Hi Bill I am very familiar with a lot of ground cherry varieties and I can tell the difference in the taste, some are better than others, some are easier too. My aunt had a patch and they grew like weeds, no care and sometimes I would snack on them, not too often because she had the best fruits in her garden and so did I.:) If you liked the Pineapple variety, you will like the others even more, there is one that grows very tall and I think is the Hawaiian one, others are bush and Derek from Tampa had a variety that was so hardy! and spread like ground cover, I did not get a name but it had different leaves also. I sample few other varieties when at Monticello at the Harvest festival, one of the better ones was Aunt Molly. The small yellow are different varieties of ground cherries About the tomatillos, I grew Heirloom Purple and Toma Verde Green, very productive! and grew tall just like a tomato, they are somewhat easier but at the end of the season they get diseased with our humidity and also cannot take the freeze, I would start them in spring or if you are starting them now put them in a container, you will need support for them and move them when we get a freeze. December tomatillos in a salsa Silvia

Maybe there is something to the male/female plant requirement that is missing here, although I am still unsure about that. I am sorry yours haven't fruited yet, it seems to me they **** There are no male and female tomatillo plants. Each plant has perfect blossoms just as do tomatoes, but with tomatillos the blossoms are self incompatible meaning that no fruit set occurs. But pollen from another plant can do the job. It's been years since I last grew tomatillos but I've read here and there that for lots of folks they sometimes do take a long time to set fruit. (I thought that it could have been the lack of bees to pollinate the flowers, but I have regular tomato plants in the same area that have already yielded the first red tomatoes of 2007, so I know that's not the likely problem. Plus, they get at least six hours of sunlight.) Tomatoes self pollenize the majority of the time and no insect pollinators are needed, but to transfer pollen from one tomatillo plant to another, b'c of the genetic incompatibility, an insect pollinator would be required. Carolyn

Yeak, Skeip I was thinking all those veggies would be good as egg roll filling too. I make mine with cabbage, carrots, onions and tofu, but you can use pork or shrimp. Then stir fry the broccoli with the red peppers and squash and jalepeno for a spicy stir fry. Add other seasonings to your taste--sweet and sour, thai, schezwan (sp?). Then carrot pudding for dessert instead of carrot cake. Or go eastern european and stuff the peppers with the rice and veggies, or stuff cabbage leaves, tomatoes for a sauce or a lemon white sauce, and then bread and fry the squash or bake it with oiled breadcrumbs like escalloped. Roast the jalepenso and a few more peppers and toms and make a bruschetta for an appetizer, or mix the jalepenos with blue cheese and cream cheese and scallions for a different take. Or go Moroccan and combine as many veggies as you dare, some preserved lemons and dried fruit of your choice, lots of good spices like ginger, cumin, cinnamon, tumeric, corriander, garlic and I can't quite remember what all else, and add chicken thighs and do the whole thing as moroccan stew in the crockpot. Serve over rice or cous cous to be traditional. I do this with chickpeas for the vegetarian version.

I'd definitely be roasting the yam, the cauliflower and the carrots and celery. Yes, I LOVE roasted celery and that's the only way I like cauliflower at all. The lettuce and peppers can be a salad, with some of the radishes, or you could slice and marinate the peppers and make a nice side dish. In the alternative, you could make Marilyn's Pepper Salad or Pepper soup, I've made the salad and like it (but I like peppers), I haven't made the soup so I can't critique it. Bell Pepper Salad 1 each red, yellow and orange bell pepper 1 small fresh onion; thinly sliced 10 grape tomatoes; sliced 2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Dressing hand full fresh parsley; chopped kosher salt to taste Seed and thinly slice peppers. Combine ingredients in a pretty bowl. Great with Feta cheese. Fresh Herb Dressing 1/2 cup extra-light olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1 teaspoon salt fresh basil; chopped fresh oregano; chopped fresh chive; chopped (or garlic) Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Roasted Bell Pepper Soup 4 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers 1 tablespoons olive oil or butter 1 medium onion 4 cloves garlic; minced Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 4 cups chicken broth pinch of cayenne pepper to taste Place whole peppers on a rack place into a shallow oven-proof dish to catch juices. Set oven to broil and place peppers 5-inchs from heat source for 30 to 35 minutes, turning occasionally until skin is blistered and browned, turning often. Immediately place peppers in a plastic bag and close tightly. Let stand at least 20 minutes to cool. Remove skin, seeds and stems. Cut into strips. Meanwhile, In a large heavy saucepan, heat olive oil; add onion, along with salt and pepper and sauté until softened but not brown. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add roasted bell peppers and broth; bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 25 to 30 minutes until reduced by half. Puree in small batches in a blender. Return to saucepan by pouring through a wire strainer; season to taste. Garnish with unsweetened whipped cream. Serves 4 generously. *Puree soup while still hot for a velvety, smooth texture. Do not fill blender more than 1/3 full at a time and vent the top for steam to release Marilyn Ann T has a great recipe for a pepper tart: Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Roasted Red and Green Pepper Tart ================================= One quantity short crust pastry FILLING 3 red peppers halved and seeded 3 green peppers halved and seeded 60 g (2 oz) grated mozzarella cheese 40 g (1 ½ oz) grated parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil 75 g (2 ½ oz) black olives freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400°F Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and place in a 9 inch tart tin. Line with nonstick baking paper and fill with baking weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake further 10 minutes or until golden brown. To Prepare Filling: Roast peppers until blackened. Place in a plastic bag stand for 10 minutes. Peel skins from peppers and slice into strips. Rinse off any black skin still remaining, with cold water. Sprinkle base of pastry shell with cheeses and top with peppers, basil, olives and pepper. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 to 25 until heated through. Short Crust pastry 250 g ( 8 oz) flour 125 g (4 oz) butter chopped Iced water Place flour and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. If making by hand, rub butter in with fingertips or with two knives While processor motor is running, add drops of iced water until dough holds together. If making by hand mix with knife or wooden spoon. Press dough into a ball and wrap in paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes before rolling or shaping. Pastry can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. beverly has a great recipe for fettucini with a bell pepper sauce. It calls for chicken and cream, I know that's a "no-no" combo but someone else might like this: Fettucini with Chicken and Bell Pepper Cream Sauce 2 ounces skinless boneless chicken thighs 1 tablespoon butter 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 8 ounces fettuccine Additional grated Parmesan cheese preparationSprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Add green and red bell peppers and onion to same skillet and sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and sauté 4 minutes. Add whipping cream and chicken stock. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Cut chicken into strips and add to sauce. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add basil and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately. Makes 4 first-course servings. And now, the radishes. When Maureen and Nancy came for dinner a few months ago, I made a side dish of cooked radishes. They were surprisingly good, tasted vaguely reminiscent of turnips. All I did was saute sliced radishes and some snowpeas in some olive oil until the radishes were tender, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add some butter for taste, salt and pepper. I've also got this recipe saved for next year's radishes, although I haven't tried it: GLAZED RADISHES 1 lb. 1 tbsp. 1 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 2 tbsp. radishes, trimmed unsalted butter sugar salt minced fresh parsley leaves In a heavy saucepan wide enough to hold the radishes in one layer cook the radishes in the butter with the sugar and the salt over moderately low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water, simmer the radishes, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are tender, and boil them, uncovered, shaking the pan occasionally, until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Cook the radishes over moderate heat, swirling them, until they are coated with the glaze and sprinkle them with the parsley. Gourmet, April 1991 As for the mushrooms, stuff em! LOL As an alternative, I might make the broccoli and cauliflower into that salad with raisins and sunflower seeds that my kids like so well: Cauliflower Broccoli Salad 1 head of cauliflower, separated into flowerets 1 bunch broccoli, separated into flowerets 1 small onion, chopped finely 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar Crumbled bacon, optional Combine cauliflower, broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds and onion, bacon if you're using it. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Pour mayonnaise mixture over vegetables; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours. Annie (who just LOVES vegetables!)