Many healthy versions of flours keep the bran intact in the finished product, which makes it more nutritious but shortens the shelf life of the flour. One way to extend the shelf life is to transfer the flour to an airtight container and store it in your freezer. Don’t worry: It won’t freeze into a solid block; in fact, it’ll just be cold flour when you scoop it out. And freezing means the flour can stay fresh for months, or even years. If you’d rather not store your flour in the freezer, be sure to keep it in a cool, dark place.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

While many vegetable gardens will be reaching the end of their productive cycle soon, that doesn’t mean you should till all of the flowers, herbs and nonproductive vegetable plants back into the earth right away. This is a good time to let things go to seed or continue to bloom. Excess crops can become feed for wild animals, flowers are perfect for bees to forage for pollen and nectar, and seeds are vital food for birds.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Cardboard and paperboard boxes from items you purchase can be saved and reused for gift wrapping later in the year. They can be recycled, too. Just be sure to do one thing before dropping off the flattened boxes at your recycling center: Remove the plastic "windows" that they may contain. These can be easily peeled off from the inside of the box and tossed away in the trash. Leaving any plastic film on boxes can muck up the recycling process and render a whole load of recyclable cardboard useless.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION