dj: When you put ducks out there in the orchard or yard, you are acquiring a new hobby -- really two new hobbies -- care of the ducks, and fox control. If you enjoy doing these things, I think keeping ducks is great. You would hardly believe the lengths I go to to protect my little call ducks. The big red-tailed hawks are interested, but rarely kill a duck (I have lost only one to a hawk in 6 years). But unless the foxes are securely fenced out or dealt with in some other fashion they will devastate unprotected ducks. My little ducks forage continuously in the orchard, but are not successful at Japanese beetle control for two reasons: The beetles have very hard shells and an unpalatable taste, and they are normally up in the trees, not on the ground. Grasshoppers, crickets, and other softer-bodied insescts, as well as grubs close to the surface, are a different matter, and the ducks deal with those very effectively. The ducks do not bother my fruit, but they will eat the leaves of young plants like peppers, which requires me to protect these plants with a small fence. The way to eliminate Japanese beetles is milky spore, the pure spawn stuff, which is expensive initially but lasts for many years, and can be effective even when applied at a much lower rate than recommended on the can. Egg-laying season with my little ducks (less than 2 pounds each) begins now, and the eggs are delicious if you can keep the ducks confined to an area where you can find their nests. I hatch out a couple dozen ducklings in the incubator every spring in April/May, then give them away to people who like them and have a pond, which is essential to raising ducks. If the pond freezes over you have to have alternative housing for the ducks, or it is dinnertime for the foxes. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I'd say probably. It's early in the season and as long as the roots are intact, they will probably send up more leaves. Linda

One of our smaller local markets had wild sockeye salmon fillets for $8.99 a pound. Max bought a piece, sprinkled it with Cajun seasoning and pan seared it. For sides he baked Yukon gold potatoes and sauteed zucchini. He's doing a great job with dinners. I'm too tired to try to cook dinner but this morning I cut up the baked potato leftover that I had, sauteed it in some butter, poured a beaten agg over it, topped with shredded cheddar (the downside was that I shredded the cheese over the pan and got some on the hot cooktop - cleanup will be later) and had a great frittata for breakfast. Tomorrow I'm going to make chicken soup for lunch from the leftover quicky chicky from Costco. We have three stools at the peninsula counter in our kitchen and I have spread them out so that one is closest to the refrigerator and one in front of the cooktop so I can sit and work. Sharon, your salad looks delicious. Nancy your crepes look wonderful-it's been a long time since we've had crepes and I love them. Ann, I could pull that foccacia right off the screen. Pasta sounds good too. Lee

Here's my favorite (foolproof) way of cooking duck. Bear in mind there isn't much meat on a duck; one duck will feed two hungry adults. If you're making it just as a side for people to have a taste, then it might serve 4 to six. The only ducks I’ve ever seen in a market are frozen Long Island ducklings. (Technically, that’s a White Pekin duck, same variety as the one in the AFLAC commercials.) The following recipe is for that sort of duck, not for a wild duck. Purists will insist that you cook the duck breast and the duck legs separately, cooking the legs medium well and the breast rosy-pink rare. This recipe from The Joy of Cooking is simpler than that, and will produce juicy breast meat with crispy skin. Ducks have an enormous amount of fat under the skin. This recipe allows most of that fat to escape. Don’t discard the fat! Store it in a clean jar in the freezer. It’s great for making roux and frying potatoes. --The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the duck to thaw. Take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge, still in its plastic wrapper, about 3 or 4 days prior to cooking. If it’s still frozen, put it in a pot in the sink and run cold water over it for a while. Not much meat on a duck; one duck feeds two adults. You can cook as many ducks as your pocketbook allows and freeze the cooked ducks in individual Ziplock plastic bags, to be nuked as you need them later.. I’ll often cook a few ducks at Christmas and have it available for people to sample, in addition to a turkey or other bird. Duck is sweet and rich. It’s most definitely a splurge, but a worthwhile one. This takes about 4 hours to cook, but you’re not doing anything most of the time--it’s a very easy recipe, and the results are spectacular. Crispy Roast Duck 1 duckling, 4 ½ to 5 ½ lbs, thawed Salt Preheat the oven to 250˚ and place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Remove the duck from its plastic wrapper and rinse under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Rub a little salt in the cavity, and sprinkle a little on the skin. Remove any excessive fat from around the opening and the neck. With a sharp paring knife or a skewer, make 20 or 30 small incisions in the skin into the fat. Hold the knife parallel to the skin so you penetrate the skin into the fatty layer, but you don’t want to penetrate the flesh. If you have a v-rack for a roasting pan, place the rack in the pan and place the duck, breast side down, on the rack. (But if you don’t have a v-rack, don’t worry. Just place the duck breast side down in the pan.) Place the pan in the oven and roast for 3 hours. Yes, three hours. Every hour check the duck and prick the skin a little more to let more fat escape. After three hours, drain the fat out of the pan (don’t discard it--it’s great to cook with) and turn the oven up to 350˚, and turn the duck breast side up. Roast for another 45 minutes. Remove to a platter and let the duck sit for 10 minutes before carving. You can make a gravy out of the juices and bits in the pan if you want. If you don’t have a v-rack, you can cook the duck without one but the skin won’t be as crispy. It’ll still taste great, though. Serve with whatever wine you like; the meat is hearty enough to stand up to a full bodied red like a Pinot Noir or Cabernet, but if you prefer a lighter red like a Zinfandel or a good white, go for it.