1) The dehydrator 

This went very well.  After 36 hours the chopped fungus was beautifully dry, and not at all browned.  They were at dry as a crisp and had retained a nice, strong mushroom flavour.  Great for stews and soups in the future.  Mmmm.   I have stored them in some sealed jars.

 2) Thale Cress

I am on the lookout for a tiny plant - Thale cress.  Why you might ask?  It's becauseI am reading a book about it - "Seed to seed".  Thale cress seems to have few conventional uses.  So far the only one I have found is a use for healing mouth ulcers.  But the really exciting thing about this plant is that science knows more about this plant than any other.  It was the first thing ever to have its genome sequenced.  It is being used as a model for understanding all other plants.

 Now I have started to learn about it I want to identify it from all the other diminutive little plants.  But at this time of year it is probably only a seed or a tiny seedling as it is an annual.  I probably won't be able to identify it until late spring when it flowers.  Anyway here is a picture from Wikepedia again.

Richard