Thanks jonas. Actually I was hoping to use it immediately in my containers till I read all the cautions about pathogens and not using even aged manure if the soil was going to be used in 3 months (or something like that). It doesn't smell that much though i have a really bad cold right now, so it's hard to say! I put a bunch in my compost bin yesterday. Checked my bin today it still seems the same cool temperature but my bin is normally cool so that doesn't tell me much. I definitely don't feel ok about putting my hand in it! And I would say it's definitely not gooey - some of the 'apples' are green a few are grayish.

OMG cat litter!!!! Truly, this familiarity with the end results of digestive systems speaks of a deeper (more insane) love of roses than I am prepared to engage with. For a fastidious nation (regarding shower usage and toiletry sales in the US), you sure are happy to grub about in poo!! I have used manure in the past (and definitely never younger than 6 months on an open heap) but usually as a tea since the practice of putting anything around roses, including proprietry fertilisers has always been something of a conundrum because I do not have any visible space. I do not love the practice of heavy mulching since I do not wish to see soil, mulch, hay, bark, and definitely not poo in any form.......I want plants...and more plants....not spaces for fertiliser which can be either dug in at the first or watered on throughout a plant's life. But that's just me. On a less personal note, using manure of any type has become a complete no-no here in the UK unless you are absolutely sure of what pasturage has been used at every stage of a horses (or cows) life and can guarantee no broad leaf weed killers have been deployed. In the UK, we certainly cannot and since most horse-owners have to buy hay at least some of the year, only a fool would risk putting the resulting manure anywhere near their plants.....unless they are completely OK with manure contaminated with clopyralid/amypyralid or any of the later broad-leaf weed killers after 2.4.D. Of course, if you have access to your own horses and own grazing meadows which are unsprayed, then fair enough, but sadly, manure, in whatever form, has become a thing of the past for may gardeners in the UK since we neither trust nor believe farmers to read the tiny print on the labels stating not to be used when hay is going for silage.

Here's the recipe in case anyone's interested. DH and DS liked it. I did too, except for the sour cranberries. Next time I'll try halving the cranberries. Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Loaves Recipe by Steve Sullivan from "Baking With Julia" Makes 3 small loaves - You'll need three 5 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 inch loaf pans Authors notes: "These loaves are small, beautifully crowned, and the color of fallÂs golden leaves. Never mind that the combination of pumpkin, cranberry, walnut, and raisin may set you thinking of a baking powder-raised quick bread with a biscuit or butter cake texture, this bread is a yeast bread, albeit one thatÂs slightly sweet, just a little spicy, and even a bit savory. Although the bread is of the direct-rise family, meaning thereÂs no starter or sponge, it is given an overnight rest in the refrigerator, a dormant period that builds both character and texture in the finished loaf." 2 2/3 cups bread flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons tepid water (80 - 90 degrees F) 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/3 cup sugar 8 ounces (1 cup) pureed cooked pumpkin or butternut squash, fresh or canned solid packed (see note) 1 large egg, at room temperature 3/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted 1 cup plump golden or dark raisins 2/3 cup cranberries (if frozen, thaw and pat dry) Mixing and kneading: Whisk 2 2/3 cups of the flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl just to mix; set aside until needed. Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle in the yeast, and whisk to blend. Allow the yeast to rest until itÂs creamy, about 5 minutes. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the pumpkin and egg and beat until blended. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled; it will come together when you add the dry ingredients. Set the mixer to low and add the yeast, then begin to add the dry ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time. As soon as the mixture starts to form a dough that comes together, scrape the paddle clean and switch to the dough hook. If your dough does not come together (it might be because your pumpkin puree was liquidy), add a few more tablespoons of flour. Mix and knead the dough on medium-low speed for 10 to 15 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and the hook now and then with a rubber spatula. At the start, the mixture will look more like a batter than a dough, but as you continue to work, it will develop into a soft, very sticky dough that will just ball up on the hook. (This dough develops much the way a brioche does.) With the machine on low speed, add the walnuts and raisins, mixing only until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the cranberries and mix as little as possible to avoid crushing them. (Inevitably, some cranberries will poop and stain a patch of dough red; think of this as charming, and proceed.) First Rise: Scrape the dough into a lightly buttered large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature to rise until nearly doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Chilling the dough: When the dough has doubled, fold it over on itself a couple of times to deflate it, wrap it tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight. Shaping the dough: At least 6 hours before you want to begin baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Leave the dough, covered in its bowl, until it reaches at least 64 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. (This will take as long as 3 to 4 hours -- donÂt rush it.) If you donÂt have an instant-read thermometer, look for the dough to be slightly cool and just a little spongy. Lightly butter three 5 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 inch loaf pans. Working on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into thirds and pat each piece of dough into a 5 x 7 inch rectangle; keep a short end facing you. Starting at the top of each rectangle, roll up the dough toward you and seal the seam by pressing it with your fingertips. Seal the ends, then place each roll, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Second rise: Cover the pans lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough has nearly doubled -- it will rise to just above the rim of the pans. Baking the bread: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes, or until deeply golden. Remove the pans to a cooling rack; after a 5-minute rest, turn the breads out of their pans and allow them to cool to room temperature on the rack. Storing: The breads can be kept at room temperature for a day or two or frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to 1 month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature. Note: To use fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, split the squash, remove the seeds, and place cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 1 hour, or until meltingly tender. Scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and cool completely. One pound of squash yields about 12 ounces of cooked pulp. Sally

Squashing some misinformation above... cows in feedlots don't have "large amounts of antibiotics". If you think that, then you don't know what antibiotics are for, or how highly regulated they are. As well, you don't know what antibiotics are if you believe they are "fed to these animals" or if you think antibiotics somehow "help them gain weight on less feed"... I didn't read the rest of what you posted because clearly you speak of things you do not know about. Thank you to all else for the helpful information, because what I was looking for was about the difference between dried manure and composted, not some hit-piece on feedlots (which I have nothing to do with, but I don't agree with false information being loosely passed around, especially when it makes farmers look bad... because a farmer, I am). If you'd like a little fact of the day... you will not EVER eat meat or drink milk that is raised in the USA, that has ANY antibiotics in it, organic or not. This is a FACT. These things are the most highly regulated commodities in the United States, and there are withholding periods specifically so that no antibiotic is ever in the product for human consumption. This is dangerous information to spread around. As well, it is a FACT that these things are not just generously pumped into animals... like your dog, when a cow gets sick, it may get treated with an antibiotic (like penicillin, just like what us humans get in the hospital) to make that cow not sick anymore. It is not something that helps them grow, it it not something that is ever used in large amounts or if not needed, and it is not something us humans will EVER consume from food produced in the USA. Thank you again for the information on manure for the garden.