How to Make Ham

Ham of the smoked, wet-cured variety is surprisingly easy to make at home, but you’ll need time, refrigerator space and one special ingredient: pink curing salt. Also known as Prague powder #1 (named for where it was originally developed), it contains 6.25 percent sodium nitrite, a naturally occurring compound that gives ham (not to mention…

Music to My Elephant Ears

Every Sunday, Jos Pimentel-Cardoso, a 22-year-old student at Bard Microcollege in Brooklyn, checks on her dozens of houseplants and plays music for them. She often plays Mort Garson’s 1976 album “Mother Earth’s Plantasia.” And she has plenty of company. The self-released album — featuring 10 wordless tracks created on a Moog synthesizer to play for…

Foods That Cause Acne

Certain foods can be a source of acne. In urban living conditions, with irregular daily routines, lack of sleep, and frequent stress, it can be very difficult to determine the exact cause of skin problems. Among the “suspects” are both poor ecology and an unbalanced diet. However, the one thing nutritionists know for sure is…

What Can I Do About My Lying Twin?

My twin brother and I exchange gifts on our birthday. In recent years, he’s gotten lazy about it. His presents often seem like last-minute efforts. This year was our 30th birthday, so I expected a little more. But when he arrived at my house, he said he’d left my present in his friend’s car and…