Hi, I am interested in the tomatoes,peppers, and the gourds. I have some of the herbs that you want and also some hen and chicks. Let me know if this would be a good trade for you, Suzy

narcnh I think that is a great idea - take your mom to the show. (You just mentioned 3 very good reasons). It is a great break in middle of the winter...displays are usually great, lots of new ideas to amuse one with. I would consider byuing any plants as a side benefit - so you won't be dissapointed in case you don't see anything you would like to get. I used to go to spring show here in Toronto. Some years are better than others, but there is always something interesting to see. The show tends to cater more to outdoor gardening & landscaping, but it's still about plants, right? I found that most what was selling were sort of 'run-off-the-mill' plants that you can get anytime, but haven't been to a show for past 4-5 yrs, so maybe things changed, and they probably do it differently where you are. Out of 125 vendors, at least few should have something interesting. (I would make sure that I am familiar with pricing, just in case - sometimes they price stuff higher at these kind of shows.) I think your mom would really enjoy it...Have fun.

Speaking of books, since we're in a tomato forum, I have a question for everyone: Do you know of a really comprehensive book on tomatoes? By that, I mean one that covers everything about tomatoes that a tomatohead might want to know. I have looked at the following, none of which (it seems to me) is quite what I have in mind: 1. Tantalizing Tomatoes , ed. by Karen Davis Cutler (New York 1997) 2. The Tomato in America, by Andrew Smith (Columbia, S.C. 1994) 3. The Great Tomato Book, by Gary Ibsen (Berkeley 1999) 4. The Great Tomato Book, by Sheila Bluff (Short Hills, N.J. 1999) (the last two books have the same title and were published in the same year; rather remarkable) 5. In Praise of Tomatoes, by Steven Shepherd (New York 1996) 6. Exploring the Tomato, by Mark Harvey, Steve Quilley and Huw Beynon (Cheltenham, U.K. 2002) 7. All About Tomatoes, by Walter L. Doty (? 1981) 8. Terrific Tomatoes, by Mimi Luebbermann and Faith Echtermeyer (? 1994) 9. 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, by Carolyn J. Male (New York 1999) (by far the best of the lot - :)) What I do have in mind is something broader, that would cover at least the following subjects: 1. Biology and cultivation (including different species and cultivars), 2. Genetics and genetic modification (e.g., sad story of the Flavr Savr gene), 3. Origin and evolution (your cousin the tomato), 4. World-wide diffusion and subsequent history (how did the tomato get to India and China, anyway? The English? The Portuguese? The Spanish? One author suggests early sea contact with Peru) 5. Adoption and use in different food traditions (e.g., how do tomatoes fit in with the powerful religious aspects of Indian food tradition?), 6. Health aspects (e.g., effect on prostate and lung cancer, macular degeneration, sun damage to skin), 7. Commercial and economic issues (do they really eat 200 pounds per person per year in Egypt?), 8. Connections with famous people (e.g., Ronald Reagan), 9. Film and literature (nobody should miss Attack of the Killer Tomatoes or its sequels), 10. Myths (e.g., the Robert Gibbon Johnson story) and misconceptions, 11. Tomatoes and sex (no misconceptions there, and no conceptions, either, I suppose [smile]), 12. Enthusiast organizations and festivals (the most spectacular is in Spain), 13. Etymology of popular and scientific names (where did the name lycopersicum -- Wolf Peach -- come from?), and 14. Home growing and cooking (somewhat). I know of course that there are many books on how to grow tomatoes, and many recipe books, but what I am thinking of is something broader, one that would not only contain quite a lot of information about tomatoes, but also use tomatoes as a lense to look into some of the things mentioned (history, biology, even cosmology: for example, without supernovas, tomatoes could not exist). Do you think there is a significant market for such a book? Would you buy it? At Amazon prices? As is probably obvious by now, I am considering writing such a book, and in fact already have prepared an outline and introduction. But before I put a year's work into it, I would very much appreciate any opinions anyone may have on the subject. Thanks very much, Jonathan

Netla, the first book that came to mind, though an old classic was Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life by Mrs Gaskell, written in the time of those 'dark satanic mills'. Modern writers from that area include Val McDermid, popular crime writer and Jeanette Winterson Oranges are Not the Only Fruit; she has become an increasing angry lesbian so don't know about her other work. ;-( You will love both Durham and York, both small enough to easily walk around and with beautiful church and other buildings. There is The Story of Durham by Douglas Pocock which looks interesting (though pricey). The site below gives some eg's of books set in/about York. Loads of history . . . Roman, Viking, railways, chocolate-making etc. Whitby is also interesting. Look out for anything from Saint Hilda to Captain Cook . .. and Dracula! Hope this helps a bit. Here is a link that might be useful: Books Set in York