Top of the Crops-Great Veggie Seed to Grow.

Now that I have my seed listing up on my website, it's time to talk about a few of my favourite things...and seeds that are consistently best sellers.

 Since I started selling seed some 4 or 5 years ago, Seed Savers Lettuce Mixture has consistently been my best seller.  There is a really good reason for this! 

 It combines some absolutely lovely heirloom lettuces, most notably my personal favourite Bronze Arrowhead.   

Also in this mix is Deer Tongue, the gorgeous speckled Forellenschluss, deep red Red Velvet and at least 4 more varieties.  

This mix could be planted as a cutting mix, or started ahead in cell packs and planted out individually to form heads.

I use it in both ways. With 250 seeds per pack, it ends up being a lot of lettuce.

For a cutting mix, I like to plant my lettuce weekly, on the same day every week.  It takes a good amount of water and about 4 weeks for me to get it where I like it, about 3 " high.  Even in the high heat of mid summer, I find if I keep watering, it stays tender and non bitter.  At times that can be up to five waterings a day.  Worth it?  A resounding "YES"!

I know some folks consider this a "cut and come again" crop.  I never find the quality of the second cut nearly as good, so for that reason, turn it under after the first cut and reseed.  In this way through the whole season i always have four salad patches on the go.  Every week harvesting and every week planting.  Most importantly, every day watering and watching!

If I'm growing it to get heads, I sprinkle my seed on a flat filled with soil less mix.  I like a mix with Myke (mycorrhizae-a beneficial fungi) added.  Lettuce seed likes light to germinate, so covering the seed is not necessary. It needs to be kept moist however, and after germination and the appearance of the true leaves, I transplant it into cell packs, to grow it out further until transplanting into the garden.
Will 250 heads of lettuce keep you going all season?  Should-even for a family of bunnies.

And now for something completely different.

Hope I'm not misleading you...this one you don't eat, and trust me, don't want to.

I got the seed many years ago from William Woys Weaver, a noted chef , gardener and food historian.  He indicated the only use for it was to keep goats out of your garden!

It is in the nightshade family, and is named solanum atropurpureum.  Good luck finding the seed for this thorny marvel any where else..but it is worth growing.  It is just too cool!

It has a black purple stem covered in thorns,leaves with a thorny purple black spine and grows the interesting fruit pictured above.  This fruit turns a brilliant golden colour in the fall.  It grows to about 4' and is a sight to behold.  It is starting to develop a following-it is just THAT different.

Simple to grow, I start it right around the time I start my tomatoes, mid March to early April.  It is quite carefree.  I mean who is going to mess with those thorns?

And last tonight but far from least, is my favourite little melon,
Minnesota Midget.

This is a super personal sized melon.  For me, they generally grow no larger than 5" in diameter.  They have a wonderfully sweet orange flesh.  I like to chill them first in the fridge, then eat 'em.  Cool melons on a hot summer day are magic.  And with this small one, it is just a matter of slicing it in half, popping out the seeds and away we go!

Best of all, this melon has reasonably contained vines and is ideal for a small garden, and good for the northern garden. But it still manages to kick out quite a few fruit.

I generally start my melons around the beginning of May in peat pots in warm conditions. Depending on the year, that could be inside under lights, or in the hoop house if the temps are dipping too low.

In 3-4 weeks the plants are generally the size I like.  After hardening them off, I plant them in a hill I've created with compost and soil mixed together.  It's important to stay on top of the watering with melons too, and this I do.  Add the summer heat and they perform magnificently.

Ah, yes...summer will come.  But now is the time for planning some interesting and different crops.
Try 'em and see !

2010 Test Garden...the results are in!

It was exciting to get my Organic Gardening magazine, (Feb-Mar, 2011) in the mail today highlighting some of the treasures that the test gardeners (of which I am one) trialled last year.

If you are putting in a garden this year, there were a few items that were just outstanding.  They may just be worth your consideration!

Be aware that not all the test gardeners agreed on all these findings.  There is a huge range where we are growing; from Wellandport, to Las Vegas to Idaho to California and Washington State.  In total there are 14 of us, plus of course the test garden at "headquarters" in Emmaus , Pennsylvania.  Different weather, different soil, pretty much different everything!

I had in the range of thirty different seed varieties to try.  There were quite a few tomatoes, peppers and beans.  Also a good number of lettuces, flowers and a basil and watermelon.

 First, let me say that the flowers were a big surprise and delight.

I don't at all consider myself a flower garden person, but flowers, especially carefree, bright and happy ones like these could convert me.
Definitely worth growing are the two 2010 AAS (All America Selection) winners, Double Zahara Fire  Zinnia and Double Zahara Cherry Zinnia (pictured at right). Exceptional!  These were colourful, full of blooms all season, carefree and totally uplifting.

The AAS winning Marigold, Moonsong Deep Orange was also exceptional with it's bright and large flower balls of colour.  And as with all marigolds, trouble free.  Very worthwhile.

Of the four lettuce varieties I trialled, Sea of Red is definitely the most memorable.



Sea of Red is without a doubt the darkest colour of lettuce I have ever grown.
Deep burgundy, this leaf lettuce (courtesy of Renee's Garden) was a hit in the salad bowl as it was an incredible contrast to the other ingredients and was sweet and crunchy.  Really, just gorgeous!




The peppers were all very good, but the one that knocked my socks off for earliness and productivity was Pinot Noir.  Good in the purple and red stage and heavy with peppers all season, this one was producing WAY ahead of every other pepper in my garden.  We were eating lots of these in July, while the rest of my peppers came on strong in August.  Unbelievable.  The seeds for these were courtesy of Burpee, but sadly they won't ship into Canada.  To get seeds for these you need to be creative (ie-got an American friend?)  Trust me, worth it in every way.

Tomatoes were the most difficult category for me to try.  I do have a built in bias for heirlooms.  And the heirloom seed I was given didn't disappoint.

Green Cherokee, although not a huge producer, is a luscious tasting green tomato.  I've grown it for years, and knew I would like it.  Red Pearl (Johnny's) was an excellent grape-type cherry, although I found the skin a tad tough.  But, wow- sweet and yummy.  It was hard to stop eating it.  I found it very similar to another tomato I discovered on my own last year-Elfin.  Elfin is an open pollinated variety, so I'll probably stick with it, but Red Pearl is very good.

San Marzano 3 , an open pollinated paste was virtually indistinguishable from my favourite paste tomato, Federle.  A long sausage type tomato, it was meaty, with a small seed cavity, with a lovely rich flavour.

One tomato that I didn't care for at all, unlike many of my fellow testers, was the heirloom imposter, Tye-Dye, from Burpee.  This tomato, yellow with red marbling, was pretty, but tough and tasteless.  The heirloom bicolours can't be beat.

Bean-wise, Turkey Craw (Seed Savers Exchange) produced well for me.  This is a dry bush bean...a smallish brown mottled colour.  It's been a tasty winner in winter soups.
Beananza, again from Burpee, was my favourite fresh bean, perhaps because I am partial to french filet types.  This one held well on the plant, was long and slim, with good flavour.

Time to start thinking garden, so consider these suggestions.  And for more results, check out the magazine and the highlights at: www.organicgardening.com/2010trials.

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Simple Oatmeal Jam Bars vs "The Family"

 My husband works in Brantford and drives over an hour to get to his job everyday.  Then back again at night.

The one good thing about this drive as far as I'm concerned is that he passes through "Hewitt's" territory.  Hewitt's dairy is an independently owned dairy in Hagersville and they make 10% cream for my coffee that doesn't have all kinds of stuff in it like the bigger dairies.  It is simply milk and cream.

It doesn't stay good for two years in the fridge like the other stuff, but that's fine with me.  Shorter shelf (fridge) life can be the sign of a good thing.

The Foodland store in Cayuga is where he'll usually stop to pick up the cream and Hewitt's milk as well.
It's the closest place to me in Wellandport that it's sold.  Problem is , most the time when he's walking in the Foodland, funny things happen.  Doritos are bought.  Pepperettes are bought.  Chocolate bars are bought.  They're gone by the time he gets home, but he doesn't fool me.  I find the wrappers in the outside garbage can the next morning when I walk by to do my chores.

Last night he walked in the door with my cream and milk, proudly holding high something in a plastic container.  You know, the great hunter bringing the family home a meal.  Hmm.  I was a little bit suspicious of his find.  Must be good, though.  It says right on it "Simply the Best" and also "family owned and operated."

In my mind though the ingredient list looked long.  Mighty long.  So I had Mollie start counting how many ingredients were actually in this "Raspberry Loaf Cake".  Turns out it had 41 ingredients...41!?
Wow.  Now THATS a cake!

Some of the ingredients I knew.  Some were a bit of a puzzle.  Sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium propionate, sodium citrate, artificial flavour, FD+C Red # 40.  Son of a gun.  And it was my husband who reminded me that Michael Pollan said if it had ingredients your grandma wouldn't recognize, it is better off not eaten, and one should beware of foods with more than 5 ingredients in them.

Exceeded a bit in this case.

41 ingredients really is a lot.

Fortunately we didn't eat it.  Usually when I have food left over, my pig Joey or my chickens will gobble up the goodies.  But this doesn't seem that good to me and I really don't feel good about giving it to anybody.  Not Joey or the chickens.

And what's with the advertising?  Am I supposed to feel good about it, or differently about it because the company is 'family owned and operated"?

I had already made a dessert for supper anyways.  I found the recipe on the internet, www.realsimple.com) and have made it a few times.  Easy squeasy.  And extra good too because I have lots of homemade jam from my own fruit that I can use.  And yes, it is more than 5 ingredients.   But not many more, and I can pronounce them all!!

Oatmeal Jam bars

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats, such as Quaker
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the ingredients are combined and a crumbly dough is formed. Add the oats and lemon zest. Pulse quickly twice to combine.
2. Press 2/3 of the dough firmly into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread the jam evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the jam, gently pressing down.
3. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 24 bars. 

I find this works just as well with whole wheat flour, and I omitted the lemon zest.

Excellent eggplant!

And now, after a slight detour to discuss Seedy Saturday, I'm back to the vegetables.  Which of course is mostly what Seedy Saturday is all about!

Eggplants. Ah.

Time to start talking about them, because soon it will be time to plant them.

What I have again in eggplants is a vegetable no one in my family would agree is excellent.  But sometimes they announce as they are eating it how much they are enjoying it.  Go figure.  Of course they don't KNOW they are eating it....and that is the beauty of eggplant.

Much like my beloved tofu, it takes up the flavour of whatever you are cooking it in or with.  And it ends up in that way being terrifically versatile.

I've grown lots of eggplant over the years.  They are one thing that I find it really hard to cut back on.  I mean they are absolutely gorgeous in the garden..the purples, stripes.  The oranges, yellows, reds, greens and beautiful shapes.  Despite the fact that up until a few years ago I found them a hard sell, just like hot peppers, I typically find room for about 40 or so different varieties.

I. Can't. Stop.   These beauties are magnificent, and have every right to show off in the flower garden if you so wish.  Thank goodness now people are turning on to their goodness and buying them.  Clearly at some point there can just be too many for one family!

Eggplants have never been extremely popular.  For many years in their history, as members of the nightshade family, it was believed that their fruit was deadly, as was the tomato.

In the third century AD however, the Chinese began experimenting with less bitter cultivars they had developed, beautiful colourful and slender fruit.  But even at that point, it was oddly enough believed that they were only to be used by professional chefs...home cooks shouldn't risk the poisoning of their families.  What these professional chefs actually did that detoxified them is a mystery yet unsolved!

In North America Thomas Jefferson was amongst the first to give the eggplant, also known as "the mad apple" a try, despite the fact it earned this nickname as it was thought to cause insanity.  He wrote about his eggplant trials in his garden journal in 1809, and by mid century, eggplant recipes were rather common in American cookbooks.  But they were considered appropriate for breakfast dishes.  Don't know about you, but I find that a little difficult to stomach.  A common way they were served for breakfast was just simply slicing, and frying in butter.  Hmm.

Perhaps another reason eggplant was slow to catch on is because it requires certain conditions to grow well, heat being the priority.  Eggplant grows best in USDA zone 5 and up, struggling in the colder zones.

For me here in the balmy banana belt of Canada, Canadian zone 6b, I can manage to grow eggplant quite nicely in a good season.

I try to give my eggplants a nice early start indoors and under lights.  I get them going first, then come the peppers and a few weeks later the arduous task of planting 10,000 tomato seeds.  It is usually mid-February to late February when the first eggplant seeds hit the soil (less) mix.  Most of the varieties I grow require a long season, so an early start in a warm environment is essential.

I find eggplants very susceptible to aphids when they are growing indoors, so I keep a close watch.  If I find there is a problem, I wash the plants, hence the aphids off, under warm water.

Eggplants like it warm, so I am never in a rush to get them in the ground.  If they are exposed to temperatures of 50 degrees F or less for any period of time, they will suffer.  And a frost?  They're done. In my area, having nice eggplant transplants in the warm ground in June is ideal.

I plant them much as I plant tomatoes, although I space them a bit closer together.  I dig my planting holes 2 feet apart, add a good hefty shovelful of compost , pop in my plant, cover the root and water.

Unlike tomatoes, eggplants do not want to be planted deep.  Give them a good drink once a week after they are established and they should produce well. When I water I always hold the hose to the base of the plant and water while I count very slowly to ten. 10 slow seconds is magic to eggplants and peppers! A nice thick layer of mulch is helpful to retain moisture and to combat weed problems.

The worst problem you are likely to have with eggplants is the dreaded Colorado Potato Beetle, who actually prefer eggplants over potatoes.  I have an Italian friend who is a market grower and she simply won't grow her beloved eggplants anymore.  The beetles simply destroy them year after year.
It pays to be vigilant with potato bugs.  If you can get the eggs before they hatch, you're ahead of the game.  Check the undersides of eggplant leaves for the deposits of bright orange eggs, and destroy.
If allowed to hatch you are always playing catch-up.  They are voracious eaters in the larvae stage, and not nearly as pleasant to squish!

I sell seed for a number of my favourites.  Ping Tung Long would be one of those, a  mauve and white long Asian type which is a wonderful producer, requires no peeling and has a mild flavour.  Then there is the beautiful Italian Listadia de Gandia, pictured above with purple and white striping, Thai long green, another non bitter beauty, and Casper- a teardrop shaped white heirloom.

Try a few different ones this year...maybe you'll find a new favourite!

Save this recipe for the summer when your eggplants are producing well.  It is my favourite eggplant recipe from Andrea Chesman's wonderful book "The Garden Fresh Vegetable Cookbook"

Eggplant Lasagna

Note: The lasagna can be assembled and held for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Add 15 minutes to the baking time if it is cold when placed in the oven. The lasagna can also be baked in advance and frozen for up to a month. Bake it still frozen and covered with foil, adding 30 minutes to baking time.

1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggplants (3 medium or 4 smaller), peeled and sliced lengthwise 3/8 inch thick
1 pound (about 2 cups) ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
4 cups well-seasoned tomato sauce (homemade or pre-made)
12 no-cook lasagna noodles

Pre-heat the oven to 425˚F. Lightly grease two large sheets pans (preferred) or shallow roasting pans with oil. Combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Mix well. Brush the eggplant slices on one side with the seasoned oil and set the slices, oiled-side down, on the prepared pans. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Brush the second side with oil, turn the slices over, rotate the pan from the top to bottom and side to side, and continue roasting for another 15 to 20 minutes, until browned on the second side. Remove the pans from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

Combine the ricotta, egg, and basil in a medium bowl and mix well. Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan in a second bowl and toss to mix. To assemble the lasagna, spread about 1 cup of the sauce in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Place three lasagna noodles over the sauce. The noodles should not touch or overlap. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles. Arrange a layer of one third of the eggplant over the sauce. Spread one third of the ricotta mixture evenly over the eggplant. Sprinkle a fourth of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top. Repeat the layering twice. Top with remaining three lasagna noodles. Spread the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Cover with foil.

Bake lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Let the lasagna stand for 5 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Serve warm or hot.