Hi Tumblingtoms, Being that you are down in Florida, my first question to you would be, do you have central air? If yes and your home is a steady cool temp year round, storing them in a cool dark dry spot in your home will do quite well. of course there is variation in plant families, but most of what you listed will do well if you start them 5 years from now kept in a home down there with central air. Some things that are often listed with short viability - lettuce, onions, some herbs. If no, I would keep them in a fridge. The combination of heat and humidity are what really hurt seed viability. Make sure they are dry first, you don't want mold to form while stored in the fridge. If you really want to keep seeds indefinitely, you can put them in an air tight container in a freezer. There are a few things you must know first. The seeds must be really dry. Trying to store them with not enough moisture gone, will kill them. Also, you must let the container come to room temp before opening or you will kill the seed. If you plan on retrieving seeds from the freezer once a year, this is no problem. If you are trading seeds, this would be a pain. Hope this helps, Remy

Thanks, kayakluv. Did you get the Broan 30" Elite or the 30" Elite Rangemaster? Does it vent vertically or straight out the back? Were there other hoods you were considering? Why and why not? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Some people here are trying to make you think you'll want a 36" instead of a 30". You say you've never cooked on a gas range and are more interested in getting the look than the functionality. Then, just stick with the 30". A 36" oven takes much longer to heat up, and do you really need all of that space anyway? As far as a 5th burner on a 30", I have a friend who put one of these in her remodel nearly two years ago because it was her compromise for not being able to fit in a 36" She cooks a ton and entertains a ton. She has never once used that 5th burner. I may be wrong, but my impression from your comments is that you are probably not someone who is a super dedicated cook who has very specific needs in order to be able to carry out a certain kind of cooking. In that case, I'd go with the look you want rather than doing a search for certain features. And, I'd choose the one that gives you the look you want for the least amount of money. One thing no one has mentioned yet is that many people here look for a mechanically simplified range because it is less likely to break down than those with tons of computerized parts that may break down easily. I have both a wall oven and a range. I don't use that second oven in the wall all that often, but when I am entertaining like at Thanksgiving, I am super glad I have two ovens available. Thought this might help you with the decision about whether to get just a cooktop or a range.

cpartist, I don't have a choice. The location of the house is remote and I like to support our small handful of local businesses whenever possible. This means brand selection is strictly limited, as is the availability of service. After also taking into account the sizes of the existing cabinets and openings, KitchenAid was the only option left.