How to Identify and Treat Maple Bark Diseases and Afflictions

Gardeners are observant, and when a favorite plant is struggling, we tend to take notice. Knowing how to respond, however, is another matter entirely. Some folks head to the garden center looking for a cure-all, determined to spray first and ask questions later. But a gardener who invests just a little time to observe the signs and symptoms of a disease can often narrow down which pathogen is affecting the plant and then make an informed decision about what to do next.

The book, appropriately called “Bread Toast Crumbs,” by Alexandra Stafford, got me thinking about not just bread for, say, a sandwich, but about bread as an ingredient in the simple, delicious recipes I can concoct with my upcoming garden produce. Examples: a thick, roasted tomato and bread soup, or orecchietti pasta with brown butter, Brussels sprouts leaves and homemade bread crumbs, or a salad that becomes a meal when it’s a version of panzanella–reviving even stale bread in the best, delicious Tuscan fashion.Alexandra Stafford is the creator of the popular food website Alexandra’s Kitchen at alexandracooks dot com. Though “Bread Toast Crumbs: Recipes for No-Knead Loaves and Meals to Savor Every Slice” is Ali’s debut cookbook, it has earned raves from

Regular listeners and readers will recognize my friend Alexandra Stafford of Alexandra Cooks dot com, author of the “Bread Toast Crumbs” cookbook, and a mad collector of cookbooks and therefore possessor of recipe ideas galore–including that mushroom soup up top (photo also by Alexandra).Besides recipes, we talked brining beans; about changing up the texture of a soup to suit your preference, and about that “extra” ingredient that can make all the difference: dill with mushroom, orange rind with black beans, and other such flavor surprises. Plus: We’re each giving away a copy of our favorite

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