Oops made a mistake should not use peat moss in the mix as acidic and floats.

I've been experimenting with lasagna gardens this year and have some success...and some almost failures. The tomatoes are huge..but mostly greenery and the fruit is wrinkled so I guess I should have watered more even though the lasagna stayed moist. Picked the first ripe ones yesterday. The acorn squash have taken over the bed and are climbing the fence now and are setting squash. I planted a row of corn in a brand new lasagna bed and it is doing well. It was nothing but grass clippings and shredded paper with a small amount of compost. I thought it would get a foot high and then keel over. Not so, it just keeps growing and even though I planted late, is starting to tassle. Another last minute bed is woodchips and grass clippings (obviously the grass is growing this cool summer) with only enough compost to plant seeds in. Last week, I seeded this one with parsnip seeds and last night it looked like every one had germinated! This in my experience is very unusual. They usually take ages to germinate and then are spotty. There are so many coming up I thought they were weeds! Meanwhile the beans are producing well and one of the best veggies this year has been the peas. With all of the cool weather they are still producing. It's been quite fun trying this type of gardening.

I make sweet and sour chicken in the crockpot all the time. I don't think it will necessarily be a flop. Here are some tips for success - use all thighs or a mix of breasts and thighs--not the super-size breasts. Brown the meat first before putting in the crockpot. Don't cook for 8-10 hours, cook on low for 4-5 hours. I always start the dish on high til it gets up to temp and then turn down to low. Do not put the green peppers in the crockpot, green peppers turn bitter when slow cooked. Saute the green peppers in some canola or soy oil and add them before serving the chicken. Don't add the cornstarch at the start. When the chicken is done, take it out and add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I usually pour all the sauce ingredients of the crockpot into my braising pan to thicken with cornstarch. Then I add the chicken back in and serve the whole dish from the braising pan--I like it for presentation. I serve over brown rice--yum! These tips work with all my crockpot chicken recipes--moroccan chicken and chicken cacciatore too. I get raves when I serve these dishes to guests, which is something I wasn't expecting for me preparing meat dishes since I am usually vegetarian when cooking for myself. The tips came from the Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen Cover and Bake Cookbook. Good luck, and report back how it worked.

Annie's Salsa is delicious. I canned up 13 pints last week and we've already eaten 4 pints and I gave 1 pint to my carpenter. I also made some Peach Tomato Salsa to use up the last of my tomatoes and I thought it would be a nice condiment to pork chops. Today Joe grilled 1 chop to for lunch try it out and he deemed it "very good". The Peach Salsa definitely packs a punch. Peach Salsa (William Anatooskin) 6 cups chopped peaches (about 3 pounds) 3 large fresh tomatoes 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions 4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped 1 large sweet red pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro 1/2 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons liquid honey 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1. Sterilize 8, 1/2 pint jars, then place upside down in a 325 F oven for about 15 minutes. 2. Blanch peaches, cool in cold water, peel, pit and chop to measure 6 cups. 3.Blanch tomatoes and cool with cold water, peel, remove seeds and cut into chunks. 4. In a large stainless or enamel cooking pot, combine peaches, tomatoes, onion, Jalapeno peppers, sweet red pepper, cilantro, vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper. 5. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 6. Adjust seasonings to taste. 7. Add more cayenne pepper if you desire a spicier taste. 8. Ladle salsa into hot jars to within 1/4 inch of top for headspace. 9. Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula between the glass and salsa. Re-adjust the headspace to 1/4 inch. Wipe jar rim to remove any stickiness. Center lid on top of jar; apply screw band just until finger tight. Place jars in a hot bath in a canner and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and place on a towel, then cover with another towel to cool slowly. Jars are sealed when the lids pop and are curved down, (concave). Label jars and store in a cool, dark place. NOTE: You can substitute and use 6 cups of fresh, chopped pineapple for a different flavor.