I was emailing back and forth with Richard Cowles of the CT Agricultural Experiment Station, entomologist who is working on baits and controls. He gave me this recipe for bait: "I was the one who came up with the vinegar, grape juice, alcohol combo. It is an alternative to 60:40 mix of red wine:apple cider vinegar. This mix is much, much better than apple cider vinegar alone. It is also only a fraction as attractive as the actively fermenting baits, the best of which, so far, is 12 fl oz water 1 c whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp active dried yeast Yes, this is a super-attractive bait. You could probably use less yeast, and simply let it multiply." No sticky card needed, though it is easier to count the flies. I was seeing flies around a patch of wild blackberries that were shaded. The 90-degree temps in July probably kept them from moving in too early but they're here now. He suggested netting the TC blackberries I planted last year that are ripening now, but problem is primocane-fruiting raspberries are still flowering and bees need to get in. He's working on some new methods of control, but it's a challenge: " I am working on a number of tools, including attract-and-kill baits, and am improving attractant traps to the point where it may be possible to protect cane fruit with the combination of Entrust and use of these traps. The problem is that Entrust may only be used twice, and then a different class of insecticides is legally required before you return to using Entrust. Plus, Entrust may only be used three times, totally, on one crop. Without an effective insecticide to use in a rotation with Entrust, organic production of cane fruit while maintaining fruit quality when SWD are present is practically impossible." He said some flies seem to be recovering after spraying pyrethrins, but since you have to use a different class after using spinosad, I don't know what else an organic grower could use. I suggested kaolin clay and he replied that it was promising: " I believe that SWD can travel several hundred feet in a day through fruit crops. They also disperse throughout a crop because they may travel back and forth to shady places in nearby woods. I believe that kaolin clay is a good option. Based upon my lab tests, flies encountering the clay are repelled and die within a few hours (it’s a pretty good desiccant). Pyrethrins have not proven to be effective. There are reports that the flies may recover following poisoning, which is a very bad development. " Fine netting (I'm using sheer curtains) after pollination is the best we can do right now. I'm not selling any more soft fruit this year - just using the blueberries I picked in July and froze for jams. The domesticated RB and TC BB are too few to market, only planted a few last year but they're spreading, I was hoping to have a nice patch for market in a few years. Wild blackberries are fairly prolific (a little dry in July for them) after last year's drought and I was planning on a good cash crop with them this year but unless I pick the small patch just renovated 2 years ago (in full sun) and test with fruit dunk and don't find any larvae I won't be selling those. Of course the soak (and crush) makes them unusable for fresh, have to make jam or jelly out of those too. I do have yeast traps out he suggested every 30ft in grid pattern, so far I've just put them where I've seen the flies b/c I don't want to attract them to other areas. But netting the wild ones is not an option. I'm going to email him again and ask if I should just clear-cut and bag the infested area I've found along the roadway, or if I should keep the canes and traps there (while picking any overipe or damaged fruit to prevent reproduction) as a "trap crop". I didn't know they would infest apples and pears, thought it was just soft fruit. There is concern that Junebearing strawberries may be at risk - everbearing are.

If you averaged your winters lows over a 15-30 year period, which is what the USDA does, I think your area would be a solid 7b, but nowhere near an 8b or 9a. Not even Virginia Beach gets a solid 8b and is consequently still a zone 8a on the USDA zone map. Microclimates aside, you could possibly have to deal with 7a and even the ever more rare 6b temp in that period of time. Atlanta has even had zone 6a temps in a 30 year period. Milorganite is fine for the Trachy too and I use it in addition to palm fertilizer. I would up pot the bananas in a month or so and fertilize again. Musa Basjoo is corm hardy in our area and even futher north, so it can be planted in the ground and left out for the winter. It will grow much larger in the ground than in a pot anyday.

I made this today and loved it! I'm not sure it still qualifies as "healthy" when you return to the pan for multiple servings though:). Recipe found on "Damn Declicious" blog. PS...I only had about 1/2 cup of quinoa on hand so used orzo for the other half and it was still delish. ONE PAN MEXICAN QUINOA Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Yield 4 servings Wonderfully light, healthy and nutritious. And it's so easy to make - even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan! INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapenos, minced 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetable broth 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 cup corn kernels 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced Juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately. This post was edited by funnygirl on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 16:24

Like most people have mentioned, I keep staples around the house at all times. Our family's staples, based on the foods we like to eat, are the following: pasta, brown rice, whole grain bread, soft tortillas, potatoes, onions, olive oil, canned legumes, nuts (we keep them in the freezer), peanut butter, jelly, pasta sauce, canned salsa, tomato products (I mostly use whole packed tomatoes and tomato paste), a few types of Progresso canned soup, milk, eggs, butter, some simple cheese for cooking, certain fresh fruits and vegetables (apples, oranges, bananas, broccoli, carrots, celery, baby spinach), certain frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn), canned pineapple, frozen meatballs (my own), a couple pounds of frozen ground beef and/or turkey (in one-pound packages), and a couple pounds of frozen chicken pieces (also in 1-1.5 pound packages), and a few frozen dinners. I'm sure I've forgotten things, but you get the idea. Oh, and in addition to the baking supplies, condiments, sauces and herbs and spices I always have on hand, I keep around a package or two of brownie mix, in case my (live-in, like-a-daughter) niece tells me she needs something to take to school tomorrow. These staples are the things I buy over and over, whenever needed. I used to have a list that I kept on my computer and printed out each week, but I've been doing it so long I don't need that any more. And if I buy something I don't need yet, I know I'll use it. I buy the canned staples in bulk when I can get a good price, and I try to get the best price possible on the rest, but I honestly don't worry a whole lot about it. I practice FIFO (first in, first out), too - if I buy a few pounds of chicken this week, but still have some chicken left from last week, I'll freeze the fresh chicken and use the frozen. With these staples, I can always prepare a meal without having to run out to the store. I don't plan meals ahead of time, but I have a general idea of things my family likes to eat, maybe two weeks worth of meals. As I'm making dinner one night, I try to think ahead to the next night and make a tentative plan for what we'll have. Sometimes I'll even do some ahead-of-time prep, though not often (usually only if I want to put something in the crockpot). In addition to the staples I always have on hand, I also buy meats, produce, or other things that look good or are on sale, but only if I know I can use them in the next day or two. I go shopping a couple times a week for produce, bread and milk, as my favorite market is four blocks from my house (not as good as Tally Sue, but not bad!), so there's always another chance to look for something good on sale. I do the same thing as Celticmoon, too, keeping a short list of things to get if I happen to be near a place that has them on sale. If I were you, I'd start this process by making a quick list of meals your family likes to eat. Take no more than five minutes to do this. Then take another five or ten minutes to make a quick list of ingredients in these foods. Voila! There's your list of staples to keep around at all times. Use the list to give you ideas of what to make on a given night. If you have some time, maybe it's tacos or roast pork; if you're rushed, omelettes or spaghetti and meatballs. All with your staple vegetables or whatever you've found on sale that week. Make another quickie list of snack foods for your kids. The basic snack foods we keep around are carrot and celery sticks, oranges peeled and pulled into sections (I just peel one at a time, then do another when Chloe eats one), turkey slices from the deli rolled up with cheese slices, nuts, raisins, fat-free yogurt, whole wheat crackers to spread with peanut butter or top with cheese, and apples. Sorry if I went into too much detail. Good luck!