OK, GardenLad, I don't know that these exactly belong on a pumpkin thread but digressing from the topic is pretty routine around the forum, so here we go. I'm including all my notes on the recipes. Both are "works in progress" so maybe my additions will be helpful too. Torta with Pesto, Tapenade & Sun Dried Tomatoes Original Source: www.fabulousfoods.com Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Pesto 1 1/2 cups fresh basil 3 large garlic cloves 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup Pine nuts (pignolia) -- OR walnuts 1/2 cup olive oil salt and pepper -- to taste Olive Tapenade 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives 3 large garlic cloves -- peeled 2 teaspoons capers 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaf -- (or 1/4 tsp. dry) 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaf -- (or 1/4 tsp. dry) 1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil salt and pepper -- to taste Sun Dried Tomato Purée 1 10-12 oz. jar oil packed sun dried tomatoes 1 large garlic clove 2 tablespoons olive oil (reserved from tomato jar) Cheese Layer 8 oz. goat cheese 2 packages cream cheese -- (8 oz.) 1 cup butter Pesto Layer: Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Olive Tapenade Layer: Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Sun-Dried Tomato Purée Layer: Drain the tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Put all ingredients, including reserved oil, in a food processor or blender and purée. Cheese Layer: Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and purée. Line either one large (6 cup) or two small (3 cup) molds with dampened cheesecloth, leaving enough cloth hanging over the edges to later cover the top. If you don't have any molds, be creative - a flower pot works well or use small deep bowls, or even a rinsed out coffee can. If you want to be decorative, arrange whole basil leaves, whole olives and/or whole sun dried tomatoes in the bottom of your mold (this will become the top of your dish when it is unmolded). Layer in thin layers, alternating between the cheese mixture and a topping mixture until mold is filled. Cover top with the excess cheesecloth hanging over the sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight. To unmold, unfold cheesecloth covering the top of the mold and hang it over the edge. Place a plate over the open end of the mold and invert. Carefully peel the mold off the mixture, then carefully remove and discard the cheese cloth. Serve with crackers or a fresh baguette. Changes I made: I used my own homemade pesto recipe and some California Harvest kalamata olive tapenade I had on hand. In the Sun Dried Tomato Purée I cut the olive oil to 1 T. and enhanced the tomatoes by soaking some additional plain dried tomatoes in boiling water, draining them and blending them in with the rest. Next time I might try a little added tomato paste instead. For the cheese layer I used 2 3.5 oz. Crottin Montcevri, 1 package of light cream cheese, 1 container mascarpone cheese (both 8 oz. size) and cut the butter to 1/2 cup. I used a 7-inch springform pan, but I'm going to try to freeze this. If it works, I'll make 3 2-cup molds. I also want to cut back on the oiliness of the layers. I want a bit fresher taste. I think I'll use just the oil that adheres to the tomatoes and cut the other T. plus drain the pesto and the tapenade a bit in a fine mesh sieve before using. Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Cheese Spread Recipe By : Unknown Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed -- drained 1 tablespoon oil -- (from tomatoes) 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 4 ounces butter -- softened 1/2 cup sour cream 20 ounces cream cheese 4 cloves garlic -- peeled 1 1/2 cups basil, fresh 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 tablespoons olive oil -- OR for garlic, basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, olive oil substitute 8 oz. my own pesto base 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper -- to taste Pour boiling water over plain dried tomatoes. Let sit until soft then drain. Reserve 2/3 cup cream cheese. Place remaining cream cheese, sour cream and butter in food processor. Blend until fluffy. Place in bowl and set aside. Blend pesto base, Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup cream cheese in food processor. Place in bowl and set aside. Scrape bowl and chop drained sun-dried tomatoes (both plain and oil). Add 1 tablespoon tomato oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1/3 cup cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Grind in salt and pepper to taste. Put saran wrap on the bottom of 4 4-inch springform pans (or 1 7-inch springform or line a 1 1/2 quart pan or bowl). Layer 1 pan at a time. Layer 1 cream cheese mixture, layer 2 sun-dried tomato, layer 3 cream cheese mixture, layer 4 pesto, layer 5 cream cheese mixture. Cover with "sticky" saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. Finish other pans the same. When unmolded, top can be decorated with pinenuts, basil leaves, sun-dried tomato pieces if desired. Cover with foil and freeze extra pans. Yield: "5 cups" - - - - - - - - - - - - Christmas 2004: I cut butter drastically, added sour cream, elimated tomato paste and used plain sun-dried tomatoes instead, added balsamic vinegar. For tomatoes in oil I used T.J.'s 8.5 ounce jar. I divided recipe among 4 Wilton mini-springform pans; served 2 and froze 2. Small sizes are nice for buffet service.

George, I bet you're right, but I hate going out on a limb like that. Merton, I thought maybe I could find a comparison of the cucurbita seeds that would help you, so I checked my copy of Suzanne Ashworth's book SEED TO SEED: SEED SAVING AND GROWING TECHNIQUES FOR VEGETABLE GARDENERS and here is how she describes them: Cucurbita maxima: Thick seeds that are white or tan or brown with cream colored margins and thin cellophane coatings. (As George pointed out, your Lakota is a maxima so should fit this description.) C. moschata seeds are small, oblong and beige with a dark beige margin. (Your butternut is a moschata so one of your two solid tan types of seed ought to match this description.) C. pepo seeds are cream-colored and each has a white margin. Your acorn squash is a pepo so its seed should match this description. The problem is that your spaghetti squash is a pepo also, so its' seeds ought to match this description too. C. agyrosperma (formerly mixta) seeds would be the easiest to identify because they usually have small cracks in them. (They are described as white or tan with a pale margin and cracks in the skin coat on the flat sides of the skins which are covered with a thin cellophane covering.) None of the squash in your packet are agyrosperma types though. If you have specific variety names for your spaghetti, butternut, acorn and Lakota squashes, you probably could google and find descriptions of each squash, including the approximate size of the mature squash and that size might help you figure out which of your pepo seeds is which. Or, you might e-mail the seed company and see if they can tell you, by description only, which seed is which variety. Dawn

I live in a small space, in suburban Chicago, and the soil is so bad that I had to dig up the bad soil, then replace it with good soil before I could plant anything. What we dug up literally looked like the management company used any junk they could find to build up the area. There was also a lot of rock & clay. Needless to say, it was back breaking, and dumping the bad dirt I dug up was a problem too. This is the solution I have come up with. Next paycheck I'm going to Menards and buying 4 logs of treated timber. They come in various lengths and they will cut it whatever size you need. My garden is going to be 8'wide and approx 12' long. I'm going to attach the sections w/my drill, & the screw/rebar, whatever the recommend. Then I'll dig up all of the plants I planted last year. I'm going to attempt to till/turn the earth as much as I can, in case I have a plant that needs to be planted deep. Then I'm going to fill in the bed with peat, and composted manure that I buy at Menards. It's inexpensive and I've had good results evrytime I've used it. The final step will be to re-plant everything. This is all going to be done in a weekend, and I'm doing it buy myself w/little or no assistance. I hope this helps you in some way, good luck!

glennsfc - Thanks for your replies. I was so despondent last night when we got home that posting on this forum felt like crying out for a voice in the wilderness. Things are looking a bit brighter today. My husband was able to contact a person from the flooring company who assured us that all is not lost. Our GC contacted a pro floor installer from our area who is coming in tomorrow to sand the floor. It's a more delicate process than DIY'ers like us should attempt at this point. The stain should take well after that, and though we won't have the same milled finish we would have gotten had there not been a problem, one look at those beautiful planks indicates to me that we will have lovely (though glossier) floors in the end. We took your suggestion about finishing all the treads and risers for the stairway before installing. Another tip the pine guy told my husband was that instead of wiping down the floors with a dampened tack cloth, he uses a rag wrung out with mineral spirits and goes over the surface with it before staining. Supposedly this helps remove any dastardly glue spots - or at least lets you spot them so you can gently and discreetly sand them down before staining. They are nearly invisible buggers that bond with the wood in an instant. Wish we'd known that one day earlier! Again, thanks for your responses - I appreciated that you took the time to offer an ear and some help.