All the literature I've read says that if you grow from seed you will most likely get inferior apples. If you grow a seed from a grocery store apple you will most likely get a crab-cross as they use crab apples for commercial polination. The best tasting apple out of our entire 2008 production was a seedling my son named "Fresh Candy" the seed came from a Fuji or McIntosh. I have no crabs on the property so it may have been crossed with Gold Del or Calville Blanc (or a hundred others) I've planted dozens of seedlings and as long as I know a crab apple was not involved I've been OK with the result. Worse case scenario I'll cleft graft or top work the tree with something else. The Fresh Candy tree was loaded by year 5 with an abnormally large crop. On a side note the best peach tree we have out of 200 or so is seed grown and very productive. It would be nice to see people trying seed grown trees like during the explosion of varieties that came out of the mid to late 1800s.

i am in MI .. they can be planted ... you did not answer where you are .... regardless of how rare you think these are.. they are near impossible to kill IF properly handled ... it doesnt matter whether you plant them or pot them.. they are fully hardy in z5 ... and the ground freeze or frost line.. nor anything will bother them.. IF properly planted ... potting requires a proper media... something quick would be a cactus mix ... wet it properly.... then pot the up.. and put them on the north side of the house ... DO NOT USE NATIVE DIRT no sun on those pots for all winter .... once the ground freezes.. tip them on the side.. so water doenst accumulate ... wont matter if they are covered with snow .. your only concern would be vermin.. like mice nibbling on them ... who sent them in the wrong season??? .. michigan bulb???? to explain how hardy they are.. i got 6 foot sticks ... bare!!! [no branches] .. in a one gal pot.. in a plastic bag from BIGLOT one spring .... and 10 years later they are 30 feet tall ... if a 6 foot tree can live in a one gal pot.. and live... yours should be near bullet proof.. unless you try to love them to death.. i would also call the seller.. and ask them to make a note that it is a bit late for shipping .. and if they do not bud out in spring.. you will be calling on the warranty .... in MI they are a late budding tree .... so dont get wound up until may or so ... GOOD LUCK!!!!! ken

I am new to canning myself; I am canning raspberries from our yard. As far as the foam is concerned; when I am done boiling the jelly for 1 minute, I remove it from the burner (mine is electric). I then "putter" for a couple of minutes, then if I place a metal spoon in and slowly go at the foam it sticks completely. I go through a couple of spoons, but remove most of the foam. The last couple of jars get foamy because I am getting low and have to tilt the kettle (what is on the side starts getting caught up. But sometimes if I let it sit 30 seconds, I can even remove it from the jar using a teaspoon). GOOD BYE CHEESE CLOTH!!! I haven't been on the forum in a long time and came on to leave this message. I can my raspberry jelly with no seeds, so go through a lot of cheese cloth. This week I realize I didn't have any and my local store was out so I used a substitution that turned out wonderful! They are called Paint Strainers with Eleastic Edge made by Trimaco. They look like a nylon net shower can, but really tall (to fit a gallon container). They are meant to be used when you pour a gallon of paint into a spray can, to catch dry pieces, etc. So I tried it. I use a 4 cup measuring cup when making them, so just laddled in 3 scoops, and squeezed and kneading it gently. (I wear laytex gloves to do this). Then when done I turned it inside out an shook it out in my trash can (be sure its empty, you need it deep so seeds don't fly). Enough came out to rinse (inside right so lingering seeds stay in) and repeat. I used it three times for the batch and then the seam split so slightly I didn't see it until trying to strain the second batch. But then again, I was pushing the issue to see how strong they were. I just did another batch three times and its still strong and clean as a whistle. Hope this helps someone

Thanks for all of your help. I'd be happy to share the recipe. Chickpea, Chorizo and Chicken Stew with Mount Tam Cheese yield: Makes 6 to 8 main-course servings A slightly firm, mellow triple-crème, Mt. Tam cheese softens into this stew but doesn't melt. We like to add a little extra Sherry just before serving. Ingredients 1 pound dried chickpeas (2 1/2 cups), picked over 2 medium tomatoes 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 ounces slab bacon, rind discarded and bacon cut into 1/4-inch dice 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons fresh jalapeño chiles (about 3), seeded and minced 2 large celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 fresh poblano chile, ribs and seeds discarded and chile cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 small fennel bulb (sometimes called anise), stalks cut off and discarded and bulb cut into 1/4-inch dice 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California 1/2 cup sweet Spanish Sherry 10 cups chicken stock (page 314), or 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth plus 3 cups water 3/4 pound fresh chorizo* links (spiced Mexican pork sausage) 1 1/2 pound chicken thighs with skin and bones (about 4; preferably organic) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 fresh rosemary sprigs 1 (8-ounce) wheel Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam**, or other soft mild triple-crème cow's-milk cheese such as Explorateur, at room temperature Prepare chickpeas: Soak chickpeas in water to cover by 2 inches for 8 to 12 hours, then drain. Cut an X in bottom of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes in a saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water. Peel, seed, and dice tomatoes. Toast peppercorns and cumin seeds in a small dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant and cumin seeds are a shade darker. Cool completely, then finely grind in grinder. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until just browned, about 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and heat until foam subsides, then stir in garlic and jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Increase heat to moderately high and stir in celery, bell pepper, poblano, onion, carrot, and fennel, then cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned, about 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaves, and ground spices and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add Sherry and deglaze by boiling, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot, until most of liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add chickpeas and stock and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are tender and liquid is thick and saucelike, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Prepare chorizo and chicken while chickpeas simmer: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Prick chorizo links several times with a fork, then brown in remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in an ovenproof large heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and chill, uncovered, until cold and firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Slice chorizo into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and chill, covered. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon butter in cleaned skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sear chicken, skin side down, until skin is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and place a rosemary sprig on each piece. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes, then discard rosemary, skin, and bones and shred meat. Keep loosely covered. Finish stew: When stew is thickened, stir in chicken and chorizo and simmer until sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Divide stew among 6 to 8 bowls and top each serving with 2 or 3 thin wedges of cheese. *Available at Latino markets. **Available at cheese shops, Murray's Cheese Shop (888-692-4339; murrayscheese.com), and Cowgirl Creamery (866-433-7834; cowgirlcreamery.com). Gourmet, 2004