Hi Bernie! Yes the link to the Special Instructions is broken and has been for some time. That was why I was really 'amazed' that the Test Forum got fixed as quickly as it did. Anywho, I am the resident busy body here, and I started a thread with the Spec Instructions in them. We all then try to keep the thread 'bumped' up on page one. Special Instructions for the Exchanges When you get ready for your next seed exchange advertisment let me know. I'm curious how the whole process works. Well, my 'advertisement' posts as you call them were actually offering up seeds for BEAP, bubble envelope and postage, and the amount was determined by how well the member was set up for the Seed Exchange. Here is a link with instructions on how to get set up.addressing newbie and newer member issues-first draft. You aren't set up very well... No member page email link. and email link is not set to be shown to members. You have nothing on your Seeds Wanted list. No member page blurb...Come back here and holler if you have any trouble getting set up. I think you are just joshing me though. Sue...resident busy body

There's also dye in pantyhose material which may wash out and discolour the dish. Why not visit one of those el cheapo stores and buy yourself half a dozen new lady's handkerchiefs - plain ones. These are a good size for spice bags, and can be tied up with sewing thread or secured with a plastic tag. And if you're like me, you've got plenty of old and worn sheets and pillow cases - cut them up into suitable squares. I picked up a trailer-load of end-of-rolls of teabag paper some years ago - I use that. You just iron the edges together to make bags, and iron in a length of cotton thread to make it easier to remove the bags - just like teabags. You might be lucky to find a health-food store which sells empty teabags. Use 2, one inside the other, for powdered spices.

Beth, I made pickles first and then I finished dehydrating my tomatoes from yesterday and then I finished my yellow tomato sauce and THEN I made one batch of Multi-purpose Seasoned Tomato Sauce. By the time I finished it was around 2 p.m. and we hopped in the car and sped down to the Southlake Central Market to check out their produce selection. I was a little disappointed. They didn't have nearly as many heirloom winter squashes, pumpkins and gourds nor did they have as many heirloom tomatoes. However, they did have pickling cucumbers, so I bought another 5 lbs. Since I made bread-and-butter pickles today, I'll make dills tomorrow. Best of all, my own pickling cukes are about to reach pickling size, so I'll be able to make stacker-type pickles about Friday or Saturday. We also picked up a 10-grain store bakery bread that we like and a few other veggies. Then, it was off to Green Sprouts Farmer's Market a couple of miles up the road. It really is just a smaller, more affordable version of Whole Foods or Central Market, but I mean really, really, really smaller and not much selection. They had some great prices on produce, but a lot of their produce was overripe and I didn't purchase anything there. But, I did get visiting those two stores out of my system. The next time I want to go to Central Market, I'll go to Fort Worth because it has a better selection by far. I don't know this for a fact, but it seems bigger than the one in Southlake. It might be that the Fort Worth store has more autumn pumpkins and winter squash outside because they have a big covered patio type thing in front of the store where they often have musicians and cookouts when the weather is good, and I didn't see anything like that at the Southlake store. The only advantage the Southlake store has over Fort Worth is that Tim can stop by it on his way to work at DFW Airport if there's something I "need". I got home in time to spend an hour in the garden while my sweet DH grilled chicken and sausage and made dinner. I had used up all my tomatoes today making the multi-purpose tomato sauce, but I got to pick another 6 tonight, so I'm OK. Moni, I think Tulsa might have a Whole Foods or Wild Oats which are sort of similar to Central Market but more heavily focused on organics and less focused on gourmet-type fare, although there is a lot of gourmet type stuff, especially if you like artisan cheeses and breads. I'll do some research and see what I can find out about Edmond-OKC-Tulsa. Surely something in that area has a 'health food store' with a good selection. I have found they usually have the best produce in terms of variety and selection. Today I was looking at all the fingerling potatoes (six or eight varieties) at Central Market and making a mental note to buy some in December to sprout for spring planting. Two road trips in two days. I've got to stay home and weed and mow for the rest of the week or the yard and garden will be a jungle. Jan, I'll link Pendery's below. The web site is great, but if you're ever in the Fort Worth-Dallas area, you have to visit the store for the sheer pleasure of inhaling all the lovely aromas of the many spices and herbs. Don't miss their chili mixes. They are great and come in many combinations. I love that Pickling Spice and Italian Seasoning Mixes too---they look like real spices and herbs, not just ground-up powders. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Pendery's Spices

That would depend upon the storage environment, the type of seed, and how long you intend to store the seed. My 2 c's (well, maybe 3) ;-) Paper envelopes are good for short-term storage, and are actually the best means if the dryness of the seed is questionable. Not good if the storage environment has periods of high humidity. Paper envelopes are easy to label & many use them, but they are best enclosed in an air-proof jar, with a little desiccant. Left out in the open, seed life in paper envelopes is dependent upon the ambient environment, and can be unpredictable. If you choose to use them, store them in a location where the temperature tends to be cool & stable throughout the year, and humidity is low. Zippered storage bags are good for short to medium term storage. I store most of my seeds in them, and provided that the seed was healthy & properly dried to begin with, many seeds (such as beans, squash, cukes, and tomatoes) have at least fair germination for up to 10 years. Not all zippered plastic bags are equal. Most snack, sandwich, and storage bags allow too much air penetration, and are inferior for anything other than short-term seed storage. Freezer bags are made of thicker material, and have better zipper seals. I've used both Zip lock & Hefty, and consider both adequate for storing small seed quantities. However, I had several seal failures storing beans in Zip lock bags (dumping the whole bag unexpectedly), and the Hefty freezer bags have stronger seals, so that is all I use now. The small zippered craft bags are good for mailing seed to others (and I recommend them for that purpose to protect seeds from the elements), but if used for seed storage, I would recommend placing them in a jar, and treating them the same as paper envelopes. Plastic bags trap sunlight, so they should NEVER be placed in direct sun. Direct exposure for even a short period of time can quickly kill or injure any enclosed seeds. If planting during warm humid weather, I recommend keeping the bulk of the seed in a controlled environment. Transfer the seed to be planted into a different container (such as those paper envelopes) and quickly reseal the bag. It is helpful to roll up the bags & squeeze out as much air as possible before closing, and to pack the bags in such a way that they are unable to re-inflate. I can't over emphasize the need for the seed to be properly dried before storage in any air-tight container. If the seed has too much moisture, it will deteriorate very quickly.