Fruit flies

There are always fruit flies swarming around my compost. Is this a problem? I can’t see how to avoid it, given that there is often a layer of fresh scraps on top. I compost in a black plastic barrel with lots of 1.5-inch diameter holes cut into it for aeration. There are no regular flies, and the compost doesn’t smell.

Secondly, my dry beans always develop a black mildew on the pods the drier they get on the vine. Does this affect the bean in any way?

K. D.
Wellesley Hills

No, it’s not much of a problem. But if you want to avoid it, just keep a good pile of leaves, peat moss, or other dry organic material handy to throw on top of fresh fruit scraps. Fruit flies can’t dig!

Those black spots only affect the pod, not the beans inside. The beans are fine in most cases as long as they look fat and shiny. — Jackie

Canning with dehydrated powder

They say that when canning a soup to always use the longest processing time required for any of the ingredients. What about for dehydrated powder? I made a big pot of vegetable soup, using tomato juice, potatoes, green beans, and carrots. I also added oregano and then some home made dehydrated swiss chard powder (about 1 tbsp). Would I can it using the time for the potatoes (35 minutes for pints) or for swiss chard (70 minutes)?

D. McIlwain
Lowman, New York

You’re using the Swiss chard as a “seasoning” as you’re only using 1 Tbsp in a big pot of soup, so you can get by with the 35 minutes for potatoes. If you use more, I’d go with the 70 minutes for greens to be safe. Or add the Swiss chard each time you open a jar and heat it to have for dinner. — Jackie