I grew strawberries for many years, and learned this along the way. If you mulch strawberries with red or white pine needles--the long ones, it makes the strawberries sweeter. It protects them from drying out in warm weather and protects the roots in cold. It keeps the berries off the ground and prevents them from rotting. Keeping in the moisture makes the berries juicy too. My neighbor had pine trees and was only too happy to have me clean up the fallen needles from under his tree. I put a 3 or 4 inch layer of needles and moved them away a little so the stringers could set down roots when the started to come. Yellow leaves are usually a sign of too much or too little water or too little fertilizer

Here's a few more to add to your repertoire: HOMEMADE RICE-A-RONI 3/4 cup long grain white rice 1/2 cup broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta 1-3 Tblsp. butter 14 oz. chicken broth 1 tsp. chicken base 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes 1/2 tsp. garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste Preparation is the same as stated on the box of Rice-a-Roni. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the rice and pasta until lightly browned. Add the chicken broth, base, parsley and garlic. Add any other seasonings if you would like. Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes without lifting lid. After 15 minutes check to see if all liquid has been absorbed and fluff rice with a fork. If the rice is tender but it is still a little wet just let it sit on low with the lid off for a few minutes. GREEN CHILE, CHEESE, AND RICE CASSEROLE 1 cup long grain rice 2 cups boiling water 1 tsp. salt 1 Tblsp. butter 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles 1-1/3 cups sour cream Salt and pepper to taste 3/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded Cook rice according to directions in water with salt and butter. Combine rice, chiles, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. Turn into a greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in a 350° F. oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and rice is heated through. Serves 6 to 8. CRUSTED ASPARAGUS (UBERKRUSTETE SPARGEL) 2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and boiled or steamed until barely tender 3 Tblsp. butter 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Place the cooked asparagus in a buttered baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with the cheese. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 450° F. oven 10 to 15 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serves 4 to 6. YAYA'S GREEK POTATOES 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks 2 onions, sliced 2 Tblsp. olive oil 1/3 cup vegetable broth (may use chicken broth) 1 tsp. oregano 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated 2 lemons, zest & juice Dried Parsley Sea salt & pepper Paprika powder Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the cut up potatoes and onions in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside while you make the lemon dressing. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, broth, oregano, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil, in a slow steady stream. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and onions, and give everything a good toss. Sprinkle with additional salt (for crunch), paprika (for color), and parsley (for presentation), and put into your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, give the potatoes a toss, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so.

Ok I have another Greek recipe, tastes great room temp and can be made a day or two in advance. I would recommend heating up morning of or maybe just pulling out of fridge till it reaches room temp before serving. This recipe I got from greek.food.com and I actually just made it two weeks ago for company. I made a few changes - parsley instead of cilantro, and I used zucchini plus eggplant. I also used two fresh tomatoes and one large can of san marzano whole peeled tomatoes. This was for about double the recipe below. The key to this is just making sure you cook it long enough. Other than that you can add as many veggies as you like in whatever combination you want. Just make sure you add enough seasoning and tomato to cover any extra veggies you add. This is for 6 servings - I doubled for about 12 ppl as a side and had maybe 2-3 servings leftover. 5 large zucchini, washed and scrubbed and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices (I used red and russet both came out well) 3 -4 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 large onion, peeled, cut in half, each half cut into thirds, large wedges (Spanish or Bermuda) 2 large tomatoes, peeled and quartered 1/4 lb hard cheese, cut into large chunks (I use 'kefalograviera or 'myzithra' which you may not have, something like Parmesan would be excellent) I have also made it with out any cheese, tastes just as good. 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon oregano 2 tablespoons fresh spearmint, minced (or 1 tsp dry) (Can be omitted) 2 tablespoons cut cilantro (optional) (I use Parsley) Salt and Pepper Preheat oven to 420 Mix all ingredients in a large roasting pan. Cook for approx 2 1/2 hours stirring about every 30 minutes or so. You really want everything to be kind of melted together. Melissa

Not for the non chilli lovers. Chilli chicken in maple syrup. Chicken breast Water Maple syrup Chilli flakes Slice a chicken breast quite thinly crossways into rounds, approx 5mm. Add approx half a cup of water to hot fry pan to cover base. Add half a cup of good quality maple syrup to hot water. Keep heating till simmer. Add chicken slices and sprinkle a teaspoon of chilli flakes over chicken (more or less chilli depending on heat of chilli.) Simmer approx 2mins then turn all slices of chicken and simmer further 2mins. Serve with the sauce. That’s it. Salt and pepper added at table. Above is how I cook but recipe is adapted from a Donna Hay recipe.