Hi Tony, Beautiful pics. I see your photo of Snowqueen nectarine. Can I safely assume you grew that fruit & did not buy it at the grocery? Seems like a silly question, but... most reports I've seen say that Snowqueen is one the most highly-rated nects for flavor, but is NOT cold hardy beyond Zone-7, which is why I have not attempted growing it on my vacation property in Zone-6b. Are you growing Snowqueen in the ground in Zone-5A Nebraska? Did it survive this past winter? If you are successfully fruiting Snowqueen in Zone-5A, then all bets are off! How old is the tree? From where did you obtain it? Was the fruit richly flavored? Thanks in advance for whatever information you can share. Cheers, -Matt

Toni, yes rural Midlands area of UK, right out in the 'sticks' as we say here. Think it was in an 8inch pot, now in 10inch but also deeper and with a 'belly', not straight sided, didn't want to overpot to much. The 2 tall yellow plants grow wild around here, Verbascum Bombyciferum/Aaron's Rod, self seed all over garden, they're biennials. Palm to left of bird is seed grown Canary Island date, Phoenix Canariensis, seed picked/sown in Nov 2004 from Lanzarote. Spikey plant behind bird is also from seed I found, Dracaena Draco/Dragon Tree, same date and origin as above, have 3 of these. To right is store bought Chamaerops Humilis/Dwarf Fan Palm, I'm into palms also! White/purple flower, properly known as Pelargonium here, (often called Geranium but they are separate related genus), don't know cultivar, have several from cuttings off my mum's origainal, they're actually perennials although parks depts often grow these and geraniums as annual bedding plants. There's one of my seedling Plumerias at the front, Callistemon Citrinus/Oz Bottlebrush at the back, some Hoya Carnosa/Krimson Queen vines hanging over the pelagonium and a 'peep' of a Passiflora Caerula/passion flower on extreme left! As you can see I have it real bad as that's only part of the g/h! I will try anything, the more unusual the better but we have to lag/heat the g/h to frost free during winter. Will post some pics once the BoP blooms and a few more pics for you in a separate post in a min. Gill.

Okay, I gotta run to get some cedar planks. Could not find "my" recipe for cornbread with cheese and onions, so I did what I would have done to make it and pretty sure this is how it would work: Disclaimer: 1 - I am not a know-it-all nor a chef or whatever. This is what works for "me".. so if I sound like egotistical or I have all the answers, please forgive me.. it is a process I am always working on (cooking.. not being egotistical, I mastered that a long time ago).. so, easier to type it out than beat around the bush). 2 - Like I will explain, no matter what I cook or how many times, this is a process I do every time.. half the fun imo...and helps you refine things. Okay, Cornbread with Green Onions and Cheddar Cheese. Rules you cannot budge on when making cornbread: The quality of the cornmeal and flour WILL dictate how it tastes. "Good cornbread" can be made out of a box, "great cornbread" takes "great cornmeal" Don't skimp. If you are in a pinch, Aunt Jemima cornmeal works great and anyone that snubs their nose at it is just too picky. I prefer that or Pioneer, but there is a mill in Arkansas I think that makes it and if you are out to really kick some butt, look at the backs of each and find a local meal that works for you. Either of those first two will be plenty fine. Flour, any all-purpose will do. Second thing.. CHECK THE DATES. Out of date, heck, if it is not stored correctly, baking soda and/or baking powder can kill your cornbread. Always buy small containers so they are not stored away for a year before you use them. I keep 2-3 cans of clabber on hand and if it is halfway to the exp date, at 60 cents a can.. it is gone (that is what is left.. heh). Again.. Clabber Girl and Arm and Hammer.. name brands. You get what you pay for and rising is a must for the right texture. As for the rest of the things, the thinner the pan, the more likely to burn. Also, let everything sit out in the open for an hour or two. Bring it all to room temperature. Cornbread, like any other bread, is picky and cold spots can cause it to cook differently. So, I never stick to one recipe and, when creating one, I always make 2 or 3 small ones first to see which one I like the most. Cornbread is cheap to make.. cheaper still if you find how you like it and then never have to figure it out again ;) So, I found a couple recipes I like and would combine (remember, I never follow one recipe as they tend to make it a certain way and I am, after-all.. a know-it-all.. lol https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread-50000331 That one starts well and has most of what you need. The part about that one I am not sure about is the bell peppers. If the one you did not like did not have bell peppers, when you leave that out, they will need to be replaced with something. This one is closer to what I would enjoy: https://nancycreative.com/2011/10/19/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread/ Now, looking over a few other recipes, something I have done in the past and I saw in another skillet recipe (this would be a northern thing I assume) is I saw someone use a little maple syrup. Now, this part would be a little expensive because you cannot get the flavor or the consistency unless you use real maple syrup from the NE... so.. just want to post this link as if it is done in moderation, it can be pretty darn good. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016965-brown-butter-skillet-cornbread?mcubz=1 Note: Some people frown upon sugar in cornbread and so would do the same with maple syrup. Cornbread was "bread" in the southern states and bible belt as well to some degree, so adding sugar is like a "desert" to some...I say ignore folks and have fun. Avoid adding cheese to the tops of the cornbread unless you do so in the last 10 minutes of cooking. It will brown quicker and make you think you are burning it. Summary: GOOD cornmeal Fresh baking soda and baking powder Room temp on eggs and butter etc quality baking pans Experiment in small quantities and with both convection and non convection if available. (I would use the second link.. and add some jalapenos finely diced) If you are not experienced in how to choose a jalapeno, it is very important.. and, once you learn, you find yourself loving them again. Jalapenos can be bright shiny green, then dull green with brown veins, then dark dark green, then red. Each stage has a different flavor. Want heat? leave the seeds. BRIGHT shiny smooth green is what you want for flavor without as much heat. The brown veins show the acidity age and can get hotter, dark green to red has a more "sweet" but hot flavor. Always, when baking, get the fresh smooth with no veins, cut out ALL the seeds etc just like you would in a bell pepper, and then finely dice them. This is from before the house.. but I love cooking cornbread in a skillet ;) just pre-heat the skillet before adding the cornbread mixture . Russ

Another way to "cheat" a bit if you want to plant something that really prefers acidic soil in a region that has mostly alkaline soil is by adding soil sulfur (the elemental kind) to increase the acidity over a period of time. The elemental sulfur breaks down more slowly over a couple of years, so I only have to replenish mine every 2-3 years around acid-loving plants, and I don't bother with the shorter term fertilizers like the Hollytone (mostly because I'm too lazy to fertilize anything at all of course). I expect this doesn't work with the extremely alkaline soils like in California deserts, but I can grow blueberries this way in soil that really isn't at all suited for them otherwise. Blueberries are known for not bearing fruit and going pale in leaves if they are not in acidic conditions, but I get plenty of fruit if I can keep the birds and squirrels away from the bushes (sigh). In my area, it's unheard of for blue hydrangeas to actually bloom blue without significant intervention, but it's not too alkaline around here for multiflora grafted roses. Rugosas sulk a bit without some extra soil sulfur too, and after all this discussion I might try a bit around my hybrid musks to see if it perks them up. I don't get much chlorosis except on the blueberries if I get behind in soil sulfur, beyond the spring when everything's a bit chlorotic because of the heavy rains interfering with nutrient uptake. Cynthia