I kept meaning to summarize my results but life was just too busy. I ended up getting some unexpected results; however the overall take-home for the experiment was that germination seemed to be pretty high regardless of the method (other than nicking). Update to my latest baobabery: To reiterate the setup-- 7 seeds nicked at the crest, soaked in boiling water 6 seeds not nicked, soaked in boiling water 6 seeds not nicked, soaked in epsom salt cold water 6 seeds not nicked, soaked in cold water All the seeds were placed between wet paper towels in plastic baggies and put near a light (my heat mat broke so this was my best source of heat). A nicked/boiled seed was the first to sprout (day 5); however the remaining nicked/boiled seeds were rotten by three weeks into the experiment. The germination rates were: Nicked/boiled: 1/7 Boiled: 5/6 Salt/Cold: 4/6 Cold: 4/6 So overall (not including the nicked seeds) I got 72% to germinate. I should note that by two months into the experiment the boiled (5) and the cold (4) seeds had finished their sprouting, however only 1 of the salt/cold seeds had germinated. I assumed the salt/cold seeds were dead at this point and tossed the baggie into a pile of trash. Earlier this week I was cleaning up stuff and noticed that 3 more of the seeds in the salt/cold bag had sprouted (4 months!) so I removed them and planted those as well. The bag hadn't been sealed to the paper towel was almost totally dry. Other things to note: When the seeds sprouted I found that the best method was to remove about half of the seed coat manually (without damaging the embryo). Total removal worked but was difficult and probably didn't help the little guy too much. In almost every case where I didn't remove the seed coat, the leaves got stuck in the coat and I had to chop them in half to free them otherwise they tore and began to rot. Chopping the leaves had no ill effect on the plants. After a few of the seeds got moldy from I tried peeling them (they had not germinated at this point) and shockingly two of them grew although one died after a few days so I didn't count that as a successful germination. Many more of the seeds sprouted than I had anticipated so I quickly ran out of space and small pots. Initially I was using these biodegradable pulp pots and shockingly all of these seedlings eventually wilted and (without intervention) died. The seedlings placed in plastic pots (even 3 oz plastic shot glasses w/o drainage holes) all thrived. i was able to save two of the wilted guys by replanting them but I ended up losing many of them. All in all I have 8 healthy plants at the end. I still have a ton of seeds left so if anyone wants to trade or just wants some let me know. I didn't count them, but my bag of seeds is about 9oz so there are several hundred and I have no space for a forest. Maybe I'll go Johnny-Appleseeding around the city :) I'll attach some photos in another...

The green shoulder gene used to be not uncommon, even on red tomatoes, but it is no wonder that commercial breeders bred it out, since it sure seems to confuse a lot of people. A healthy tomato will ripen all the way through, all at the same time, no matter whether the shoulders appear green or not. If you wait for green shoulders to disappear, you will never be able to eat them, since the green generally doesn't. Personally, I like green shoulders. It doesn't affect the taste, but to me, it kind of says, "old style, homey, heirloom." Rather than some commercial piece of junk. Also, I know that Cherokee Purple and Cherokee Chocolate are supposed to be exactly the same tomato, with a minimal skin coloration difference, but, to me, they taste quite different. I really DO prefer the Cherokee Chocolate. However,I wonder if the difference might actually be in their level of ripeness when I eat them. Perhaps I am more affected by color than I think and I eat the Cherokee Chocolate either riper or less ripe than the Cherokee Purple. If so, it is a sign that color can even affect me, when I eat so many different colors of tomatoes that I thought it made no difference to me. For people who don't think they like certain tomatoes, I would strongly encourage you to grow your own, and then taste it early in it's ripeness, in the middle, and then again at the end, when it might be approaching too ripe. I think you will find that the flavor, and the complexities of that flavor will change quite markedly. And there are definitely certain types of tomatoes that I prefer when they are just ripe, but absolutely don't like when they are VERY ripe. Or vice versa. I guess I am saying that there really is no ONE standard of ripeness, just like there is no one standard of taste. Ripe is what you say it is, and levels of ripeness definitely will affect how much you like certain tomatoes. So always keep that in mind, and try different stages of ripeness.

Drewsmaga mentioned above using Olive oil as a make up remover. Olive oil with regular sugar makes the best ever facial scrub. I just put about 1/4 cup of sugar in a small butter tub, mix in enough olive oil to where it's still fairly thick. Rub a small amount around on your face with your fingers, then splash a little warm water on, and keep rubbing, the warm water melts the sugar. .then rinse it off and dry your face. You will be so surprised at how smooth your face will feel. I think it would make a great all over body scrub but the shower floor would be dangerously slick. I store it with the lid on the butter tub, a little bit lasts a long time. You can mix up just a small amount to try it, I think you will really be surprsied at how nice it is. .Debbie

My friend, the "Makeup Queen" always has a bunch of freebies from her many visits to makeup counters. She gave me some good-sized samples of body dusting powder and I mixed one with 2-cups cornstarch. It smells the same as the EXpensive stuff at a fraction of the cost, and I think it actually works better than plain talcum powder in the summer. For a moisturizer and hand cream, I use Lou Ana brand coconut oil that I get at Wal-Mart (next to the Crisco). I also cook with it, so it's not just for one-use only. I make my own pots of lip gloss using coconut oil as the base ingredient, a little beeswax, cocoa butter, and vitamin E oil. -Grainlady