All right, am I one of the ones who is just going to not be able to grow Jacob's Ladder ====>>>> if you look up foo foo piece of carp refuse ... in the plant dictionary .... most likely there will be a picture of the variegated one.. with the french name ... and after 3 of those.. i figured out.. IT WASNT ME ... its foo foo ... and i dont even know what happened to the others .... and some point i just quit caring ... listen closely ... you would be better off .. removing your hat.. and repeatedly running full strength ... INTO THE SIDE OF THE GARAGE... multiple times ... rather than worrying about why you cant grow these worthless plants ... and if you ask me how i really feel .. i just might tell you ... riddle me this catwoman ....WHY EVEN WASTE THE TIME POSTING ON IT ... you should have given up years ago.. and $100 dollars ago.. and yet you keep trying.. WHY-O-WHY??? ken PS: yeah yeah.. the 3 peeps in the world that can actually grow it.. in a micro-climate the size of their own backyards.. will now.. or already have chimed in.. telling us all about how its the simplest plant to grow ... lol

Seems every year at least one mystery plant turns up. If I can't identify a seedling as a weed, leave or pot it up till it blooms. A Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia) that flowers a striking shade of blue appeared a few years back in a sunny bed. Left it to make a nice clump before relocating it to shade at the foot of a maple clump on a slope. Promptly died back to regrow the following Spring. Imagine the maples' fibrous roots & natural leaf mulch keep it from spreading, and the blue is quite refreshing glittering from the shade. Last year seedlings emerged for the first time near the lone phlox David. Potted up, one bloomed lavender - David's Lavender. Another time, a different looking wispy grass clump showed up with delicate stems that only reach a few inches high & wide, producing a cloud of pale pink flowers at the top like miniature Gypsophilia from Spring till frost. No idea what this is, looks like it may have originated in fairyland. Left to grow & seed, it turns up within a 20' radius of the original each year. A small bushy plant with deep green leaves appeared one year. Not recognizing it, left it to grow, as it seemed so happy. When it formed a 2' ball, decided it needed to be moved & found a spot in the backyard overlooked by the kitchen windows near a post birdfeeder. An old peach tree blown down in a storm had provided shelter for the birds there & thought the bush might do the same. The bush certainly took to its new spot. The next year, a slender trunk appeared out of nowhere to elevate the ball. Ten years later, it's a 20' high graceful tree, teeming with birds from dawn till dusk. Haven't found another like it in the woods for miles around, nor found its identity. We're in the migratory path for birds & an overnight waystation, so perhaps one gifted it to us on their way through. Many more surprises through the years. So far this season, a sturdy seedling that looked vaguely familiar left in place quickly reached two feet high by a foot wide. Began to bloom yesterday, pale yellow with lavender pincushion centers - Verbascum. Grew its forebearer many years ago in another garden bed, but that one never returned the following year. The first was pale melon with lavender eyes. Is this one a seedling or a wildling? Regardless, serendipity always welcome!

We have and Environmental Control Board, an Architectural Review Board and a Joint Coastal Committee. Just try to find somewhere in the village code that says what their specific functions are supposed to be. I did find out from a sympathetic village employee that the ECB is advisory only, but don't tell the chairwoman that. We appeared before her and her cronies twice. The first time, she told us that the permitted 30% lot clearing in the code "didn't really mean that" and that "we don't do things that way here." She told us that our property was "environmentally significant" but when asked who had made that determination, she named a non-existent county agency. For our second go-round, we were required to have an arborist identify every tree over 8" in diameter on a 3.5 acre lot. Then, we had to have him prepare an affidavit to prove that a number of trees we wanted to remove were a "danger to persons or property." Even when presented with it, she told us she didn't believe him ("hogwash" was the word she used) and told us we should hire her son's friend to evaluate the trees (we politely declined). She also had the nerve to look at photos of naked, leafless trees our arborist had certified were dead and told us "They don't look dead to me!" When I asked her whether she or anyone else on the board had any credentials that would qualify them to challenge the arborist's conclusions, she finally had to admit that none of them did. Then she asked us to agree not to put in a swimming pool down the road, even though 2 other board members have pools themselves. When she saw that we were also tentatively considering a tennis court, she and another board member went nuts, talking about how I was ruining the "environmental integrity" of the lot with my "oversized" tennis court. When I pointed out that all tennis courts are the same size, I was nastily told "I know how big a tennis court is." I cannot tell you how rude, nasty and obnoxious these "public servants" were. And before anyone says it, you're right -- we should have asked more questions before we bought. However, after pushing every button I have (as well as a few I didn't know I had), I stopped trying to be polite and get along (she does live directly across the street from me, and I had hoped to preserve some semblance of neighborly accord). I told her I had never heard such bulls---t in my life, and then told them how the zoning laws in my state are interpreted. When she then asked me whether I was "some sort of lawyer or something," I sweetly replied, "as a matter of fact, I am." Turns out, from all accounts, she is an unmitigated bully and everyone is heartily sick of her. By standing up to her, I got everything I wanted (which was nothing more than the law allows, BTW -- in fact, quite a bit less). However, she has called the village police on me 3 times already for perceived violations (all of which she herself committed when she built a few months ago -- don't even get me started), although she has been quiet for the last month or so. The building inspector has her number, though, and he's been enormously helpful. Sorry for the lengthy rant, but this brought back very unpleasant memories. I didn't sleep for days after that fiasco of a meeting.

Hi Lars, pita bread is pretty easy to make (other than the bother of forming the individual breads and taking them in and out of the oven instead of putting in one or two big loaves. I usually use my bread machine on quick dough cycle to mix the dough. He says to put the yeast in the water to dissolve, but I just load my bread machine as usual putting in the liquids first then the flours and then the yeast and salt. I sort of use a recipe from Secrets of a Jewish Baker by George Greenstein. 2 cups warm water 2 packages active dry yeast (I use about 2 Tbsp instant dry yeast) 4 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 cups whole wheat flour (he says preferably stone ground, I use white whole wheat) 3 to 4 cups bread flour 2 tsp salt Pretty much standard bread making to form the dough - mix the ingredients together using 3 cups of bread flour. Knead and add more bread flour 1/4 cup at a time if the dough is sticky - you want a soft but not sticky dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. He says transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat then cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel until doubled in volume (45 to 60 minutes). I just let mine rise in the bread machine and leave it for more like 20 minutes. While the dough is rising, I set up the oven with a baking stone and turn the oven on to 500 degrees F to get it well preheated. Punch down. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. I'm often in a hurry doing this. Last time I was a bit more careful in shaping them with a good cloak and I think that may be why they puffed so well. He says cover and allow to rest 15 minutes. I don't wait that long. Perhaps 5-10 minutes after forming the last ball I start rolling the first one I formed. Roll each ball into a 6-inch circle. I find this is easiest to work on several at a time by rolling each one out until it starts getting stubborn springing back then letting it rest while working on the next one and the next - then going back to finish rolling the first one. Then I set them aside to work on forming the next 3 - when they are rolled out, put the first 3 in the oven. set the prior set of three aside and work on another 3 keeping an eye on the oven. Don't open the oven door until they have puffed (or you have given up hope of them puffing and they are starting to brown slightly) - he says 10 minutes, but I think it takes less time than that.. Then take them out and put the next ones in. I line a basket with a couple of big flour sack towels to keep the baked pita in - it keeps enough moisture but not too much moisture in so they are soft and nice. Once they are cool, I store in plastic bags if they aren't going to be used right away. I got some teff flour to try making injera but I haven't gotten around to it. The recipes I've seen for it call for natural fermentation of the batter - mixing the teff flour and water and leaving it to stand and stirring once a day for several days to ferment. I've had it at an Ethiopian restaurant and it is pretty different from regular bread - sour and a bit rubbery but in a good way. Darch, I've never heard of making pita bread in a skillet - I always make it in the oven on a bread stone. Annie - I'm wondering if I'll go back to 2/3 puffing next time or if there is something I've learned so my success will be repeatable. :^)