mk I am in zone 5 in NE Ohio. I ordered 2 blue moon and 2 blue velvet from Burnt Ridge also. Beries Unlimited also have honeyberries. The reason I went with these two varieties is that they are late blooming some we could have some pollinators. I am curious about the taste of the honeyberry. I guess that we will have to wait a year or two to find out.

Jay, I harvest Choy Sum the same way Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan or Kai Lan) is harvested. So far I have picked twice from the plant sown on Ang.7 and the little stem for a 3rd picking is already showing. The 1st harvest gives me a beautiful rosette with a center stem surrounded with leaves and maybe a center flower head. The 2nd harvest is exactly the same rosette form and as beautiful and tasty as the 1st. The rosette is very showy in cooking presentation. Choy Sum in Chinese means "Center of the vegetable" and is often eaten in the rosette form so people can enjoy the center (a feast to the eyes and the taste buds). Unlike many leafy vegetables, Choy Sum center flowers taste great and flowering does not change the taste of the leaves. Too bad I didn't take any pictures before eating them. I was told that a Gai Lan plant can keep producing side shoots for up to 3-5 pickings. But the side shoots gets smaller after each time, and finally becomes impractical. I have not noticed significant size changes yet, but will not be surprised if it does get smaller. Come to think of it, maybe it'll be better to grow the regular Choy Sum so the 4th or 5th picking will not be too diminutive?

Natal, they're *amazing*! I read on one of the roasted tomato recipe sites that someone just kept mopping up the balsamic vinegar caramel -- I've been doing that too -- I take a bit of greek bread or naan about the size of one of those litstle morsels of deliciosity, pick up the morsel with it, and swipe it across the caramelized vinegar on my way off the baking tray (thanks for the parchment paper tip, golddust!). Oh my GOODNESS. They're so incredibly delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you to you and golddust! (DH loves them too--DD prefers them raw with the olive oil and a touch of balsamic, but not as much as we like) I'll do the next batch (this weekend LOL) @325. Less time to wait :) boop, green smoothies? I have a friend who eats nothing but raw, and she has a monster of a green smoothie every morning. I'd love to see your recipe to compare it with hers (maybe I can ask her if I could post it here, if you're interested?) And I just have trouble with dried pineapple, but that's just me. I've never taken to it as I have to regular pineapple. Now *watermelon*? Watermelon and balsamic? Watermelon cubes in salad with slivered roasted almonds and greens, etc.? I can't get enough of it! I'm like a watermelon junkie this summer, although the roasted tomatoes are #2 with a bullet...

Does anyone have personal experience with both Somerset and Petite Jewel grapes? I have both planted but my “Petite Jewel” seedless grapes which I bought from Whiffletree turned out to be small purple grapes with 50% mass made up by seeds. Obviously mislabeled. Petite Jewel is supposed to be a bit less hardy than Somerset. I want to know if it is worth it to try with another “Petite Jewel” or if I should just plant another amazing Somerset vine. My Somerset grapes were amazing. Here in zone 4 I started harvesting August 8th and finished with the last bunch from the vine today September 4. Early they are a paler red with a slightly spicy flavour with definite strawberry flavours. Early brix of 20-21. Later they turn darker red and become more aromatic. Sugar increased to a peak brix of 23. Acidity decreased and strawberry flavour was more prominent. My wife and I probably had a slight preference for the earlier taste but they were still winners later. They are a non-slipskin grape with a slightly crunchy texture. As of Sept 4 some grapes in the last hanging bunch were starting to shrivel. An absoluty wonderful grape and one that every cold weather gardener should have in their yard. I took samples to work and there were 100% unanimous amazement at the flavour and texture. Several people asked how they could buy vines for their backyard. Early - August 8 Later - August 25