Christan, I'm with you. Those tastykakes are might tasty, all of them! After Linda got to talking so much about them last spring, I ordered a box of them to try out, and I've been wishing there was an outlet here in Michigan ever since. Now, this is for all of you who knew me last year. Tomorrow, November 30th, is the 1st anniversary of the accident which took Paula away from me. It's been an extremely rough year, but you've all been a great help in getting me through it all. You've put up with a lot, encouraging me and providing some big shoulders to lean on the whole way. The Day started looming in my mind even more a little over a month ago, driving me to distraction and a lot of mood swings, as Linda can attest to. I was thinking that I'd be a complete basket-case by this time, but I'm doing okay. I've been listening to a lot of music today, wrapping Christmas gifts, making out cards for Kym's Secret Santa Seed Swap, and just generally quietly enjoying the day. Anyway, knowing all of you wonderful people and how much you care, I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. It's kind of funny, in an ironic sort of way, that the one song that's helped the most today is by Savage Garden. Savage Garden also did the song "Truly Madly Deeply", which was the theme song for Paula and myself. I guess it's kind of fitting that today I find myself turning to the same group, and their song "Crash and Burn". It says a lot about the friendships I've found here in the threads of the GW, and about the relationship I was lucky enough to have with Paula. here are the lyrics... "Crash And Burn" When you feel all alone And the world has turned its back on you Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone When you feel all alone And a loyal friend is hard to find You're caught in a one way street With the monsters in your head When hopes and dreams are far away and You feel like you can't face the day Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone 'Cause there has always been heartache and pain And when it's over you'll breathe again You'll breath again When you feel all alone And the world has turned its back on you Give me a moment please To tame your wild wild heart Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone Everyone Have A Good Week Peace. -Dan

I'm not sure how many lbs of asian pears i ended up with summer before last but i had at least 200lbs. I did dehydrate. Not my favorite method but was super in my granola. I prefer to freeze just the cut/sliced fruit. No stone fruit last year but lots of blueberries and raspberries. I dislike peeling much more that the peach skin, well, a toss-up. I don't make jams but do like it sometimes. I prefer the natural sweet from the fruit. So freezing is first. Dehydrating second. Apples and pears i cook down a bit with rhubarb, a bit of lemon, no added sugar....rhubarb softens quickly and coats them. Peaches are easier and freeze great layed out on a sheet pan, then in zip-locks. Can grab just what you need for breakfast or a smoothie. I've not made fruit powders but that's another good option after dehydrating. I did make scrap vinegar...i remember about 3 gallons. Very good. But that adds yet another 'event' to a busy harvest. It uses the peelings and takes a bit of fermentation understanding. (lots of tutorials if you do a google search) I grow organically so the crates i gave away at work, to friends, and the senior center, were well received and appreciated.

I'm thinking some kind of warm apples in a crockpot to spoon over cake and/or ice cream - I don't have a recipe but I'm sure someone would. Just a couple of other ideas - I haven't made the pumpkin trifle but I enjoyed it when my neighbor made it. Spiced Chocolate Budino Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis 3 boxes store bought chocolate pudding mix 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 small orange, zested 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Candied Orange Peel, for garnish, recipe follows Make the pudding according to the package instructions. Add the cinnamon, orange zest, and red pepper flakes before chilling in a large trifle dish. Before serving, sprinkle the top with chopped Candied Orange Peel. Candied Orange Peel: 1 large navel orange 3/4 cup sugar Using a vegetable peeler, cut the orange part of the peel from the stem end of the orange down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch-wide strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water 2 more times. Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh water in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to a sheet of parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour. Yield: about 10 candied peels Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle (Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen) ===================================================== 2 (14-ounce) package gingerbread mix 1 (5.1-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping (or whipped cream - whipped cream is better!) 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional . Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl. serves 15-20 My notes: 1. Cut ingred by half, this makes a large amt. (2004 to fit into my trifle bowl)

Thank you again for all the recipes and well wishes. As long as berries are in season, I will continue to try them out. We have a parade of guests scheduled to visit through Labor Day who will be grateful to sample them ;) I ended up going with Olychick's Fresh Raspberry Glacé Pie. I had a barely-worked, perfectly crimped crust in the pie pan ready to chill before baking. I tipped it sideways over the sink to brush off a tiny bit of flour that was on it and..plunk..it plopped out of the plate. I made a quick save & caught it in my hand but reworking it back onto the plate made it look less than perfect. Nonetheless, it was delicious and met with rave reviews from my family who came to celebrate!