Glenda, I haven't used a Foley's Food Mill in years so I don't know that I can compare the performance of the two. And, come to think of it, I wonder what happened to my food mill? I had it when we moved here. Anyway.... I chose this particular tomato strainer because it was highly recommended over and over and over again by quite a few of the hard-core food processors at the Harvest Forum. I especially wanted it because of the set of extra screens, which if my memory is correct are for salsa (I've used that one and it is great), pumpkin/winter squash and berries. I used the salsa screen to make two different batches of salsa and both turned out perfectly. I then used the sauce screen to make plain tomato sauce which I then used to make pasta sauce for dinner. The sauce screen gives you perfect sauce with not one little piece of peel or seed or core. The sauce was just gorgeous to look at. I haven't tried the other two screens yet. Turning the hand crank was easy, the machine didn't leak, the suction cup adhered to the counnter, etc. When I get old and frail, LOL, I can buy the optional engine and use it instead of the handcrank. Or, if I should develop carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis or something that makes manual operation difficult, it is nice to know there is a little motor available to turn the handle for you. I do have a Kitchen Aid mixer and it is only about 5 years old and probably will last forever. So, for me, it is likely that the best grain mill option would be to get the Grain Mill accessory for the Kitchen Aid. As for the Food Saver, I remain undecided about that, but I really do want one and bet I go ahead and get one before next spring. We buy a lot of meat in bulk at Sam's and CostCo and repackage it, and I keep 3 freezers pretty full of home-grown veggies and fruits, so having the food saver to vacuum seal bags and cannisters would be quite useful. All the kitchen gear does add up to a lot of money over time, but I think I'll use them enough to make it worthwhile. For years I wanted these 'harvest helpers' and couldn't/wouldn't spend the money for them because we were putting our son through college. In a good year when it rains, I can put up enough veggies from the garden and fruit from the fruit trees to make a huge dent in a grocery bill. In a drought year, though, the harvest is not as heavy and I don't put up as much stuff. So, in a good year, I need all the equipment in order to put up as much of the harvest as possible as quickly as possible. I've gotten a lot more serious about raising more and more of our food supply the last few years. Homegrown is just so much tastier, and it is better for the environment because the food we're raising isn't having to travel to our home from grocery stores that get it from South America or even from California. Since reading "Animal Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, I've tried to become more serious about eating locally-raised food--and not just locally raised, but home-grown as much as possible. I'd like to think that if I am serious and work a little harder on getting great yields, I could raise most of our food in future years and all those 'harvest helper' type kitchen gadgets will get a good workout. Dawn

I got my Breville today! Very prompt shipping, especially with Labour Day yesterday!! I was in the midst of processing my cucumbers, onions and peppers when I got the delivery. I tried to buy cucumbers on Sat and not a cuke was to be found in 3 stores. Grrrrrr. They were advertised in the flyer, so I went today hoping that a shipment came in. There they were. I wanted to get my relish started, and not knowing for sure that I would get my "new kitchen toy" I borrowed my old processor from a friend and went to work. Not to worry, I'll be trying the Breville out soon and give a report. Everything feels quite nice and sturdy and well made.

Hi. Pin end or plain end? Don't forgot to check that when you buy them to save yourself some trouble! If you are in the States and want to buy these from Stockade in Canada your dollar will go a whole bunch further. I believe Winfield in the States also carries them. I have used them and don't like them as they wear out to fast, so I bought myself a contour sander. Oscillating sanders are excellent also, but a bit more expensive. Worth it in the long run if you are doing a fair amount of work though. Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Stockade

I found this elsewhere: "Q: I want to make all my ugly plastic planting pots look like concrete pots. How can I do this? A: There's an easy way and a not-so-easy way to accomplish this look. Let's go with the easy way. There are several products on the market that can be sprayed on to create that concrete look. One I like in particular is a spray paint from Krylon. Simply clean and dry the pot, then spray the surface. You will have a concrete look in no time. If you want to be a little crafty and add some dimension, spread on a plaster compound and cover it with sand. Let that dry, and then paint the entire pot." I couldn't find any paint by Krylon that said "concrete look", maybe you will have better luck. If you wanted a smooth concrete look maybe you could use a flat grey primer then lightly sponge with just a shade darker (or lighter)?