My strawberries do not dieback. Well some did, but I think they are problem plants. Probably have a leaf fungus. Slugs are easy, just use the organic slug pesticide. Like Sluggo. Raspberries grow in just about anything, Not sure why they would taste different? The only thing I can think of is stink bugs. Strawberries like a rich soil, mine perform better in the better soils. I have one patch which really is used as a ground cover. the soil is poor, and the berries tend to be small and dry. So I guess they would taste better if better soil is used. Thinking about it, some of my raspberries that suffered some winter damage produced berries that were not great. They were small and bitter. But if the cane produced normal sized berries they tasted fine. I have 2 raspberry patches one is in a raised bed with premium soil, the other is in ground with a clay soil that has been amended every year for three years. Still it is rather poor. I cannot discern any difference in taste between the beds.

Okay, so I'd rather hear Brown Turkey was at least nice, but obviously we need a better variety. I fell in love with BT when I saw an old one healthy as a horse and bearing tons of fruit alongside a home that had been abandoned for decades, which is why I grabbed one when I saw it instead of doing my research. Celeste is another old-timey one I know does here, but a respectable North Georgia nursery offers Alma and LSU Purple, and I was wondering what you think of them in comparison. We do now have a south-facing retaining wall to set one by, and Violette is apparently small enough to tuck in anywhere. My husband Alex decided he liked the sound of that one, Gene. Brown Turkey will almost certainly stay in place, though. Alex is the real fig-lover in the family, so he can fuss over the others while we both watch the birds hopping around in and enjoying BT--which is one reason why I put him there anyway. I was hoping to see my husband rushing out to save his ripening figs from my armchair, but oh, well. I'm going to pass on getting any more fruit trees from Home Depot so I don't have to wonder about the plant itself. Since it's a little late to put in marginal stuff this year, I've signed on to the e-mail at Paradise and hope to shop their last mail order next spring. I know you guys must hate losing a fig nursery, even one oriented to a coolish climate. Thanks VERY much, Rosie.

I had to do a little googling before I roasted the bone-in breasts to find out roughly the times and temp, etc. I came across Kenji Lopez-Alt's blog where he was singing the praises of bone-in roasted chicken in terms of flavor. Untl just recenty I lived somewhere I could get boneless chicken breasts for $1.99/b. on sale on a regular basis. Might have been a side benefit of having a couple of huge poultry "farms" just up the road, but anyway, I am all about low-fat, low-cost protein, so I would load up the freezer with it and had developed a whole repertoire of recipes and methods for it. Just as KLA stated, the cooked boneles breast has virtually no flavor so you make a sauce for it or cut it up and add it to a flavorful mix. And on the flip side, I also noticed the bone-in breast had great CHICKEN flavor, but only the skin and pan juices had the garlic lemon flavors I added. Next time I will put the aromatics under the skin. I could skin and de-bone the breasts but I have such a tiny kitchen, limited time and limited enjoyment for fussing with food, so I'm always looking for quick and dirty albeit tasty methods. Here is a link that might be useful: Serious Eats

<Does anyone know whether you can toast (char the skins a bit) of the peppers before chopping for the fermentation? Years ago I made an unfermented roasted pepper sauce that was very good.> I don't know of any fermentation recipes that call for pre-charring. Doesn't mean there aren't any though. But just a word of caution - there are hundreds of fermentation recipes and books floating around out there that are unsafe. And I don't just mean unsafe per the USDA guidelines. They are very risky well beyond the guideline restrictions. So reader beware and if not experienced with the process stick with tested and approved recipes. My main concern with the roasting, and this is just speculation on my part, is that it would kill the beneficial bacteria so might delay the fermentation process and it would clearly change the flavor. <My question is can I really let this go longer without it actually rotting or is it done??? The initial burst of fermentation was probably because of the added sugar but is it still fermenting now? How do I know when fermentation is over? How does the flavor change perceptibly as it ferments longer? What should I be able smell or taste? How is 'aging' different from fermenting?> Bottom to top - aging something does not normally include salt. It is a process of time and exposure to air of a specific temp in a controlled environment. You know when it is done/over (after the 7 days recommendation) when it tastes good to you, when it has the flavor you want. I know that sounds vague but fermented foods really are a matter of taste. Some folks want their kraut or pickles only fermented for 7-10 days as they don't care for the stronger taste that develops. 2-3 weeks is the minimum for my tastebuds but others prefer the flavor of 6 week old kraut and 6 month old pickles. So how that flavor changes depends on the brine strength and the ingredients you use but most of all on YOUR tastebuds. Until you add vinegar to the mix (if you do) then yes it is still fermenting and will continue to do so even when refrigerated. it will continue as long as you let it. It does not rot. It does not spoil as long as it is refrigerated once the majority of the fermentation is done. The worst that can happen is it may develop a layer of yeast scum from air exposure. That you just keep skimmed off regularly. This is all assuming you have used a safe level of salted brine to begin with and therein lies the risk. In this world of low-salt diets folks keep trying to reduce the amount of salt used. Do not do that and avoid those recipes calling for what seem to be low levels of salt. I so strongly encourage anyone who wants to get into fermenting on a regular basis to by a copy of Linda Ziedrich's The Joy of Pickling as it covers in detail all the basics and charts out all brine levels that are safe to use. With that knowledge you can then safely expand your fermenting horizons. Dave