The comment about Egyptian Walking Onions is worth noting. Hardneck garlics also form top set bulbils, which can be up to marble size for some varieties. I've been a little late cutting back the garlic scapes a couple times due to wet weather, and the bulbils on some varieties were fairly well developed. Some of them sprouted where I threw the scapes... which was in a large part of the adjoining garden area. Fortunately, they were not hard to eradicate, though, and we ate most of the green shoots throughout the summer. When cleaning & opening my garlic prior to planting, I do so outside, and often throw undersized or damaged cloves out into the lawn. Quite a few surprised me last year by taking root & surviving. It will be interesting this Spring to see if any of them are still alive.

I found this recipe in searching about garlic scapes, it sounds really good. I went out and harvested the scapes from my garlic patch and think that I am going to try this and then freeze the rest for winter use. Stacie gig Summer Squash and Scape Salad 3 T apple cider vinegar 3 T extra virgin olive oil (a flavorless oil would also work) 2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt a few grinds of pepper 2-3 garlic scapes 4-5 pattypan squash (or 3-4 of another type of summer squash) Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Trim and slice the scapes crosswise. Use a mandolin or food processor to slice the squash as thinly as possible. Give the dressing another good whisk and dump in the sliced squash and scapes. Give it a gentle stir, cover in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Stir again before serving. (A lot of liquid escapes from the squash during the marinating process, so you might want to serve using a slotted spoon.) *A note: I plated this on top of mixed greens, which looks nice, but actually did the flavor of the dish a disservice. Next time I would serve the squash salad on its own. Serves 4 (as a side).

I have about five crowns. The first year you don't pick any. It wasn't a good weather year for us so I didn't pick any the following season either. The next I picked just a few, the fattest spears. Yes, you may only get one or two at a time. After a few years you can almost pick as many as you like, because even if you go out every day you will still 'miss' some and they will fern out! Sometimes I joke that I can hear it growing at night ;). This year I got two good bunches (like the size at the grocery store) without even really trying, and actually missed quite a few when we had bad weather and I didn't feel like going out back. I do think I will put in five more crowns this year so I can get enough to freeze and eat in the winter. As for maintenance, just make sure the keep the weeds down. I was told strawberries are a good companion crop but I haven't had any luck keeping strawberries in that spot - the rabbits dig them right out! Yet, they leave them alone in the bed two feet over. I will never understand rabbits. It is best to allow them to keep their ferns because that is how they gather energy to store food in the roots, which makes strong crowns which push out more spears in the spring. But at the end of the gardening season make sure to cut the ferns and dispose of them (compost is fine) to avoid overwintering any pests. Although, the years I see praying mantis egg clutches on them, I leave them up. In the spring when it warms I cut the nest off and put it in one of the other beds, then cut down the ferns to clean the area up.

Annie -- the Pterodactyl story is just too funny. Would looooooooove to watch all the raptor going ons at your place. thunk -- a snowy owl????? Be still my heart, no lie. The fact that you saw Bald Eagles taking care of road kill is something I would enjoy watching more than 99.9% than whats on tv (and pretty much anywhere else) It's a bit of hazard driving with me if there are "flight" issues:) I ask my husband if he sees "that" and he'll say "Oh, that's a TV (short for Turkey Vulture)" and laugh, because he has no clue. I love turkeys 2Many! Don't you think it is utterly bizarre that they roost in trees HA! I've never seen them mating, but we did have a rogue guy who was going after people's wheels (image problems:) My husband wasn't going to move, and I'm like "are you're kidding me" and grabbed a coat from the back and began running at the turkey swinging it like a lasso :) not kidding -- not waiting for a turkey. Watched the vid of eaglets and could be such a HUGE TIME SUCK FOR ME! I love this stuff (we have some popular Peregrines in Pittsburgh) Utterly blows my mind how large the talons and beaks of the adult BEs are next to the eaglets. Would LOVE to watch them hunt! My goodness -- Smoky Mountains as backdrop -- spending ALL MY TIME OUTSIDE, 2Many. Not kidding. And you know what, I know people like your "acquaintance," which made me love your tomatoes even more HAHAHA! BTW, somehow I'm not surprised you have an artistic streak. That kind of stuff gives energy, doesn't it? CathyinSWPA