SALAD DAYS: Cheryl Amestoy grows her own...

SALAD DAYS: Cheryl Amestoy grows her own greens--hundreds of them--for use in the classes at her Amestoy House Cooking School in Ojai (F1A). . . . Amestoy, who launched the school last month, was introduced to the plants on a visit to an herb farm in Houston, Texas, decades ago. “There were all these herbs, aromas and flavors,” she says. “I started growing herbs and, all of a sudden, food took on a different flavor.” Three-fourths of her 200 cookbooks are herb-related, she estimates. . . . Eight celebrity chefs are scheduled at the school through August.

WHAT’S UP: Act soon if you want a good view of the Comet Hyakutake, because the nocturnal phenomenon will start fading after this week. Linda Lippman of the Ventura County Astronomical Society says there’s no need for a telescope: “You’re better off looking at it with the naked eye or using binoculars” to see the whole comet, including its tail. . . . Tonight, the comet should be 15 degrees from the North Star heading south and west, and its tail is just starting to swing around. The comet becomes visible about 8 p.m., Lippman said, but is easier to see after the moon sets about 1 a.m.

BALLOT BLUES: Lemon trees don’t vote, but Camarillo residents do. That may be why Kathy Long and Michael Morgan of Camarillo are in a fall runoff for the 3rd District seat on the County Board of Supervisors and Roger Campbell of Fillmore is not (B1). . . . Complete vote tallies for that race and the other county contests and measures appear on B4. See A16-19 for results of national and state races, and ballot propositions, with figures on how Ventura County voted.