One pastel shows a cornucopia of heirloom tomatoes—orange, green and black, as well as the usual red varieties. And one is a self-portrait of Henderson with a nimbus about her head, surrounded by samples of the so-called love apples.

The title of this work is The Tomato Queen—an apt title because this Saratogan, besides being an award-winning artist, has been a serious grower of heirloom tomatoes for the past five or six years. So serious is she that she dedicates herself to "seeking good homes" for her exotic seedlings come April and May. She only has room for 50 in her own garden, but wants to find caring homes for the 400 she nurtures into seedlings. Sounds very like the way pedigreed pet owners operate. Henderson asks only that those who provide homes for her babies report back to her after harvesting.

She wants to hear about their success or struggles so that she can track which seeds to repeat next year, which to avoid. If you could provide a good home for future plants, give her a call at 408.354.4622.

Does she herself have a favorite heirloom? Yes, she does. It's Old Ivory Egg, a very large, plum tomato, creamy white in color. With this gem she makes a white tomato sauce served over spinach pasta. That's the ultimate finale for a tomato grower. About this time of year "nearly everyone has homegrown tomatoes, but mine are special," she says.

At harvest time, friends are apt to find a basket of Henderson heirlooms on their doorstep. She buys baskets at Goodwill and fills them up. One year she even approached Sent Sovi, stopped in to talk to the sous chef. Were they interested in locally grown heirloom tomatoes? They were indeed. And their staff did the pickin', paid her $2 a pound for the produce. That money translated into a gift certificate to the famed restaurant so "my husband and I had a fabulous dinner one night at Sent Sovi that year." She hasn't repeated the transaction in recent years.

Because her gardening is a labor of love, she had no idea how to price the tomatoes. For the tomato book, too, she was remunerated in copies, not coin. "Artists are after fame, not fortune—right?" she says, laughing.

The tomato book is a compendium of history, mythology, recipes, lore and legend of the plump fruit—and, of course, outstanding artwork. Henderson was handed an application by a fellow Saratoga Arts Commissioner last July, but wasn't told the result until a year later.

SERVING IN ECUADOR: Alyssa Parsons is on a Peace Corps mission in Ecuador, living with a host family and enjoying every minute of her tour so far. She is the granddaughter of Adrienne and Milt Garfield, former residents of Saratoga, now in Emerald Bay, near Laguna Beach. Her mother, Leslie Parsons, who attended Saratoga High in the late '70s, lives in Ashland, Ore.

Alyssa was valedictorian of her high school class at Westmont High and attended the U. of Pennsylvania, where she played volleyball, in addition to pursuing her academic career.

Now she is living an hour outside Quito, is in a 10-week training program. She describes Ecuador as astoundingly beautiful with an endless array of things to see and do. There are hikes with her hosts, bargaining in local street markets, swimming in waterfalls, eyeing volcanoes.

As for its Peace Corps work, the group of 20 has already built a greenhouse and planted a garden in the town of La Esperanza. The group's members have attended lessons from a natural healer, who is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

DRIVING A CHINESE BARGAIN: Chris Drew, grandson of Jack and Mary Lou Taylor, has become the ultimate, confident Chinese bargainer now that he's fluent in Mandarin. He's been in Shanghai for the past 10 weeks on an exchange program and will stay on to sightsee there and in Hong Kong.

When mother Linda came to visit, she wanted to buy a replica of one of the terra-cotta warriors. So Chris went to work, attracting a crowd of Chinese males eager to watch the action. When bargaining was complete, the men all nodded, smiled and gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, an international language.

BREATHING EASIER: Here's an unusual church service. Two new automated external defibrillators were dedicated at two services at St. Andrew's Episcopal this summer. Is it a sign of Saratoga's aging population or simply a sensible safeguard to have on hand?

The machines shock one's natural machine into breathing in case of a heart attack and can determine when or if such a shock is needed. The county EMS requires that public gathering places have access to such a device, and St. Andrew's is the first Saratoga congregation to acquire AEDs. The Episcopal Church Women group provided the funds.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.