I sure have!! Grew heirloom scarlet runner "Insuk's Wang Kong" in Calif. on my chain link fence as an ornamental edible and LOVED it. It's even prettier and more productive than Scarlet Emperor, in my opinion. Attracts hummingbirds and produces some very big, tasty beans. I highly recommend it and I have some beans I don't need- want them? :) I used to have Swiss Chard Bright Lights, Osaka Purple mustard, Udmalbet eggplant, purple basil, variegated ginger and some pepper plants on my front porch along with my flowers because they are very attractive plants. Sadly, some thief kept stealing the healthiest and best of those plants out of their pots anytime I was out of the house for a weekend. Now, I grow them in my backyard patio garden instead. I also have grown mizuna mustard, red orach, tiger eye amaranth, and Mantovana chicory as ornamental veggies. Their foliage is pretty, in my opinion. Currently I have Rotonda Bianca Sfumata di Rosa eggplant growing in a 7-gallon pot on the back patio, and I believe its fruit are very ornamental. :) My front porch now has some more boring looking edible stuff on it- Lucullus (green) swiss chard, Komatsuna (green) mustard, plain-leaf ginger, and Cicoria Catalogna Rossa which looks a lot like a dandelion. So far, none of these have interested the local thief. Those of you who can actually grow pretty edibles in your front yard without any of them being stolen, have a big blessing to give thanks for. Remember that. :)

Well, using a different search terms turned up some more interesting information on the use of fig latex for cheese making, etc. Brined Cheeses by A.Y. Tamine - page 158 on this Google book search (do a book search on Google Books if this address is out of control) - http://books.google.com/books?id=acVq7-yOXuUC&pg=PA158&lpg=PA158&dq=%22fig+latex%22+cheese+making&source=web&ots=J0cOKqNaT-&sig=VoO7j_M1wgwXvl-HlJMrzMXTzMU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result This is a very interesting reference about the use of fig latex. The most interesting point is that one drop of the latex coagulates 1 litre of milk. Figs (growth, varieties and usage) from Art Culinaire http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-2309920/Figs-growth-varieties-and-usage.html This is a hard to read web page, but the excerpted article contains some useful information about the fig latex's antibacterial and anti-parasitic properties, meat tenderizing, and thickening agent. The latex prevents gelatin from setting up. Agroforestry Development in Kenya - p 405 on the pdf document tracking number - http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/PDFS/79_Agroforestry_development_in_kenya.pdf Large pdf file and it only has a brief reference to the use of fig latex - 30 to 100 times higher clotting factor than animal rennet, used in medicine and junkets. Fig Rennet in the Iliad - http://www.cheesescience.net/2008/07/fig-rennet-in-iliad.html This is quite an ancient reference to coagulation of milk from fig milk. One document that I can't access at home is Natalis Urbis and Principium Anni by Van L. Johnson. The search quote is as follows, "the milk of the fig was used to coagulate milk in the making of cheese..." This one is located on JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/pss/283846 (I haven't seen the article yet but it might be interesting) Ok - enough obscure yet fascinating information! Ingevald

Thanks for the replies! I've been reading a LOT since finding this site and I can tell I will be addicted. I would have to classify my compulsion to constantly improve my home's aesthetics as... ILLNESS, really! At the very least - obsession. I just wish I had enough rooms & money to accommodate all my ideas. :) Ok I admit, I'm already addicted to the threads for different colors in the gallery. :*) I don't have any pics handy, but my palette is rich earth tones, and I'm partial to natural fabrics and hand-made accessories. Wood is unfortunately not white. :( It's a light-medium oak with orange undertones. *sigh* I did finally find some pictures of Yorkshire Tan in action -- and in these pics I don't think it's too dark, but these rooms also have a lot more white in them than mine does. See the "afters" here. I may need to revisit the Benjamin Moore store and check out the color(s) higher on the strip, especialyl since this room only has two windows and they get onyl indirect light after sunrise... AND because I'm not a fan of white ceilings.

This Neff oven (example) runs on 220-240 volts at 60 hz so it should be usable out of the box. The problem would be buying it and having it shipped to the US; and, of course, there would be no one here to service it if it broke. Interestingly, Neff is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSH which also owns Bosch and Thermador.