Dear $$firstname$$,

Here Come Those Nutty Cardinals

YEARS AGO, Karen S. started putting peanuts out for the squirrels in her Baltimore, Maryland yard. Soon she noticed a male northern cardinal was taking whatever nuts the squirrels had left behind. “After awhile, the cardinal began perching on a bush by my back door several times a day, chipping until I threw out some peanuts,” Karen recalls. “After carefully looking around for signs of danger, the pretty red bird would hop to the ground, pick up a peanut and fly off.”

Later, the cardinal started bringing its mate and children along. After “calling” for a peanut, the bird would crack open the shell, break off bits of the nut and feed them to its young. “By the end of that summer, the baby cardinals had begun coming to the yard on their own and chipping for peanuts, just as their father had taught them. This has continued ever since. I presume that the cardinals now dropping by for a peanut snack are all offspring of that original nutty cardinal.”

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Hats Off to This Garden Concept

TO PROTECT her hanging fuchsia plants from the hot summer sun, Sande C. of Seattle, Washington came up with a pretty shady idea right off the top of her head, so to speak. “Normally, it doesn’t get very hot here,” Sande explains. “But for a few weeks every year, the sun shines really bright. Since we don’t have a lot of mature trees to provide shade on our city lot, our hanging plants take a beating.

“Last summer, I came up with a solution that gives my plants some shade—and dresses up my yard, too. I bought some pretty straw hats at thrift stores and placed them above the baskets. The best thing is that one size fits all!”

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Backyard Find Meant Moth Mayhem!

AFTER FINDING a cocoon that had fallen from a red maple in her yard, Karen H. of Middleboro, Massachusetts took it into her house in hopes of discovering what kind of moth would emerge. “I kept it in a cool place and waited for the special event,” she says.

“One afternoon, I came home from my teaching job and took a short nap. I awoke to moth mayhem! Outdoors, against my screen door, there were at least 30 large, dark male promethea moths trying to get into my house. Indoors, perched on the inside of my screen door, was one beautiful reddish female promethea, newly emerged from the cocoon. Obviously, her powerful pheromones were telling these males she was looking for a mate.

"I knew I had to release her outside. I carefully opened the door and watched the female fly toward the back woods. The chase was on as the crowd of suitors followed!”

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Raspberries Make Summer Sweeter

READY to revel in raspberries? They’re at their peak in backyard patches right about now. The small, round, soft-textured fruit is among the most flavorful and aromatic of berries. As their fragrance suggests, raspberries are related to roses. They grow on low, thorny shrubs with perennial roots and biennial fruit-bearing stems. Raspberry plants grow profusely in wild wooded areas and have also been cultivated for centuries. Depending on the type you’re planting and where you live, raspberries can mature as early as May and as late as November. But the biggest bounty comes in June and July.

A ripe raspberry is actually a cluster of many tiny berries, each with its own seed. When picking, look for brightly colored plump berries that easily pull away from the central core and stem when plucked. Avoid soft or shriveled ones. Fresh raspberries can be refrigerated for 1 to 3 days. It’s best to wash them just before using. However, when freezing berries, wash them first. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet; transfer to containers and store for up to 1 year.

Red and black are the most common raspberry colors, and the varieties can be interchanged in recipes. Black raspberries have a more pronounced flavor, but they also have more seeds. This fruit is at its best when eaten plain, lightly sugared or drizzled with milk or cream. Raspberries also make a pretty addition to fruit salad and produce delicious jellies and jams. Raspberries add color and tang to cobblers, crisps, tarts, pies and muffins. In Muskegon, Michigan, reader Mary M. spoons her Raspberry Sauce (recipe below) over dumplings. It’s also a scrumptious topping for pancakes and ice cream.

Bustle off to the nearest U-pick patch or roadside stand soon for cartons of these beauties. Better yet, plant your own patch and enjoy this summertime treat for years to come!

RASPBERRY SAUCE

1 quart fresh raspberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons molasses
Pancakes, waffles or ice cream

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the first four ingredients. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve over pancakes, waffles or ice cream. Yield: 3 cups.

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Old Tool Pouch Still Working

WHEN her old tool pouch finally wore out to the point where it couldn’t even hold a hammer anymore, Beth S. of Petersburg, Illinois found another use for it. “I hung it from a tree in my backyard and filled it with peanuts and sunflower seeds to keep the local squirrels away from my bird feeders.

“Blue jays, tufted titmice and chipmunks also began visiting the unusual ‘pouch feeder.’ At times, the blue jays would harass the squirrels so much that they’d vacate the premises, giving the jays time to grab peanuts and stash them in a nearby tree. In between all this activity, the chipmunks and titmice would occasionally sneak in for a bite, too. The old pouch ended up being quite a busy and entertaining place!”

 

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Keep Hummingbird Feeders Clean

WASHING her hummingbird feeders used to be a chore—until she discovered an easier way to do it, reports Avis S. of Pleasant Hill, California. “I’ve tried many different methods, but nothing works better than a small piece of nylon netting, like the kind people use to hold nuts for wedding treats,” she explains.

“I fill the feeder with soap and water, push in the piece of netting and shake the feeder vigorously. Then I rinse it thoroughly. The netting rubs away any dried-on nectar but doesn’t scratch the plastic feeder. I haven’t had any trouble getting the netting out, but if you do, just attach attach a piece of string to one corner to make it easy to pull out.”

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