The first year I made my own mix was Al's 5-1-1 --- 5 fir(conifer) bark fines, 1 sphagnum peat moss, and 1 perlite. 1 TB CRF and 1 1 TB lime for each gallon of mix... It did "ok." Last year I did a modified version of it, changing out turface for the peat for my 10 gallon pots and in some oak barrels added 1 part compost(experiment) -- I also tried to reduce the lime some by using some gypsum since peppers like it more on the acidic side and my city water is around 8.1 -- this mix turned out awesome production. The downside to the gypsum is no Mg, but I would just add a tsp of epsom salts to 2 gal of the MG all-purpose(half-strength) every week. I did the epsom salts every 2-3 weeks though. Are you getting all the sapwood out of your pine fines? I've heard that the pine fines are better when composted. So maybe the first year I used it, it broke it down some. That second mix you have seems very water retentive and you shouldn't use topsoil and IMO even potting soil. Potting MIX would be much better. Potting SOILS usually have too much peat while MIXES tend to have more bark product. The CRF's do feed it all season, for 3 months. Maybe add more after 3 months. But you still need to add something with micronutes. And for containers, that's usually in the form of something synthetic and soluble. I have grown peppers successfully in oak barrels in the past, with Kellogg's N'rich, a tad of peat, perlite, and extra homemade compost. With doses of 15-15-15 ever month or 2 throughout the season. But oak barrels will support a microherd better than most containers. The bigger the container, the better chance you can go with the organic "meals" for ferts and treat the medium like one would in-ground plants. With oak barrels, you can do 2-3 plants. So that kind of makes up for the large cost of filling them with a medium. Not sure about eggplants. Never grown them. You might want to check to see what's the smallest acceptable pot size. Peppers do well in relatively small containers. But I find the larger, the better. Especially with larger fruited annuums and those people with long growing seasons. Good luck. Kevin

I think all of you will enjoy this recipe. Even eggplant haters at my house (my brother and sister-in-law) enjoyed them. Lou, I'll pass that on to Rose :-) She would love to get back to Italy but she's afraid to fly. She's been there twice since she emigrated to Latrobe, once to sing for the Pope and the other time to visit relatives about 10 years ago. Nancy

One of personal favorites -- eggplant! Here are a few ideas: 1. Slice them about 1/4 inch thick. Get two shallow bowls ready - one with 2-3 beaten eggs, the other with Progresso or Ians italian panko crumbs or a mix of the two. Dip the slices in egg, then crumbs and then saute over medium heat in 1-2 Tbsp olive oil w/ 1 tsp butter for flavor. Flip when browned - make sure they are cooked through. Properly cooked eggplant is meltingly tasty but if it's under done, it's bitter. When soft/done, place on rack so they don't get soggy and sprinkle with kosher salt. These make fantastic hors d'oerves (or however you spell that). 2. Add small sauteed eggplant cubes to a tomato based pasta sauce. I like to make pasta sauce with egglant, mushrooms, onions... Rose

NEW ORLEANS EGGPLANT (serves 4) 2 medium eggplants 1 large onion 1/2 green bell pepper 1/2 bunch green onions 2 cloves garlic 2 TBL bacon drippings or vegetable oil 2 TBL minced parsley 3-4 slices bread, soaked in water 1 lb shrimp, boiled, peeled & chopped 1 small piece of ham, ground 1 or 2 eggs Salt & peper to taste Fine dry bread crumbs 2 TBL butter Boil eggplants in a large pot of water until fork tender. Cool. Chop the onion, pepper & green onions fine; saute in the bacon drippings w/garlic for 5 minutes until wilted. Slice the eggplants in 1/2 lengthwise. Scoop out the eggplant pulp carefully so as not to damage the skin. Add the pulp to the onion mixture & simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley & simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Squeeze the bread dry & mix in well. Add the chopped shrimp & ground ham. Blend in 1 or 2 eggs to bind; season w/salt & pepper to taste. Stir in a few bread crumbs if needed. Stuff the shells, sprinkle w/bread crumbs & dot w/butter. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15 minutes.~~Cotton Country Collection ITALIAN BAKED EGGPLANT (serves 2) 1 large eggplant 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large white onion, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, peeled, finely chopped 15 oz can stewed tomatoes 1 TBL sugar 1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil Salt & pepper to taste 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cut the eggplant lengthwise in 1/2. Scoop out the pulp carefully. leaving the shells intact. Chop the pulp into 1/2" pieces. Preheat oven to 375°. Saute the garlic in the olive oil in a 12" skillet for 2 minutes. Add the eggplant pulp, onion & celery. Reduce the heat to medium; saute, stirring frequently for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the undrained tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently until thickened & most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the sugar, basil, salt & pepper; mix well. Spoon the mixture into the eggplant shells; sprinkle w/the cheese. Arrange the stuffed shells in a shallow baking dish; pour in enough hot water to reach a depth of 1/2" around the shells. Bake 20-30 minutes or until light brown.~~Great Lake Effects. SPICY EGGPLANT (serves 4) 28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup chopped onion 1/3 cup dry red wine 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 medium eggplant, peeled & cubed 2 TBL red wine vinegar 2 TBL chopped fresh or 2 tsp dried basil 6 drops hot sauce 1/4 tsp salt Hot cooked rice or pasta Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Cook garlic, onion & red wine, covered in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add celery & eggplant; cook 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender, adding juice from tomatoes if necessary. Stir in tomatoes, remaining juice, vinegar & next 3 ingredients. Simmer at least 30 minutes. Serve over hot rice or pasta.~~Thymes & Pleasures