Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' seeds will be deep in the calyx and are mature when deep brown. But you don't need seeds to have a yard full of salvia B&B, you can take cuttings and keep them moist through the winter or you might take a couple of small rooted pieces from the edges of your plants, pot them up, and try to overwinter them in a cool, bright window. Any small piece with a root will be easier to grow than a cutting. I'd start now, so that if you fail you have time for another try or two before frost. You should look in the Salvia forum, B& B is a popular plant and there are numerous threads discussing overwintering this sage, something I know nothing about here in L.A.

I store my seeds in one of the refrigerator produce drawers. They are organized in ziploc baggies (NOT closed tightly though as that would seal in moisture) by perennials, annuals, etc. I throw the dessicants leftover from vitamins and packaging into the baggies and drawer. This method of storage seems to work very well. I have successfully germinated and grown seeds that were from as far back as 1991. I am still using parsley, basil and tomato seeds that are dated 1997 and 1998. Of course some seeds have short lifespans even under ideal storage. Maybe you could test a few of the seeds and see what kind of germination you get? If the samples do well, then probably most of the seeds will too.

I'm sorry to say that I'm not a veggie grower, I stick to pretty flowers, so I can't speak from personal experience. But other wintersowers grow all kinds of vegetables, with great success. They grow about any all all tomatoes and some don't plant them until spring. You need not feel rushed to plant on the solstice as some of us "wintersow" all year 'round. Basically it involves using the same recyclable containers, the same method, and planting at times other than winter, too. For me, I have only done flowers. Most of us begin in winter with perennials and hardy annuals, waiting until spring for very tender things like zinnias. It works extremely well and in spring we have literally thousands of seedlings. We have our own seed exchange, linked just above the threads on page 1 of the forum. See Trudi's offer listed there Stick around and some expert will come along to help you. Welcome to the forum, we're happy to have you. Karen Here is a link that might be useful: Trudi's offer

I don't check in here very often either, but I posted the following some months ago: Thought I'd drop by and share my experience on this thread. I'm eight years post-menopausal. My main symptoms were hot flashes (w/night sweats) and emotional swings that included some impressive rages. At the time I was also having heart palpitations and some chest pains, and had been diagnosed with lupus. In addition, I started menopause about 35 lb. overweight and added ten more once it was underway. I argued with three doctors who wanted me to take HRT. I felt, as I do now, that for most women menopause is like childbirth: a natural process rather than a medical condition. Although my mother died before reaching menopause, I felt I would come through it in better shape if I didn't mess with nature. I added hawthorne with motherwort to my supplements, which helped with the palpitations, and took a couple of doses of a homeopathic remedy (essence of pit viper!) for the rages. Other than that, the biggest changes I made were to my lifestyle. I traded my "healthy" high-carb, mostly vegetarian diet for a low-carb, high-protein one and lost my excess weight. I upped my consumption of tofu and soy milk for isoflavones. I joined a gym. And I went out and got a full-time job. These many years later, I am no longer going to gym, but I'm taking up yoga. I had to quit my job to take care of my husband, but I'll eventually go back. Almost all the weight is still off. The hot flashes are long gone, along with the rest of the symptoms. I stopped the hawthorne, etc., ages ago, but still take vitamin supplements. I still eat (and enjoy) the soy foods. I'm often told that I look a lot younger than I am. My health isn't perfect, but I'm convinced HRT would have made things worse rather than better. I'm so glad I didn't listen to those doctors. Kris, another objection I had to HRT is that the most popular prescription, Premarin, is created from the urine of pregnant horses, resulting in a horrendous situation for the rigidly confined mares and the otherwise unwanted foals they are forced to produce on a regular and rapid basis. There are tons of books out there on alternative approaches to menopause. Try a search on amazon.com. Best of luck, Susan