Patricia Boley

What works for me is to plant early, follow all the directions people have mentioned. Barely cover and press down. I then cover the rows with white agriculture cloth, propped up by sticks like a tent. Water often. I think the cloth helps retain moisture and facilitates germination. I leave it for at least a month or even more. Check weekly. When the carrot tops are 4-6 inches tall I uncover and carefully weed. I usually plant again in August for another crop. Dragon carrots from Seed Savers Exchange are my favorite. I haven't been able to grow parsnips, though.

Avocado deviled eggs with bacon. Real bacon.  Lots of recipes are available online.  I will second curried deviled eggs using Sri Lankan curry powder.

I have made this recipe numerous times with my American persimmons.  I gave some of this bread to a friend, and he called and asked me if it contained cannabis because he felt so happy after he ate it!  Yes, it's that good.  I use toasted pecans and maple bourbon.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/persimmon-bread/

Also, the cooking time was too short for my oven.

Persimmon jam, pudding, and fool are also excellent ways to highlight this delicious fruit.

It's called the Dorito Effect.  I read a book about it a couple of years ago. It led me to seek the best-tasting chicken (Barred Rock), strawberries (Mara de Bois), and potatoes (Maya Gold). Unfortunately, the potatoes are not available in the US, but Papa Cacho is a delicious alternative.

https://www.christinascucina.com/pickled-eggplant-pickled-aubergines/

This recipe is fabulous for the smaller asian eggplants.  I make it every year.  It's great on crackers or focaccia bread.

Bantam chickens are less like chickens.  They are very mild-mannered, easy to pick up, meaning they're more likely to be eaten by some predator.  I have some experience with silkies and Mille Fleur d'Occle. Silkies are good for those who want a broody hen.
I bought 5 d'Occles one year.  They ended up being 3 males and 2 hens.  The hens were eaten by some predator rather quickly.  I didn't think it made sense to keep the three roosters, so I culled them and they became cornish hens. Nowadays, I would try to rehome them first. My impression of them was that they were gorgeous but not very smart.

Maple syrup, local raw honey or sorghum syrup.

Roosting is what birds do! It is important to have roosting bars in the coop.  It is the final defense should a predator gain access to the coop at night.  They should be about 4-5 feet high.  I use some plywood to block my nest boxes in the afternoon when collecting eggs.  I have 9 nest boxes and sometimes leave some blocked depending on how many layers I have and what time of year it is.  If you leave them open chickens will sleep and poop in them.  I used to put straw in the boxes, but the hens always managed to push it out.  I finally settled on cut pieces of astroturf held in place by a staple gun.

My current favorite is buttermilk-banana.  I make my own buttermilk after getting the culture.
Recipe:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg or cardamom
Mix together and add:
1 beaten egg
1/2 t. vanilla
2T. melted butter
1 c plus 2 T buttermilk
1 mashed banana ( freeze and thaw works, too)
Mix all with wisk and cooked in butter or ghee
Makes 8-9 medium pancakes.