Unripe apples can be made into apple jelly or pectin stock for making other jellies. They don't need any prep other than washing, destalking, boiling and straining. The larger ones could be used for apple sauce, stewed apple or any other cooked apple recipe. The Harvest Forum can probably offer other ideas and advice on safe canning procedures. Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest Forum

tricia - Those are lovely little tarts... I'm another fan of tart pans, especially my fluted set with removable bottoms. I also have glass pie dishes that are 5-1/2" and 7-1/2". I get 4 small servings out of a 5-1/2" dish, which usually contains a 1/2-cup of fruit (which is a serving size) per slice. The 7-1/2" dishes are perfect for making half of any of the varieties of "Impossible Pie" recipes, and I'll use the 5-1/2" dishes for 1/4 of a recipe. barnmom- Hint: If you have one of those gadgets you push through the apple that cores and slices it, I find it's quick and easier to peel each slice instead of the whole apple - especially when working with small apples, such as Jonathan. It's also easy to cut each slice into 2-3 slices if I want them thinner. -Grainlady

you can get Japanese beetle traps as well as well as beneficial nematodes that kill the Japanese beetle grubs they can be applied in spring or fall.

Elmer, In today's world where you have to wait for weeks to hire a competent HVAC contractor not taking on the job where the customer is more likely to generate call backs is more likely. But then again I suppose there are people who will install anything you want and then use it as an excuse to not fix any problem. Katri, In cases where the heating load value falls just above one size, or just below the next size, the contractor uses his judgement whether to round up or down. You also have to remember that the 9,000 and 15,000 BTUs are nominal sizes. The actual BTU output of is usually a smaller number. The actual outputs differ by manufacture and model, yet they will be labeled with the same nominal size. The other thing that is also happening is the number of units differ in the quotes. One contractor may say the whole house can achieve a uniform temperature with 3 units, another may say you need 4 units. That is more of a distribution decision. This is the drawback of mini splits versus a central HVAC system. Maintaining an even temperature though out the house is more difficult. You might be forced to over design in sizing.