594474 Sun Feb 08 13:31:01 -0800 2009 3 41 Cookware 0 4398650 I'm writing to ask whether anyone has any of the Prepara products. I got the most recent Sur La Table catalog and was intrigued by the "Power Plant" products in it. I went to Prepara's website and found that they have a couple of versions of the Power Plant (an indoor plant growing appliance that looks smaller than an Aerogarden and doesn't have a built in lamp) and a a line of "Herb Savor" products for keeping store bought herbs fresh. They also have some various tools and gadgets that look like they range from maybe useful or neat to entirely unnecessary or a flat out bad idea. I am taken with both the Power Plant and Herb Savor lines, though and would love to know if anyone has used them and, if so, what your experience has been like. The website is: http://www.prepara.com/ Thanks in advance! Sun Feb 08 13:31:02 -0800 2009 80141 ccbweb 1 4404354 I bought a power plant mini and an aerogarden at the same time. probably about 6-7 months ago. The mini power plant was easy to use (no light in this setup). Used lemon-lime basil. and put it on the window sill. Worked pretty well. It was at Tuesday Morning for $20-30 (older food formula). The new round one actually rotates in place, may have a water pump timer, but and both can accept the light product. Brookstone online has them also. Here's a great blog on using one http://mygardenstarts.blogspot.com/ I think I may have put too many seeds in the sponge and overcrowded the machine. The basil grew to like 4 inches and then stalled out.. The company is very responsive. thumbs up. Check that blog though, they had great success. The aerogarden 6 was refurbished for $90 and came with the herbs italian basil, purple basil, green onion, mint, parsley, thyme. It is quite a bit bigger and takes up a lot of room. It did what it claimed, works great. still going after about 5 months or so (takes a couple weeks to germinate) , but the plants are getting bigger and the leaves smaller. Proprietary light set up is a big downer, but Costco has these on sale with extra seeds and bulbs. I bought a second machine for almost 1/2 price ($99). I don't know what I am going to do with it, but since seeds pods are $20, lights are $20, plus tax/shipping, i figured it might make a good gift or pehaps maybe i could get herbs in one and tomatoes in the other. The light is very bright and is currently on a cycle that goes on at 4am and goes off at 8PM. When the light goes off it is very noticeable. They both work pretty well, but you pay more and get quite a bit more out of the Aerogarden. Unfortunately, the basil grows a lot and quickly, better have some great pesto and basil-inspired recipes, for every meal... there is a lot of basil, but the others like the onion and dill. probably use it like once a week or so. The herb savor feels like a sturdy product. I held it in Williams Sonoma, but it was $25-$30. I couldn't justify the price on that piece. lets say at $2 a bunch of dill, I would have to buy 15 bunchs, and long lasting herbs... hard to explain. They definitely look cool though. The gardens were more of a fun experiment since I wanted some plants/herbs and I didn't want an outdoor garden yet. I also have 3 year old that loved looking at the seedlings and tears off the parsley to eat. Tue Feb 10 11:02:53 -0800 2009 4398650 247632 global_dev 1 4407516 I used to have the Aerogarden last year but wasn’t that crazy about it. It was too large for my kitchen, and I didn’t really like the look of it so I didn’t really use it much. I gave it to my daughter. I bought the Power Plant Pro at Sur La Table last month because of the look. It was super easy to set up because I watched the video at www.prepara.com. My basil grew about a foot in 3 weeks. I’m on my second crop now and love it. When I bought my Power Plant, I saw another customer buy the Power Plant Mini, which could be a good option for you if you only need a few herbs or greens. I bought the herb savor too, and absolutely love it! Every kitchen needs one. Wed Feb 11 11:16:41 -0800 2009 4398650 265655 bfullest 2 4419089 what herb are you putting in the herb savor? Sun Feb 15 09:12:43 -0800 2009 4407516 247632 global_dev