Upnort: Don't base your planting decisions based on tasting only one apple of a variety. There are many factors that can influence the taste and quality of apples, and these vary from year to year, and place to place. The consensus on Honeycrisp is that it is a marvelous apple when grown in zones 4-5 or even a little lower. There are just too many people that rave about it for it to be a dud, and I have never seen a comment that it leaves a dry taste in your mouth. The Honeycrisps I have eaten were very, very good. I would be growing it here if my climate was more like Minnesota. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Willyt, thanks for your input. I am so sorry to hear you have a problem with your persimmon trees. Have you been able to determine what 'zapped' them and caused the die back? Persimmons are not known for die back, such as pear trees which are prone to fire blight, but have been said to be pretty much care free trees. I googled Oriental persimmon tree diseases and found this: "Pests and Diseases: Persimmons are relatively problem-free, although mealybug and scale in association with ants can sometimes cause problems. Ant control will usually take care of these pests. Other occasional pests include white flies, thrips which can cause skin blemishes and a mite that is blamed for the "brown lace collar" near the calyx. Waterlogging can also cause root rot. Vertebrate pests such as squirrels, deer, coyotes, rats, opossums and birds are fond of the fruit and gophers will attack the roots. Other problems include blossom and young fruit shedding, especially on young trees. This is not usually a serious problem, but if the drop is excessive, it may be useful to try girdling a few branches. Over watering or over fertilization may also be responsible. Large quantities of small fruit on an otherwise healthy tree can be remedied by removing all but one or two fruit per twig in May or June." And: "Japanese Persimmon Pests And Diseases "There are few insects or fungous diseases which need cause the American kaki-grower serious concern. The Mediterranean fruit-fly (Ceratitis capitata Wied.) attacks the fruit in Australia, but this insect has not yet made its appearance in the United States. A few scale insects are occasionally found in the kaki orchards of California and Florida, but the attacks of none have proved serious. Hume writes as follows with reference to Florida: "The worst enemy of persimmon trees, and the only one worthy of note, is the flat-headed borer (Dicera obscura), a native insect. The adult is a hard, metallic beetle, about five-eighths inch in length. It lays its eggs in rough-barked places in the crotches of the tree, or in wounds made in pruning or resulting from injuries of any kind. The young borers hatched from these eggs bore through the bark, work between the bark and wood, later boring into the wood. The larvae when well grown are about one inch long, white, with broad, flat heads and round bodies. That they are at work in a tree may be known by the discolored bark and by gum oozing from the trunk or branches. Cut away the bark with a sharp knife or chisel and destroy them. Paint the wounds thus made with good, thick, white-lead paint. Carefully paint all wounds when made, and scrape the rough-barked places on young trees. By careful attention to wounds on the trees, they may be prevented from entering, and the trees will live to a good old age." Do you think borers might have been the problem? I searched for a picture of the flat-headed borer (Dicera obscura, but Google didn't have one.

I googled and supposedly this is the recipe that's on the box: Recipe: ICE BOX CAKE: from the original on the wafer package Ingredients 1 package Famous Chocolate Wafers Heavy Whipping Cream Vanilla Flavoring Sugar Whip the cream in a cold bowl Add one teaspoon of vanilla flavoring and sugar to taste Whip cream fairly stiff before spreading cream between the wafers Lay wafers to form a log Use remaining cream cover the log Refrigerate for at least 4 hours Cut diagonally into 10 to 14 slices so that dessert has the appearance of being layered. If you prefer individual servings: place four or five wafers together in a smaller log. Information from Amazon regarding wafers and shipping: Case of 12 9-ounce boxes of chocolate wafers (108 total ounces) Made from enriched wheat flour, cocoa, coconut, and chocolate No trans fat; low in cholesterol and saturated fat Crispy and mildly sweet; try it for chocolate crumb crusts and other recipes These wafers were introduced in 1924 by Nabisco tina

Twoyur, yes, I'm allergic to coconut, but the amount in Sleevendog's dry rub is probably not enough in an individual portion to give me a reaction, other than that my food allergies are getting worse with age and I'm not about to test it. It makes my tongue and mouth furry and tingly feeling, and I don't mess with things that are breathing adjacent. The problem is when there's more coconut in it than a few grains of sugar, but one can't taste it, which is why the thought of coconut sugar is shudder worthy, as is the sheer quantity of coconut product being used nowadays. It's a known allergen, and pointed out by law in food labelling requirements, but, of course, no such thing in home cooking. When I was a kid, more of us were allergic to coconut than peanuts! Thank-you, Beesneeds and Lars, for the exceptions! Thank-you, Sleevendog, for the information. It was a very interesting post even if personally potentially poisonous. :)