Why not give them a try? Conventional methods say to start them in early spring, when the soil has thoroughly thawed. So what if it's late spring? You might get something from them before the real heat hits. I think I'll try some too. PV

Paul, I love to have you paint the view. I'd love to see a picture of your finished work. The mountain to the right in the picture is Bastion and the lake is Shuswap if you're interested. As far as being in zone three as opposed to 4/5, I'm not sure if it makes a difference. Frozen is frozen - right? I think the problem come in with spring freeze/ thaw cycles. We don't normally have these in my experience but 2007 was the exception. I lost about 10 large, mature plants that were in pots. Up to then, I'd been just tipping them on their sides and that has always worked. I don't know what I did wrong, didn't tip them up early enough? Anyway, last year I made much more of an effort to get nearly all potted plants (75+) into an unheated garage. I had always taken the smaller, expensive, newer plants in there but I no longer felt safe leaving any outside. They all came back just fine in spite of the fact that we had snow in the spring after leaves were all up. The trick becomes when to take them out of the garage. Some people have said to wait until late May to be absolutely sure. I have no patience for that so I ended up throwing sheets over them. Maybe you should try with any duplicates you have first. Keep the precious ones protected longer and watch your weather reports. I've been trying to get more and more in the ground but it's a loosing battle I'm afraid. McT

trailrunner, I have this one from RobinKate, my family loves it. I'm thinking it would be very pretty made with the white tomatoes I grow every year: Tomato Orange Marmalade Adapted from Gourmet 2003 It is important that you use the best quality tomatoes you can for this recipe. You can use any color of tomato you want, a mix is especially striking. Don't use paste tomatoes as they do not have enough liquid in them. If need be in winter you can make a batch using 1 quart jar of home canned crushed tomatoes. However supermarket tomato look alikes will not work. A friend tried that once and when I asked how it was she replied, "Well... I ate it." Which meant no one else would. 3 pounds peeled, cored and chopped ripe heirloom tomatoes, including juices (the weight is after peeling, coring and chopping, including the weight of any juices) 3 cups sugar 2 organic juice oranges, washed 1 organic lemon, washed 1/8 tsp salt Place peeled, chopped tomatoes and their juices in a 5 to 6 qt or larger, wide pot, (the ingredients will all fit in a smaller pot but you need to leave space so they will not bubble over, ideally it should be at least 9 1/2 inches wide to encourage rapid evaporation). Slice oranges and lemons as thinly as possible, including peel and pith. I slice mine on my mandolin using the thinest insert and then remove all the seeds and slice the rounds into 4 pieces (and the pieces that are only peel I julienne, you can also quarter the fruit and then slice it as thinly as possible with a knife. Place the lemon and orange slices in the pan with the tomatoes, checking again for any citrus pits you missed, in the pot with the tomato. Add the sugar and salt and place over moderate heat while stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn the heat to high and continue to cook until the setting point is reached.* Using a canning funnel ladle hot marmalade into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Run a bubble wand or small knife around the inside of the jar to remove air bubbles. Use a damp paper towel to clean the surface of the rims, place a clean lid on top, add the rings and tighten as tightly as you can with your hands. Place the filled jars in a water bath canner and process for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up remove the lid, turn off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes before removing the jars to cool on a towel or receiving blanket. I don't know if this is the one you are looking for, but it's good. Thanks RobinKate, I know you're out there somewhere! Annie

Can't help with your bread, but I think the fruit thing you are looking for is called Rumtopf. It is of German origin. When I lived in England some friends kept a pot of it on a shelf in their kitchen. It was delicious, and the fun part is you just add more fruit as you use it! Here is a recipe I found when I did a google search: Rumtopf (rum pot) Recipe The ingredients: 1. fresh fruit 2. sugar 3. rum (or brandy) It is traditional to begin with the first fruit of the season. This typically includes strawberries, but fresh fruit is often available all year round. Start with your favorite fresh fruit, as long as it is ripe (not over-ripe) and full of flavor. Ideal fruits are: Pineapple (remove rind & core and cut in large cubes) Cherries (any variety, pitted) Apricots (halves, pitted) Nectarines (halves, pitted) Peaches (remove pits and cut in halves, quarters, or slices) Pears (cored, peeled & sliced) Plums (remove seed and half or quarter) Grapes (sweet seedless red or green grapes are ideal) Strawberries (don't wash, just remove stem & leaves). Strawberries will lose their red color. Raspberries (don't wash). Raspberries will lose some of their red color. Red currants (removed from stem) Other less ideal fruits, may be added if you wish: Blackberries or Blueberries (can be bitter and can discolor the other fruits) Watermelon and Cantaloupe chunks (can make the mixture a bit watery) Rhubarb (can make mixture sour) Bananas (too mushy) Citrus (too acidic) Directions: Wash and dry the inside of the Rumtopf. Wash and dry the first chosen fruit. (Don't wash Strawberries and Raspberries.) Remove any stems, seed and pits. In a separate bowl cover the fruit with an equal weight of granulated sugar and allow to sit for one hour. (example: 3 pounds of fruit and 3 pounds of sugar) Place the fruit, sugar and any juices left in the bowl into the Rumtopf. Pour in just enough rum or brandy to cover the fruit. Weigh the fruit down with a clean saucer or plate Cover the opening of the Rumtopf with plastic (to avoid evaporation) and place the lid firmly on top. Store in a cool place away from heat and sunlight. Adding additional layers of fruit: For each additional layer of fruit follow the instructions above, but use only half as much sugar. (Example: 3 pounds of fruit and 1 1/2 pounds of sugar.) After the fruit and sugar has rested for one hour, gently add this mixture onto the earlier layer. Do not mix the fruits. Add more rum or brandy to cover the new layer. Cover with fresh Saran or plastic wrap and the lid. Throughout the summer, repeat the process for each new fruit until your Rumtopf is full. Then allow the entire mixture to sit for another 4 to 6 weeks. It is best at 2-3 months, which is just in time for the Holiday festivities. Serving suggestions: Serve the Rumtopf fruits with its syrup (hot or cold) over ice-cream, cake, flan, puddings, or cheese cake. Serve in an elegant dish topped with whipped cream or cre frâiche. Serve as a side dish with any game meat. Serve the strained liquid as a liquor or after-dinner cordial. Add two tablespoons of the strained liquid to Champagne for a unique and elegant cocktail. Linda