Most of the freezing guidelines take into account aesthetics, quality, AND safety. Foods dry out, get freezer burn, etc. in the freezer rather than spoil. If they look, smell, and taste OK, there really isn't a safety issue. I wouldn't use anything questionable to make another product, it would be a waste of time to make something from sub-par ingredients. It wouldn't be a safety issue, but your quality might suffer, even to the point of being unpalatable if they were freezer burnt or something. Thaw your products, smell, taste, inspect. If they are OK, I wouldn't hesitate to use them in jams. Deanna

Jlc, you're stunning dear. Your hair is faboo… Like the others, it's not at all what I expected. I have seriously curly hair, and wear it just past my shoulders with very long layers. Any other cut would be treacherous on a humid day. I'm a bit older than you, and that style works for me. I have had too many bad haircuts to worry about if I'm too old for what works best. I color it because I don't feel old enough to be all grey. Maybe one day I'll move to a silver bob, but probably not for another decade or so… Ellendi and BBee3 mentioned Keratin. I tried about 5 different professional Keratin treatments, and there is a wide range of results. Some are poker straight, others hardly any difference. I like the one that just makes the curls "drop" a little, and still take a curling iron if I want more "boing." There are temporary 30 day treatments, others last about 6 months. The 30 day doesn't make a huge difference, but it will make blow drying time shorter. It's a nice entree into the keratin products, and maintains the flat iron even on rainy days. I remember when Laurie Partridge and Marsha Brady hair was the style. After one of the Keratin treatments where my hair wouldn't hold a curl, I was cured of wishing for that. I'm accustomed to big hair, and it's just not me in pin straight. You rock those curls Jlc! Here is another great Dove Campaign: Dove Curly Hair Campaign

As a collector, I track my seed longevity, so that I know how often seed needs to be regrown. I planted a lot of older seed this year, and these are my observations: Beans: Of 10 varieties planted from saved seed, (mostly from 2009), 5 had 100% germination, 3 had 96%, and 2 are just coming up now but look strong. Two more varieties being grown for the first time (one labeled as 2009, the other a swap of uncertain age) had rates of 87% and 60% respectively. Two limas (2010 & 2013) & two runner beans (2010 & 2015) had 100% germination. A yardlong bean (2012), adzuki (2010), and garbanzo (2014) all germinated 100%. One cowpea grown last year, however, had only 66% germination. It was grown under poor conditions, which demonstrates that you have to start with good seed to get good storage life... and I am hoping for better seed quality this year. Soybeans: Seem to have a shorter storage life than beans, especially large-seeded edamame varieties. An edamame type (2010) had very poor germination (under 10%), while a grain variety from the same year had nearly 100%. I was happy to see, though, that an edamame variety from 2007 still had about 7-8% germination, which is enough for me to renew the seed stock. Tomatoes: Two older varieties (2005 and 2006) had 100% germination, and another from 2005 had 83%. Saved seed from more recent years was 100%. The only tomatoes of 12 with poor germination were from swaps; one 64%, and one 0%. Peppers: Much more variation in germination than I see in tomatoes. The oldest (from 2007) had 92%. However, two varieties from 2012 (Beaver Dam & Pizza) only had 59% and 74% respectively. Of 15 varieties planted, only one had 100% - from 2015 seed. Seeds recently acquired (swaps or purchases) again had the worst performance; 27%, 57%, and one at 0%. Bitter melon: Two varieties; seed saved from 2015 (100%) and 2013 (98%). Cucumber: Very long-lived... seed saved from 2009 still had 100% germination. Watermelon: Blacktail Mountain saved seed (2012) - 100%. Onions: I did a bunching onion trial one year, then tried to plant some of the left over seed 3 years later... it was dead. Onion seed is the only one that I always freeze. I don't save seed for sweet corn & Swiss chard, but I buy them in bulk, and they have good germination for 3-4 years. Except for a few irreplaceable varieties (for which I freeze samples), all of my seed is stored at room temperature in an air conditioned home. I have had good luck with zippered freezer bags, since I can squeeze out excess air before storage; the bags are then packed tightly in boxes, so they can't re-inflate. Don't know if naming a brand is OK, but the Hefty freezer bags have proven to be the most durable. Cool & dry is important for seed storage, but exclusion of oxygen is also helpful - especially for room-temperature storage. For the most dedicated seed stewards, enclosing a desiccant & an oxygen absorber in the seed container will extend storage life. It is also important to avoid exposing the container to direct sunlight, especially if it is clear... heat buildup can occur very rapidly, and could kill or damage seeds in a very short time. If the seed container is opened frequently, the desiccant may need to be changed periodically, especially in humid environments. "And if you decide to give seeds away do tell people seeds age, as best as you can recall. Recipient will at least be prepared for what to expect." Agreed... and keep in mind that for swaps, your storage may have started in a hot mail box.

I am a huge Lee Child/Jack Reacher fan!! In fact, just got finished reading the newest JR novel, Blue Moon. So when I heard they were making some of these books into movies I was delighted.....until I heard that Tom Cruise would take the starring role! Cruise is so far off from how Reacher is described in the books that it initially put me off seeing the movies at all. While I don't care for Cruise personally, he is a capable actor. But he is no Jack Reacher in terms of physical size or appearance (Reacher: tall, big, blonde. Cruise: short, slight and dark). And since Reacher's physicality is such an integral part of every story line, that is a massive disconnect for me. The age thing is really incidental to me. Reacher was born in 1960 so that would make him 59 in the latest novel if it keeps true to dates. It's hard to imagine any man approaching 60 with the extreme and highly developed physical capabilities that Reacher portrays but age is not emphasized in the books.....it is a very nebulous association that lends the idea that he is somewhere in his mid to late 40's. So the age issue is much less of a concern for casting that role to me than the actual appearance of whoever they select. Child has made his concerns about the movie casting (and possible Netflix streaming series) known for a long time. While he liked Cruise and how he performed in the role, he was not happy with the selection. “I really enjoyed working with Cruise,” Child clarified. “He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun and he works really hard and he takes it really seriously. On your downtime you do crazy things with him, but ultimately the readers are right: the size of Reacher is really, really important and it’s a big component of who he is.” “The idea,” he continued, “is that when Reacher walks into a room, you’re all a little bit nervous just for that first minute. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality.” I'm not sure who I would like to see in this role.........but it sure isn't Tom Cruise and I am glad he will not be reprising it any longer.