wbonesteel, I don't blame you for being sick of petunias. I imagine I would have gotten sick of them under similar circumstances. The Laura Bush petunias are generally the only petunias I grow. They are derived from a native petunia and tolerate heat like nothing else I've ever seen in the petunia world. I cut them back hard in mid-summer and they rebound with a huge flush of blooms. When I grew traditional petunias, they always began to struggle with the heat beginning in late June. Laura Bush petunias laugh at the heat. I have a great appreciation for anything that tolerates our typical July and August heat with no issues, even when not irrigated. Every year when the petunias begin appearing in regular stores (often as early as February here), I want some but then I don't buy them. I know that if I am patient, the Laura Bush petunias will start blooming in late February or early March and will outlast the standard types you buy at nurseries. I used to grow Wave petunias from seed but stopped growing them because the Laura Bush petunias were so much more heat and drought-tolerant. The little flying insects adore them, so they are great for attracting pollinators to the garden. I grow a ridiculous amount of watermelons. I currently have about 12 plants in the ground but have 12 or 15 more to plug into gaps in the garden. I grow mini Refrigerator sized melons because the large ones produce more melon than we can eat at one time. I generally grow some of my melons on trellises and on the garden fence because that keeps the melons safe from pill bugs and sow bugs. The rest roam around wherever they choose. I often underplant okra with melons. The okra gives the melons enough shade to help prevent the fruit from getting sunburned and the melons keep the ground cooler under the okra, like a living mulch. With excess melons, we either give them away or I get out the melon ball scoop and make melon balls, which I then freeze in freezer bags. If you eat them when they are only half-thawed, they aren't mushy and the flavor is terrific either way. I also make a chilled melon soup from both muskmelons and watermelons. I've even dehydrated strips of melons, but once you remove the water, the flavor is too sweet and I didn't care for it, so don't dehydrate them any more. The last two summers have been really hard on our poultry. We lost quite a few chickens during 112-115 degree days in 2011 when I was gone to wildfires a lot and wasn't home to monitor their conditions. After coming home from fires and finding them dead, I started leaving a misting system on for them when I left, had fans running in the chicken coops, and fed them watermelons, cantaloupes and Armenian cucumbers daily in an effort to help them stay hydrated. So, at our house, it is hard to have too many melons or cukes because I always can feed them to the chickens. I haven't lost a single chicken to heat since I implemented the misting and melons. They always had plentiful fans for air movement and lots of water, but in 2011 it wasn't enough. I've noticed when I have the misting system on that all sorts of birds from hummers to cardinals to doves and blue jays come play in the mist right along with the chickens. Having chickens is great for the compost pile, we enjoy the fresh eggs, and I have a built-in excuse to grow all the lettuce, melons and cukes I want because the chickens consume any surplus that is produced. Some people make watermelon rind pickles, but they are not my favorite thing, so I don't make them. I'm usually too wrapped up in tomato canning and pickle-making to worry about the watermelon rinds. Dorothy, I stopped working in the garden long enough yesterday to look inside the broccoli plants and small heads are forming. Hopefully they'll get a chance to get bigger before trying to bolt, but we're in the 90s here and staying in the mid to upper 70s at night, so bolting could occur at any time. I harvested some cauliflower yesterday and have more to harvest today. I'm surprised it has formed mature heads faster than the broccoli, but I planted it a month earlier to give it a chance to make heads and I guess that made the difference. The brussel sprouts are forming but are very slow. If they don't hurry up, we won't get any brussels sprouts, but they were a gamble all along and I never really expect sprouts in spring, though sometimes I get them in fall. We have broccoli worms all over and I don't have time to handpick them so I guess I'll spray the cole crops today with Bt. I don't mind them so much on broccoli plants because I can drop the broccoli heads in saltwater and the worms will float to the surface after a bit, but I don't care for holey cabbage. It will be a good cole crop year if the heat this weekend doesn't cause them to bolt. We have hit the 90s for the last two days and are expected to be in the 90s the next two days so the cole crops are right on the edge, so to speak. If they only produce small heads, I'm okay with that. We put up so much stuff last year that our freezer still has a little of everything left (and a lot of tomatoes) so we'll survive if the cole crops produce poorly, and I'm processing and freezing oodles of snap peas. I hope to finish them up today after the heat drives me inside this afternoon. To collect seeds I like to use nylon knee-high stockings. I just pull them down over the seed head in question. They stick to the plants well so I don't have to worry about high winds blowing them off the seed heads. I'll tie them closed around a plant prone to having pests get into the seed heads---like the hollyhocks which always have some sort of weevil looking things in their seed heads. Dawn

I freeze soups all the time, and I agree with the others that pasta and potatoes tend to lose their texture when frozen and thawed. I would make the base and add those when ready to serve. Here are a couple that we like. You can sub veggie broth for the chicken in any of them. Winter Tomato Soup Source: Marie-Pierre Moines French kitchen Serves 4 2T butter 1 Spanish onion, finely chopped 1 leek, washed and sliced 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small head celery, trimmed and chopped 6 large ripe tomatoes, blanched ,skinned and seeded (or 1 large can tomatoes) ½ tsp each dried thyme and oregano 2 tsp finely snipped basil 1 heaping T flour 1 quart light chicken stock 1 egg yolk 4 T heavy cream Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Ad onion, leek, carrot and celery. Season and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, the dried herbs and half the basil. Cook for one minute then sprinkle the flour, stir and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, partially cover and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave the soup to cool a few minutes, then process in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and adjust seasoning. In a bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream. Stir in a ladleful of the soup, then stir mixture into pan over low heat until piping hot. Stir in the remaining basil and serve immediately. Tomato Bisque with Tortellini 1\-1/2c diced tomatoes 1\-1/2c tomato sauce 3/4c bloody mary mix 1\-1/2tsp fresh basil 1/4tsp italian seasoning 2c heavy cream 1/4c chicken base 1/4tsp dried thyme 1/4tsp white pepper 1T sugar 1/4c grated parmesan cheese 1/2lb tortellini Combine all ingredients except tortellini and cheese in stock pot. Bring to low boil then remove from heat and add parmesan. Blend with stick blender or in food processor until smooth. Return to pot and simmer. Meanwhile cook tortellini in boiling water 5\-7 minutes or until tender, add to soup and serve, garnish with parsley flakes. My note: original recipe calls for 2T sugar, I reduced it because I dont like much sweetness. You can add more if you like Ribollita Courtesy Giada DeLaurentis 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 4 ounces pancetta, chopped (you could omit) 2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence 3 cups chicken stock 1 bay leaf 1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind 4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced Grated Parmesan, for serving Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. 10/20/07 my notes: I would use just a tad less spinach, and maybe chop it finer. I also chose not to use ciabatta rolls and made garlic croutons from a baguette instead. This one is in my "to try" file, it was posted by Ohiomom Tuscan White Bean Soup 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 small yellow onions, chopped 1 Tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary 28 oz. can Roma tomatoes 1 pound dry white beans, rinsed and cooked 4 cups chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 10 oz. package fresh baby spinach Salt & Pepper, to taste Heat olive oil in a dutch kettle, add onion, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and rosemary, sautee for 2 or 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, broth and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Rinse spinach in cold water. Add to pot, cover and cook an additional 15\-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Linda

Here are a few my family likes: Harvest Soup 1.5 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut in 1/2” cubes 1 large sweet potato, cut in 1/2” cubes 2 large potato, cut in 1/2” cubes 2 carrots, sliced in 1/4“ slices ½ large onion, slivered 1 apple, diced in ½” cubes 2 celery stalks, sliced in 1/4“ slices 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 parsnip, cut in ¼” slices (optional) 1½ tsp. curry powder or to taste 1 tbs. cooking oil ¼ cup dry vermouth 3 cups water or chicken stock Flour, salt & pepper. Heat pot over medium heat until hot. Add oil and heat till hot. Add pork to pot and brown on all sides until golden. Add vermouth and water to pot, cook, stir and scrape up all the browned bits from pot. Add remaining ingredients to the stock. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook until carrots are tender. Sausage Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes 1 lb. Italian Sausage, casings removed 2 medium onions diced 1 tbs. minced garlic 1 qt. Chicken Stock 1 lb. peeled sweet potatoes, cut in ¼” dice 5 oz. baby kale, chopped 1 cup heavy cream 1.5-2 oz. bacon bits or bacon cooked crisp drained and crumbled 1 tbs. butter Sautee bacon until crisp if not already cooked drain fat, pat dry and crumble. In a pot, melt butter or use bacon fat, sauté onions and garlic until soft. Remove from pan and add sausage. Sauté sausage mashing into small bit as it cooks until just starting to brown. Add onion mixture and chicken stock to pot and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add bacon, kale and heavy cream. Simmer on low 5-10 serve or refrigerate. Soup is better second day. Mexican Chicken Soup 1.25 lbs. Chicken breast, ½” dice 2 lg. garlic cloves, minced 2 tbs. Olive oil 1 tsp. lime pepper 1 tbs. ground cumin 2 tsp chili powder 3-4 cups strong chicken stock 1 tbs. lime juice 2 tbs. roasted red peppers ½ cup salsa or tomato puree 3 tbs. corn meal yellow 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese 3 slices American cheese Handful of tortilla chips 1 tbs. raw sugar (optional) Heat oil in pot. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add chicken and sauté until chick is just starting to brown. Add lime pepper, cumin and chili powder and sauté until fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Add stock, lime juice, peppers and salsa to pot and bring to slow boil, add cornmeal and stir continually until incorporated. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Slowly add cheese constantly stirring to prevent sticking. Add tortilla chips and sugar, stir in. Allow soup to rest at least one hour in refrigerator. Reheat and serve with scallions, and extra cheese. Makes 4 large servings.

I find that "less to deal with at dinner time" is becoming my watchword :-) Fortunately, it is just me that I have to worry about and cooking a big meal late in the day is no longer anything I look forward to on a routine basis. In fact, eating a big meal late in the day is something I've grown away from....I'm seldom that hungry. Soups, stews, salads and sandwiches - and breakfast - are what I most often resort to for my evening meal. Or appetizers :-)