Don't believe all the "provides 60 trace elements" hype. Do you know how many you actually need? Do you know how many you get in home made compost? I saw one claim of over 70- does that mean that you will have an inferior garden with 60? What happens if you only get 45 of them- do you really know? Look at what grows in the soil around you. It sits there and mines trace elements that it needs. Compost it, and you'll get all that you need in the garden unless you live in an area with some strange deficiency of something weird. Now, I go to the beach on occasion and pick up seaweeed while I'm there- because it's a free compostable while I walk my dogs. However- my garden never suffered without it before I started collecting it. Folks that live near the beach and use it- well- that's using what's around you. Just saying that people are growing fantastic gardens without spending lots of (or any) money. Advertisers tell us how incredible this stuff is until we think that we can't garden without it- which is patently false.

Lisa.You know your favorite restaurant.You knew that once you ate there you had to keep coming back. Well this is also what owls do,and do well.I once worked on a farm that has U pick strawberries. They had 35 geese that they let lose in the fields at the end of the season to ride it of insects and pest.The summer I worked there three quarters of the geese never saw the strawberry patch.A pair of owls killed off 3\4 of the flock.At first they killed for food. But over the next week or so they killed to kill. They would kill the geese and leave them.One suggestion would be to put wire netting around the nest boxes with holes just big enough for your song birds to get though.Keep the wire back [cage like) to give the song birds room around the box.I don't think you would but remember killing owls is very illegal.While I enjoy song birds. I myself prefer the raptors. Off hand this is the only idea I can think of.Several years ago hacked Peregrine Falcons at Tunkhannock Falls in Ithica NY.They were wiped out by owls. While the Peregrine is the fighter jet of the bird world during the day.They don't stand a chance against an owl at night.

My younger son is a vegetarian and will be home just over a week between summer & fall semesters. I tend to cook mostly vegetarian when he's here anyway because he's usually here for such short periods of time but with only a week which will come out to maybe six dinners total, I'm probably going to just stick with meatless for every meal I cook. I've posted these recipes before but here are two of my favorite veggie meals. Anna's Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese (Pesto alla Anna) By Lidia Bastianich 3/4 pound(s) cherry tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups), very ripe and sweet (I use regular ol' tomatoes and just cut them into chunks) 12 large fresh basil leaves 1 clove(s) (large) garlic, crushed and peeled 1/3 cup(s) whole almonds, lightly toasted 1/4 teaspoon(s) peperoncino (crushed red pepper), or to taste (I leave the pepper out when making this for my son as he does not like spicy foods and it comes out just fine) 1/2 teaspoon(s) coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for the pasta 1/2 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound(s) spaghetti 1/2 cup(s) Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, freshly grated Rinse the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves and pat them dry. Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived. With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If youre going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.) To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to boil in a large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl. Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Garden Vegetable Enchiladas Bon Appétit : September 1998 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 3 cups coarsely chopped zucchini and/or yellow crookneck squash 1 cup chopped onion 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed 1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 1/2 cups whole milk (I use 1%) 2 cups (packed) grated Monterey Jack and/or sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces) 8 8-inch warm flour tortillas Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onion and sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in 1 cup corn, canned chilies and 1/4 cup cilantro; season filling with salt and pepper. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in chili powder, flour and cumin; stir 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook until sauce is thick and bubbling, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Mix 3/4 cup sauce into filling. Place generous 1/3 cup filling in center of 1 tortilla; roll up to enclose filling. Place enchilada in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup corn and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake vegetable enchiladas until heated through, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and serve. Again, I leave the chilies and reduce the amount of chili powder out when making this for Ben. The beauty of this recipe is that the enchilada sauce it makes is really good and you can fill the enchiladas with anything you like. Ben's favorite filling is spinach, black beans and corn. I have made this with chicken as well. Also, I don't bother to roll up each enchilada (call me lazy!) I just put a layer of tortillas, a layer of filling and another layer of tortillas.

Two of my favorite fall vegetarian soups---peanut soup and corn chowder. Both can be made 1 day ahead. Peanut Soup ----------- 1T peanut oil 1 onion, halved, sliced 3 garlic cloves, minced 3T curry powder 4C chicken stock (I use veggie stock) 1/3C rice (uncooked) 3 carrots, peeled, sliced 1/2C creamy peanut butter 1 1/2t sugar Chopped green onions and/or chopped cilantro Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and curry powder and sauté until onion is translucent. Add 4C stock and bring to boil. Stir in rice and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Puree about half of soup in blender with peanut butter. Return puree to saucepan. Stir soup until heated through, thinning with more stock if desired; do not boil. Mix in sugar. Just before serving, garnish with green onions and cilantro. Corn Chowder ------------ 1/2 stick butter 1 small onion, chopped 1/2C diced red bell pepper 1/2C diced green bell pepper 1/2t ground cumin 1/4t cayenne pepper 1/4C all purpose flour 1C canned chicken/veggie broth 1C milk (don't use skim) 1 16- to 17-ounce can whole-kernel corn, drained, liquid reserved Minced fresh cilantro (optional) Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers, cumin & cayenne and sauté about 8 mins. Add flour and stir 1 more minute. Gradually mix in broth, milk and reserved corn liquid. Bring mixture to boil, whisk until smooth. Mix in corn and stir until corn is just heated through. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve. (This is also good topped with sour cream and/or shredded cheddar cheese).