Victorio, the name, is teh original machine made over 40 years ago. Since then, there have been major improvements and many name changes as well. If the one you got has a wooden pusher and a small aluminium tray to guide some of the strained material out through the conical strainers which have big wing nuts on them, that model is no longer made, and has been out of producting about 15 years now. The newer models have a similar appearance, but the strainers are twist on wand held in place with a single small thumbscrew. Also the strainers have wrap around plastic spatter shields and the cranking shaft has an O ring seal so liquids don't leak out that end. Villaware, Roma, and a newer name are now the current models and all are the same design which has major improvements over the original. I had three different versions, and one was the oldest and was called Victorio, but the latest one is Villaware. None of the strainers are interchangable with the older model. The link below is another company selling the Villaware under their name which is Weston. The newer one also offer an optional motor unit as I mentioned in many of the other threads about this same machine. Here is a link that might be useful: Villaware food strainer

greenglass, That's a great tip for the tomato paste, thanks! I consider myself a fairly experienced, handy cook (for ordinary stuff, I'm no gourmet), and never thought of that one. It bugs me too to leave so much behind, and I have a little mini plastic spatula-scraper thing that I've been using, which doesn't do a bad job but is a pain and leaves a bit at the bottom. When I spent a year in France, I found tomato paste regularly sold in a tube, like toothpaste, which was PERFECT --- you could just squeeze out whatever you needed. Mayonnaise was also sold this way. Another great packaging improvement was bleach --- you could buy it in a big jug like here, but you could also buy a little refill plastic pouch of ultra-concentrated bleach, which you would pour into your empty jug and then fill it the rest of the way up with water to get the same concentration. Sure was handy for life in Paris where one walked everywhere! Occasionally, over the many years since I was in France, I've found a store with imported foods that has tomato paste in a tube, and when I do I always stock up with several. (It keeps a year or two, though not forever.) It's been a while since I had one, however. If anyone knows of a source near Kingston, Ontario, I'd be grateful! ;-) Zabby

Rodger, welcome back! I was afraid the USDA had you locked up, for attempting to take their entire pea collection. (lol) Glad to hear that so many of your seed crops went well, I remember your post about the "Insuk's Wang Kong" being knocked down by wind. It was a challenging year for many of us, although it ended up being pretty productive. You're living my dream, Rodger; I hope to grow large-scale seed crops when I retire. It's a labor of love. For now, I can only grow small preservation plantings. For me, I'm not sure what the future holds. A job promotion last Fall has improved my situation financially, but the increased hours will be cutting into the time I usually spend with family & garden. I'll be continuing my preservation efforts, but perhaps at a reduced level... I'll see how it goes this Summer. My vegetable list for 2009 is still a work in progress; it never gets firmed up until I get the SSE yearbook, and search it for items on my wish list. It should be out any day now. I will be re-growing "Sangre de Toro" as a dry bean. While it showed great potential last year, the rabbits severely damaged it (all but 3 vines!), and I want to see what it can do without interference. The entire garden will be surrounded by rabbit fencing this year, the losses last year were intolerable. "Ma Williams" will be my main shell bean this year, it's time to replenish my seed stocks - and my freezer. "Kentucky Wonder White #191" will be my main pole snap, 4 plants last year gave me 3 pounds of seed!!! "Atlas" (bush shell), "Emerite" (pole snap), "Snowcap" (pole shell) and several others that have yet to be chosen will be for trial & preservation. Hopefully a couple new varieties from the USDA as well. Will be growing "King of the Garden" limas this year, a variety that has proven difficult here in the past. I've gotten much better at starting limas as transplants, so I think it has a good chance of success. Another lima will be chosen from the Yearbook for preservation. For cowpeas, I will be growing several heirlooms from SSE; "Green Dixie" (a very large-seeded "eye" pea with light green seed), "Speckled Purple Hull" (small brown & tan seed), and "Thailand Pole" (grey seed, possible use as yardlong). All are pole or semi-pole. Will be growing two yardlongs as well, haven't decided which ones yet. Weather permitting (and that is a big "if" after last year) I will be conducting a large trial of English peas this year, at least 10 commercial varieties. Probably all of those currently listed by Vermont Bean Seed, plus several others. I will be focusing on yield, rather than earliness... and since they will likely be planted late, on heat resistance. "Green Arrow" is my standard. Other stuff too... yes, I do grow more than just beans, believe it or not. But since this is the bean forum, I'll post the rest elsewhere. Rodger, can't make promises that far ahead, but I'm going to try like blazes to make that Fall Harvest Festival. Quite a few people will be there that I'd like to meet. I'd like to participate in the seed swap as well, if this Northerner wouldn't be upsetting the apple cart. ;-) Hope to be seeing a lot of you here this Summer!

Hi Debbie - Jumped in to check on you today and am so happy to see your post. Know that just by getting up and brushing your hair and teeth in the morning that you are strong enough to move ahead day to day. Despite the snow (even we here down "south" got snow yesterday) take heart and know that spring will bring sunshine and warmer breezes into that newly painted, cheerful bedroom of yours. You did a really good thing for yourself by painting. This is your home and it needs to be a place that makes you feel happy to come home to. Chelone, I understand how you are feeling also. We are finally at the point where we need to discuss alternate arrangements with my FIL, as our family is bordering on the breaking point. Everyone is trying their level best, but it is apparent that we are nearing the tipping point where he continues to thrive at the cost of the remainder of the household who must accommodate him. He is now 94 and a half. I wrestle every day with the question of how do I know when I can truly no longer do this... because we know we can bear almost any situation "just another day" and then "just another week" as others do in similar situations or worse. I beat myself up every day thinking "if I only could be more patient I could do this as long as it takes". "If only I weren't so self centered then maybe I could provide this care without feeling wrung out." There are people who seem to have an endless capacity for loving and giving and caring no matter how frustrating it gets. They just keep on giving and loving and caring with joy. I envy them so much. I know that I love my FIL - after all, I have been caring for him for more than 6 years and we are very close. So I know that when the time comes for him to leave our home, I will be a mess. A mixtue of guilt and grief and relief and sadness at the end of an era in my life. Debbie I'm so proud of you. Do your friends and neighbors a huge favor and make it a point each day to accept at least one person's offer of help. Al's friends and your neighbors are grieving in their own way at als passing, and helping you in some tangible way would help them too. Really. We feel helpless when we know we could be making someone's day easier somehow but they won't accept our help. Maybe there is some way to connect Matthew with a trusted friend who could do guy things with him from time to time? That would be a help to YOU as much as to him. I'd wager that there are several people who would be honored to do that for Al. Maybe a friend would take Carley over to the nail salon and treat her to a manicure. $10, such a little thing, but would make her feel special and loved if a manicure isn't something she would usually do for herself. The next time someone asks how they can help, have a little errand or two at the top of your head each morning that would be a big help if you could delegate it. I offered to take a friend's cans and bottles and cardboard to the recycling center for her after her husband died. It was an easy thing for me to do on my way to the recycling.... but a HUGE project for her in addition to all the other #$%$ she had to think about. The recycling wouldn't have made it to the top of her to do list for weeks and would have sat there weighing on her and piling up. Just a little thing to me , but it was big to her and I was so happy to know that I had really helped make her day a little easier. When I see her now, she will always give me a hug and say "I can't believe you took my trash to the dump for me! I love you!" and I know she means it. So make a little list and accept people's offers of help. You know which ones really mean it! Easter wishes to all of you. Trish