Summer bird-feeding tips: Keep seeds away from squirrels | Big Size Pumpkin Seeds

The annual sunflower, a member of a genus of about 50 species from the Americas, was domesticated in North America about 5,000 years ago. Native North American uses of sunflower ranged from food and medicine, through a fibre and dye plant to a source of musical instruments and bird snares.

The Half Moon Bay ordinance was written in a way that would benefit only three farms, including the Mullers’. They needed just three votes, and they would be in business.

Research by Yin Yulong with the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that pork output and quality is not affected by lowering the share of protein in animal feed if four specific amino acids can be added at different stages of animal growth.

Baldwin plans to give Jill and the smaller pumpkins to neighborhood kids. He’s got a crew lined up to move Jack to the front porch for Halloween.

He took a break when the family lived on a 44-foot sailboat for more than four years in the early 2000s, mostly in the Bellingham area.

Twelve stories — one for each month — about the people, places and things that made for a memorable year.

The University of Wisconsin has recently hired a new plant breeder, Lucia Gutierrez, who is enthusiastic about bringing in newer, improved varieties to Wisconsin farmers. She understands the lack of good high-quality Wisconsin oat genetics and is working diligently to fix this issue.

The single best restaurant that I ate at was Llama Inn in Brooklyn. My husband and I spent a weekend in Brooklyn recently and this was one of the places on our must-visit list. The atmosphere felt warm and inviting, nice but still fun and approachable. I expected the food to be good, but it was even better than I expected! We ordered a mix of small dishes, vegetable dishes, and the whole fish. All of the food was so well executed; cooked perfectly, plated beautifully, and above all the flavors were outstanding. So delicious!

An outing to the Limelight Aspen never seems complete without its signature thin-crust pizza, and diners at the brand-new Snowmass spot have even more reasons to try a pie: only three of the same pizzas from the Limelight Aspen are on the menu. Sample new topping combos (meatball, Greek) to pair with power greens. I was skeptical when our server suggested it, but the beautifully composed bowl delivers substance: a pile of arugula and baby spinach encircled by piles of fluffy quinoa, roasted pumpkinseeds, crispy garbanzo beans, carrot, cucumber and green beans to toss together with Champagne vinaigrette.

For an easy quick-pickle rind, check out the recipe that follows. Courtesy of Brine Street Picklery, a Philly-born and -brined picklery, the recipe calls for a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and spices that’s used to soak and soften the rind. What results is a slightly tangy and sweet pickle that resembles the flavor of a classic bread-and-butter-style pickle, with small hints of clove and ginger.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pumpkin puree in a fine sieve over a bowl; set aside to drain while you make the sauce.

Over the past several years, the Youngs have tinkered, through hand-pollination, with new varieties which they hope will yield fruit that are predictably round, orange and sturdy. And big.