| Word | Description |
| Bacillus thuringiensis | Commonly called B.T., (Bt) occurs naturally in the soil and on plants. Different varieties of this bacterium produce a crystal protein that is toxic to specific groups of insects. Bt has been available in North America as a commercial microbial insecticide since the 1960s and is sold under various trade names. These products have an excellent safety record and can be used on crops until close to the day of harvest. Bt can be applied using conventional spray equipment but, because the bacteria must be eaten to be effective, good spray coverage is essential. |
| Baking powder | A leavening agent used in cookies, quick breads and other baked goods to produce expansion of a batter. It is made of baking soda and cream of tartar or another acid powder. It is almost always double action. This means it releases carbon dioxide when mixed with liquid, and releases it again when exposed to heat. Make sure, when following a recipe, that you don't confuse it with baking SODA, because your recipe will be ruined. You can make your own baking powder, which will be single action, by combining baking soda with cream of tartar. |
| Ballast | The device that stabilizes the electric current for stable operation of a bulb. Depending on the bulb it is either attached to the bulb (enerally as in compact florescent bulbs) of be part of the fixture (as in pin-based and fluorescent tubes). Units with seperate ballasts and bulbs re preferable because ballasts last much longer than bulbs |
| Bedding Plants | Plants that are seasonal, used for their colorful blooms or interesting foliage. |
| Blanching | To plunge foods into boiling water for a few seconds or a few minutes, then remove and place in ice water. |
| Blood Glucose | The main sugar (in the form of glucose) that the body makes from food. Cells cannot use glucose for fuel without the help of insulin. The blood sugar level in humans is normally 60 to 100 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood; it rises after a meal to as much as 150 milligrams per 100 milliliter of blood, but this may vary. |
| Brown sugar | Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals coated in a molasses syrup with natural flavor and color. Many sugar refiners produce brown sugar by boiling a special molasses syrup until brown sugar crystals form. A centrifuge spins the crystals dry. Some of the syrup remains giving the sugar its brown color and molasses flavor. Other manufacturers produce brown sugar by blending a special molasses syrup with white sugar crystals. Dark brown sugar has more color and a stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. Dark brown sugar has a rich flavor that is good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, plum pudding and other full flavored foods. |
| Budded | A grafted tree where the scion is a small piece of bark or wood containing a single bud. |
| Butter | A soft yellowish or whitish emulsion of butterfat, water, air, and sometimes salt, churned from milk or cream and processed for use in cooking and as a food. |
