Glenda, I made Yellow Pear tomato preserves a long time ago. There are a lot more interesting recipes out there nowadays. Let me see what kinds of recipes I can find in my canning books...... Here's a few ideas: TOMATO-BASIL JAM (not specifically for cherry-sized tomatoes, but I'm sure they would work) YIELD: 2.5 to 3 cups 3 lbs. ripe tomatoes 2 lemons 24 fresh basil leaves 1 cup sugar Dip the tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds. Cool them in an iced water bath. When cool enough to handle, peel, core, quarter and squeeze seeds out through a sieve to retain juices. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Pieces and reserved juice will measure a generous 4 cups. Place tomatoes in a deep, non-reactive 4-quart pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the jam is reduced to 2.5 to 3 cups and free of excess moisture. While the tomatoes simmer, remove the yellow zest from two lemons with a zester. Squeeze the juice from both lemons. Puree 12 basil leaves with 1/2 of the lemon juice. Off heat, stir the zest and the lemon juice without the basil into the tomatoes. Return the tomato mixture to a simmer, and begin adding the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the mixture to return to a boil before adding more. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the jam thickens again. The temperature reading should be 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Off heat, stir in the remaining lemon-basil juice. Cool a tablespoon of jam briefly. When cooled to room temperature, taste for a balance of sweet and sour. Add more lemon juice by the tablespoon as needed. Cut the remaining basil leaves into thin strips. Fold them into the jam. Fill hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims clean, attach lids and process in a BWB for 10 minutes. TOMATO ORANGE JAM Yield: Almost 3 cups 3 lbs. ripe tomatoes 2 navel oranges Bouquet garni: 3 cloves, 3 allspice berries, 1 slice fresh ginger in a spice bag 1 cup sugar 2 T. unsweetened orange juice concentrate (optional) tomato paste (optional) Subnerge tomatoes in boiling water, etc. to remove skins as directed in above recipe. When cool enough to handle, peel, core, quarter, sieve and chop coarsely. When chopped, the tomato pieces and strained juices will equal about 4 cups. Remove the zest from both oranges with a zester. Cut away and discard inner white peel. Halve the oranges, remove seeds, and thinly slice. Combine tomatoes with juices, orange zest, orange slices and the bouquet garni in a deep, non-reactive 4-quart saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer for 25 minutes until the mixture has reduced to three cups. Stir in sugar 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the jam to return to a simmer between additions. Cook at a simmer another 10 minutes until reduced again to about 3 cups. Temperature will reach 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Off heat, remove bouquet garni. Cool a tablespoon of jam in the freezer and taste for an even blend of tomato and orange flavors. Add orange juice concentrate or a little tomato paste as needed for a balanced flavor. Fill hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims clean, attach lids and process in a BWB for 10 minutes. GREEN TOMATO JAM Yield: 3.5 cups 2 lbs. green tomatoes 2 lemons 1 tart apple 1/2 cup water 1 4" cinnamon stick 1 cup sugar Scrub and rinse all the fruits. Remove the stem end of the tomatoes and dice them hand or chop them, two at a time quartered, in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, using a rapid pulsing action. Remove the zest from the lemons with a zester. Cut off and discard the inner white peel. Halve the lemons and thinly slice, removing seeds. Peel, quarter, core and dice the apple. Combine the tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon slices and apple pieces with the water and cinnamon stick in a heavy, non-reactive 4-quart pan. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the jam to return to a simmer between additions. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The temperature will rise to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Off heat, remove the cinnamon stick. Pour the jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4" head space. Wipe rims, attach lids and process for 10 minutes in a BWB. TOMATO-PRUNE JAM (Yield: 4 cups) 12 oz. pitted prunes 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes Bouquet garni in a spice bag: 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 3 allspice berries, 2 lemon peel strips 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon (or more to taste) red wine vinegar Cut prunes into 1/2" piece. Dip tomatoes in simmering water fro 30 seconds, cool in an ice water bath. Once cool to the touch, slip off the skins, core, and quarter the tomatoes. Strain through a sieve to remove seeds, retaining the juices. Coarsely chop the tomato pieces. Combine prunes, tomatoes, strained juices and bouquet garni in a deep. non-reactive 4-qt. saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularlyh or until the mixture is thickened and free of standing liquid. Stir in the lemon juice, then the sugars one at a time. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the jam is thick again and a thermometer reaches about 208-210 degrees Fahrenheit. Off heat, remove the bouquet garni and stir in the vinegar. Quickly cool a tablespoon of jam in the freezer and taste for the slightly tart finish of the vinegar to balance the sweet fruits. Add more vinegar if desired. Fill hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims, attach caps and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. TOMATO MARMALADE (Yield: ABout 2.5 pints) 1 medium-sized orange 1 lemon 2 1/2 cups water 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes 1 3" cinnamon stick 1/2 t. whole cloves 2 t. chopped fresh ginger 2 cups sugar If the orange and lemon were not labeled organic, put them in a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over them to remove any wax. Scrub them well. Halve the fruit, squeeze out and reserve the juice, and place the seeds and membranes on a square of cheesecloth. Cut the lemon rind halves in half again, and quarter the orange rind halves. Put the rinds into a small saucepan with the water. Simmer the rinds, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until they are tender. Remove the rinds with a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool. Reserve the cooking liquid. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 to 60 secibdsm until their skins begin to crack. Let them cool briefly, slip off their skins, and squeeze the skins before discarding them. Using a strainer, drain off the tomato juice into a preserving pan. Add the cooking liquid from the citrus rinds and the juice from the orange and lemon. Add the cinnamon, cloves and giner to the cheesecloth square, tie the square into a bundle, and add it to the preserving pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it until it is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Scrape the excess pith from the citrus rinds and cut the rinds into thin, crosswise strips. Chope the tomatoes coarsely. Turn off the heat under the preserving pan and add the tomatoes and citrus rinds. Stir in the sugar. Boil the mixture gently until it looks glossy and a drop of the marmalade mounds in a chilled dish, about 40 minutes. Squeeze the cheesecloth bundle and remove it. Ladle the marmalade into pint or half-pint mason jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. YELLOW TOMATO-PINEAPPLE PRESERVES (Yield: about 3 pints) 2 1/4 lbs. yellow tomatoes 4 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 medium-size pineapple 4 thin slices fresh ginger Dip the tomatoes into boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Let them cool briefly and slip off their skins. Cut them into wedges about 1 x 1 1/2" and put the wedges into a bowl. Add the sugar and gently mix. Cover the bowl and let it stand for 6-12 hours, gently turning the tomatoes once or twice in the meantime. Peel and core the pineapple and chop it coarsely, reserving all juice. Weigh the chopped pineapple. You should have 3/4 pund. Strain the syrup rom the tomatoes into a nonreactive kettle. Add any sugar from the bottom of the bowl and any juice from chopping the pineapple. Put the ginger slices into a spice bag and add it to the kettle. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat to high and boil the syrup until it reaches the thread stage or 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the tomato wedges and chopped pineapple. Reduce the heat and barely simmer the mixture until the tomato wedges are partially translucent. at least 30 minutes. Skim off any foam. Press the spice bag against the side of the kettle, and remove the bag. Ladle the preserves into pint or half-pint mason jars. Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. GREEN TOMATO PRESERVES (Yield: about 3 pints) 2 lbs. green tomatoes, cut into wedges, about 1 x 1 1/2" 3 tablespoons lime juice grated zest of two limes 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 3 green jalapeno or Fresno peppers, cut into thin tounds 3 cups sugar Combine all of the ingredients in a nonreactive kettle. Cover the kettle and let it stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, turning the mixture a few times. Bring the mixture slowly to a simmer, stirring gently until the sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer the mixture for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the tomatoes are partially translucent. Remove pan from heat. Cover with a cloth and let it stand at room temperature for another 8 to 12 hours. Strain the mixture through a colander set over a bowl. Return the syrup only to the pan and boil it briefly, until it is noticeably thickened. Return the fruit to the pan and bring the preserves to a boil. Ladle them into pint or half-pint jars. Add lids and rings. Process in a BWB for 15 minutes. TOMATO-APPLE BUTTER (Makes 2.5 to 3 pints) 1 quart applesauce 1 quart seeds, skinned, pureed tomatoes 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon salt Combine all the above ingredients in a preserving pan. Simmer the mixture, stirring often, for about 40 minutes, until it is thick. If you'll be serving it with meat, you'll probably want the butter a little less thick than apple butter. Ladle the butter into pint or half-pin jars. Add lids and rings. Process the jars in a BWB for 15 minutes. TOMATO JELLY (Makes about seven 4-oz. jars) 8 cups sliced tomatoes 1/2 cup water 3 dried hot chili peppers 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 pkg. powdered pectin 3 1/4 cups granulated sugar In a large, stainless steel saucepan, combine the tomatoes, water, chili peppers and basil. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring and crushing tomatoes occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 25 minutes. Transfer tomato mixture to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for 2 hours. Measure 1 3/4 cups tomato juice. If you do not have the required amount, add 1/2 cup boiling water to the remaining pulp in the jelly bag to extract additional juice. (Or, you can add unsweetened apple or white grape juice to extend the juice to the required measure.) Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids. Transfer tomato juice to a large, deep, stainless steel saucepan. Add lemon juice. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once, and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam. Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars. Screw bands down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, remove jars, cool and store. OPTION: Gingered Tomato Jelly: Substitute 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger for the chili peppers and basil. Hope these recipes give you a few ideas. Dawn

I inherited some wild mallard babies last year, and fully expected them to fly off when fall came, but they have stayed and now one of the hens is sitting 18 eggs in my dog's house! (My dog is a witless pug, who doesn't care as long as she gets butt-sniffing priveleges). We just got some Indian runners, (more eggs, less likely to sit) as duck eggs are the bast for baked goods. (including quiches, frittatas, cakes, custards, etc) As long as your ducks are grain fed, the eggs wont be gamy. Of course even if they are fed they'll still dabble around and eat any bugs, slugs, and beetles around. Just dont let them around young plants (they'll trample them) or low growing fruit trees. Especially not anywhere after a heavy rain or watering, as they'll drill holes and eat all the tender young plants and grass. A fence only 18 inches high will keep them in, but not prevent dogs from getting them if they are determined. If they have a pond to flee into, it might be OK, but no way would I keep them without a full fence. Consider Muscovies if you can find them. They tame easily and are very quiet, and the best flycatchers around. Many people think they are ugly because of their caruncled heads (look kindof vulturish). But they have a hilarious frill of feathers on top of their heads that they can raise and lower when agitated- like a mohawk! They also don't have as developed of oil glands so don't need or want as much access to water as other domesticated ducks. Their native habitat is South America, and they have claws on their feet that are a lot larger than mallards (all other domestic ducks are derived from wild mallards). If they decide to be nasty (a lonely drake might) they'll really give a hard time to other animals. Every Muscovy I have encountered has been gentle and tame- far less skittish than my own pets. Get them as babies, or they can and will fly off unless their wings are clipped. I recommend ducks- if not for their use in slug killing then at least for their droll ways. They make me laugh every day, and the children love them.

I rec'd a great St. Patricks Day card in todays mail! It's a great card with farm animals on the front! They're so cute! And the card is so sparkly! From the looks of all the postmarks, the card took a nice lil vacation getting to me! Ilovesunshine, I must have missed your Phlox post. I love Phlox! Both the tall and the creeping phlox's are wonderful! Enjoy your trip and stay safe! Pooch, I am banging my head against the wall right now thanks to the mortgage company! They have a clause in their commitment letter that I want a written explaination of as it can be taken 2 ways and I don't like the 2nd way! Of course they don't want to so I left it at.. deal with my lawyer.. he's wants it in writting also! We were suppose to close last week!! I am about to lose my patience with them and get a different mortgage company. So, I'll miss Mothers Day.. but that's okay.. it'll give me more time to get everything just perfect! So.. needless to say, opening date is still up in the air. Again. LunaMoon, I will send you an email.. don't want to tip my secret pal off! lol Spring is on it's way! We had the warmest day yesterday.. 45 out! I see a few patches of grass and under the Hawthorn tree where it is bear I can see a few clumps of tulips and daffodils! Hoping for some rain to help melt the snow! I still can't tell where my pond is(thank goodness I know!), so the rain and sun have a lot of work to do! Don't tell my dogs I said that! They're Husky's and tend to enjoy the snow! lol Thanks again to my secret pal for the great card! Hope everyone has a great day! ~Dusty~

Hi I just wanted to express my thanks for YaYa and my pal for checking in on me. I truly appreciate it more than words can say. My pal has asked me to guess who she is....I emailed the person whom I thought it could be....I am not sure I am right as my pal doesn't talk about children in her letters but does in the posts. Hummmm Well soon I will know! I emailed her as I didn't want to post here as I don't want to be the cause of someone finding out who their pal is if they don't want to know!! My pal included scilla "White City" is my package this month!! Can't wait to see them bloom!! I don't have anything like them. Plus the fact that they are white makes me happy to add them to my angel garden in memory of my special nephew. Thanks my special pal for being so kind to me and taking the time not to only send a surprise package my way but always finding the time to write. My pal trains puppies to become therapy dogs which I think is so wonderful!! What a special person. I thank you for doing that as there is such a need for that. I admire that you are able to let the pup go after being trained. Bless your heart as I know that can't be easy! Hugs! Take care and enjoy your weekend!! Looks like some more warm weather! Yippie I may just get caught up on my planting yet!!