This recipe was on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens, Nov or Dec 1977 or 78, I think. It is the only way my hubby will eat cranberries and is a favorite of everyone who tastes it. It is very pretty, light and refreshing and very easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. I usually make it during the holidays, then again during the summer with some of the frozen cranberries that I usually find in the back of the freezer in July. I would be interested to know if anyone makes it and enjoys it like we do, or if we are alone in this. FESTIVE CRANBERRY TORTE 1½ c. graham cracker crumbs (1 package) 1/4 c. sugar ½ c. chopped pecans 6 T, butter, melted 1½ c. ground fresh cranberries (2 c. whole berries) (buy 1 sm. pkg, use 2 c. for this & rest for glaze) 1 c. sugar 2 egg whites 1 T. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 1 t. vanilla 1/8 t. salt 1 c. whipping cream Cranberry Glaze fresh orange slices, quartered In a mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, 1/4 c. sugar & melted butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of an 8" springform pan. Chill in freezer. In a large mixer bowl combine ground cranberries & 1 c. sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Add unbeaten egg whites, vanilla, orange juice & salt. Beat on low speed until frothy. Then beat at high speed 6-8 minutes or till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). ***(My notes in between these 2 steps-- I put whole cranberries in food processor, grind, add sugar, then add remaining ingredients. Then I whip the following whipped cream in a big bowl and fold cranberry mixture into it to save cleaning so many dishes)***** In small mixer bowl whip cream to soft peaks (tips curl over); fold into cranberry mixture. Turn into crust. Freeze firm. CRANBERRY GLAZE: ½ c sugar 3/4 c. fresh cranberries 1 T. cornstarch 2/3 c. water In saucepan stir together sugar & cornstarch, stir in cranberries and water. Cook and stir till bubbly. Cook, continue stirring occasionally, just until cranberry skins pop. Cool to room temperature. Do not chill. Makes 1 cup. To serve, remove torte from pan. Place on pretty serving plate. Place orange slices around outside. The original recipe said to spoon the glaze in the middle, however, experience has told me it's best to put it in a pretty bowl and let people spoon it on themselves. First, not everyone likes it, (I love it, hubby doesn't) and second, if there are any leftovers, the glaze doesn't freeze well and would need to be scraped off. Just put in pretty bowl.

Glenda, Grapefruit juice & cranberry juice are the two best thirst quenchers but many ppl cannot drink grapefruit juice because it is counter-indicated for many heart medications so they have turned to cranberry juice. (Cranberry juice is very popular with construction workers or ppl who work out in the sun all day). For those who prefer to drink soda but don't want all the high fructose corn syrups, FDA Food dyes or caffiene; Gingerale, 7-up and Sprite offer an alternative. Gingerale or 7-up is also added to Hawaian punch, fruit juice or even Kool-Aide to add a little fizz and pzaz to their non-alcoholic party punch. Judging by the display in your grocery store one would think that Ginger ales overall sales is low when compared to cola or root beer, but such is not the case. From the soft drink manufactures viewpoint, ginger ale is one of their top selling products, because it is a principal bar mix. Cranberries are primarily produced in Massachusetts & Rhode Island and here in Mass; Cranberries & cranberry juice is an extremely popular product. Check out an "Ocean Spray" display in your grocery and you will see that not only is cranberry juice sold straight up, it is also blended with dozens of other fruit juices such as Cran-apple, Cran-Grape, Cran-orange and so on. Now as you might imagine, due to its popularity it didn't take long for the local bars to start coming up with new drinks that use cranberry juice, and many of them evolved into a concoction of cranberry & ginerale with your favorite alcololic beverage added in. Of course the fact that the health food guru's are all reporting that cranberry is one of the healthiest juices you can drink did not hurt either....LOL. Canada Dry then went the next step and started producing the Cranberry Ginger Ale, primarily as a bar mix but now they are finding it almost has a cult following so they are selling it everywhere now. I love it, have about 4 quarts in the pantry right now..LOL

This depends on the species. Some seeds, especially from Alpine plants, do not survive dry storage and need to be stored moist in a plastic bag of damp sand or vermiculite, or sown immediately. Some seeds can be dry-stored but lose viability quickly; such seeds will last longer if refrigerated and are best if sown within six months of harvest. Some seeds have been known to survive dry storage for thousands of years. Once again, you can post questions about specific seeds to the Growing From Seed forum. The seed of *most* flowering plants stays viable longest if dried before being stored. Once seed has ripened and at least begun to dry on the parent plant, it should be harvested and placed in a cool, dry, shaded location with good air circulation to complete the process slowly. Be patient; some seeds may need up to six weeks to dry thoroughly. Too much heat can cause seeds to dry too quickly, dessicate, and die. Once the seeds have ceased any changes in appearance (some seeds will darken, shrivel, etc. during the drying process), they can be safely stored for later use.

@nil13 What I am starting to slowly realize is that many types of soil can nourish many types of plants, as long as you water correctly for the combination. I do realize that an organic soil loaded with small particles will never work well for succulents, and I finally have started to understand perched water table, capillary action of water, adhesion to small particles, etc. (It took me a while, and you have all been patient with me, thank you!) The secret of making the soil work for the plant is to get into communion with the roots of the plant. :) The way I am starting to think about gardening is that I want to feel with my fingers what the roots are feeling. And the surprise for me has been that the surface of the soil is a poor indicator of what actually happens at the level of the roots. One of the biggest shocks for me this Winter - which was my first Winter with many succulent pots left outside in gritty mix - was that the mix was bone dry in the first few inches of the soil but actually retained very significant amounts of moisture at the very bottom of the pot, for months! I think the saturated Turface simply had no easy way to release the water since it was not warm enough to evaporate and there was no wind 12 inches down in a pot. So my theory is that one reason the plants needed no water for months at a time is because they had plenty of water available, and their hibernation state meant that they were able to make due.