Blaferby, I have seen improvement in yield, etc. when saving and using seed from my own garden. But I don't know how much of that is because of selection and how much is because I learn how to better grow the given variety. I've been seriously saving seeds since 1984. Here's what I would suggest. You can go ahead and use your extra seeds, for as long as you desire. But make a practice of producing some new seed every year that you can. Save each batch separately, and label it accurately. Eventually your original seed will give out. It's always possible that you might get an unintentional cross in a batch of seed. By saving several batches, you better ensure the survival of the original variety. If you really want to go the extra mile, save some of your seed in a sealed jar, in the freezer. This essentially halts the aging process of the seed. I once grew out a squash from seen which had been 25 years in a freezer. It germinated as if it were only a year old, and... I was amazed how my more recent seed stock had morphed over the years. I had essentially narrowed the gene pool, changing the mix of characteristics in the variety. George Tahlequah, OK

It greatly varies with the type of seed. I have corn seeds that must be 10 years old, & I still get pretty good germanation (bought a huge bag of them on clearance). I collected a whole sunflower head & forgot about it in my unheated garage for about 4 years, & those things still germanated at 100%. I have saved squash seed & cucumber seed the same way, germanation went way down after the 3rd year so I tossed them. Some seeds don't last long if you don't plant quickly, it's just their nature. On the whole, if your mason jars are stored in a consistently cool, dark spot, they should be good at least 3 years from my personal experience.

The funny thing is, he usually PREFERS things that have to be done the "by hand" way. That�s why we don't have a microwave (everything is done on the stove - including popcorn), and he NEVER uses our fancy food processor for chopping veggies. He also loves things that are compact so he can take them on his kayaking/camping trips. Usually our meals on camping trips are fancier then they are at home, so I thought this would be a handy tool: Turkish coffee to accompany our greek omelettes at breakfast. I appreciate all your recommendations. I�ll certainly have a look at them. If manual labor weren�t a concern, would the actual quality of the grind be any better from this little guy then the electronic units in the same price range?

what is the difference between rectified porcelain and non rectified porcelain? Conventional porcelain, like any other ceramic tile, is stamped out, and then baked in a kiln. The problem with that is that clay will shrink as it's baked, and unfortunately, that shrinkage is not consistant, which is why you get siing of the tiles, inlcuding porcelain. This is the reason you need to have the larger grout joints, so you can take that sizing into account when setting the tiles. Rectified porcelain, on the other hand, is baked in sheets, and then cut to size AFTER it's "cooked" so the tiles are MUCH more accurate in sizing, and can be set with a much tighter joint. However, they're made to be set like stone tiles, and therefore, are usually priced out like stone on the labor. in addition, the purchase price is usually more than conventional porcelain. Is all porcelain what they call "through body" color? All UNGLAZED porcelain is through body color. However, there are many porcelains that are glazed, and they're not. I'm not a fan of broad grout lines so could I have it done with 1/16th grout lines no matter what kind of tile I buy? No, for the reasons I explained above. Lastly, I've read on posts you've written that epoxy grout is harder to install and more costly... best handled by a professional but regardless of cost; would it give me the best quality result within the parameters I gave? yes. I'm estimating my living area is about 900 sq. ft. so what kind of cost should I estimate? I'm hoping to keep it to about 8K You might have a problem with that. I'll give you an idea based on my prices. My base price for stone install is 7.00 a foot. You want to use a large format tile. For that, you can add another 2.00 a foot, between the fact that it's more difficult to work with, and being that rectified porcelain (and stone) is very unforgiving, that subfloor needs to be just about dead pancake flat so there's going to be alot of prep, or extra time spent setting it. You also want to use epoxy grout. Depending on WHICH epoxy, my prices run from 1.50 a foot for Spectralock to 2.50 a foot for most others. Even figuring Spectralock grout, we're already up to 9450.00, and that's just for the labor. There's going to be alot more thinset used with large format tile, because the installer will need to use a heavier notched trowel to account for any slight imperfections in the floor, or "warpage" of the tile, to make sure the tile is fully supported. Epoxy grouts are also about 4-5 times more expensive than conventional grouts. And that's all IN ADDITION to the cost of the tiles. Now, you live in South Florida, where prices are much lower. But once you get into custom work like this, you're still looking at a fair chunk of change. If you're anywhere near Homestead, shoot me an email, and I can send you the name and number of a top notch custom contractor down there.