A few more points. Pruning is very necessary, and you do want an open canopy so that limbs all get the same sunlight exposure. I never use the spikes there, and they have only been pounded in around a small evergreen in my front lawn. 10-20-10 is a chemical type fertilizer, and loses its minimal nutritional value very fast. If you expereience a bitter apple center, that is usually caused by low soil pH. Nearby my apple trees there are some blueberry bushes that need the acid. When I do apply any fertilizers and acid reducers around the blues, I must avoid getting it close to the apples. Never allow the apples that fall to the ground to remain there. They harbor disease and insects. Apple maggot and codling moth are the worst of the enemies. If you have Japanese beetles nearby, dose the soil with some milky spore. Its expensive, but a 10 ounce can will cover about 200 square feet, and lasts several years. A lime sulfur spray at bud break and again after he petals fall will help to reduce some disease. The same company mentioned above also has other orgainic based items for disease and insect control. One of the most useful is the Surround. I had two 50 pound bags of it, and mix it with water and spray a few times throught the summer. It leaves a white coating on the leaves and fruits. This irritates the bugs who land and feed. Its a clay based product and washes right off. I also use a few sticky traps. These are bright red apple shaped plastic devices that I coat with a very sticky goo. This is the same sticky as fly paper. This, along with scent lures attachd to the traps attract many bugs to the fake red apple spheres. By mid summer, the three traps I put out are just loaded with bugs. I have to scrape off all that goo using vegetable oil, and then reapply it, and hang them from other apple tree limbs. Soon, if you follow these guidelines, you should expect a good amount of nice apples. Be sure to apply the ferilzer out to the drip line (the distance out to the tips of the branches).

Well then, that must have been my problem because I did double the recipe!! I didn't realize you couldn't! I know you're not supposed to fool around with amounts in recipes so you keep the acid ratio correct, but where this was just strawberries and sugar and nothing else in the recipe I figured it was ok! I guess not! And I measured out 4 quarts of whole strawberries. The recipe was 2 quarts of strawberries and 6 cups of sugar. It didn't say to cut them or mash them before measuring - in fact (I'm remembering off the top of my head here as I don't have the book with me) it said to crush the strawberries one layer at a time and then to mix with the sugar, so it sounded to me like you measured the whole strawberries, then crushed them and that's what I did. I'm not going to fuss with what I already made - as I said, it won't go to waste as hubby will use it as pancake topping - we've even been known to plop a spoonful of jam in a bowl of oatmeal, so this stuff will work for that as well. But I'm glad I spoke up because for future adventures in jam, I wouldn't have known any of this and would probably have given up on it if I kept failing! And I thought it was weird that the jam recipe that used the pectin used an extra cup of sugar from the one without pectin. I've learned so much from just this thread - thanks so much guys! I want to take my next adventure into the realm of peaches! Peach jam sounds yummy and if I fail again, hubby does like peaches, so he'll have more pancake topping than he knows what to do with lol!! Lisa

This is a very good recipe for Pear Crisp from Cooks'. I don't know any reason why you couldn't use fragrant apples instead of the pears: Pear Crisp 9/2007 The test kitchen prefers a crisp made with Bartlett pears, but Bosc pears can also be used. The pears should be ripe but firm, which means the flesh at the base of the stem should give slightly when gently pressed with a finger. Bartlett pears will turn from green to greenish-yellow when ripe. Although almost any unsalted nut may be used in the topping, we prefer almonds or pecans. Serve the crisp with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 6 3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts (3 ounces), see note above 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces) 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces) 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Table salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon 3 pounds ripe but firm pears (6-7 medium), see note above 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process nuts, flour, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in food processor until nuts are finely chopped, about nine 1-second pulses. Drizzle butter over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles crumbly wet sand, about five 1-second pulses, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides and bottom of workbowl. Set aside while preparing fruit. 2. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and pinch of salt together in large bowl. Peel pears, then halve and core each (see illustrations below). Cut each half into 4 wedges and then cut in half crosswise (pieces should be about 1 1/2 inches). Gently toss pears with sugar mixture and transfer to 8-inch-square baking dish. 3. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Bake until fruit is bubbling around edges and topping is deep golden brown, 27 to 32 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.

I'll encourage you to add a little cheese to your fruit platter. I work with several people who are diabetic, and I've become increasingly aware of sugar in food. I know a number of people who would be limited to eating only the fruit on your menu. So unless you know everyone's dietary restrictions well, have mercy on those who can't tolerate the sugar. Will everyone be having some real dinner beforehand? A little protein goes a long way to help with the sugar rush. And going back to your menu, try to have your punch not too sweet, and I'll vote for a nice champagne type wine instead of the red. Oh, have a bottle or two of red on hand, but I'd just be pouring champagne unless someone asks for the red. Unless you will have an open bar, I don't think it's necessary to serve everything under the sun. The liquers and such may be nice, but really not necessary. I wouldn't bother.