HI Slackermom, I'd really like: Sensation Rose, blush and cherry Explosive Ember 2010 Trade Burning Bush Hy 2010 Totally Tomatoes South African Super Hot Pepper 2010 Trade Red Rocoto 2010 Totally Tomatoes Tomatoes: Solar set R Hy 2010 Totally Tomatoes Black Seaman 2010 TT Bull's Heart 2010 TT Please let me know what I need to send you. I'm new to seed swapping & I have no idea what SASBE means! haha Thanks for sharing, Elspeth

I know that there are a lot of organic folks on this web who will flinch at what I'm about to say, but it's what works for me, and after all the work I put into growing my peppers from seed to picking, I have to go with what works. Let me start by saying that bell peppers are the only ones I grow that are prone to grubs. I won't say that grubs will never go after hots, sweets or whatevers, but this has been my experience. I spray my bells with insectecide twice: in early July, and again 3-4 weeks later. Last year I did not lose a single pepper. I've just started picking my bells this year so it's too soon to report my results, but I can say that no peppers yet have fallen to the ground because they were rotted inside as had happened numerous times before. What a simple cure!

David, I will add my 2 cents which along with 2 dollars may buy you a cup of coffee somewhere. I have never isolated tomatoes or peppers. And had never experienced any issues till this year on tomato seeds saved from last season. The pepper seeds I saved from last year that I grew again this year seem to be true. In my opinion the crosses were likely an indirect result of me planting more flowers and beneficial attracting plants in the garden. My plan was to attract the beneficials to control the bad insects. I hardly ever saw a bumble bee ect in my garden before. Now I see them every day. Something including butterflies are checking the blooms all the time. So more likely I will continue to see more crosses unless I isolate or bag blooms. I usually only save seeds from early fruit and fruit inside the plant and not outside fruit more readily available. Last year due to work schedules and also the tomatoes setting late the fruit I saved from were more on the outside of the plant. This is the first cross I have ever experienced from my seed saving. I have several mix up from purchased seeds this year. At least a couple of varieties aren't stable yet. Seed sold before variety was completely stable. I have a couple that are probably F1 crosses and one just maybe mixed seed. All of this was with tomatoes. So far I haven't found any wrong fruit types on the peppers. If you want to cut down on the chance of cross pollination you can do one or a combination of several things. You can isolate by distance. By using barriers like tall buildings, ect. You can bag blooms. You can use a cage over the plants covered with fine mesh small enough most insects can't enter. I'll link a site with some good info. You can do a search and find much more if you desire. Jay Here is a link that might be useful: How to save seeds

Y'all know, of course, that "authentic" is a slippery concept. Take paprikash: There is a basic technique, modified as each housewife adds her own touches. I learned the technique from Friend Wife's aunt (her mother, God save us, could burn water) when she was visiting from Hungary. Doesn't make it any more or less authentic. With that proviso, here's my basic technique, which I've used with beef, chicken, and game: In a skillet heat 5 tbls lard with 5 tbls paprika*. Add about a cup of chopped onions, and cook until transluscent. Add the meat, cut in bite-sized pieces, and brown on all sides Add a half cup red wine, cover, and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through. Remove from heat. Add a half-cup or so of sour cream, Mix well so the sauce forms and coats the meat. Reheat gently until warmed through, sprinkle with chopped dill, and serve. Paprikash dishes are most often served with soft noodles. But we prefer spaetzle or nockerle, as Alexa does. *Here in America we think of paprika as being either the Spanish dry, or Hungarian sweet. In fact, in Hungary and other central European countries, paprika covers a wide range of heat levels; from sweet to scorching. It's nothing for a housewife to have 10 or 12 different paprikas on hand. But, no matter the heat level, paprika is used with a much heavier hand than we do. Hungarians are very big on cold soups. While I don't care for the following, myself, Friend Wife's family loves it: Cold Cherry Soup 2 lbs sour cherries, pitted 1 cup or more sugar 1 stick cinnamon 4 cups water 2 tbls flour 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup red wine Simmer the cherries, sugar and cinnamon in the water until the cherries are tender. Remove the cinnamon. Blend the flour with 3 tbls cold water until smooth. Thin with 3 more tbls water andstir into the hot soup. Heat to boiling. Chill. Before sering, stir in the cream and the wine. And, of course, no Hungarian recipe collection would be complete without a gulyas (goulash). As with paprikash, gulyas---which is similar to a ragout---involves a basic approach, with all sorts of variations on the theme. Here's a simple one: 4 lb beef chuck or remp cut in 1 1/2" pieces 2 strips bacon or equivalent salt pork 6 onions, coarsely chopped 3-4 tbls paprika 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 green peppers, coarsely chopped Brown half the beef in its own fat in a large skillet; transfer to a kettle or Dutch oven and repeat with other half. Rinse the skillet with a cup of water, scraping up any brown bits, and add to the meat. Cover and cook slowly over low heat. Chop the bacon and fry in skillet; add the onions and brown lightly. Stir in the paprika and salt, then combine with the simmering meat. Stir in the uncooked green peppers and continue cooking slowly for about 2 hours or until meat is very tender. Hope these help.