: (860) 405-9214

Support@ArcaNatura.com
Website: http://us.ArcaNatura.com

When was the last time you looked at the ingredient label of your favorite dog or cat food? Behind innocent-sounding words like “meat byproducts” and “meat meal” are horrific manufacturing practices that would turn your stomach. The nutritional considerations of pet foods go beyond the sources of meat in them. Pet food manufacturers add dangerous preservatives and vitamin fortifications that actually make your pets’ food less healthy.

What if we fed our pets a simpler version of what we eat ourselves? Just like feeding yourself, it might take a bit of planning, and little knowledge, but it’s worth the effort. Your pets will thank you.

Here are some tips along with a couple of recipes to get you started.

1.    Variety is important. Rotating protein and carbohydrate sources will help cover all the nutritional bases.

2.    Good protein sources include human-grade raw ground round or sirloin; ground poultry (higher –fat dark meat is best— pets require more fat than humans do); and occasionally organ meats, all from animals raised without antibiotics or hormones. If you are concerned about feeding your pet raw meat, cook it lightly.

3.    Good sources of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables. Pets usually like apples, carrots, green beans and yams just to name a few.

4.    Both cats and dogs have high calcium requirements. Add one teaspoon of powdered calcium , eggshell powder or bonemeal to each pound of raw meat and work it in before you add anything else.

5.    Portion sizes vary according to size, age and activity level.

6.    Make sure and monitor your pet closely when introducing new food. If you notice excessive licking, inflames ears, or digestive problems switch to a simplified diet.

Beef Dinner For Dogs

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 ounce beef heart or liver
10 ounces cooked brown rice
2 ounces mixed greens
1 teaspoon eggshell powder or bonemeal
½ teaspoon iodized salt

Method

1.    In a frying pan, cook meat until lightly browned
2.    Mix cooked meat, rice, greens, and other ingredients.
3.    Divide into portions and immediately freeze what cannot be eaten in the next two or three days.

Daily ration:
Toy- 1-2 cups
Medium- 6-7 cups
Large- about 8 cups
Giant – 9+ cups

Cat Dinner

6 oz. roasted turkey breast.

1/2 c. cooked white rice.

5 tsp canola oil.?1/4 tsp salt substitute (potasium cloride).

1/8 tsp salt with iodine

1000 mg taurine (health food store).

1 ground up childs vitaman/mineral tab. (garlic press works so well!)

1 1/2 tsp bone meal (health food store)

Divide into portions and immediately freeze what cannot be eaten within the next few days.

Can you share any of your ideas on eating healthy for pets? We would love to hear from you. Leave in the comments section below.

After spending considerable time choosing organic produce and preparing nutritious food for our families, it can be pretty frustrating to learn that the products we are using to cook, bake, eat and store food with may actually put our families’ health at risk.

Materials such as Teflon, BPA, lead, aluminum, phthalates and melamine are commonly found in everyday kitchenware products yet have been tied to disturbing health issues.  The good news is there are many safer alternatives as well as things to avoid.

Avoid plastic whenever possible when it comes to food and beverage. Hard plastics can contain BPA, which is a developmental, neural and reproductive toxin. Scientists have linked very low doses of BPA exposure to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes and hyperactivity. It can be transferred from plastic into food and drink. A recent study found that even BPA-free plastics contain synthetic chemicals which can migrate into food.

Follow these plastic guidelines: If you do use plastic in the kitchen, Choose BPA-Free, PVC-free plastic labeled #2, #4 and #5. Do not heat plastic in the microwave (“microwave-safe” only means that the plastic won’t actually melt—the extreme heat of the oven will increase transference of chemicals.) Do not store fatty, greasy or acidic foods in plastic. Do not use scratched, badly worn or cloudy plastics for your food and beverages. Hand-wash plastics to avoid wear and tear. Avoid hard plastic melamine dishes. They are made by combining the chemical melamine with formaldehyde (which is a known human carcinogen). Studies have shown that formaldehyde can leach from dishware.

Safer Food Storage choices include: glass, 304 grade stainless steel, food-grade silicone—all of which do not leach chemicals into your food.

When it comes to dishware, tempered glass is a great choice, followed by ceramic dishware with lead-free glaze. If you are concerned about breakage, food-grade silicone, high quality 304-grade stainless steel and bamboo containing food-safe finishes are all safe options.

Avoid conventional chemical nonstick coatings. They are manufactured using perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is considered “a likely human carcinogen.” When heated, cookware coated with Teflon and other nonstick surfaces emits fumes that can kill birds and potentially sicken people. Overheating of nonstick pans and any scratching or chipping of the materials can cause these chemicals to be released.

Avoid non-anodized aluminum cookware. Aluminum from pots and pans can migrate in measurable amounts into food. Aluminum has been linked to brain disorders as well as behavioral abnormalities and is considered a toxic substance by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. Many companies are switching from aluminum to anodized aluminum to create a more stable product. In this treatment, the aluminum is dipped into a chemical bath to create a more durable layer, so that the aluminum can’t as easily leach into food. But questions about aluminum in general remain. If the pan is scratched it can leach—so still not the safest choice.

The safest materials for cookware and bakeware include: glass, high quality 304 grade stainless steel, cast iron and lead-free ceramic cookware.

Use nontoxic cleaning products, avoiding bleach, ammonia and synthetic fragrances or dyes.

Filter tap water for drinking and cooking. Find a high-quality filter than can remove heavy metals, chlorine, VOCs and other contaminants.

Hosting a Hanukkah, Christmas, or New Years Eve party can be a daunting undertaking – and it can be tough on the environment too. Consider these tips to help make your festivities a little more earth-friendly.

Decking the Halls

For atmospheric lighting, use soy candles.  These are made from 100 percent soybeans, a renewable and sustainable resource.  Soy wax is non-toxic and the candles are completely biodegradable.  For an outdoor event, buy a set of solar yard lights and don’t forget to put them in prior to the party on a sunny day.

Use flowers from your own garden or the local farmer’s market for decoration.  You can even pot some of your own plants for party favors to encourage your guests to garden.  Wrap pots or vases in colorful scarves or scrap fabric.

For a tablecloth, use a quilt, rug, or pretty sheet you already have.  You can even use a painter’s cloth for that casual ‘linen’ look.

For a Centerpiece- Try purchasing a baby tree from your local nursery, wrap the container with layers of burlap, and tie with a shiny ribbon. Place on a cake stand as a living centerpiece, and plant right after the party.

Eats & Drinks

Serve organic beer and wine as well as appetizers made from organic ingredients.  Even better: Source these items locally to reduce the carbon emissions of groceries transported long distance.   If possible, support local farmers through a visit to the local farmers’ market.

Eat Local- Try to shop locally for food and gifts. Buying local products reduces the amount of fuel used to transport food and supports your local farm economy. What’s more, local food simply tastes better because it’s had time to ripen naturally rather than in a crate.

Be aware of which foods are in season when planning your menu, but the best method of eating local is to preserve food when it’s in season for future use.

Serving organic food is another eco-friendly option. If an entire meal of organics seems out of your budget, mixing organic food with local food is one way to create a less expensive sustainable meal. If a product claims to be 100 percent organic it must contain only organic ingredients; however, words on the label such as “natural” or “green” mean very little because there are no regulations to control the use of these terms.

Quick Reminders:

•    Send invitations online: use evites or personalized email.
•    Decorate with pesticide-free, organic flowers.
•    Use organic fabric tablecloths and napkins.
•    Light up with soy or beeswax candles.
•    Avoid disposable dishes and utensils; rent instead.

Think about this! Start a new tradition of eco-friendly holiday entertaining and reclaim the holidays for what they were originally meant to be–a time for friends and family.

Enjoy the holiday season!

Laundry. You gotta do it!  Each day, we use clothing, towels, bedding… and, inevitably, we have to clean it. But how can we do this in the greenest way possible?

You see, second to the refrigerator, the washing machine and dryer use the most energy in the home. And that isn’t the only ungreen thing about these appliances; most of the laundry cleaners go down into our water systems, too.

Here are our top tips for making the chore of laundry as green as can be:

Choose a Front Loader

Front loading washing machines clean clothes more thoroughly and use less water and energy than most top-loading counterparts. Even further, if they bear that Energy Star logo, they typically use between 18 and 25 gallons of water per load; compared to the 40-plus gallons used by older machines, that’s significant.

Keep it Cold

No matter what kind of machine you have, using cold water will improve its energy efficiency. About 90 per cent of the energy used for the washing machine is from heating the water. It’s estimated that you can save anywhere from $50 to $100 a year by switching to washing on cold.

Say No to Irritants

Most conventional laundry soaps contain irritants that bother our bodies and the environment. These phosphates that can cause a negative impact on our ecosystem, and synthetic dyes and fragrances can cause some major problems. However, there are many phosphate and bleach-free products made from biodegradable, plant- and vegetable-based ingredients

Put it on the Line

An easy energy saving option: don’t use the dryer altogether. Drying on a line saves energy and leaves your clothes smelling with a lovely freshness you can’t get anywhere else.

Dry It Right

If you must use the dryer, be sure to keep the lint filter clean. It will increase efficiency and shorten drying time, and reduce the wear and tear on clothes. The best part? It will save loads of energy.

No More Dryer Sheets

Although hanging it to dry is the best option, sometimes the weather isn’t compliant, or a fluffy soft towel is necessary. However, those dryer sheets are full of toxins that leech into our breathing space. A better option? Try making your own with a  moist washcloth sprayed with liquid fabric softener and tossing it into the dryer.

Other Quick Tips

•    Instead of washing two small loads, just wash one instead.

•    If you only have a few things to wash, and want to wash them because you had a slip in the mud or a problem with some tomato sauce, be sure to set your water level accordingly.

•    However, be sure not to overload your water – they need to move freely in order to get clean.

•    Cold-water rinse saves energy, even if they were washed in hot water.

•    Do all your laundry loads on the same day. If the dryer is hot from another load, or the water is heated from the previous run, it used leftover heat instead of starting from scratch.