Have you tried weed-b-gone on the sheep sorrel?

Congratulations! QMs are very easy to raise and are lovely caterpillars. No two seem quite the same. The chrysalises are lovely too and very noisy (they move a lot when disturbed and tap against the top of the container). I usually take the leaf and put it on a paper towel in a sealed tupperware container. I don't put it in a pick or anything. I will put a drop or two of tap water on the paper towel. This usually keeps the leaves fresh enough till they hatch. Try the pick first but keep an eye on the little guys. I worry about losing one if the seal on the pick is not tight enough. That is why I don't use one if I can help it. You can experiment with this method by taking various leaves in and putting them in tupperware (before eggs). So far as long as I keep the towel slightly moist, I haven't had a problem. I hope you have a good supply of leaves. Elm works well too. I find unless your hops vine is fully grown it is not enough. Good luck, Elisabeth

Hand digging, Preen or another pre-emergent and a grass herbicide are all you can do. There are no vinca saving broad leaf or broad spectrum herbicides. Grass herbicides would be safe, but your weeds are broad-leaved. A pre-emergent will help some, keeping new things from germinating. I've had very spotty luck with them this year, however. I guess it would have been worse had I not put it down.

OK, don't panic about the oxalic acid, other more common greens have it too, like lambsquarters, beet leaves, spinach, swiss chard (leaves & stalks), rhubarb, and parsley. All things I like. Moderation is key, unless you have problems with calcium absorption or kidney stones. I just finished the batch, it is pretty yummy, and I can see why people liked it in the spring, because back in the day lemons weren't commonly available. The stuff looks like something you would need to clean off of the aquarium though. I very vaguely followed a recipe for "Saint Bertille Herb Soup" from a cookbook called "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups" by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourette. (What a name!) I love the book, got if for Christmas one year. The actual recipe sounds good too. It calls for lettuce, parsley, watercress, scallions and chervil, none of which I used, lol! I sort of subbed the herbs I had, and some wild onion bulbs from the yard and some dried chives and dried chervil. And the juice of a wrinkly lemon. The combo of bolted cilantro and the tartness of the sorrel was good. Also in there was thyme prunings and dill volunteers, along with some dandelion greens and some frozen spinach. I also didn't have cream so used 2% milk and lite cream cheese mixed. Also added one yellow potato. Saint Bertille Herb Soup - from "Twelve Months of Monastery Cooking" 1 small head leaf lettuce 1 bunch sorrel 1 cup chopped parsley 10 scallions or 2 leeks 1 bunch watercress butter 1 1/2 quarts vegetable stock 1 cup white wine 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half 1 egg yolk, beaten 1/2 cup chervil salt and pepper to taste Shred the lettuce and the sorrel. Chop the parsley, scallions and watercress into small pieces. Melt the butter in the soup pot, add the chopped greens and cook slowly for a few minutes over low heat. Stir continually. Add the stock and the wine. Cover the pot and cook for about 40 min. Remove the pot from the heat, add the cream, beaten egg white, chervil, salt and pepper. Blend well in a blender. Reheat the soup for a few mintues, but do not allow it to boil. Refrigerate the soup and serve cold. Or it can be served hot with slices of French bread on the side. Note: I pureed the soup in the pot with a hand blender. I mixed the egg and milk together, and then slowly added 1 cup of the broth to that mixture. Then I slowly drizzled the egg mixture into the warm soup. I cooked it on low to cook the egg for about 10 min. It didn't curdle! I will be eating this hot, as I can't abide by cold soup for some reason. Gazpacho and cucumber are all I have been able to stomache.