I think it's miniata too. As for a purple, fruiting passion flower to compliment your vine, incarnata can have very purplish flowers, and it can set very edible fruit. Edulis f. edulis plants are self-fertile, setting really good fruit all by themselves, and they could probably get your miniata to set fruit too. However, they only have purple in the corona filaments, having white petals and sepals. I've used edulis flavicarpa pollen to set fruit on a vitifolia x miniata plant, so I'm pretty sure an edulis plant could also set fruit on miniata. Edulis flavicarpa usually has a deep purple center coloring in the corona filaments, and even though this one isn't usually self-fertile, I've used miniata pollen on edulis flavicarpa and gotten medium-sized fruit that actually produced edulis flavicarpa seedlings (miniata pollen made it self).

Lalitha- Sorry, I don't have any experience with, or information about, the mills you are inquiring about. One rule-of-thumb I can share: stones grind finer than steel burrs, and an impact mill the finest flour of all, and that's about all I can help you with; other than a great respect for German workmanship and they are indeed very handsome mills. The price would be my biggest deterrent. Even though I have a couple stone mills, I also keep extra stones for the mills because they can chip, flake and break (check for stones and grit in your grains/seeds/beans before adding them to the mill hopper), or glaze over from too much moisture in your grains/seeds/beans. The stones are also made from a variety of things, including man-made "stone". When using a stone mill, you may need to mill the grain on a coarse setting, and then run the flour through again on a finer setting in order to get the fine flour (especially necessary for making cakes and a fine-crumb for yeast/naturally-leavened breads. How an impact mill works: "Impact grinders use rows of 'blades' placed in circular rows on metal wheels. One wheel turns and the other wheel is stationary, like the stone grinder. But this is where the similarity ends. The two wheels are aligned so that the rows of blades intermesh, running extremely close, yet never touching the blades on the opposite wheel. The rotating wheel turns at several thousand RPM. As grain is fed into the center of the fixed wheel, the interaction between the two wheels `impacts' the grain and pulverizes it [Grainlady note: the grain "explodes" rather than being crushed] into fine flour as the grain works its way to the outside of the wheels." For REAL sandwich bread--- I would suggest purchasing a Pullman (Pain de Mie) Pan (a square pan with a lid). This pan will allow you to make that crustless, close-grained bread that will help you transition from commercial sandwich bread to homemade. A close-grain crumb is what you want in order to be able to cut thin slices, hold moist spreads (without dripping through a hole), and still be able to hold together to eat out-of-hand. That's the more-or-less "technical" characteristics for sandwich bread. A more open crumb is best used for toast. All those lovely places to hold melted butter and jam. I have a 1-pound Pullman Pan (perfect for hubby and me), and a 2-pound for when the house is full of family visiting. Another tip for making a fine-crumb bread is to add the fat early during mixing. The fat coats the gluten, similar to making short-crust pastry. If you want a more open crumb (as well as more loft), add the fat late in mixing, after the gluten has developed. For making 100% whole wheat bread (or multi-grain where one of the grains is wheat), I suggest using hard (spring or winter) white wheat over red wheat. White wheat flour has a mild flavor and lighter color and is less acidic-tasting than the flavor associated with "whole wheat bread" made with red wheat varieties. White wheat has the same plant traits and nutrition as red wheat varieties, it's just missing the genes for the bran color. There are three genes that make up the bran color. Early varieties of red wheat (such as Turkey Red) had all three genes and are very dark in color (bran, flour and finished product) and a strong "whole wheat" taste. Most of today's varieties of red wheat have one or two of those genes, while white wheat has none. I use and store both red and white varieties of wheat. Step back a generation or two and use a sponge method over the quicker straight (or direct) dough method. You'll find you get a finer texture. The "wait" gives the bran in the wholegrain flour time to soften (the hard sharp shreds of bran can actually cut the gluten strands), and you'll get a high-rising loaf of bread. According to "CookWise": "Researchers suggest that an ideal standing period is 2-1/2 hours." I typically use an overnight sponge with 100% wholegrain flour works well to lighten the bread. If I'm in a hurry, I use a 2-1/2 hour sponge with good results. I also add 1/4 t. ascorbic acid per loaf to counteract the negative effects from Glutathione (found in wheat germ) on gluten-development. This will help prevent baking those squatty loaves of 100% whole wheat bread. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: King Arthur Flour - Pullman Pan

I don't get contractor price, Michael--so I see around $42/gal, and ACE's is $26 (often I get a discount at ACE though)...I did read about the relative ease of tinting the ACE, faron--I may get closer to the EK color (I know I won't get "it", though)--good to hear that you still like the way it looks (and I presume acts) since the trial painting. Or Michael, do you know how *either* of these might compare to the ICI Dulux lifemaster 9200 semi-gloss, which is what Ellen uses for her trim formula? I know the price is WAY out, but if it's comparable in quality to the CC or ACE, I will know I will get a perfect color match, so maybe *that* might be the way to go (I need to paint a wall of floor-to-ceiling built-in hinged closet doors).

Neely, your photos are lovely, and I think it was about time for a break from all that moving/packing/unpacking. Have fun! Sleevendog, your taco night looks fresh and good. Cookebook, now that's how I remember a seafood boil should be, yum! Jasdip, I'll bet that cast iron pan made some nicely crunchy pizza crust. As for eating leftover chicken, well, we must be in sync somehow, because I had leftover chicken. Elery and I were cutting trees from along the pond bank today and so we had a crockpot full of beans cooking. I decided to make chicken enchiladas to go with the beans. Leftover chicken, a chopped zucchini and some seasonings, rolled up in a low carb tortilla and covered with AnnT's green sauce from her Stacked Enchilada recipe. That sauce can make anything better, even those oddly stretchy low carb tortillas! A spoonful of guacamole on the side: Of course, nothing makes supper taste better than a good appetite and hauling wood all day kind of helps that along, LOL. 65F and sunny, it was perfect. Annie