Received my seeds today! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you Kamil and everyone! I'm just about to go start mine! I even got my favorite color, how's that for cool! Maybe we could do a swap based on color next time...Hm, I might have to start one of those based on purple.... :0) Thanks a bunch guys/gals it was fun!

Uh, asking how to make gumbo is a lot like asking how to make chili. Beans or no? Tomatoes or no? Similarly, you'll find all sorts of definitions and rules, most of which can be broken. Having said that, here are some observations based on many years of gumbo consumption in every place from family dinners to restaurants in New Orleans and southwest La. (My bona fides: I'm part cajun and lived in Louisiana the first 25 years of life. I've eaten--and cooked--lots of gumbos.) Gumbos usually all have a roux. It can be a mild blond roux or a dark mahogany brown roux depending on how much of a flavor you want it to impart and what thickening you want. By the way, the thickening power of a roux is inversely related to its darkness--light rouxs have more thickening power than dark rouxs. But there's no rule to say you can't have some of both. (Gumbos may, in addition, have either okra or file, but not both. For instance, chicken & sausage gumbo is usually a file gumbo--I've never seen okra in one. Likewise, seafood gumbos have might have okra but no file.) A lot of recipes for file gumbo call for adding the file to the pot at the end of cooking and then allowing it to sit for a few minutes. In my family, file was treated as a condiment on the table, add it to your personal taste. I like it a lot, but some people don't want to use as much as I do. Likewise for hot sauce. Have some Tabasco or sriracha on the table for people to heat their individual dishes. Sausage: andouille if you can find it, kielbasa if you can't. Don't bother using low fat sausage. It'll taste like hot dogs. Making a roux can be tricky to the uninitiated, but you might try the technique in the recipe that follows. If you have access to a water 'bullet' smoker (Brinkmann or similar, electric or charcoal), it's worth smoking up a bunch of chickens just to be able to make this recipe. Smoked Chicken and Andouille Sausage File Gumbo 1 fryer 3 to 4lbs, smoked 1 -1 1/2 lbs andouille sausage (see notes) 1/2 lb baked ham, diced (see notes) 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 cups onions, chopped 2 qt chicken stock (see notes) or water 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 2 tbsp chopped parsley 1 tbsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp cayenne 1 1/2 tsp thyme 3 bay leaves Flour vegetable oil Salt Gumbo File This recipe takes a fair amount of time, but the labor can be spread out over days. You can smoke the chickens one day, make stock another, and assemble the gumbo on yet another day. It works best with chickens smoked in a water smoker (Brinkmann or similar device) but you can substitute rotisserie chickens from the supermarket if you don't have a smoker or the time. It freezes beautifully, so I usually multiply the recipe 4 or 6 fold. A 'single' recipe (i.e., one chicken) makes a great meal for 4 hungry or 6 polite people. Get some chickens in the 3 to 4 pound range. Season them generously with black and red pepper. Smoke them for 4 hours or so in a smoker using hickory or pecan wood. (Don't use mesquite; it's too resiny for this dish.) If you use rotisserie chickens, use the ones with the simplest flavorings; don't go for the heavy barbecue sauced ones. Remove the meat from the cooked chickens and reserve, saving the skin and bones to make stock. Put the skin and bones in a stockpot with onions, celery and garlic. Figure roughly 1 medium onion, two stalks of celery, and one garlic clove per chicken carcass. Don't add salt. Add 1 or 2 qt. cold water per chicken carcass and bring up to a simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the top, simmer for at least a few hours. Strain it. Before making a roux, have your onions and other vegetables chopped up. You'll use them to arrest the browning of the roux. Make a roux: in a large pyrex measure (at least twice as large as the oil and flour, and bigger is better) or microwaveable glass bowl, use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour for every chicken. (So if you're making a 6-chicken recipe, that would be 3 cups oil, 3 cups flour in a vessel no smaller than 12 cups, and larger is better). Put it in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. It'll bubble and froth. Stir it well, nuke it again for 2 minutes. Stir. Nuke again for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat the nuke/stir cycles, 30 seconds at a time, until it turns medium brown (about the color of peanut butter) At that point throw in some of the chopped vegetables to arrest the browning. It'll steam (be careful). Mix well. Put the roux and the rest of the vegetables in the bottom of a stock pot, mix well, add a little of the stock and mix again; then add the sausage, ham, all the seasonings except for salt and file powder, and the rest of the stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes. The oil from the roux and the sausage will rise to the top; ladle it off and discard. During this time, make some rice. Add the reserved chicken meat, simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Degrease the dish again. Add salt only if needed (probably won't need it, especially if you used canned chicken broth). Serve over boiled rice. Each diner may wish to add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of gumbo file to his dish. Leftover gumbo can be frozen; figure 1 to 2 cups per person, and make a fresh batch of rice while the gumbo is thawing. Nothing better on a cold winter night. Notes on ingredients: Andouille is a rich and spicy smoked sausage. Acceptable substitutes are kielbasa or smoked sausage. Don't use low-fat turkey sausage--it'l taste like hot dogs. Ham: get a chunk from the deli and cut it into 1/2 inch dice. Gumbo file is powdered sassafras leaves; it thickens the broth and gives an herbal touch. Both of these ingredients are available at most big supermarkets. Chicken Stock: If you don't want to make stock, you can use canned stock but that can make the dish salty. If you can find reduced-sodium broth, that's the best. You can always add salt if needed. Half canned stock and half water is okay. It'll even taste acceptably good if you use 100% water instead of stock, but stock makes it richer. For the ultimate in rich flavor, use the liquid from the smoker's water pan as part of the liquid you use to make your stock; just be sure to strain it well.

Ruthanna -- This recipe appeared in Chicago Trib's Good Eating section today. I, obviously, haven't made it but their recipes are consistently outstanding and it does sound great! Turnips glazed with sherry vinegar Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings 1 3/4 pounds small turnips (about 12 small turnips with 1 inch of stems attached) 1 small shallot, minced 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1. Peel the turnips; cut into quarters, leaving the stems attached. Combine turnips, shallot, water, butter and salt in a large skillet. Stir; cover. Cook over medium-high heat until the turnips are almost tender but still slightly crisp, about 8-10 minutes. 2. Uncover; increase the heat to high. Cook until water disappears and bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan begin to brown. Stir in the walnuts; cook until the turnips are covered in a brown glaze, 8-10 minutes. 3. Add the vinegar. Stir to mix well; scrape up some of the brown glaze from the bottom of the pan (you won't get it all). Nutrition information per serving: 99 calories, 62% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 8 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 487 mg sodium, 2 g fiber Angie

Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate is a great potluck dish. This dish can be served warm or room temp. Quote from the Silver Palate " The chicken keeps and even improves over several days of refrigeration". Don't be put off by the ingredient list, people just love this dish! Chicken Marbella - Serves 10-12 9 pounds chicken - either whole birds quartered or a combo of thighs and breasts (If using breasts be sure not to overcook) 1 head garlic peeled and chopped 1/4 cup dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup pitted prunes 1/2 cup pitted Spanish olives 1/2 cup capers and a bit of the juice 6 Bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped Combine chicken garlic, oregano,salt,vinegar, oil, prunes, olives. capers and bay leaves. Marinate & refrigerate overnight. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large baking dishes. Spoon marinade over evenly. Sprinkle chicken evenly with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake in a for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350. Do not over cook. Transfer chicken and prunes etc to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Pass the remaining sauce in a sauceboat. If preparing a few days in advance refrigerate cooked chicken in the sauce and allow to come to room temp before reheating, just until warmed through. If serving cold allow to come to room temp before serving. This is another tasty dish for a group and it reheats well too. Chicken Cacciatore 8 Chicken breasts or a combo of breasts and thighs 1 1/2 T Olive Oil 1 1/4 c Onions,Chopped 8 oz Mushrooms,rinsed, drained , and quartered 1 1/2 t Garlic,Minced 1 t Dried Oregano 2 T Parsley,Chopped 2 c Tomato Sauce 1/2 c chicken broth 1/2 c Kalamata Olives, pitted and quartered (optional but I think they really add to the flavour)) Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp oil into a 10-12" nonstick pan over med-high heat. When hot,add the chicken and brown well(work in batches if it won't all fit). As chicken pieces are browned, transfer to a foil pan (8-9" square). In the same pan, add the remaining oil and the onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano and parsley. Stir often over med-high heat until vegetables are limp (12-15 minutes). Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often; reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes to blend flavors. Add olives to sauce, remove from heat and pour over the chicken in the pan. Seal pan with foil and bake, covered, in a 375°f oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.