This, of course, will all be guessing. The orange powder sounds like some kind of fungus or mold. (just guessing) What condition is your soil in? Loose? well-drained? (poor drainage would definitely contribute to fungus, molds, mildew, etc.) When was it last tested? Does your soil have proper fertility? Is your Ph near neutral? As a rule, if plants are growing in good soil, with adequate nourishment and water, they will be healthy enough to fight off onslaughts of aphids, molds, etc. Second, are your plants spaced adequately? Over crowded conditions can definitely contribute to fungal problems. My first response to aphids is to spray them off the plants with a strong jet of water. If your plants are healthy, this should suffice. If they are not healthy, you need to see to that. I am sure others will have more ideas.

Thank you Carol for your reply! I will definitely contact her. I certainly am not the only one on the continent who wants to sell home preserved food! Amazingly I got a quick and helpful reply from my State's food safety officer in one day! The gist of it is -- that savory jellies and fruit/savory chutneys are low acid (pH >4.6) for the majority of ingredients with some acidification in the process to lower the pH but they are NOT exempt from filing a Scheduled Process as acidified food like fruit jellies are. Those are exempt (since they have a beginning and finished high acid equilibrium of I really try my best to jump though the hoops, comply with the laws, rules, and guidelines to be legally on the up and up, though finding information on what is needed has been a royal pain. I do so wish that Ball and NCHFP and So Easy to Preserve sites and books would outline what is needed if you want to SELL your home-canned products to the public, and even though each State has their own laws, the FDA is the ruler max. Why is this stuff so secret and hard to find? I've written an outline of what is required for my fellow local market vendors so that whoever wants to sell home-canned foods in my State will have all the info I had to scrabble to find. Maybe I'll write a white paper about it for the US and make enough money to pay for more food safety testing for my chutney's and pickles next! Nancy

Okay, well today was an example of how NOT to make applesauce, LOL! I decided to go ahead an use the apple peeler/corer, but the settings must have gotten moved since the last time I used it, because it was only peeling about half the apple. I kept adjusting it, but never could get it right, and then about 2/3 of the way though the batch, it decided not to spiral the bottom half of the apple. I ended up peeling by hand, and using one of those manual apple corers that cuts it into 8 wedges. Then, I couldn't find my jar of Fruit Fresh, so I had to make a solution of lemon juice and water to keep the apples from browning. After cooking the apples, I tried running them through the meat grinder attachment, but decided that was going to be too chunky, so then I had to transfer everything to the food processor. Eventually I did manage to can 8 pints of cinnamon applesauce, but it was definitely a labor of love. Good thing the kids love my homemade applesauce! On the grape jelly I made yesterday, I noticed that the finished product was kind of cloudy. I don't have a jelly bag, but I did strain it through cheesecloth placed over one of those funnel shaped strainers. Would straining it through cheesecloth a second time eliminate the cloudy appearance, or is a jelly bag necessary?

Hello, have found this thread over the search in this forum. I still live in Germany but will be moving to Dallas soon. I can´t wait to start my yard blooming. I´ve always loved mediterranean plants and also have some of them, but only in pots and I have to carry them inside for 5 to 6 months in Germany. What I am looking for now: A forum or information sites about plants in North Texas. What can I plant outside without to carry pots inside. And of course also a veg forum would be really interesting for me. Did it ever start somewhere??? Could you please provide lots of links and information to me here, where I can get into Texas gardening. Thank you in advance.