introduced in the United States from the coastal Atlantic forests of southern Brazil. That area is chock full of plants of the Myrtaceæ family. Blueberries, guavas are part of the Myrtaceæ family. Most of us think of the Amazon with its steaming and lush jungles when we think about Brazil. Southern Brazil is not in the tropical zone and there are large orchards of temperate fruits in that area such as apples and peaches. The high elevations areas receive snow every years and the native fruits of that area could be grown in California, Texas, the southeastern states or the mild regions of coastal Oregon. Pineapple guava or feijoa (Acca sellowiana) comes from that area and it has proven to be widely adapted in from Texas to western Oregon. The local population much disregards the native fruits and in many cases it is difficult to find them anymore in the wild or in cultivation. Our nursery is in the process of collecting seeds of these fruits to introduce in California. Here are some of the fruits soon to be introduced:

• Campomanesia xanthocarpa (guabiroba)
• Myrcianthes pungens (guabiju)
• Eugenia pyriformis (uvaia)

There are a couple of stone fruits that we would like to bring it over here: Prunus sellowiana (varova) and Prunus ulei. Prunus ulei is almost in extinction due to its relatively small area of occurrence.

that not only yields high quality lumber products but also massive amounts of edible nuts is the Araucaria araucana, commonly known as the Monkey Puzzle Tree or Chilean Pine. Araucaria araucana is a dioecious tree. Dioecious plants have male reproductive organs in one individual and female in another. Many plants are dioecious such as kiwis and papayas. In order to produce nuts, a female plant needs to be pollinated by a nearby male plant. Differentiation between the sex of a plant is not known until after cone production. Araucarias have a stunning impact  in the landscape as a single specimen or create a surreal look when planted in groves. The whorls of spiny, Jurassic-looking branches create an umbrella look in a mature tree whose lower branches have been lost to heavy snow or fire. Mature trees are highly resistant to fire and are also hardy down to -11° F. Araucarias take 30-40 years to produce nuts.  The nut-filled cones can weigh up to 10 pounds each. The nuts are long, large and low in oil with a taste that resembles a blend of chestnuts and pine nuts. Douglas firs are harvested for timber  50-70 years after being planted at which age Araucarias can easily produce 500 pounds of nuts per tree yearly. At 50-70 years Araucarias will also be ready for timber harvest, but considering that the tree yields thousands of dollars yearly in revenue from the nuts, landowners may have second thoughts on cutting such a profitable tree. The main challenge in establishing plantations of Araucarias for nut production is to maximize the number of female plants. An optimal ratio of female to male plants is 6:1. In order to achieve this ratio, the production of female trees through tissue culture is necessary since propagation by seed generates plants whose sex can only be determined when the trees achieve adulthood. At our nursery we are currently working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to obtain female plants through tissue culture.

when the weather turns cold can be quite a challenge but it can be accomplished by planting a variety of fruits that ripen late or store well. Apples and pears are wonderful in this respect because there is a wide selection that comes late. Light frosts tend to bring the crispness and sugar in apples. Apples store extremely well especially if kept in a room with temperatures between 34°F to 45°F. A root cellar, garage, basement, crawl space or back room can be used to store fruits during the winter months. There are other delicious fruits that ripen late such as persimmons. Even if they are not ripe by the time the first frost comes, just pick them off the tree and let them ripen in a cool dark place. They will develop sugar and taste just as if they were tree ripened. Pomegranates will hang on the tree and taste excellent even after hard frost as low as 24°F. The sweet tart red seeds are a welcome treat when just about all other fresh fruits have vanished away. If you want to grow a delicious fruit that will ripen into December even after hard frosts, you have to try pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana). The pineapple guava is a beautiful evergreen bush native to Brazil and Argentina that does very well in the Pacific Northwest, California, Texas and in the southeastern states. The fruit is long, velvety and has a spritzy flavor. The flowers are very attractive and the edible petals are delicious. I go crazy eating the flowers in the spring until I realize that I am destroying my future crop of pineapple guavas!

Halloween scary ghosts. November is the best time to plant garlic. Actually garlic planted in November does a lot better than when planted in the spring. Garlic planted right now is able to send out initial shoots before winter sets in and is ready to take off with warm spring weather. It is probably one of the easiest crops to grow with guaranteed harvests of plump and savory cloves. Before planting, break apart the bulb separating each clove individually. Dig a hole that is approximately two and a half times deeper than the clove height. Cover it with soil. That simple! Just let the fall rains bring out the initial growth. If your summer is dry, you may need to water it regularly. Garlic has culinary applications in just about any stage of its development. Young garlic shoots can be sautéed. The seed globes are gorgeous for decoration and the seeds can be used just as you would use the cloves; the seeds are smaller than the cloves. It is recommend that the seed globes be clipped to allow for bigger underground bulb development. At the end of the growing cycle, the aerial part of the plant starts to die off signalling it is time to harvest the underground bulbs. Dig up the bulbs and wash off any loose dirt. Dry and store them in a cool dark place. Garlic will last all winter long if properly stored. Garlic is indispensable in savory dishes and its consumption has been touted to ward off whatever ails you.