Having 2 jobs and being pressed for time I often use (gasp) Shake and Bake for chicken and pork. The last time I did boneless pork chops I took some fresh sage leaves from the garden and put a layer of them underneath the breaded chops and baked. Yummy! Over the weekend, with more time, we love Cornish game hens with lots of sage and thyme tucked inside -- gives a lovely flavor. At Christmas in our family we always have roast goose, with a mashed potato and onion stuffing with LOTS of sage. Fabulous... I don't know if you can make stuffing for roast chicken without sage, thyme and rosemary. Used judiciously, because it is a strongly flavored herb, sage can be delicious in salads or in an herb omelet. Enjoy experimenting with your sage!

If it wasn't a food grade plastic, then maybe it was a lucky thing the pickles failed. But I'm glad you're not giving up. Once you have that first batch of Sweet Pickles, you'll be hooked. The optimal temperature range for working with cucumbers is 70-75. You can get away with temperatures a bit above that, but when you approach 80, the risk of spoilage becomes very high. It's really important with pickles that all your equipment not only be food-grade and non-reactive but also sterile. You want to do everything you can to reduce the likelihood of introducing organisms that cause spoilage. The recipe Linda Lou posted doesn't provided details on the prep of the cucumbers. A lot of recipes assume people "just know." So wash your cucumbers gently, in several waters if necessary. Check their condition and discard any that aren't firm and fresh. (Ideally you're using cucumbers within 24 hours of picking.) You want them clean, but you don't want to break the skin. I buy my cucumbers and I arrange to get them the morning they're picked. A lot of sellers will do that if you ask. Cut off the blossom end because it contains enzymes that promote spoilage. ( I often cut off both ends, partly because I pickle in large amounts and it's quicker and easier than taking the time to check which end is which.) Place in sterile container. Pour over boiling water. Weight cucumbers so they're covered. Otherwise some cucumbers derive the benefit of the soak and others don't. A heavy plate that fits the container works well. If you see scum forming, skim it off daily. Scum is not generally a worry, but mold is. That's bad news, though a fermented pickle in brine can sometimes be salvaged even then. Good luck. Let us know how "Part Deux" goes. Carol

I hear you suze9. I live in The Great PNW. About 20 miles S from Seattle. Zone 7b I guess. Where is live is about 2 weeks behind Seattle weather wise. Normal Feb temps are 40-45, night time 35ish. The drop to 18 is somewhat unusual, even in Dec, Jan. It's been an unusual year, again. Snow in Feb is rare. March, almost unheard of. This year the ?last? snow was beginning of April. Today was 75. > Larger transplants can work well for some, for sure - > but at some point it is definitely possible to start > too soon, to the point that you don't get any benefit, > or are even set back because of it. I am trying to find that point. Expense versus effort versus results weighted. This is my third year running of 'starting way too early'. This year was the earliest yet. Last year I had my first ripe tom June 6th. That's a pretty major feat around here. 'Course the weather from June through July sucked, very cold, so the benefits were minimal. LOL. Plants were HUGE, 10-15'tall by end of season, tomato count, ENORMOUS. Ripe tomatoes, not so much. My starts are not normal put in a 1 gallon pot and let them grow starts. I continually 'repot' them into larger and larger containers. I bury the stem deeper each time. They are essentially pre-trenched plants. 1' of stem or more buried by planting time with vigorous root growth all along it. Lat year the tops are 2-3' tall. The plants suffer no delay/transplant shock when put into the ground from pots. Critical for the short season here. Growing an inch a day, to growing an inch a day right after transplant. This year, I am making cloches so my efforts are not lost to the AGAIN expected cold june/july. And by starting so soon, if things go wrong, I have time for Plan B and Plan C starts.

They are extremely frost sensitive!! Otherwise they will just sit there shivering untill the soil warms up. They will grow when conditions suit them, but you will not gain time.