Place the neck bones in a colander or a bowl. Place the colander in the sink. Turn on the faucet. Using your fingers, remove blood, cartilage, and loose pieces of fat from each neck bone. Give them one final rinse. For hard to remove pieces of cartilage and fat use a knife. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons (9.9 ml) of salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of black pepper on top. Use your hands to mix the salt and pepper into the pork until it is distributed evenly. Wash your hands with soap and water afterward. Alternatively, use a Dutch oven to cook the neck bones. Turn on the faucet. Fill a pitcher with water. Pour the water into the pot until the neck bones are covered with water. Place the pot on the stove. Set the heat to medium-high. Bring the water to a boil, about 10 to 15 minutes. Once the water starts to boil, foam will begin to form on the top of the water. Use a spoon to skim the foam off of the top of the water. Skim as much foam as you can. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid. Let the neck bones simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Add chopped green beans, carrots, onions, or potatoes. You can also add 2 cloves of fresh chopped garlic, or 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of garlic powder. Simmer the vegetables until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with rice.
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One-sentence summary -- Rinse 2 to 3 pounds (32 to 48 oz) of meat under cold running water. Place the neck bones in a large pot. Cover the neck bones with 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) of water. Boil the water for 15 minutes. Skim the foam off of the top. Simmer the neck bones for an hour. Add vegetables to the pot once the pork is cooked. Cook the vegetables on low heat for 20 minutes.


You'll need 24 seashells, string or fishing line, a piece of driftwood, a power drill with 1/32 in (0.8 mm)  drill bit, and scissors. . Unless you purchased sanitized or fake seashells, they need to be cleaned. Soak your seashells in a large bowl or bucket for several hours in a mixture of 1 part bleach and 3 parts water. If dirt and calcium remain on the shells, scrub them with an old toothbrush. Soak or rinse your shells in warm water and allow them to dry completely. Use the power drill with 1/16 in (1.6 mm) drill bit to drill one hole in each shell. You can place masking tape over the spot before drilling to prevent the shells from breaking. The hole can be placed anywhere on the shell, just keep in mind it will affect the orientation of the hanging shell. Cut your fishing line or thread into pieces. The number of pieces depends on the size of the driftwood. You can cut all the pieces of thread at the same length, or vary the lengths for a more eclectic look. Wrap the thread around the driftwood and tie a double knot to keep it from coming off. Keep in mind you want each piece close enough to its neighbor that the shells will bump into each other. You can hide the string and knots by decorating the top of the driftwood with shells that you hot-glue on. Thread a seashell up the string and tie a knot under it to prevent it from slipping down. Continue until all the strings are filled with seashells. Tie string to each end of the wood and anchor it to the ceiling or hang the strings from a tree branch. Enjoy your seashell creation.
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One-sentence summary -- Collect your materials. Wash your seashells Drill holes in the shells. Cut your string. Tie the string to the driftwood. Add shells to the string. Hang your driftwood.


Almond trees, which are native to the hot and arid climate of the Middle East and South Asia, do best with hot summers and mild winters and do not adapt to other conditions especially well. Almonds do not usually grow at all in colder climates. Unless you have a large, carefully-controlled indoor growing setup, you may have a hard time growing almonds outside of areas with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern climate profile.  If you're in the US, a good way of determining whether your local climate is suitable for growing almonds is to use a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. These maps rate geographical areas by their minimum temperatures, giving an approximate indication of the types of plants that can survive there. For almonds, you'll want your area to have a rating of at least "6" — higher is better. According to this system, suitable areas in the US include much of central and southern California as well as parts of Arizona, Texas, and inland Florida. You have two options for starting your almond tree — you can either use seeds (fresh, unprocessed nuts) or seedlings (young trees). Nuts allow you to experience the growing process from the very beginning, but can be more time and effort-intensive. On the other hand, seedlings are more convenient, but can be a little more expensive. If you want to harvest edible almonds, you'll want to be sure to pick seeds or seedlings for a fruit-bearing sweet almond tree. Keep in mind that bitter almonds are inedible and that not all sweet almond trees bear fruit. These varieties are only suitable for shade and decoration. Talk to the staff at your local garden supply store if you're unsure of which almond trees are productive. Almond trees do well with lots of sun. Before you get started, find a spot in your yard or garden that gets plenty of full, direct sun, free from shade. You will grow the almond tree in a pot prior to planting it in the ground, but it's still important to choose a location ahead of time — the tree will only fit in the pot for so long. You'll also want to make sure your growing spot has well-draining soil. Almond trees don't do well if water is allowed to pool around their roots — this can lead to root rot.
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One-sentence summary -- Make sure your area has proper almond growing conditions. Purchase seeds or seedlings. Choose a sunny location for the tree.


This is the best time for planting bare root roses. While you can purchase container roses and continue to water and care for them while they are still in their containers, when it comes to bare root roses, you'll have to plant them immediately after you purchase them, so make sure you have everything you need. The hole should be bigger than the roots of the rose and the earth attached to them so that the roots have something to grab on to as the plants grow. This is what you will need to do to plant one bare root rose. However, many plants are sold in groups of three and growing them that way can be a great plan. If you're planting more than one rose, however, then you should make sure they are planted at least 2–3 feet (0.6–0.9 m) apart, so their roots have room to grow. Mix it well until you've formed a mound of the entire mixture at the bottom of the hole you've dug. If you're planting in a warmer climate, then you should position the the rose so that the bud union of the rose is just above the level of the ground. If it's colder, the bud union should be about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) below ground level. The roots should be covered, but the stem should be out of the ground. This will keep out any air pockets that could harm your roses. Then, pat the soil around the roots a bit more firmly. Keep filling the hole with the mixture until it's about 3/4 full. If you're shoveling with your hands, just watch out for the thorns. Let the water soak all the way into the soil and then refill the hole. Trim the canes of the roses so they're about 8 inches (20.3 cm). Do this by making angled cuts that are about 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) above the outward facing buds. This will protect the canes of the rose from drying out. In about two weeks, the buds should sprout, and then you can remove the mound. This is an old gardener's trick that will help the plant retain water a bit better and which will also keep it from falling down after the first wind.
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One-sentence summary --
Plant the roses between six weeks before your region's last average frost date and two weeks after it. Dig a hole that is bigger than the plant. Mix some compost with the soil. Place the bare root rose on the soil mound. Shovel the soil mixture around the bare roots. Fill the hole with water. Make a 6-inch soil mound over the plant. Stomp down on the mound a little bit.