Hi Elisabeth! I'm in the Farmersville/Germantown area, not far from Germantown metropark in Montgomery count. How about you? I think I am confused though, I thought this was snakeroot ... ... and it is commonly known as white snakeroot but is actually Ageratina altissima and not the same as the Virginia snakeroot that is the host plant. That also explains why I was confused about your difficulty finding it since it is quite invasive. I did spend a little time looking for the Virginia snakeroot but the mosquitos were eating me alive so I will continue looking this weekend. But I am positive they were pipevine swallows .. I did discover that something has been eating my pawpaw trees but didn't see any cats on it. And that's assuming I've correctly identified this as a pawpaw tree ...

Hi Lisa, Could you please let me know if the rest of the eggs laid are also light in color? I'm trying to figure out why all the eggs are the usual, vivid blue, and one is a light blue. Thanks for letting me know that your previous eggs did not change color in cold temps. I am just curious what would cause the difference in color. Thanks

I would hazard a guess that "cheese substitutes" are probably marketed to people recently diagnosed with lactose intolerance and are having a hard time giving up cheese, so are desperate! Dairy does not agree with me very well, (nor my father so this is probably a genetic inheritance) so I briefly experimented with some cheese substitutes, because I just LOVE, LOVE cheese! Well, they were a complete waste. I have however, found that soy milk is a fine substitute for regular milk for most of my uses, and since I was never a milk fan anyway, I don't miss it. There are whole cuisines that are very shy on milk and cheese and the beef that goes along with a cow-centered agriculture. Japan and India spring to mind . . . and India has close to a billion people. They don't think soy and other legume products are weird or a sign of deprivation, they have been part of their culture for hundreds and hundreds of years. And in Japan, their repertoire of fish and sea vegetables is vastly greater than what we would be used to eating. So anyway, I think the whole "substitute" nomenclature comes from trying to reach people who for various health reasons have to cut out the foods they are accustomed to and like. I don't think this is a totally bad idea, some substitutes are good and who knows what some people will like or not. But I think it also helps to embrace a totally different style of eating, and to explore different types of dishes you may have never been exposed to but find out you like. It's always better in my experience to embrace something new and joyful than to try and deprive yourself. I have a friend who had to change his circle of friends and take up jogging to quit smoking, but that was easier for him than to tell himself he had to give up cigarettes. Whenever he had a craving for a smoke he took a run! I know lots of people who have experimented with veganism (I work at a college and that is a time when young people try out new things since they start living on their own). If you just get a notion to "give up meat and diary" to become a vegan, and don't embrace a totally new way of eating and cooking, well you're bound for health problems. And if you're like some of my friends that just cannot abide by vegetables and vegetable products, then probably best to just skip the whole idea! I became a vegetarian 34 years ago, when I was 18 and started cooking everything on my own. That's how I developed a life-long interest in food and cooking, I had to seek out new ingredients and new cooking techniques. Just as a reflection of how truly "odd" our own American culture is, many, many of those foods and techniques had actually been mainstream 100-200 years before, or were mainstream in another culture. It's amazing how many of those ingredients and techniques have become mainstream again nowdays. Back when I started you had to join a food co-op to get any type of whole grain and other plant products. Now they are on the shelf of most larger grocery stores! No one had heard of gadgets like a bread machine and food processor! Now I'm longing for the day when locally produced food returns to the mainstream! We're getting there!

I was thinking along the lines of Cooke and Ntt Hou. How about some meringue shells? Not too much work. People generally buy them these days rather than make them and they're great just filled with fresh fruit. And sure, macaroons are one of my favorite ways to use them. Btw, when I freeze them I don't bother trying to find some container that fits them exactly. I just freeze them, and when they're frozen I take a piece of plastic wrap a little bigger than the size of the opening of the container and press it onto the surface of the egg whites, then pour a quarter to half inch of water on the wrap 'cup' and freeze it like that. Takes care of that drying problem nicely. When you go to thaw them, let them thaw in the fridge for a little while and then just pull out the plastic wrap with the disc of ice. Let them finish thawing and proceed. Sometimes I've actually done it without the wrap. Just wait a little while when it starts to thaw and pry the ice disc out. The plastic makes it pretty much foolproof though.