Dear Heloise:

Make a list of everything in your freezer and place it in a zippered plastic bag, which is then taped to the door of the freezer. Mark off items you remove, and write down ones you add. Keep a pencil handy inside the bag.

— Hannah K., Eau Claire, Wis. Dear Heloise:

I found a taco soup recipe online. It tells us to drain and rinse the kidney beans, then add water. Why drain the ingredients of their own liquid? Why not use it instead of flavorless water? —

Lynda P., Garrettsville, Ohio

Lynda, most canned foods are packed with salt. By draining and rinsing the beans or other ingredients, you take away added

Dear Heloise:

I grow as many of my own vegetables and fruits as I can. I know where my food came from, and I know that pesticides weren’t used unless they were natural and organic. Most fruits and vegetables in the grocery store are covered in bacteria, fungus spores, bug droppings and various chemicals. By growing my own tomatoes, for example, I know they were grown in clean, healthy soil with mulch, but without insect sprays or harmful chemicals. —

Warwick, R.I. Heloise Kaycee E.,

Kaycee, yes, growing your own food can give you healthy, fresh vegetables and fruit, even if you have to do container gardening. Even apartment dwellers can grow their own veggies in pots on their patio. —