Henry - oh my gosh! 2500 stems!! Now, we're into growing questions!! I'm frustrated this year because of: 1) 1 1/2 rows didn't come up, 2) new tubers barely are up, and 3) weeds (my fault), 4) My competitors at market come with at least 15 buckets of tall dahlias (one color per bucket). I may have planted some smaller ones too deep and we did have a gopher problem early on, but don't think that's the main culprit. I'm not a large grower, but do have 8 rows 4" by 50" -- enough I would think! So, question time: How do you plant yours? Single rows, multiple rows within beds? Do you use a hiller? I've seen one grower that does... How many plants do you end up with in order to have that volume?? Do you plant new each year or dig up and store them? Where/how do you store them? What are your favorites? I like the waterlily types...not always the cactus, or dinnerplate, though do have a few! I tried Karma's last year and they were fine, but without a hoophouse, not sure it was worth it for the quantity we had...may try again next year. I'm sure I'll think of more questions, but that's it for now! Thanks, Wendy

A couple years ago I was still using pear sauce that my mom canned in the late 80s. I put it into fruit smoothies so the color/texture changes were no problem. Not as good as the newer stuff of course, but perfectly edible. Pears and apples are fairly similar in my book, Linda Lou can tell us if I am imagining that. Marcia

Habanero Gold Jelly recipe uses dried apricots so the flavor definitely works. Not sure about coffee or cantaloupe. You could try some small samples - make sure to keep them in fridge or freezer after fermenting since there's no way to tell if it's acid enough to can (Hab Gold recipe has been tested, it has vinegar for acidity and also plenty of sugar and pectin to reduce the water activity so it's safe, but not what you want in a sauce). I think I posted a fermented pepper/garlic recipe on one of these threads - not sure how much fruit to add. And the mash had to be kept in the fridge though if you thin it out with vinegar I think it could be shelf-stable (as mostly vinegar). Haven't gotten enough ripe peppers to try it yet, hope in a couple of weeks - I have tons of green pods!

Chamomile - right... that's the first one. All for the herbs I have in jars, including the two pictured, I have used in the past to make a hair rinse. They include Horsetail, Southernwood, Nettles, Soapwort, Chamomile, and a couple others. Those are the only herbs I have - and they are all safe to use for the purpose in which I use them. It's just that it's been a really long time - years - since I have used any, and I forget what these two are, as I failed to label them. So, I was hopeful to see if someone might know, and also how long they last. Thank you.