I did not know they needed to be picked before they're ripe! They are my neighbor's across the street and this is the first year I've gotten permission officially to pick from the tree -- in the past I've only picked what fell, to be polite. This year he insists I pick all I want from the tree. yes, seeds are black. Neither my neighbor nor I know what type they are, unfortunately. Thank you both for this very important info! It's dusk now, so I'll pick some now and finish tomorrow.

The open blooms are likely to be damaged, but the buds are quite hardy, even if they are showing color. I don't know what the temperatures are predicted to go down to in your area, but covering with a sheet that goes clear to the ground wouldn't be a silly thing to do. No plastic.

I'd get the rosemary and lemon thyme in tonight. Thyme (vulgaris) will stay green under a bed of snow pretty much all winter and sage mostly does the same. The lavender will probably have to come in at some point since zone 5 is right on the edge of hardy without lots of mulch and then, only if you have good drainage during the spring thaws. Oregano, chives and garlic chives will die back after a hard frost / freeze but they'll come back strong in spring. Don't know which will overwinter best but I can tell you that cats seem to munch chives and garlic chive starts indoors in late winter, even if you're growing cat grass right next to them. The only thing that they seem to like better is lemongrass ;)

I love buffalo chicken wings and have been making them (versus going to a restaurant) because of this easy and effective recipe I found on Pintrest: Crispy Baked Chicken Wings 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 2. Heat up a big pot of boiling water. Season the water like you would for cooking pasta (taste the water, it should taste a little repulsively salty, like sea water). 3. Boil the chicken wings for 7-8 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack so the excess water can drain off. Let them drip dry a little bit, then dry them well with a paper towel. 4. Spray baking sheet. Place the chicken wings directly on a sheet pan. Bake the chicken wings for 25-30 minutes on one side, then flip the wings and bake for another 5 minutes on the other side. The wings should have crispy crackly golden skin on the side that was in contact with the sheet pan. 5. Toss the hot wings in the Buffalo Wing sauce, and serve immediately. Gobble them up while they're still crisp, and coated with sauce. Notes: Updated note about cooking time: Chicken wings sold in grocery stores vary in size, so if you have smaller wings, you will probably only need to bake them for a total of 25-30 minutes. I've always done around 40 for mine, but they've been large wings.