Hi, Northern neighbor! You can drop by here anytime! I want to add that you can also give some seeds needing cold stratification a try, since you'll probably have a few more weeks of cold nights. It just depends on how long a cold period the seeds need-many just need a few weeks. You can look up each seed's temperature needs in the Tom Clothier germination database. This info is more about what greenhouse growers do to get seeds to sprout, but it often shows a low temperature range and a number of weeks, which I think is a good guideline for what the seed needs from wintersowing. Oh, and we still call it Wintersowing until the start of May, since the weather can still be wintry for many of us! Best of luck to you

You may have purchased an ornamental if you baught it while it was flowering but a picture would be great. You can grow a few different bananas in Texas with great success. Dont try to seperate anything now, just leave it until its done flowering at least. But a picture would really help.

How about Chicken Piccata? There is a little parmesan cheese in the recipe, but its not a dominating ingredient. I serve it with noodles or rice. Chicken Piccata Recipe (from www.simplyrecipes.com) Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: Serves 4. Ingredients 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total) 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup flour Salt and pepper 4 Tbsp olive oil 4 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine 3 Tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup brined capers 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley Method 1 Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the breast pieces you are working with are large, you may want to cut them each into two pieces. If the pieces are still thick after butterflying, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness. 2 Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated. 3 Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce. 4 Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley. How about chocolate cupcakes for dessert? Super Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (from www.simplyrecipes.com) Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Yield: Makes 12 cupcakes. The coffee (and the salt) help intensify the flavor of the chocolate. If you don't have or don't want to use coffee, just skip it and use water instead. If you do use coffee, just use what would be considered regular strength coffee (or slightly weak coffee) in America, not something super concentrated like espresso. If caffeine is an issue, use decaf. If you want to make a cake instead of cupcakes, double the recipe and use two 8-inch round cake pans and cook for 35-40 minutes. Ingredients Cupcakes: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee granules) 1 Tbsp white vinegar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 6 Tbsp (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp) olive oil Frosting: 4 Tbsp butter 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Method Cupcakes: 1 Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners. 2 In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up). 3 In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil. 4 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy. 5 Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 6 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Once cool, you can eat plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle or coat with frosting. Frosting: While the cupcakes are cooking, make the frosting. Melt butter in a small saucepan and remove from heat. Stir in the cocoa until smooth. Sprinkle in about a third of the powdered sugar, stir, then sprinkle in about a half of the milk. Keep alternating with the powdered sugar and either milk or vanilla, stirring after each addition, until the frosting is the consistency you want, and smooth. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. If too stiff, add a little more milk or vanilla extract.

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