Well, my whole garden is an experiment every year (Mom vs. the bunnies, Mom vs. slugs, Mom vs. the neighbor's cat. Who will win?). But my real experiment this year is growing potatoes. I used certified organic seed potatoes and planted them in raised beds in four short rows about a month ago and now have plants growing like gangbusters. I have hilled them once with soil, and again with salt marsh hay. One more hilling with the hay will probably be needed in a month, according to the directions I have. Having a bale of salt marsh hay handy has been great for the other vegetables, too, for mulching to keep the weeds down. And the hay smells like the ocean! I won't know the outcome of the "potato experiment" until it's time to dig some out. I am operating totally on a combination of info I got from Seedsavers (where I got the seed potatoes) and Gardeners Supply. I am not hoping for enough potatoes to get us through the winter (as if), I am just hoping for a few suppers with "mom grown" potatoes. Wish me luck!

I don't know exactly what you mean by a recipe for Rakkyo. Those in the jar are already pickled. If you mean those, what you do is remove 2 or 3 and put them on a plate. Have somebody else lock the jar away. If you skip this step, you'll go through the entire jar after tasting the couple you took out. For pickling it, I merely use one of the standard recipes, right out of the Ball Blue Book. They stay nice and crunchy. Most pickled onions you see in jars are erroneously thought to be pearl onions. They're actually Rakkyo. The Japanese pickle and export thousands of barrels of them every year, which are then broken down and repackaged. For fresh use, I often use Rakkyo as a substitute for shallots and pearl onions. Gives the dish a different flavor, of course, but I grow lots of Rakkyo. For instance, I made the following the other night, using Rakkyo instead of the specified pearls: Sweet & Sour Onions 1 lb pearl onions, peeled 1/4 cup wine vinegar 3 tbls olive oil 3 tbls sugar 3 tbls tomato paste 1 bay leaf 2 springs parsley 1/2 cup raisins Salt and peper to taste. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the onions are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Do not stir the mixture during cooking or the onions will break up. Revove the bay leaf and parsley. Check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Transfer the mixure to a serving dish and serve at room temperature. The second year I grew Rakkyo (first year of harvest) I came up with this use: Chicken Chinense 4 half breasts 1/2 cup trimmed and peeled Rakkyo 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup mayonnaise Juice of 2 limes 1/4 tsp cayenne Salt & pepper to taste paprika Cut each Rakkyo in half lengthwise. Combine with mayo, garlic, cayenne & lime juice. Slice breasts into fingers about 1/2" thick, cutting across the grain. Lightly saute stripes just until they turn opaque. Combine chicken with the mayo mixture. Let sit in fridge at least two hours for flavors to meld. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

I love onion soup! I've been making this recipe the past few years. ONION and FENNEL SOUP GRATIN Adapted from Ask the Barefoot Contessa (House Beautiful) Printable Recipe Serves 3-4 (May be Doubled) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/8 cup good olive oil 1-1/2 pounds large sweet onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (5 cups) 1 pound fresh fennel, fronds removed and cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick 1/4 cup dry sherry 1/4 cup brandy 3/4 cup dry white wine – I used Chardonnay 4 cups beef stock or broth 2 small bay leaves 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 slices of French bread, cut to fit soup bowls 2-4 ounces of grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese Heat the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot on medium/high heat. Add the sliced onions and fennel and sauté for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown. Add the sherry and brandy and stir and then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Add the beef stock or broth, bay leaves, salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the French bread slices in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes until they are nicely toasted. Remove the bay leaves from the soup and adjust seasoning. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and ladle the soup into the bowls. Place the toasted bread over the top of the soup and sprinkle generously with the grated cheese and broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and serve. https://savoringtimeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/onion-and-fennel-soup-gratin.html

Thanks Raee, feel much better. A friend of mine told me the other day to start harvesting dandelions too lol. I couldn't take it anymore and ordered delivery from Kroger last evening. Salad stuff, light bulbs and a few other things. Just before they dropped it off I remembered potatoes. I forgot to order potatoes! Still waiting for test results.