Vlad, I've just read this thread going through pretty much the same process myself. I found a lot of useful info over in the passiflora forum where the serious passiflora diehearts live. I also vacillate between kiwi/passionfruit/grapes/climbing berries. My parents have a beautiful kiwi plant in CA that doesn't produce. No matter what they do (they baby the thing, hand pollinate it, protect it from everything) it won't produce fruit, just foliage. My mom is ready to chop the thing down to replace it with something else. That made me give kiwi some second thoughts. In NZ and Australia, kiwi is much more a native plant. In regards to passionfruit, I understand there are quite number of different edible passionfruit varieties. I've heard you can order them from a place in FL and get the seeds that way) I've never tasted maypop from the US before, but from all the descriptions I've read, it doesn't sound like it can compare to the more delectable tropical forms. I've only eaten Australian passionfruit. I have just spent a year in Australia, and since then, I've been on a quest for passionfruit for my eldest son, blueberries/( perhaps serviceberries?) for my youngest son, and I think I'll have to quell my daughter with something other than mangoes and guavas (maybe strawberries?). It's hard to live in the Mid-Atlantic and love tropical fruits. It's been disappointing buying good looking but tasteless fruit in the stores. I'm learning that's it's probably better to grow your own or learn to eat native fruits. I'm a slow newbie at all of this:) I appreciate the concept of edibles (but have never grown anything but herbs/veggies) and love the seductive beauty of the passionflower and anything that is fragrant too. Given that I have a so little space for planting, I am always trying to find plants that multi-task (interesting, hardy, edible and fragrant). Low maintenance is also high on my criteria list. How low maintenance would containing passioflora be, I wonder? I don't know if I can deal with a bathtub. What other container options are you considering? Good luck!

I was looking for hot sauce recipes here and found this thread. Here is my recipe, which I posed on the Cooking forum last year: Habanero Chili Sauce The way I make it is to take a bunch of habanero chilies (12 to 20) and put them in a grill pan so that they will not fall through the grates of the barbeque, and then I char them slightly over mesquite charcoal, but you can use whatever charcoal you like, but it must be charcoal or wood to get the smoky flavor that I like. I usually roast a few cloves of garlic in the pan with the chilies, and I also roast a few of the large red or yellow bell peppers, to make the sauce a bit milder and make it go further. After the chilies are charred, I move them to a Pyrex or Corningware pan that has a good lid, and I let them steam covered. They must be covered right after they are removed from the grill. You can use whatever ripe chilies you have, but cayenne is not a very good choice because it is not very fleshy. You can include the tiny Thai chilies also, but I generally only use fairly large chilies, as they are better for making a sauce. After the chilies have cooled (sometimes in the fridge overnight), I remove the stems, some seeds, and some of the skin that is loose and put them through a food mill with the garlic, but you can use a sieve or colander, as long as the holes are small enough for the seeds not to pass through. Be careful of fumes at this point, and you may want to wear a snorkel to avoid breathing them in. You may want to wear rubber gloves also, but I generally do not. The worst part of it is when you have to rinse out the food mill, for when you do this, even more fumes come up in the air. When you have the bulk of the chilies through the food mill or sieve, add salt and vinegar - I generally add one part white Balsamic vinegar for four parts of chili puree, and I add a fair amount of salt - about one tablespoon per cup of sauce, but you can add more to help preserve it. I freeze some of it in plastic bags, but I have found that it keeps fairly well in the fridge, if you add enough vinegar. A lot of people add carrots and other vegetables to this sauce, but I prefer to keep it pure, and that way I have the most concentrated flavor. You get a lot of flavor in this sauce in a tiny amount of it. I highly recommend that you add the red bell peppers, as they also give a good flavor and make the sauce go a bit further. Lars

Adele - I'm so glad you are enjoying your swap package! After we started to get to know each other a bit online I was feeling like I was keeping a BIG secret! he he he Because you are a newer CF member, but jumped right in as an active participant, I thought you should have your own T&T favorite recipes. In fact, I'm thinking about making a similar binder for myself - you are now officially MUCH more organized than I am. The photo on the front of the binder is of white columbines I had in my garden prior to putting in a new patio that effected the area where they were. I'd love to find them again to add to the garden. They gained sentimental value after the shootings at the school in Columbine. I've been pondering how to do a calligraphy piece that incorporates that image. I have no idea what to do with Fuzzy Navel Jam and Blue Blazes preserves and Mango Ginger Chutney - I picked them because they were unique and YOU would have to use your imagination! Of course, the jam and preserves could go right on top of a bagel. The chutney, now that will take imagination although I've eaten it right out of the jar. Happy zesting and I hope you continue to use and enjoy it all. Karen

Cheese Ball 8 oz. cream cheese 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar 1/2 C. chopped pecans 1 clove garlic mashed with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 T. mayo MIx in blender. Chill. form into ball in roll in chopped nuts. Crab, cream cheese and chili sauce 8 oz. crab meat 8 oz. package cream cheese green onions sliced Sauce 1/2 C. chili sauce 1 tsp horseradish 1 tsp worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce 2 T. lemon juice 1 tsp chopped chives 1/4 tsp. parsley 1 tsp salt Spread cream cheese in small pie plate. Cover with crab meat. top with sauce. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with triscuits. Christmas pudding (I don't know where this name came from but that's what we call it) 8 oz. cream cheese 1 pkg. chipped beef 1/8 sp. pepper 2 tsp. milk 2 tsp. minced green onions 1/2 C. sour cream Mix together and place in 8" pie plate. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Serve with crackers Beef Cheese logs 1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 T.mayo 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 T. chopped green olives (I like to use jalapeño stuffed) * 1 T. minced parsley 1 tsp. finely chopped onions 1/2 C. finely snipped dried beef Blend cheese with mayo and worcestershire. Add olives, parsley and onion. On waxed paper, shape into two rolls 1 1/2" in diameter. Chill until firm. Roll in chopped dried beef. Serve with crackers. *Can use pimento stuffed olives, too. I don't even like olives but I love this. This post was edited by georgysmom on Sat, Jan 10, 15 at 13:37