In a message dated 97-04-20 06:41:41 EDT, [log in to unmask] (Ellie Rotunno) writes: << haven't reached that enlightened stage you have, where I can consider them garbage and I have no compost heap, so I usually eat them, but there is hope . Ellie >> Ellie, I'm still not completely there yet either & I have made one more step in that direction: Lou has pointed out to me for 6 years that the pile of organic garbage in the sink awaiting time for me to move it to the bucket prior to dumping in the compost pile irritates her AND she doesn't like the bucket around AND the compost pile doesn't really compost for about a decade at our hi elevation/low humidity & low night temp AND we don't use the stuff anymore since nothing worthwhile grows here due to our short growing season & lack of sun exposure in the garden (neighbor's trees block sun on that part of our lots)) SO I reluctantly gave up adding stuff to the compost pile about two weeks ago. I'd been using that outdoor garbage heap an a mental excuse to help me believe I was not "wasting" the food anyway, simply returning it to the earth (without passing it thru me & poisoning myself in the process). SO, I got to make the mini-quantum leap to "well, pushing it down the garbage disposal (unused by me in 25 years!) or dumping it in the trash accomplishes the same result, it gets returned to the earth by the folks at the sewage treatment plant & the landfill, 'tho the folks at the sewage treatment plant (Lou's son is an "inspector" there) probably pollute it with toxic chems & make it unfit to grow Instincto quality produce for generations. Progress? 'ealth & 'appiness! Bo7b