wow, thanks for all the input! Okra: I feel bad about saying it, but, well, I'm not a big okra fan. I've never purchased, grown, or prepared it myself, but I've had it a few times in restaurants and it hasn't really inspired me. Winter Squash: I am growing several vines of butternut and futtsu winter squash on my new squash trellis already, as well as rampicante and tatume summer squash which can do double duty as winter squash. I did only start them recently, so I'm really hoping they have time... My last frost date is usually mid-October. I'm a convert to c. moschatas after my one and only time trying zucchini and bush delicatas, although I did put in a couple of spaghetti squash seeds as I've found they can pump out some squash before their inevitable borer-induced demise. Fall Brassicas, Carrots, Beets, Peas: Generally speaking I have other spots planned for these crops, although I might move some into this bed to get an earlier start. Especially the brassicas, if I'm going to need row covers (I'm on the fence about this, because without row covers my brassicas get infested with caterpillars and whiteflies, and the rowcovers seem to make the whitefly population explode. I'll probably post for some advice on this.) Pole Beans: I felt stymied by a lack of additional trellis space, but now that I think about it, they're called 'pole' beans, right? I have some extra 7' bamboo I could probably rig some bean tepees with...and I'd love some extra beans... Sweet Potatoes: This was going to be my first year with them, and we really enjoy them (and they take no prep at all, just tossing them in the oven or even the toaster oven) so I'll probably give a few slips a go just as a test. My sprouts are about 2 inches long (max) - any tips on sizing up slips in a hurry? Potatoes: I was also very intrigued by that tip from Farmerdill about the fall potatoes, but I haven't dug my spring potatoes yet and I'm not sure when they'll be ready. Maybe I'll look in the cabinet to see if I have any shrivelly tentacle monsters left over from last year.. So I suppose my sweet potato bed will now be a sweet potato/potato/pole bean/brassica/lettuce/herbs/greens/volunteer tomatoes/carrots/beets bed? It doesn't have the same clarity of purpose, but it certainly sounds interesting...

It's a shame we can not can Pumpkin Butter as it is one of my favorites but the risk is just too high. Good pumpkin butter is getting harder and harder to find too. But Nancy's Peach Butter is so good that I will not miss the Pumpkin Butter too much! Below is a recipe I would like to try this winter, substituting canned pumpkin for the fresh pumpkin puree. I would also probably cut down the ginger, nutmeg and cloves a bit. This recipe would make a small amount and not take up much space in the frig. Pumpkin Butter #1 ONLY FROZEN 1 quart pumpkin puree 2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp powdered cloves Mix all ingredients over low fire. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. NOTE: Pumpkin Butter is not safe to can but can be frozen. Michelle

When my family thinks we are having Pumpkin Pie we are actually having this. It's so good and not as coarse as pumpkin. Sweet Potato Pie 3 eggs 1 C. Sugar 1 C. cooked sweet potatoes, mashed (I buy the canned ones) 3/4 C. evaporated milk 1/3 C. regular milk 1/4 C. melted butter 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 10" unbaked pie shell Preheat oven 400. Beat together the eggs, sugar and potatoes. Add milk, butter, spice and vanilla. Pour in pie shell and bake 10 minutes. Lower oven temp. to 325 and bake for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

When we would grow our own, I found that the white sweet potatoes do not store well, so never grew them again. We never ever called either of them yams. However, growing up, my Grandma and Mother both called green sweet peppers, mangoes and many old recipe books also called them that. So when you know the difference you call them by their right name. Happy Thanksgiving, Sue