Bottled cuttlefish ink? Now THAT sounds like something I'd find on an alchemist's shelf... next to his locked and bound spellbook. Or maybe in Heather's kitchen. Did I tell you we have newts? I can't understand why any newt would want to live in a garden with 3 poetry-reciting crones nearby, but they do. I do understand staining, since we have an almond tree in back and I used to live with a walnut tree among other joys. Hands would be black until the new skin came in! Genny, I fully understand about the "make it ourselves and it will be cheaper - NOT!" problem. To make pasta such as egg noodles, it helps to have a roller and a slicer and a.... otherwise you end up with lumpy strings all cut by hand. (Angelfood cake uses a dozen whites, and egg noodles uses the yolks.) Buying pasta means that somebody else makes the bowties or seashells! Then there was the day we made raspberry ripple cheesecake. It took all day and all our pots and was gone before I could sit down to table. Ooops! I'm not supposed to admit that I ever learned to cook. :( Don, thanks for the info on the radishes. I'm going to keep my eyes open for them, just out of curiosity. Being sweet and considerate (what's this about a fiendish grin???) I'd test them on myself before EVER inflicting them on a guest. Really. ;^) Carolly