Right about now is the best time to start the air layer process if you're in the desert area in AZ. I'm going to start some more this weekend. Every year I air layer around 4 vines and it varies how many take root (usually depending on how well I cut them). This is basically what I do: The cut is the most important part I've found.. if you cut too deep, the vine will die before it can root, if you don't cut enough, it will just heal and roots will take a lot longer from it (if any form at all). I cut about 1 foot away from the end of the vine on a new growing vine. I cut a diagonal cut into the vine upward and about halfway through the vine is best. Then put a very small piece of wax paper (or grafting tape) in there to keep the sides separated. It's real easy to accidentally bend the vine and break off the cut at this point so you have to be careful (and I have the next part ready to go so I don't have to drop the vine). Then I dip a handful of dried sphagnum moss in water (not milled peat moss, I find that doesn't work as well for some reason), wring it out and then wrap it around the cut portion. I wrap press and seal cling wrap around it (you could use regular cling wrap too), then tie the ends firmly with a piece of string on each. Then wrap a piece of aluminum foil around it. The aluminum foil is pretty important because the plant needs darkness to grow roots. Make sure it covers the whole thing and no light is seeping in the sides. Then just leave it alone until spring.. I usually check them around mid February and you can see roots up against the side of the plastic. Then I just cut it just below the roots and place it in a pot where it grows like crazy over the summer. You could probably just plant them directly into the ground at that point but I like to make sure they have an easy time getting big before they go in the ground. I used to try to water the air layer over the winter, but I find it best to make sure the ends are sealed well with string (and the press and seal wrap makes it easier to seal it).

hi melissa, the leathers are drying now. a friend and i have harvested berries about 4 times this month. they get sweeter and sweeter! we run them thru a squeezo. in the 1st run thru, the juice runs right past the pulp. this is where all the bitterness lies, and it's discarded after it sits in a pitcher so the finest pulp can settle out and be used. the seeds are run thru a 2nd time for a really pureed pulp. this i eat raw, add to yogurt, or freeze. the 1st pulp has lots of pooled juice that i drink raw,freeze, or add back to the pulp and cook up with some sugar for leathers. we're experimenting with all combos. the seeds are edible but don't clean up well. even cooked and dried, they get fibrous after chewing. don't know what to do with them. i know they are invasive but i'd rather get rid of poison ivy and bittersweet. the usda has studied autumn olive as a possible crop- they are loaded with lycopene. another discovery for me this year was purslane. i let it become a living mulch under the tomatos and peppers. good raw in salads or cooked as a green (-but not as delicious as those sweet potato leaves !!). i dried some and what i read is true-purslane is a thickener, in soup and spaghetti sauce. eat free !

I have grown Miracle fruit from seeds, I rough up the outer coating, and plant in a miracle grow mixture. Have not had any trouble getting them to sprout. I live in zone 9b outside of Orlando. You could bring them in at night, with the cooler temps. I did not use any bottom heat and kept the soil moist but not wet. I have about 6 seedlings. The most important thing is to plant the seeds when they are fresh. Germination definitely declines with time.

The strawberry vodka we made (with the fine Popov brand of vodka) is a beautiful, clear red and has a strong strawberry flavor. We mixed it with tonic water (we're V&T fans anyway) and a generous splash of lime, very tasty. We also put a splash into glasses of both pinot grigio and cheap champagne and it was also mighty tasty. We're not martini drinkers, but a friend who is had me make her half strawberry vodka and half regular vodka (some Stoli we had kicking around), iced it down well and added fresh lime and that was also good. We kept the mashed strawberry mixture in there a good month, and shook it up every couple of days, then strained it out and let the vodka cure. Also used the leftover mashed berries with vodka in a frozen vodka daiquiri, and that was STRONG, but good. We have a little left and it's just in the plastic Popov Vodka bottle but next year we have plans to make more and use it as gifts, so we will also be on the hunt for good looking bottles. I was also thinking about making pineapple rum, maybe kinda sorta Captain Morgan-esque? Good luck, all- sandyponder