Gorgeous color on that tree Arktrees! I love this tree. There are small Sassafras groves in the nearby woodlands, but I have never attempted to transplant a sucker. Sassafras albidum is one of the primary host plants for the Spicebush Swallowtail. Last summer I collected a few caterpillars and raised some, but this summer was just too busy. Here is one of the nearby groves, this one is small and growing next to a stream. It seems to be an adaptable tree, since 2 other groves are thriving in upland woods, one is along a fairly steep slope. Here's what Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars look like in 4th and 5th instar:

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Oh fer crying out loud - nobody's talking about "need" here - only "want"! And, I want Kathleen's new red dishes, LOL. I went to Marshall's today and they're not there and they're not in my TJM either - but I have another bigger and better Homegoods to hit tomorroow! I remember those dishes from Jain's blog where she used them under her Christmas plates - so I went and found the Christmas plates and found 4 and so I need 4 of those red plates, umm I mean I want them not need them.

Jessica, I've also made a chocolate beet cake, although mine didn't have the spiced creme anglaise that this one has, which sounds like a really nice addition. Other than that, our recipes are identical. Oh, the cake is very good, really it is, but I'm not sure it's all that healthy, LOL. Chocolate Beet Cake From Straight From the Farm 1 cup butter, softened, divided 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar 3 eggs at room temperature 2-3 oz. dark chocolate 5 medium beets (2 cups pureed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg confectioners sugar for dusting Make the beet puree by trimming the beets and simmering them until tender. Drain the liquid and cool the beets (you can run water over them to cool them off.) Slide the skins off, then place them in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Let the puree cool slightly before using it in the cake. Cream 3/4 cup of the butter with the dark brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt the remaining butter together with the chocolate, either in the microwave or in a double boiler over simmering water. Cool slightly, then add the chocolate mixture, beet puree, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture (it may look separated at this point.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch springform pan; bake at 375 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (I started checking around 50 minutes.) Cool the cake in the pan 15 minutes before unmolding and removing to a cooling rack; cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar. Spiced Creme Anglaise 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar 4 large egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger Set a bowl over ice water and have a strainer nearby youll want this ready so you can stop the sauce from cooking when its ready. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and set aside. Combine milk, cream, and spices in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat just until the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk some of it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, then slowly add the rest of it while whisking. Pour the whole thing back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until its thick enough to coat the spatula or spoon this usually takes about a minute or two longer. Dont boil it or the egg will harden. Strain into the bowl set over ice water to stop the mixture from cooking further. Chill in the refrigerator until youre ready to use it. Oh, and I used leftover beets that I had cooked for supper and didn't eat all of, I didn't cook beets especially for this recipe! Annie