Hi Linda! We just found a Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar in our backyard and I was thinking of you and all of your Black Swallowtail caterpillars. We've studied up on him a little and found that they love most of the tree leaves in our yard! So he's set up in a huge old lizard tank that my brother left here from our garage sale. What's the latest on your critters? This is going to be exciting for the kids and I! Kristy :) Here is a link that might be useful: Swallowtail Butterfly

Jay, It became a 'Kingness' when you posted that list. Until then, we only thought you had an addiction or an obsession. Now that you have been annointed King, there is nothing you can do but grin and bear it. You'd just better hope I don't show up at the Spring Fling with a Tomato Crown fit for a king. With the folks from Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri who post regularly on our forum, I just think of them as part of 'us' and anytime they want some kind of seed that I have, I'm happy to send them some, and they send me seed too. I tend to ignore seed requests from people who do not post on this forum because they're usually just looking for free seeds. Sometimes I will offer seed to someone who asks me questions about a specific variety but that's not the same thing as having strangers trolling the web for free seeds and I ignore those e-mails if I don't recognize the folks from this forum or the Tomato forum. I'm going to try to save OP seeds this year so I can share them , but I know that in order to do that, I need to do it early in the season before canning, freezing and dehydrating consume my days. I know from experience that once I'm spending 12 to 16 hours a day harvesting and putting up food, saving seeds will be the last thing on my mind. Diane, See....the Tomato King is turning into a Pepper King too. Those horses are really getting nervous. They are wondering if he's gonna put those containers in 'their' pasture. Jay, When I go to Tatiana's Tomatobase and start reading the lists/descriptions of varieties and seeds, I totally immerse myself in it and can wander around there for hours, planting dream gardens in my mind. I, too, take everything a seller says with a grain of salt and prefer real reviews from real gardeners. I'm looking forward to trying Mule's tomato crosses (Dora and Gary O Sena) that you sent me. I'm thinking of growing them all together in one bed along with Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Indian Stripe...and JD's Special C-Tex, just so I can closely compare their growth and performance side-by-side. Of course, I'll have to do many, many taste tests to choose my favorites....like THAT will break my heart. Tomorrow is THE DAY....the big day I've been looking forward to for such a long time......no, not because it's the Super Bowl. It's SEED-STARTING DAY! Well, you know that I'll watch the football game, but long before gametime, I'll have my 2010 tomato seeds tucked into the seedstarting mix, sitting on the seedling heat mat with those bright lights shining down from the shelf above. Seed-Starting Day is one of my favorite days of the year. On the day you start your seeds, the new gardening year stretches ahead of you in all its perfection -- nothing has gone wrong yet and there haven't yet been any disappointments. From seed-starting day forward, the gardening year is a tiny bit less perfect day by day as things begin to go wrong....seeds don't sprout or the weather acts up or whatever. But, for that one perfect day, everything is brand new and full of hope and you are sure that "this year, things will be different....and everything will be perfect". OK, I know that kind of gardening perfection doesn't really exist, but on Seed-Starting Day you can make yourself believe it does. Dawn

Dawn, I guess I've learned from my experiences over the years. When I went to work with my current employer 37 plus years ago I was one of a wave of youngsters they were hiring. There were those with 30 plus years and those with 5 and under and no one in between. One of the older gentlemen I learned a lot of my trade from told me several times. As you get older you learn to slow down and work wiser. Then you don't redo as much. I'm not sure about the wiser part but I have slowed down. I used to question why we would pay extra sometimes a lot for a part. He always said you pay for quality. Most of the older gardeners around here in the 70's and 80's had Troy Bilt tillers. I used to think they were overpriced and bought the cheaper models. Now after I've spent many times the cost of a Troy Bilt in the 70's on cheaper models I have a 77 model Horse that is still going. As with most of those older companies when they were sold to larger companies and corporations the quality went down. I'm an auction junkie but don't go as often anymore. Only when there is something I feel I can use and can't live without. But have saved many dollars buying at auctions. The part that never ceases to amaze me it those who buy these nice pieces of equipment and then they set for years and maybe use them once or twice. It is obvious after this year the Tomato Queens have out distanced me. LOL. To sum it up as I get older I guess I get lazier and believe in letting a machine doing some work for me. Although I only tilled the leaves, additives and mulch in4-6 inches. Then as I set each WOW or bucket I'll take my all iron spading fork and loosen the soil in the area 10-12 inches down. I don't plan on adding anything to the holes this year as I plant. The tests show I don't need to. I will add something later. Jay

Here is another recipe. It is from about.com, but pretty similar to what we made growing up in Germany. I'm just to lazy right now to translate my German recipe. Dampfnudeln These dumplings caramelize on the bottom, which gives them a nice, chewy bite with soft insides. Serves 4 for dinner, 8 for dessert. Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (1/2 envelope) 4 T. sugar, divided 1/4 c. lukewarm water (110°F) 3/4 c. lukewarm milk (110°F) 4 T. melted butter, divided 1/4 tsp. salt 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour, or more if necessary 1/2 c. cold milk Preparation: Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, or until bubbly. In a bowl, stir the milk, melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until dissolved. Add the bubbling yeast mixture and then the flour, beating until a smooth dough forms. Add flour as necessary, until the dough can be formed into a soft ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes. Place it back in the bowl, which has been lightly greased or sprayed. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10 inch skillet or saucepan with a tight lid. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, arrange the dumplings in the saucepan and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes without peeking and then check. Keep simmering until the dumplings have absorbed all the liquid. Remove from heat but keep warm until serving. Serve warm, bottom side up, with Vanilla Sauce and tart fruit compote. If you have leftovers, place them on a plate, bottom side up and cover with a clean towel, not plastic. Eat cold or reheat in oven. Eat within 1 day for best quality.