Roses are my favorite cut flower, but they don’t seem to last very long. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep them alive longer?

There is nothing more beautiful than a vase of richly colored roses. To ensure their staying power try the following: Make sure the vase is clean and filled with lukewarm water. Be sure to add the preservative packets that come with the flowers. Holding the stems under water, make an angle cut on each stem, 1/2 inch from the end.

Keep the roses out of sunlight and in a cool location. Snip the stems every other day and your roses will last longer.



Does ground turkey contain less fat than ground beef?

While many people believe that turkey is the better choice, unless the ground turkey is made from breast meat only, ground turkey isn’t as low in fat as you might think.

According to many sources, the calorie and fat amounts in ground round and regular ground turkey are very close. If you are looking to save calories and fat make sure you buy ground turkey breast, which contains almost half the fat and fewer calories.

Why are there holes in outhouse doors?

One reason for the hole is to let light from a lantern shine at night. This alerts everyone that the outhouse is occupied. Another reason for the hole is to differentiate which outhouse is for men and which one is for women. The women have the half moon cut into the door and the men have a star. And the third reason would be for the obvious, to get some clean air circulating in them.

Do you have any tips on how to easily remove a stamp from an envelope?

Try placing a few drops of water on the stamp, and then place the stamp in the microwave for about 20 seconds. It should come off easily.

Ask The Farmers’ Almanac Editors! If you have a question about the weather, gardening, history, astronomy, cooking or trivia, e-mail the Farmers’ Almanac Editors at [email protected].