Regarding tebuconazole/water contamination, the EPA is investigating: "SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is publishing the third Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 3) since the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) amendments of 1996. The CCL 3 is a list of contaminants that are currently not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulations, that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems, and which may require regulation under SDWA. Today's final CCL 3 includes 104 chemicals or chemical groups and 12 microbiological contaminants." http://www.fralerts.com/2009/10/8/E9-24287.asp It is my impression that our federal government moves slowly. ------------------------------------------- This what the EPA stated in a December 13, 2007 report: ( http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chemical/foia/cleared-reviews/reviews/128997/128997-2007-12-13a.pdf First in the summary: "A screening-level (Level I) risk assessment, based on proposed new uses, suggests that levels of tebuconazole (parent compound only) in the environment are likely to result in direct chronic risk to freshwater and estuarine/marine fish, acute risk estuarine/marine crustaceans, chronic risk to mammals, a& risk to listed terrestrial dicot plants. Based on the potential for direct effects to these tqa, there may be potential indirect effects to species of concern that depend on these taxa as a source of food, habitat, pollination, etc. Specific risk conclusions for each crop can be found in the assessment." Please look at Table 1. Concerning water contamination, the following 2 sections appear to apply: "Ground Water Advisory ) Tebuconazole is known to leach through soil into ground water under certain conditions as a result of label use. Use of this chemical in areas where soils are permeable, particularly where the water table is shallow, may result in ground-water contamination. Surface Water Label Advisories This product may contaminate water through drift of spray in wind. This product has a high potential for runoff for several months or more after application. Poorly draining soils and soils with shallow water tables are more prone to produce runoff that contains this product. A level, well maintained vegetative buffer strip between areas to which this product is applied and surface water features such as ponds, streams, and springs will reduce the potential for contamination of water from rainfall-runoff. Runoff of this product will be reduced by avoiding applications when rainfall is forecasted to occur within 48 hours." ------------------------------ As previously pointed out the European Union has acted. It is my impression that Ontario has a ban for home use; I am not sure about the other Canadian provinces. Could any Canadian readers speak about this? ---------------------------------------- California in a July 16, 2009 report ( http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/risk/priot.pdf ) has placed tebuconazole in its "HIGH Priority" list to be studied for "TERATOLOGY". Teratology is defined at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratology

Tom, "John, are you using the white bags? I'd be concerned about the dyes and chemicals in the other colors.... " Good point. Heres what they (Greenbag Inc) say... "Is made from non-toxic, non-corrosive materials and safe color-fast dyes". I'm interested in these for several reasons, drainage, cooling and cost. I know they drain well, I don't think you could ever fill one with a garden hose. The upside down tomato bag I tried last spring stayed cool and it was black. The ones from Publix are a buck and I hear W mart's are cheaper. So I'll give it a try. john

I think you're all correct. It must be a crapapple tree. I am sure it's not thundercloud but thunderchild. Hubby must be mistaken! I spent the entire evening looking at crabapple trees and the one we have could be a Flowering Thunderchild Purple Prince. Now that all makes sense. Hubby kept telling me that we needed the "thundercloud" so our real apple tree would be fruitful. Our real apple tree didn't do too well this year. Ironically the crabapple tree exceeded our expectation. Maybe I should use the crabapples to make jam and apple juice instead. LOL Thanks all! Al

So often that I can't remember where I got the recipes that worked out well. I finally realized that I could save my "all-recipes" to a collection and started printing my others and putting in a folder in the kitchen. I'm still bad about taking my laptop in the kitchen and whipping something up without ever printing off the recipe. Then, when it works I can't find the recipe. Not a big deal in cooking as I can usually duplicate that but in baking bread (which I'm just learning the past couple of months) it becomes a problem. I make new recipes everyday that I'm not working and just about everytime that I cook so probably 3-7 recipes a week. Just started baking bread and love the added challenge. Cooking meals was getting boring. Bread is so much fun! Like kitchen science experiments. I even made my own starter from scratch without buying a starter culture!