Tomato Addict

Long Pie Pumpkins and Bubbles

2011-11-30T21:32:00.000-05:00

This was my first year to grow winter squash and Brussel Sprouts. Of course, your first year growing anything is always a learning experience. One of the winter squash I grew is called Long Pie Pumpkin. Sooooo cool . I really loved this one. It has a very interesting history and I love how it is long like a zuchinni. It has been said that it came originally from the Isle of St. George in the Azores and been brought to Nantucket in 1832 on a whaling ship. Sometimes known as the Nantucket Pumpkin or the Maine Pumpkin. It grows anywhere from 4-7 lbs. You know it's ready to pick when there develops an orange stripe or spot where it is in contact with the ground, as you can see in my photo. You pick and put in storage and it will turn a bright orange all over in a period of weeks and months. I made my Thanksgiving pies with it and it was seriously the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten. The flesh is almost 90% stringless so no need for a food mill.

If you're looking to grow just one winter squash next year,here's the winner. You have to try it.

The other newbie for me was Brussel Sprouts. I bought already established plants at the nursery. My variety was called Bubbles. I loved growing them. So pretty. You definitely need to stake them. As they get weighted down with sprouts they will lean. I put mine a little too close together, so another lesson, space them out. We ate them for Thanksgiving dinner and I also froze tons of them for the winter. Not a real time consuming vegetable in the garden so for those that don't like fussy veggies, this is a good one.

Pepper Reminder

2011-11-03T13:55:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder for those of you lookin for the Peppadew pepper seed. Please check my store listing with Local Harvest. http://www.localharvest.org/members/st_products.jsp?id=26862&m=1&p=3

The Basque region and it's official peppers

2011-10-27T14:52:00.002-04:00

Basque Country is a small ethnic enclave located in the heart of the Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France from one another. The size of Rhode
Island, the Basque region, includes four Spanish regions, known as the South Zone, and three French speaking regions known as the North Zone. The Spanish and French Basque regions share a Union Jack–style flag (green, red, and white), cuisine, and common language (Euskara), spoken by about a half million people.

Basque cuisine is influenced by the abundance of produce from the sea on one side and the fertile Ebro valley on the other. The mountainous nature of the B asque Country has led to a difference between coastal cuisine dominated by fish and seafood,and inland cuisine; with fresh and cured meats, many vegetables and legumes,and freshwater fish and salt cod. TheFrench and Spanish influence is strong also, with a noted difference betweenthe cuisines of either side of the modern border.

Basque cuisine employs the use of not one, not two, but six varieties of pimientos, (peppers) all of which are grown locally.
·
The pimiento Anglet aka
Doux de Landes (Lapurdi):
·
The Pepper Espelette - (Lapurdi)
·
Gernika Pepper (Vizkaia)
·
The Guindillas Tolosa - Langostinos of Ibarra - (Gipuzkoa):
·
The Piquillo Lodosa - (Nafarroa)
·
The Cuerno de Cabra - (Nafarroa)

These are the "Official" Basque peppers. It took me forever to gather all of the information on them and put it all in one place. So here you go and you're welcome!

Doux de Landes (Basque Pepper)
Translates to “sweet from Landes” Also known as Piment d' Anglet. Honestly, it is the longest pepper I have ever seen. It is a sweet pepper and turns from green to red. Also from the Basque region, it is sometimes called a Basque fryer. A delicious, sweet pepper, it is used in many basque recipes including piperade. Can also be eaten fresh or sautéed. It is often roasted, peeled, and stuffed with a variety of fillings like salt cod, tuna, or cheese. Landes is in the South West of France also known as the home of Our Lady of Lourdes. I personally like to use this pepper as a fryer or diced up in my tomato salad.

Piment d’espelette (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 85 days
Piment d'Espelette literally means “pepper of Espelette” in French. It is a food product produced around the town of Espelette in Southern France, in the region sometimes known as Basque Country. This pepper is so famous that in 1999 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), was granted to Espelette peppers, or "Ezpeletako bipera" in Basque language, giving it the same protection as more famous names, such as Champagne and Roquefort . Only ten communities are allowed to use the name Espelette.Piment d’ Espelette is most commonly strung up to dry and ground into a powder and is often used as a substitute for black pepper in the Basque country and in common Basque dishes.Once harvested, they are threaded by hand and hung on the facades of buildings to dry in the sun -- this initial process takes about two months. After being dried a second time in wood-fired ovens, the peppers are ground into a fine powder. Every October, Espelette and surrounding villages hold a festival honoring the finished product -- a celebration complete with parades, dancing and cooking competitions.
Espelette’s hotness falls between sweet bell pepper and Cayenne. It has a rich, round deep flavor with heat present, lifting flavor, but not intrusive.PIMENT d'Espelette is to French Basque cooking what curry is to Indian cuisine.

Corne De Chevre (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
From an area in the north of Spain called Navarre. The name translates to “horn of the goat It is also called “pimiento choricero” Like the Espelette pepper, it is dried on the facades of houses. Then it is re-hydrated and pureed after removing skin and seeds to makes the paste (Carne de Pimiento Choricero). The paste is added to the making of Chorizo sausage. Furthermore, it is so popular in Spanish cooking is not uncommon to find commercially packaged in glass jars.

Gernika Pepper (Basque Pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
Gernika or The Guernica is a Spanish pepper similar to the Padrón in flavor but bigger and without any heat, Guernica is the 'proper' Spanish spelling;
Gernika is the Basque spelling.It is often served fried like the Padrón or stuffed with cheese or other fillings. Gernika peppers are grown primarily in Vizcaya Served on a plate all their own, pimientos de Gernika are typically fried in olive oil with garlic until they’re
shriveled and slightly browned. They are finally sprinkled with a generous hand of fat salt grains. Slightly bitter, these peppers are great with steak or on their own as a ración (small plate), eaten with a cold beer.

The Piquillo Lodosa (Basque Pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 85 days
From "Lodosa" Navarra region of Spain
It is regarded as "red gold" of Navarre. Piquillo peppers are traditionally wood fire roasted and then hand peeled ad seeded to preserve the natural taste and shape of the peppers. Known for their intense red color, wood fire aroma, fleshy texture, and sweet, delicate taste. These peppers are an exceptional addition to any plate. Great in salads, meats, seafood, or lightly sauteed and stuffed.

The Guindillas Tolosa (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
From the Basque area of Spain known as Gipuzkoa. The guindilla is a thin pepper, picked early while it is still greenish yellow. Conserved in white wine vinegar and packaged tight like sardines in glass jars. traditionally eaten with beans or bar snacks as an aperitif.

I grew 4 of the 6 official Basque peppers this year and will be growing the other 2 next season. My next bit of research is to find out about specific tomatoes grown in the Basque region. sigh

Seeds for the four peppers I grew this year from the Basque area are available for sale at my store http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

whew! that was work!

Next Year and other garden thoughts

2011-10-05T00:11:00.006-04:00

I'm tearing down the garden for the year. Working feverishly on seed swaps and sweating "already" over my grow list for next year. I found a cool site for garden shoes in the meantime and thought I would pass on the link. I've owned a pair of their shoes and they lasted a good 4 years. Time for a new pair for next year. I love them because they are waterproof and have a lining that keeps your feet really dry when you're working in wet soil.

http://www.gardenshoesonline.com/ They sell boots, clogs and everyday shoes and..... mens' designs.

I can't believe how many tomatoes I already have on my growlist for next year. (This is where I would paste a crying face). It's not even January and I'm already up to 65 varieties. A lot of very new varieties for me. Some from overseas and some from the breeders. It's gonna be a tough job whittling it down to something managable.

I will be putting the garlic in soon along with shallots. Thought I would try over-wintering the shallots and see if it does better for me this next season.

In the meantime...here's a little freethought I found and loved.

Free shipping until October 1st.

2011-09-27T11:43:00.003-04:00

Free Shipping on all orders until October 1st. European growers, I can't offer free shipping to you but please feel free to order. I have no problem shipping seeds over-seas. hehe http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

Seeds

2011-09-15T10:42:00.009-04:00

I finally have seeds for the Chocolate Ghost Chili and the Peppadew. If you are interested you can go to my store on Local Harvest. Also have Goose Creek seeds for those looking for it.

http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

2011 Garden season

2011-09-07T02:56:00.002-04:00

I told you so

2011-09-02T00:58:00.006-04:00

Well.....I've been raving about the tomato Goose Creek for years!! Telling everyone that would listen how it is small but the best tasting tomato ever! So...it was voted best tasting tomato out of I believe 250 varieties at the 5th Annual Buffalo-Niagra Tomato Tastefest. Ha! And who told you first?? I hate saying I told you so but.....I TOLD YOU SO! Yes, if you haven't grown Goose Creek maybe this will convince you.
Edit: for accuracy, the photo belongs to Laurel at http://heirloomtomatoplants.com/

The garden has been super productive this year. Got some early blight but too late to affect the crop harvest.

Another new thing I tried... I made Piment d'Espelette powder. Sold in Europe and a fortune to get here in the U.S. I use it on EVERYTHING. I use it instead of black pepper. Sweet with a little bite to it.

This year I grew Thelma Sander's Sweet Potato Acorn Squash. OMG..so many of them. Instead of the usual green color of Acorn squash these are a cream color when ripe. The inside is a light sweet potato color. I decided to use them to make acorn squash bread (instead of pumpkin bread). Sooooo gooooood! The flavor reminds me of chestnuts. This is a definate grow again.

Also... I am posting a link to my seed site at Local Harvest. I have so many requests from readers to buy seed that I finally set up a store. I am also setting up an actual site but will use Local Harvest until it is done. So...If you need seed from anything I've ever grown (even if it's not listed in the store) You finally have the place to do it. http://www.localharvest.org/tomato-addict-M26862

Scones and other new obsessions

2011-07-10T13:17:00.012-04:00

The garden is on auto-pilot for now with the exception of weeding. So now is as good a time as any to update the blog.

Today I'm going to rave about a few of my new finds. Things I think are totally cool. The first is a French coffee bowl. In Quebec with Sebastien, I saw his sister drinking tea from a bowl. I asked Seb why and he explained the French coffee bowl to me. Used primarily for breakfast so dunking is easier. Had to get some. So while out shopping in Quebec, Seb bought me 6. Merci Beaucoup!!!!!!!

The next thing, also thanks to Seb's sister, is Organic peach juice. I found out the hard way that finding just plain peach juice anywhere is difficult. Why is that? You can find just about any juice you want except peach juice. Seems so simple but there must not be a demand for peach juice. Some juice producer somewhere needs to change that. Pronto.

Annnnnd....Maple Butter or Maple Cream. Ohhhh yes. Also another find from Seb's sister (yes, she's cool). It looks like creamed honey, Same concept except maple. Use it in oatmeal and on toast. So good I'm sure there are a million other uses for it also. Order online unless you are fortunate enough to live near a maple farm.

Then's there's scones. (I feel like I'm doing an "Oprah's favorite things" episode) Yes, we Americans have gotten good at eating scones but...not the real way. With clotted cream. Seb and I stayed and a B&B in Niagra on the Lake and the owner served scones with Clotted Cream. Never eaten it that way before. What a great combination. Made a good scone into a fantastic scone. So today I am going to make maple oat scones. Going to tweak the recipe so it has no dairy. (Trying very hard to eliminate most dairy from my diet. Yes, I know clotted cream is dairy) After I make my scones I can use my French coffee bowl to dunk them.

Just sharing the good stuff
Maple Oat Scones
For The Scones
1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons cold butter (small pieces)
1 large egg
1/2 cup half-and-half or 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple extract
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Maple Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
5 teaspoons water
Change Measurements: US Metric

Directions:
Prep Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 25 mins
1 Preheat oven to 425°F.
2 Using a food processor or blender, finely grind oats.
3 In a mixer, mix flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder.
4 Add maple syrup and butter and mix well.
5 In a small bowl, beat the egg with the cream and maple extract.
6 Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
7 Add pecans and mix just to incorporate.
8 Place dough on a floured surface. Knead and pat dough into a 8 to 10 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.
9 Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place wedges on top and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until light brown.
10 Remove scones from oven to wire rack. Let cool about 3 to 5 minutes.
11 Mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Adjust the amount of water to get to the desired consistency. I like the glaze to be rather thick. Spread lots of glaze over each scone and dry about 15 minutes before serving.

All About Beans

2011-06-03T10:36:00.014-04:00

I swear I am getting as obsessed about beans as I am about tomatoes. I start researching one bean and it leads me to another and another....and so it goes.
This year, I am growing two new Greasy Beans... Whitey Swanger Greasy and Lazy wife Greasy. Also, a yellow pole bean called St. Fiacre or Buerre de St. Fiacre (Thanks Seb). Pretty obscure bean. I would post a photo of it but they are pretty non existant. You guys will have to wait a couple of months until I can snap a few.
So in my research..I come across 2 beans I had to have. One is called Blue Jay Bush bean. The following is a copy paste from Two Wings Farm:

" a wonderful old Canadian bush bean called Blue Jay. It was brought back from extinction by a couple of growers (ourselves included) and by the work of our friend Shirley Bellows of Seeds of Diversity Canada. When we looked into the parentage of the Blue Jay bean, we found the Comtesse de Chambord a tiny bean from France, and before that Scotland. However, the more I searched, the more I came up with a blank. There apparently is only one source for this bean that I could find –anywhere-in the world! That is very close to extinction,"

So....of course I ordered it for next year. Ha. Also, the Comtesse de Chambord rice bean. A copy/Paste from Mother Earth News:

"Two different beans go by the name rice bean. The one I recommend, Comtesse de Chambord, is a true bean, or Phaseolus vulgaris. (The other rice bean, Vigna umbellate, is a cousin of the cowpea.)
Many people are quite startled by its miniature size when they see a rice bean for the first time. The tiny, young 4-inch pods are so tender and sweet that you can eat them raw or toss them in a mixed bean salad. They make a beautiful garnish, too. The small, dry beans resemble rice when cooked, although the flavor is richer and nuttier, and the texture is much more appealing. Best of all, you dont have to soak rice beans before cooking them, because they take only about 20 to 25 minutes to cook."

Another thing I am obsessed with lately is Mache. A.K.A. Corn Salad or Lambs Lettuce. Sebastien raved about it last season but I have never tasted it. I found some fresh at the new Earth Fare store by my house. Soooooo Gooooood! Has a very mild peanuty taste. The French have been enjoying it since the 17th century. Twice as much vitamin C as normal lettuce and chocked full of other vitamins. Fairly un-known to U.S. growers. If you haven't tried it..a must!

I can't believe I took the time to post today. So much work in the garden still. Good Gardening to all!!!!!

2011 Grow List

2011-03-18T13:50:00.006-04:00

2011 Grow list

Beans
Pink Tip Greasy
NC Speckled Long Greasy Cut-short
Whitey Swanger Greasy
Lazy Wife Greasy
St. Fiacre

Garlic
French Rose
Giant from Medina Fair

Peppers
Ancient Sweets F3
Peppadew
Chocolate Ghost Chili
Doux de Landes
Cuerno de la Cabra
Piment Gernika
Piment Espelette
Piment d’ampuis
Sucette de Provence
Yellow Cherry Pepper

Corn
Mirai White
Mirai Yellow

Turnips
Navet de Nancy
Navet jaune Boule d’ or
Navet Boulette de Champagne

Summer Squash
Benning's Green Tint Patty Pan
Striato di Napoli Zucchini
Grey Zucchini
Winter Squash
Long Pie Pumpkin
Sweet Dumpling
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Acorn Squash
Sweet Keeper

Tomatoes

Red
Marmande Garnier Rouge
Pepe Jose
Oncle Remi
Zeke Dishman
Stump of the World
Mr. Sids
Pomodoro Banana Marino

Yellow/Gold
Claude Brown’s Yellow Giant
Wisconsin 55 Gold
Chicken Pen Persimmon
Buckeye Yellow
KBX
Green
Absinthe
Green Giant
Marmande Verte
Maurine Verte
Pink
Norcarolina Pink
Olive Hill
White Mate Giant
Purple/Black
Noire Charbonneuse
Carbon
Indian Stripe
Grosse de Bordo
Spudatula Black

Cherry
Marizol Gold cherry
Butterball cherry
Black Cherry
Green Doctor’s Frosted

Bi-Color
Pamplemousse du Grand Pere
Marzipan Gold
Captain Lucky
Scabitha
Serendipity

White
Jack White
White Wonder

Fairytale F3
Claude’s Coral F2

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Eggplant
Fairy Tale
Black Beauty
Basil
Red Osmin
Napoletano
Petra
Poppy Joe’s

Shallots
Catnip
Sunflowers
Marigolds
French Breakfast radish
Groundcherry Goldy
Onions
Brussel Sprouts
Rutabaga
Chinese Lanterns

Mary Gardens

2011-02-15T16:46:00.004-05:00

I had never heard of a Mary Garden. Until last night that is. A garden filled with flowers, plants and trees all named after Mary, mother of God. Designed to be a place of beauty and peace.

St. Benedict had a rose garden ("rosary") at his monastery in the 4th c., but the first garden we know of that was specifically dedicated to Mary was one created by the Irish St. Fiacre in the 7th c. The earliest record of a garden explicitly called a "Mary Garden" involves a "fifteenth century monastic accounting record of the purchase of plants "for S. Mary's garden" by the sacristan of Norwich Priory, in England."

I like this idea. I have to admit I consider my garden my church. Feel much more comfortable there than I do in a pew. Hahaha.

Here's a link about them and it includes a list of all plants associated with Mary. Too long to post on the blog. http://www.fisheaters.com/marygardens.html

A Long Winters Sleep

2011-01-17T22:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, I'm going to say it for the first time of many. I miss my garden :-( So now I'm doing the next best thing, doing my garden planning... Yea!!!! Thanks Sebastien for the cool winter photo of my St. Fiacre.

Alot of you have asked about my "All-Star list" and I'm gonna make it super easy. There was only 1 that made my list. I've been calling it North Carolina Pink but apparently the correct name is "Norcarolina Pink". I believe it was picked up at a farmer's market in North Carolina by Craig LeHoullier . Probably one of the best tomatoes I've eaten in three years. Very un-assuming to look at, but ohhhhh the taste. See Photo.

As far as the "Waste of Space List".... Can't say I had any this year that bad but a few close.

Going to be adding corn, potatoes, turnips and eggplants to the garden this year. As with every year... it just keeps getting bigger.

I'm excited to be growing many varieties of Basque peppers this year also. So hard to come by the seed here in the U.S. Hoping to be able to offer it for next season.

So, my next goal in life.... to open an organic B&B with Sebastien in Niagra on the Lake.... everyone put out positive energy vibes in that direction.

Peace and Love

Blog fatigue

2010-11-12T10:28:00.004-05:00

So... I've decided that blogging should definately be a winter sport. There is just no time in the summer for it with the garden. So from now on... I only blog in the winter. Ahhhhh... I feel better now that I've said it outloud. :-D
Updates:
I will be posting my all-stars list this week. My website is still being worked on. The delay... Me. I need to submit a lot of copy and have been way too busy.

Seems like next year I will be growing a lot of new things. Discovered the joys of Groundcherries. Who knew these things were so good and didn't tell me??? Also.. Turnips. I have never tasted one in my life until last month. Another well kept secret.

Oh and Chinese Lanterns. These things are sooo cool looking. Stole the seed from a garden in France with my partner in crime Sebastien. I guess they are self seeding and multiply so plant once and forget it. Just decorative but very catchy!!

Have the garden put to sleep for the winter. Now the planning for next season.. Woot!!

Garden Porn 2010

2010-09-24T10:01:00.002-04:00

Mirai Corn and Tomato news

2010-08-14T22:32:00.011-04:00

A new totally cool find... Mirai corn! OMG good. Let me share some of the good stuff with you and explain..

First... It is NOT a GMO. It is self-pollinating and developed from natural breeding and selection. You can relax. hehee.

"It was bred on the Ahrens family farm in Illinois by J. David Mackenzie, a plantsman from Cornell University. As the economy worsened for family farms in the early 1990s, the Ahrenses hired Mackenzie to research new strains of sweet corn for market use. When he discovered Mirai®, he was really just trying to create a more disease-resistant variety. But one taste changed all that.
At first, the new corn didn't seem marketable. It needs to be hand-picked, which ruled out production by the huge commercial farms in the U.S. So Mackenzie introduced it instead to Japan, where small "boutique" farms are common, and many crops are still picked by hand. Within a few years Mirai® had become the bestselling sweet corn in Japan, capturing an amazing 35% of the market from all other varieties! (That's where it got its name, too. Mirai® (pronounced mee-RYE) also means "taste"!)

Once small American farms and roadside produce operations heard of Mirai's success in Japan (where it made headlines), everyone wanted the seed. But until now, the breeders have wisely released only a small amount of seed, continuing to test and trial it. The results have been spectacular -- and those farmers' markets lucky enough to grow Mirai® have been besieged by long lines all season long! It's not uncommon for folks to drive 100 miles or more to wait in line for Mirai® -- and it is especially popular with older corn-lovers, because it is so gentle on the teeth or dentures. " (copy and paste from Park Seeds)

I was at the farmer's market today and their was a line 30 people long waiting for this corn. I had never heard of it.. but the guy in line ahead of me was raving about it. I decided to buy a dozen. Glad I did because the farmer was completely sold out in 20 minutes. OMG... it was soooooooooooo good. Then, I did a google search on it and was even more impressed. Should only be boiled for 2 minutes!! AND.... In Japan, they call it a "dessert corn" because they eat if for dessert.
The one I bought is called mini-Mirai, or "baby corn" as the customers in line kept calling it. There is also a full size yellow Mirai and a white Mirai.

If you can find this in your area, well-worth buying. You'll know what all the fuss is about. Going to grow it next season in my garden.. Park Seed and Jung Seed both carry seed for all 3 varieties of Mirai.

So, now that I've shared the good stuff, let me tell you about my new tomato cross! I have a Kumato x Absinthe cross. Calling it "Fairytale" Alan Bishop made a good point about the name... he said it made sense because Absinthe, being one of the parents, is called "the green fairy". So it's child being called Fairytale is perfect! Thanks Alan. I have personal reasons for the name but I liked what Alan said too.

Here's a couple of photos of my baby. Saving the F2 seed for growout next season.

And in other news: I will be doing a full report on the garden as soon as things start really kicking in. Also... will be doing a new blog with my friend Sebastien in France! We thought it would be cool to have a cooking and gardening blog done by two people in two different countries contributing at the same time. Will post the link as soon as we actually have time to work on the blog hehee.

My new website is in progress and should be up in October. Stayed tuned.

Morning Glorys

2010-07-22T20:15:00.003-04:00

Passing on a cool link. I love Morning Glorys and found a great blog.

http://growingjapaneseasagao.blogspot.com/

Such cool flowers. I love they way they open in the morning to see the sun.

So easy too. Unless I want a different variety, they will just pop up from the fallen seed from the previous year. I always have them climbing up a huge pole to my bird condo. Hehee.. Not a single bird family unit.. but houses many birds.

So..... if you are a big fan of Morning Glorys, check out this worthy blog. I will also put the link on the sidebar.

My favorite time of the year.

2010-07-21T00:29:00.005-04:00

Mmmmmmmm... One of my favorite tomatoes, Green Giant. Grown it now for 4 years in a row. I couldn't have a summer without them.

The maters are starting to grow. Just highly anticipating the first ripe ones. Had a few Sungolds I snagged. All that did for me is make me more anxious for the rest of them.

So there's some critter eating all of my sunflowers. At first I thought it might be a rabbit but now I'm thinking it's something bigger. Maybe a groundhog??? Whatever it is, it's mowing down all my beautiful sunflowers. :'(

Here's a photo of my beautiful French "Peace" rose. Probably my favorite rose of all time.

So I really need to get out there and weed. Blah! I layed down so much straw this year thinking I wouldn't have to weed as much... Doesn't seem to make that big of a difference. The weeds just come up through the straw.

I've been busy making pickles, freezing zucchini and eating all the chocolate zucchini bread I make. LOL... It is so good I think I'm entering it in the fair this year.

Here's a photo of a new one I'm growing.. Mrs. Benson. Got the seed from Suze in Texas. She raved about them so I'm anxious!!

Too Many Zucchini

2010-07-13T09:55:00.003-04:00

If you are like most people you have zucchini that seem to mutate into giants over-night.. I had so many one year I was using them for target practice with my .22 hehee... Here's a recipe that will make you want to use the Zukes.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate (2 oz. total)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups of grated zucchini (salted and water squeezed out)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 F ( 175 C) Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. (bread pans). Melt the unsweetened chocolate. Stir until chocolate is smooth.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix well. Stir in the flour , baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in oven for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of loaf comes out clean.

Zucchini and making Basil Jelly

2010-07-07T00:02:00.009-04:00

It's zucchini time again. Just trying to keep up with them can be a major job... I like to sautee them, grate them, squeeze the water out and vacuum seal them for winter. I also like to make zucchini fritters and Chocolate Zucchini bread. Just a few ideas of how to use it. This year I am growing the dark green zucchini and the grey zucchini.

Also making Basil Jelly. This is really a nice herb jelly. Goes well with Goat Cheese and certain meats. I'm posting a recipe but you can mix it up a bit. You can add different juices and even add cut fruit if you like. Some people I know make wine basil jelly. Substitute wine for the water. Anyhoo... here is the recipe.

Purple Basil Jelly
2 heaping cups of fresh purple basil leaves (or Green Basil)
2 C boiling water ( or 1 cup of water 1 cup of Apple Juice)
1/4 C well-strained, clear lemon juice
4 C sugar
3 oz liquid pectin (Certo)
You can also add a bit of natural food coloring if you like. Purple or Green

Wash leaves well, (if necessary), drain and place in heat-proof glass or nonreactive bowl. Pour boiling water over leaves and let steep from 30 minutes to 24 hours. I prefer to let it sit overnight, for best flavor and color.. Strain through a fine sieve, reserving the clear, purplish liquid or infusion. If not using
immediately, refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Place jars and lids on rack in pan or stockpot deep enough to cover them with about two inches of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, keeping the jars hot until ready to fill.
To make the jelly, stir lemon juice and sugar into reserved infusion in a two-quart nonreactive or stainless steel pan. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add the liquid pectin and continue to boil two minutes, skimming any foam that may rise to the surface.
Ladle quickly into jars to within about 1/8 inch from the top; clean each rim and threads of the jar as it's filled, and place flat lid and ring on each before filling the next. Screw band on tightly and invert jar on tea towel for about five to 10 minutes. Jars should seal and lids should pop shut within 10 minutes as they cool. If they do not seal, you can place them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes or place in the refrigerator.

Sealed jars will last up to one year in a cool, dark place. Put any unsealed jelly in the refrigerator. It should keep about three weeks. Makes four or five half-pint jars.
This makes a delightful purple, licorice/herb flavored jelly that is delicious on toast or biscuits, but is also wonderful with cold meat sandwiches, as a glaze or part of a marinade, or melted down with a bit of orange juice and used as a dressing for a fruit salad.
You can also try experimenting with other kinds of basil – Holy Basil, African blue basil, or lemon basil are especially delicious!

More to come

2010-06-10T22:43:00.002-04:00

I haven't forgotten about my blog... just been very busy in the garden. I will post pics when it is completely finished. Rain isn't helping me along..

Julen...I only have pics of Doux des Landes from last year. As soon as my new Basque peppers are done growing I will take photos for you. (I know you don't call them Basque peppers hahaha).

Website is being worked on by my new awesome designer. Woot! Up in October.

Hope the growing is going well for everyone else. I can't wait to have my first garden tomato of the year.

A French Greenhouse

2010-05-22T13:58:00.002-04:00

2010-05-05T20:25:00.006-04:00

HA. HA. HA..... I found this guy hanging around my cucumber seedlings.. literally.. I think he is veeeeeery cute.

Here are my two new meat eating plants. Woot! I never really thought about them until my friend Sebastien was talking about his. Then I got kind of intrigued... they are very cool... even my mother is fasinated by them..(yeah, she asked for her own for Mother's day)

Got the teepee up for the Scarlet Runner Beans.. I think this is going to be my garden masterpiece this summer.

Most of the seedlings are doing alright but I did lose a few :-( Grrrrrrrrrrrr.. I'm gonna try and make up some of the ones I lost at the nursery but I doubt they are going to have much of what I am looking for..

Lastly I did finally find a web designer for my web site. Will be up in October but you'll have to keep quessing about it until them.

Okay, that is just a quick up-date for now but I will do better next time LOL promise!

2010-04-13T22:12:00.004-04:00

LOL... I would love to say these are my lambs but they are not. They belong to my friend Lucine in France (I want them). Born over the Easter holiday.

I could do an entire post only about these lambs. They have a huge following on her Fb wall and I think they need their own fan page. Ha!

Check out how cute his little feet are! If they stayed this little I would get a whole flock but I know they grow into big sheep.

I wish I could fly over to France just to kiss them.

Thursday, I am finishing the teepee for the Scarlet Runner Beans. I think this will be the showpiece of my garden this year.

The bad news I have to report is that I couldn't get my Choc. Ghost Chilis or my Marmande Garneir Rouge tomatoes to germinate. :( Next year....... a new opportunity for them.

The tiller is tuned up and I hope this weekend to get the garden turned over for the first time this year. (That is an all day project)... Stay tuned.

1930's tomato farming

2010-04-07T09:15:00.002-04:00

http://www.ina.fr/economie-et-societe/vie-economique/video/VDD09005621/la-culture-de-la-tomate.fr.html

This video is crazy... It's from 1930. Subtitles are in French but it shows the back-breaking work of tomato farming then.

P.S. Thank You Sebastien Prunet!

Marigolds

2010-03-31T00:03:00.007-04:00

Marigolds
Did You Know Marigolds were first discovered by the Portuguese in Central America in the 16th century?? "Marigold" is derived from "Mary's Gold", and the plant is associated with the Virgin Mary in Christian stories. Because of the flower's heavenly association it was thought to be a bringer of good luck and to ward off evil and witchery.

My friend Gerard in France sent me lots of Marigold seeds for this year. I have never started them from seed but this year I'm going to give it a shot.

Planting Marigolds amongst your tomatoes is considered "companion planting". Annual Marigolds can be used anywhere to deter Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, thrips, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies. They are also known to repel harmful root knot nematodes (soil dwelling microscopic white worms) that attack tomatoes, potatoes, roses, and strawberries. Marigolds omit an odor that many insects find offensive so when you plant marigolds you are actually helping keep insects away from the area you are planting the marigold flowers in. Insects do not like to be around marigold flowers.The root of the Marigold produces a chemical that kills nematodes as they enter the soil. If a whole area is infested, at the end of the season, turn the Marigolds under so the roots will decay in the soil. You can safely plant there again the following spring.

Marigolds are easy to grow and have a long flowering period. African marigolds have a upright growth and can reach a height of 30-40 inches, while French marigolds grow to only 8-16 inches. African marigolds come in shades of yellow and orange, while French marigolds are often multicolored in shades of orange, yellow, mahogany and crimson. Both are suitable for massed plantings or pots. They are attractive as cut flowers if the scent isn't a problem. Change the water in the vase frequently.

Marigolds are grown from seeds. They like full to partial sun. Marigold seeds can be directly sowed into your flower garden, or seeded indoors for transplanting later. I recommend planting Marigolds in pots and containers indoors, then transplanting them outdoors. This allows you to make the proper spacing without the need for thinning seedlings.

Sow Marigold seeds early in the season and cover lightly with soil. Water thoroughly once. They germinate easily and will grow quickly, producing their first of a continual display of blooms by mid-summer.

Transplant Marigold plants into your garden after the last frost date for your area. Spacing depends upon size with miniature varieties spaced four to six inches apart, and Giant varieties one to two feet apart. Around mid-summer, your plants will begin to produce flowers and will continue to do so up to the first frost. You do not need remove dead flower blooms, except for appearance.

So I will take lots of pics of them this year! Marigolds fall into that catagory I call "happy flowers"..like sunflowers. If they exuded an emotion it would be happiness.

Seed Bombs

2010-03-14T01:27:00.006-05:00

How they Work
A seed bomb is a little capsule with everything you need to grow a plant all bundled up. The clay has lots of root-encouraging nutrients. The Worm Castings will give the seeds a nice fertilizer, good for land that hasn't been cultivated or worked on for a while. The indigenous seeds are custom made for your area. They will know how to grow given the conditions.Now all they need is a nice rain. The perfect time to throw these is right before a light rainy season. The rain will melt the clay to expose the seeds, and your seed bombs will grow.

Seed Bombs Ingredients
1) powdered clay
2) worm castings
3) wildflower seeds indigenous to the area
4) water
5) mixing container
6) stick

How to Make a Seed Bomb
1) mix 5pt powder clay, 5pt worm castings, 1pt seeds in a mixing container.
2) add just enough water to make a nice muddy clay consistency
3) roll up the mixture into little balls like gum balls
4) let dry in a cool dry place for like 3 days
5) throw them in empty fields.

This is what we call Guerillla Gardening!! Throw them in your unsuspecting neighbors ugly back yard. Around a fence....you get the idea.

Some of this content was taken from

Funtimehappygardenexplosion.

Come on Spring

2010-03-13T19:13:00.002-05:00

Chance is getting huge and the cats hate him. Ha! He ate one of my tomato seedlings today and if he didn't have such a cute face I would have been mad.

Got all of my peppers sown. Mainly doing Basque peppers this year but some Ghost Chilis too.

I've started collecting my coffee grounds from Starbucks.. Woot. I think I've doubled my worm population and we all know how good worm poop is for the plants. :-p

Still waiting for the garlic to pop up. Not yet.

Hope everyone has gotten their seeds started and are getting excited for the season.

Passing on a cool global website

http://guerrillagardening.org/community/index.php They have a page on how to make seed bombs. When I have more time I will try to put the instructions up.

Puppies and seed starting

2010-02-25T19:04:00.003-05:00

Here's my new little man Chancellor or "Chance" as I call him. A Border Collie maniac puppy. I haven't had a pup in 14 years. I forgot how much work they are.

Started peppers: Ghost Chili, Doux des Landes, Ancient Sweets, Piment d' Ampuis and a few more next week.

Getting psyched for the garden. Woot!!!

Most excited to grow list

2010-02-09T17:35:00.007-05:00

Finally......... Time for my
MOST EXCITED TO GROW LIST
Every year I am very excited about certain new tomatoes I am growing. I've lowered the number of varieties I grow so the list is not huge this year.

So here it is *fist pumps again*.

Green Doctor's Frosted-
This is a mutation from Green Doctor's proper. A green when ripe cherry. Normally the epidermis is yellow, this is a mutation to clear. The clear epidermis makes the little tomatoes look like they are frosted.

Le Mer Mix--(The Have You Got It Yet Mix )
Includes a segregating genepool and also some OP lines from Alan Bishop including:
Mer De Noms -red
La Mer (noir) - black
La Luna - Black with green stripes
Le Soliel - Orange plus various yellows and other shapes including cherries, but for the most part salladette type tomatoes.
Alan's tomatoes are always impressive. His Absinthe and Jack White are out-standing so growing this mix out is going to be sooooooooo exciting for me.

Marmande Garnier Rouge
This is a selection of Marmande that was sent to me by my friend Gerard..
Red fruit from 1-1.5 lbs. slightly corded. A variety of Marmande which was found at the market in Savigny sur Orge in Essonne in the year 1960 by Mrs Garnier who gave it her name. Cultivated year after year by Mrs Garnier and Patrick Saint Aubin, collector at Montlhéry.

Spudatula Black
A cross of Black from Tula with an unknown potato leaf variety, from Bill Malin of Hillsboro, NM. Last year I grew Bill's Spudakee Purple, a PL version of Cherokee Purple (also on the list this year) and it was sooooo good even in a horrible growing year. I've heard raves about Spudatula Black so I can't wait!

I have no photos for any of these yet but will try to post as I find them or grow them.

2010 Growlist

2010-01-24T13:48:00.009-05:00

**EDIT ON GROWLIST**
Here is my 2010 growlist for the moment. There might be some minor changes but these are solid. I will up-date with any new varieties. In the meantime, I have started 10 Chocolate Ghost Chili's *fist pumps*. I can't wait to see these guys. I'm guessing this is a cross between the Ghost Chili and a chocolate pepper. Maybe a mutation??

Looking for something called a Bergamot Orange. A cross between an orange and a lime. I'm going to get in touch with my produce guy at one of the stores and see if they can find some. One of my French peeps made me go on a mad search for these. Thanks for driving me crazy Sebastian!

Trying to decide if I should get this Border Collie. It's soooooo tough. I want him so bad but I know what a job it will be. Yeah... that's him shoving the other puppies out of the food bowl. *sigh*

Happy seed starting everyone!

Cherries-

Black Cherry

Sun Gold

Green Doctors Frosted

Marizol Gold Cherry

Greens-

Green Giant
Absinthe

Reds-

Marmande Garnier Rouge

Aker's West Virginia

Granny Cantrell's German Red PL

Old Bess

Old Virginia

Blackhawk

Pinks-

Goose Creek

Olive Hill

Hege's German Pink

Cowlick's Pink BW

North Carolina Pink

Mrs. Benson

Black/Purple-

Spudakee Purple

Spudatula Black

Liz Bert

Cherokee Purple Improved

1884 Purple

Chocolate Stripes

JD's Special C-Tex

Orange/Yellow-

Orlov Yellow

Swedish Golden Beef

Oleyar's German

Arancia (Thanks Randy for all the seeds)

Bi-Colored-

Pamplemousse du Grand Pere

Spunky

Le Mer Mix

Praying for Spring

2010-01-07T09:29:00.011-05:00

Hee Hee...I love this pic. I pretend that the little boy and his dog are praying for spring and tomatoes. It's that time of year where in my head, I start counting how many more months until I can eat a garden tomato. :(
Almost done with the growlist which I promise to post immediately upon completion. Doing a few germination tests on seeds and ordering from the greenhouse and garden suppliers.

I am starting all pepper seeds Feb. 1st. Especially our little buddy the PPdew. He needs a very long growing season. Also growing a little round cherry from my friend Chris Fowler, and the Chocolate Ghost pepper seeds he also sent me. Yep! You heard me right. I said Chocolate Ghost. hahaha... http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/hot_chili_pepper_seed.htm ( you can read about it there but I wouldn't get too excited, they don't ship to the U.S.)...Growing out from a hybrid Ancient Sweets (This should be interesting) still sorting thru which other peppers are going to make it to the garden.

I know one thing that wont be out there this year.... potatoes. Tried last year and it was a big bust. I am not the spud Queen. I'm leaving the potato growing to Idaho.

But.....one of the things I'm most excited about is my "Scarlet Runner Teepee"... I am building a huge, walk in teepee (with help of course) and it is going to be covered in Scarlet Runner Beans. How cool is that? It is going to be my hideout LOL. I mentioned it to my friend Sergeant Major, and being a former member of the Army Corp of Engineers, he has taken over construction details. Ahhhh...it pays to have smart friends.

On a sad note, I lost my little garden buddy Boo this winter. It was an accident and it was my fault. I still think I hear her in the house. It's like you forget for a second, then you hear what you think is her, and then you remember...... :(

Sadie doesn't have any tomato boxes to sit in lately so she has taken to Christmas boxes. LOL

Happy New Year 2010 to all! Hope it's our best year ever!

May it be full of tomatoes and greasy beans.

2009-12-10T20:03:00.002-05:00

Yes... I miss my garden already. I'm working on my 2010 growlist. This next season I think I am going to cut down on the number of varieties and increase the ones I do grow.

Here's the ones I am solid on:

Absinthe

Green Giant

Liz Bert

Spudakee purple

Chocolate Stripes

Marmande Garnier Rouge (very excited about this one. Thanks Gerard!)

JD's Special C-Tex

Goose Creek

Still have a long way to go before I finish the list. Plus, I have to leave room for some growouts I am doing for others. I keep thinking "pepper starts are only a month away" Woot Woot!

You've got to be kidding me

2009-11-04T16:59:00.003-05:00

Really????.........Someone put a gun to my head. Now there's a new one. The Goldew pepper?
It took me 3 years to find the red one, now I have to hunt down the gold one???
!#$%**!
Here's a copy paste from the Gourmet Food Mall on it:
The new “GOLD” standard from South Africa! Just introduced into the US market in 2009, Peppadew™ GOLDEW is the result of 10 years of growing trials in South Africa. Like the original Peppadew™ pepper, Peppadew™ GOLDEW has that mouth-watering sweet and tangy flavor…minus the heat. Try them in green salads, chicken and tuna salads, stuffed with cheese, or on top of fish, chicken or pork. The possibilities are endless, and they will add pizzaz to almost any meal!
If anyone has anymore info on this can you please email it to me? I am just too tired to from the first chase. Secret Seed Cartel.....get to work!

Peppadews???????????????

2009-10-07T20:08:00.010-04:00

So........Here's what I'm saying. I believe this is the real deal. Took me 3 years to find the seed. Yep folks......it's our little buddy the Peppadew. I expect many pats on the back for this one from all of you!! Shouldn't I win some kind of award for this? LOL.

Being cautious, I will say that I did save seed for them and If you're one of my buds, email me about the secret seed cartel and being a member.

French Peeps.....

si vous avez besoin de ces graines, elles sont à la disposition de vous également

Queen

2009-09-22T19:41:00.009-04:00

Nothing to do with tomatoes but worth sharing. I've always been a big Queen fan. I admit I miss Freddie and all of the great music they put out...As I'm getting older I'm appreciating classical acoustic guitar more and more. No one was happier than me when I was tipped off to this un-believable CD. A classical guitarist by the name of Carlos Bonell has done a CD of all Queen tunes. Even if you're not a big Queen fan you can appreciate this one. You can hear him do "Love of my Life" on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geeRT60TZbY

and "Who Wants to Live Forever" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO0ezPJjwls

I rarely go out and buy an entire CD but I did with this one. It is so awesome. Two of my favorite things combined, Queen and classical guitar. Reminds me of a Reese's cup....ha!

I'm sure some will disagree but in my mind Queen was one of the greatest talents of all time. One of the saddest days of my life was when I heard that Freddie Mercury had died. I knew something rare was gone forever. One of the benefits of living close to Cleveland is being near the rock hall of fame. I admit I take that for granted. I've only been there one time and that was when they inducted Queen. It was so cool to see but sad at the same time. As they trotted Freddie's mom on stage with Brian May and Roger Taylor anyone that didn't tear up didn't have a heart.

So....in closing, I just wanted to share something cool with you. Gotta share the good stuff!

You'll want to see Freddie doing one of the songs live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3xwCkhmies

The greatest rock n roll frontman ever!!

2009-09-18T11:12:00.001-04:00

Saving Seed with Oxiclean

2009-09-06T20:08:00.005-04:00

Most old time growers still save their tomato seeds using the old-fashioned method of fermenting them. The negatives to this is the amount of time it takes (days) and the smell. If you have ever had the pleasure of smelling a rotten tomato than you know what I'm talking about.

I use the Oxiclean method. Totally safe for the seeds, does not effect germination rates and takes about 40 minutes. As simple as it gets.

1. Cut your tomatoes and squeeze seeds into a marked plastic container or cup.

2. Add about equal amound of water.

3. Add 2 Tble. of Oxiclean and stir.

4. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

5. Before straining stir then pour into fine mesh sieve.

6. Rinse well. Put back into container and fill with water again. Let sit for 5 min.

7. Pour into sieve again and rinse.

8. Put seed on labled paper plate and allow to dry for 1 week or more. Until dry. Store in jar.

2009 Review: Winners and Losers

2009-08-31T12:38:00.023-04:00

This was by far the worst tomato season I have ever had. Too cool, too much rain and disease problems. That made me un-able to rate some tomatoes due to poor conditions and crop failure. But...... I was able to form an opinion on some of them. You know the rules: to be an all-star it has to have a 10 in all areas. Taste, appearance and texture. Here's the all-stars and waste of space maters from this year:

All-Stars:

Liz Bert: A potato leaf purple developed by Keith Mueller. I loved this one. The taste for me was right up there with Carbon. Even with so much rain they resisted splitting and scarring.

Chocolate Stripes: Wow! What a winner. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but the plant was disease resistant, huge producer and perfect texture. Definitly has the sweetness of a black. Perfect balance of meatiness and juicyness.

Jewish: A really nice red. Not beefsteak shaped but more bomb shaped. Almost all of them were huge.

Very productive, very meaty just enough juice without being watery. Not very acidic tasting. More of a sweet, mild flavor.

Orange Minsk: A big size yellow/orange from Minsk. I got my seed from Andrey.
Good producer, flawless appearance. Very meaty. Mild but firm. I would say I liked it as well as KBX. It's more of a mid-season so if you like KBX you would like this one and it's earlier too.

JD's Special C-Tex: Well, I finally found one I love as much as Carbon. Very nice purple/black. Firm, sweet and flawless appearance. Resisted disease much better than some of the other blacks.

Absinthe: Another Alan Bishop tomato. A GRW that rivals Green Giant. I had given up hope of ever finding another green as good as GG but Alan has done it!! Two years in a row one of his tomatoes is on my all star list. This tomato is soooooo good. Perfect balance of juice and meat. The gel really is the color of Absinthe.

Waste of Space:

Zelyone: "sorry Andrey :( "....... A russian GWR. It produced well and had a nice appearance but I couldn't get past the taste. Very sour to me. I kept trying them as the season progressed but it never improved.

OSU blue or P20: Ok, only if you want to grow this as a curiosity. It is a total waste of garden space if you are limited. It's cool to show people the blue tomato but taste wise....forget it. Plus they are very small.

Roger's Best Black: This one was a huge producer of early blacks. Tastewise it was very sub-par compared to other blacks. It had serious scarring problems too. I don't think I ever picked even one that didn't have concentric scarring.

Yellow Cookie: Ok...this was a heart shaped yellow. Almost no seeds at all in them. Very meaty but mealy and mushy. Tons of scarring and cracking. I just couldn't get past the texture.

Now there were a lot of what I call good tomatoes that are worth growing again but not OMG good. It's possible under better growing conditions they might have made the all star list. Here's a review of some of them.

Claude Brown's Yellow Giant: This by far is the most huge yellow tomato I have ever seen. One slice almost covers an entire dinner plate. Nice, mild yellow flavor and not mealy. If you like the mild yellows, it's a good one.

Olive Hill: This one was a very good producer of large pink beefsteaks. Mild flavor and near perfect appearance.

Heatherington Pink: I really did like this one. More flavor than Olive Hill but not as productive.

Gary'O Sena: Another Keith Mueller purple tomato. Really good but not quite as good as Liz Bert to me.

Frank's Large Red: (The pic is a few greens ones) This is by far one of the biggest red tomatoes I have ever grown. When you first taste it, it hits you with sweet but then it has this old timey tomato flavor. Reminds me of how tomato juice tastes from the store.

I wanted to comment on Fritz Ackerman and Marlowe Charleston too: You know last year I grew both and they were regular leaf plants. I absolutely loved the ones I grew last season and they both made my all-star list. Then I find out they are supposed to be Potato leaf. So I chased down the PL seed for each one and grew them both this year. The PL version of each was was nothing like the RL versions from last year. They are entirely different tomatoes. Maybe the RL ones I grew last season were crosses but they were superior to the PL varieties I grew this year. So....if you want to grow either one of these varieties I would suggest the RL variety.

Now I'm going on hiatus..ha...See you all in a few weeks. That is if I ever come back. I don't think I would mind living in France for the rest of my life. I can grow tomatoes there too...right?

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Cooking Greasy beans

2009-08-17T15:03:00.006-04:00

I'm getting a lot of requests from people asking "how do I cook greasy beans". So......I am just going to do a little post about it.

You would cook them no different than you would any other "green bean". They do have a string so you would need to remove it first.

I personally like to cook my green beans with smoked ham hocks, ham bone, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and some ham base.

So, when you want to cook up your greasy beans, just cook them the way you normally would do it. I haven't gotten my crop yet, their still growing but from all I hear, they taste fantastic. Here's a couple of pics I took today. My NC pink tip greasys and a pic of their flower.

Crop Failure

2009-08-07T12:43:00.007-04:00

This is the first time I've ever had to say it. Crop failure. As most of you know there is a blight epidemic this year. Looks like I am going to have to pull and burn all of my plants. I've been fighting it for a couple of weeks but it just keeps spreading. I'm so bummed I can't even write anymore about it. Guess I will just cut my losses and go see the French peeps after all. Here's a few links about it. Cornell University also has a weekly update on tracking it around the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html
http://www.umassvegetable.org/LateBlightAlertforTomatoandPotato.html
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/lateblight/late.htm
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/agricultural_sciences/late_blight_irish_potato_famine_fungus_attacking_135263.html

Kumato displays

2009-07-08T12:28:00.007-04:00

Black Garlic display

So while I was in Toronto, I visited a couple of grocery stores. One was just a normal store and one was a gourmet store just opened my chef Mark McEwan:

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/06/17/mark-mcewan-launching-gourmet-grocery-chain.aspx

I found displays of Kumato's there and took a few pics. One sign said it was the #1 tomato in Canada. It is now becoming available in the U.S. under the name Rosso Bruno.

The Mark McEwans store had it on display with Black Garlic, the newest, hottest chef item.

As far as the new McEwan store, I wasn't impressed. I guess I am spoiled by West Point Market which is one of the top 10 gourmet stores in the country. There was no comparison. The only thing that impressed me was that I found the Black Garlic there.

Greasy Beans

2009-06-16T13:20:00.005-04:00

I seem to be getting a lot of hits on the blog from people searching for info on Greasy Beans. This is my first year growing them too so I've tried to collect as much info on them as possible.

Greasy beans are green beans that lack the normal fuzz that is on the outside of a bean pod. Because they lack that fuzz, when you cook them they take on a shiny appearance that makes them look greasy.

They seem to be indigenous to Appalachia, mainly Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. They have names like: Cherokee long Greasy (from the Cherokee indians), Lazy Wife Greasy, Robe Mountain Bean and Ora's Speckled bean. Some of the histories are very fascinating.

Greasys are so prized in the mountain south that an Appalachian bride's trousseau would traditionally have included a few seeds from her family's unique strain of beans. Such devoted guardianship has produced an unmatched diversity of greasy beans in the North Carolina and Kentucky highlands, with more than 30 known varieties still cultivated on small patches of mountain land.

This year I am growing two varieties. Pink Tip Greasy (from N.C.) and North Carolina Speckled Long Greasy Cut Short.

These beans do need to be "unzipped" or un-strung. In today's world, demand is high for stringless beans thus contributing to the decline of these old family beans. When we grow these beans and save seed, we are preserving our history too. As most of you know, my passion is really with the heirloom tomatoes, but there are many vegetables that need protected and preserved. If you love gardening, help continue the legacy of our ancestors and grow these very special varieties.

Greasy's are very hard to find. Sustainable Mountain Agrigculture Center is where I finally found my seeds. http://www.heirlooms.org/catalog.html Along with preserving Southern Appalachian heirloom bean varieties, they are experts on the greasy bean.

My friend Maria at Blueribbontomatoes.com also has a family greasy bean she is growing and selling.

It makes me sad to think of the heirloom beans that might become extinct including many varieties of family Greasy beans. The old timers are passing away and if a family member doesn't continue growing their bean, it becomes lost along with all of it's history. Saving heirloom and family vegetables is right up there with me as saving an animal from extinction. Once something is lost, it's lost forever.

Today in the garden

2009-06-10T18:07:00.015-04:00

Just a reminder to any growers that want to compete in their county fairs. Now is the time to be checking their websites for applications. Good Luck.

North Carolina Cut Short Greasy Bean seedling (left)

My black Chick pea seedlings(right)

Here's a pic of the oddest things I have ever seen in my garden. It's a sunflower coming up and it's cotyldons are pure white. I have never seen that before. You can see two more under it, one is maroon and one is green. That is normal. It seems like a freak of nature but I'm not sure. Has anyone else seen this or can you give me some info... You can email me.

And some of the roses. L-R: Chicago Peace, Heirloom and Pope John Paul II. Think I'm getting better with them folks.

Not kidding

2009-06-10T09:52:00.004-04:00

OMG!!! I just found out that my blog is being watched by a company in South Africa... I can't afford any lawsuits right now or ever so I might not be posting about the Peppadews anymore. If I know you and you want to know something about the grow-out, Email me. If I don't know you, I won't be able to answer your questions. Sorry.

P.S... You heard the term "this garden's illegal"..Well......

Horseshoes

2009-06-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

I'm taking this as a good sign from the Universe. I found a total of 3 horseshoes in the garden. The weird part is that I have been working that ground for years and never found 1 let alone 3.
I just need one more for a full horse. I'm going to hang 1 of them in my house to remind me that maybe I'm very lucky. I heard that if you hang one you hang it with the open end up so the luck doesn't run out. I'm not really superstitious but don't want to take any chances so that's the way I'll do it.

Got a new pair of garden mud boots compliments of my ex. He left them so I took them over. Haha. Kind of big but they'll work. They look so girlie with my shorts.

I got most of the mulching done. Thank God!! All the babies are growing like crazy. My brother is coming over to help me make 40 more CRW cages this week. Seems like every year I have to make more. Like I always say....part of the sickness.

Congratulations to my baby girl (on the left). She graduates H.S. today. I'm so proud of her for so many things it's hard to list them all. She is the kind of daughter we all hope and wish for. She's going off to college this fall and that will be hard for both of us I'm sure. My son's going to be living near the campus too so for the first time in 24 years I won't have a kid at home. :( Weird. I love you Lydi girl!!

Duane's Official

2009-05-23T21:36:00.004-04:00

My bud Duane got his official certificate showing his record breaking tomato.
Hahaha.... You should see the set-up of tomatoes he's growing this year to break his own record...He's shootin' for a 6 pounder..
P.S.
My little black chickpeas are coming up!!

Choptag Spring '09

2009-05-11T08:22:00.009-04:00

I got to hit Choptag Sat. for the plant swap. I'm used to Cincinnati being so much warmer than Cleveland, I wasn't prepared for how cold it was. No jacket. Was getting ready to put my flannel pj shirt on when Barbee gave me her jacket. LOL. Thanks sister! Of course Earl was there with his awesome smoked pork. Wouldn't be Choptag without it. Thanks Earl for the Tenderness pepper plant. I can't wait to try that one.
Some of the usual suspects showed up. Jerry and his wife, Gary and his friend Cathy, Susan and I finally got to meet Barbee. She is way cool.
Of course I spent most of my time hanging with my tomato hero Gary. I embarrass myself how much I gush over him but I can't help it. Of course he gave some of his special plants. I love to grow the stuff he gives me.
Earl gave us all a lesson on pot rolling. Hahaha... not that kind of pot. How to make seedling pots out of newspaper. I think I will try it next year.

I came away with more tomatoes than I ever need but that is usually the case. Had a lot of fun with everyone. Barbee, you are so much fun. I'm glad I got to finally meet you. Next time I'm in Cincinnat we will have to meet up.
Susan, enjoyed talking to you. You are so nice.
To the 2 non-posters on Tomatoville (you know who you are), better get crackin' and start typing on the forum. :) Hope to see you all this fall and have a great season!

More pics on Tomatoville if you want to see them.

Chickpeas and Choptag

2009-05-07T22:59:00.005-04:00

Today I had a great day in the garden. I planted 6 rows of Turnip greens, black chickpeas, Basil, Flat leaf Parsley and Cilantro.

I never knew there was such a thing as black chickpeas. I was in one of the local nurseries and saw the seeds. They were from Seeds of Change, one of my favorite seed suppliers. I bought some to plant and did a little research on them. The black ones are called Kala Chana. From what I'm reading they have a very different taste than the normal white ones we are used to. Nuttier, earthier and stronger flavored. Apparently they have been grown for over 6,000 years in the Middle East. Also found out there are red chickpeas and also green. Wow.. I had no idea and I'm in love with chickpeas. I eat them like crazy in salads and I eat Hummus like I'm Arab. LOL

I'll have to update you later in the season on what I thought about the taste.

Headin' out for Choptag tomorrow morning. I love getting together with some of the growers. Will get to see Gary Millwood (my hero) again. I'm sure I will be coming home with more tomatoes than I really need. It's just part of the sickness. I'll make sure and post some pics from Choptag!!

Today in the Garden

2009-04-18T16:53:00.014-04:00

Today was my first long day working out in the garden. My Uncle Will is visiting from Philly so he was out there helping me. God bless him. LOL.

We planted 4 new rose bushes. I'm a little worried about some of the other roses. It seems like some of them aren't greening up. I'm pretty new at growing them so maybe it's normal some years??

Tilled up the lettuce patch and got it all planted. This year it's:

Iceberg, Summertime, Red Velvet, Freckles, Speckles and Buttercrunch. Just for my dad I planted a long row of radishes. (yuk).

I also planted my white Peony bush today. Now I have red, pink and white.

I was going to till the back half of the garden but my Uncle insisted. So......since he forced me, I let him. Haha

In the pics you'll see the garlic and chives are all coming up. The Chocolate mint is already going crazy. Got two of my bean trellises up too. Going to plant the North Carolina greasy beans on those two.

My scarey owl is back on the back trellis to scare the bejezzus out of the bunnies.

Tonight I got a call from my Tomato Hero, Gary Millwood.

We are planning our visit we are having next Friday. Opening day at his nursery. I can't wait to see Gary in action. Maria Stenger from Blue Ribbon Tomatoes will be there too so it should be soooooooo cool. Gary was telling me about some of the very cool tomatoes he is growing this year. Can't wait to check out the inventory Friday. LOL. I will make sure to take lots of pics to post on the blog.
After today I feel like it is finally go time. I will be posting less and less on the blog as I spend more time in the garden but I'm sure you all understand that.

Have a great season!!

Most excited to Grow List

2009-04-12T15:39:00.019-04:00

Well, it's that time again.... my list of tomatoes I'm most excited to grow. I know I'm not alone in this... most of you have to have some that you are more excited to grow then others.

Absinthe: Another Alan Bishop tomato. This one is a green when ripe. His Jack White made my list last year and it was not a disappointment. Growing it again this year. Absinthe is flavoured distilled liquor, emerald green in colour, turning to cloudy, opalescent white when mixed with water. Absinthe inspired many prominent artists, writers and poets. Just to name a few - Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway - in fact his masterpiece " For Whom The Bell Tolls " was written under the influence of "The Green Fairy". Absinthe was first produced commercially in 1797 by Henry-Louis Pernod, who purchased the formula from a French exile living in Switzerland. That's just a little history on Absinthe... the tomato itself is a cross Alan did between Emaraude (or Evergreen) and Aunt Ruby's German Green and then later crossed back to what he "knew" was Evergreen.It is close to stable, maybe just a bit more work. The pic is from the French Tomodori peeps. Notice the Euro next to the mater. LOL. Got the seeds directly from Alan.

OSU Blue Fruit This is an experimental tomato being researched and developed at Oregon State University. Sometimes referred to as P20. Considered the first blue tomato. Not yet released to the public and probably won't be for a few years. Of course we hard-core growers have a secret seed cartel and not much doesn't get into our hands. Here's a copy/paste from Alan Bishop about it:

Jim Meyers has been working on this project for years. I believe the original breeding material for this particular project came from the Tomato Genetic Resources Center and was originally called LA 1996 I think (could be wrong). Anyhow, it's not just a novelty. It's actually an attempt by a university breeder to create a high Anthocyanin tomato line which will rival and possibly surpass blueberries as a commercial source of this valuable free amino acid!The taste is unremarkable from the conversations that I have had with Jim Meyers as well as articles I've read on the web where students of Jim's had spoken of tasting it with one even replying that it tasted like "Ink", something I don't think that anyone wants to taste in a tomato.I believe the idea was to cross this tomato to cultivars rated high in brix and in flavor to eventually develop lines which will be commercially available as seed and plants to home gardeners. I vaugely remember one student remarking that some sun-gold tomato crosses had already been made.One thing that I had in mind with this tomato was taking it and making crosses with the crimson gene that controlls high lycopene content and possibly (I'm not sure if it's possible to have both of these traits together) with something like Caro-Rich which is high in Beta Carotine. Then we would really be talking about a nutritionally efficient tomato crop of novel and medical use and what I like to call a "value added" seed line.In time I would love to get ahold of some seeds for this particular line whether from OSU or as it will be released eventually to home gardeners and do some crosses with it myself.-Alan

This should be an interesting grow-out. One of my U.K. friends grew it last year and said to make sure it get's maximum sun because it makes it more blue.

Mr. Hege's German Pink.. Don't have any pics of this one but got the seed from my tomato hero Gary Millwood. The seeds Gary sent me came directly from the stock of Mr. Hege that had been in his freezer. Unfortunately Mr. Hege has passed away so getting some of his original seed was a thrill. Mr. Hege germinated hundreds and hundreds (thousands) of this tomato each year and sold the seedlings at the Farmer's Markets in several locations near his home in Welcome, NC. Visitors to market always selected his tomatoes for home use over any other growers or varieties there! They loved the taste and quality! I understand he acquired the German Pink from an elderly gentleman who grew for market many years ago. So, it is an honor to continue the legacy passed on to us from the men who made growing this tomato for their livelihood.

Orange Minsk-- I got this seed from Andrey Baranovski in Belarus. He got the heirloom from an old woman at the Minsk Farmer's Market in 2006. I know from past experience that I have never gotten any Russian varieties from Andrey that weren't awesome.

The orange beefsteak-type fruits are huge (up to thirty six ounces). Less juice than other beefsteak types. Very meaty.

Rose Beauty--Got the seed from my good friend Remy in NY.

: Large yellow fruit with pink blush on blossom end, 1.5 lbs., very good flavor & productivity. Indeterminate. Yes, Rose Beauty is a YELLOW tomato! The name comes from John Rose of Richmond,KY. It was grown by his family on Happy Top Mountain on the Estlii/Jackson Co. line in KY, in the late 1920's and early 1930's.It is a large lemon yellow beefsteak with a wonderful mild flavor.Some yellows are bland tasting and mealy in texture,but this one is quite zippy when bitten into.Some fruits show faint pink streaks in the blossom end,and others show no pink at all.For a true heirloom that has never been 'monkeyed with' by the seed companies,this one's a keeper!

Maurine Verte ou Belle Maurinoise and Pamplemousse du Grand Père. Both new crosses from the French Peeps. (Thanks Laurent!!)... No pics. If I can get one off of Tomodori I will post them.

One is a green when ripe and the other is a blusher. I'll get more info from Laurent for you guys.

Edit: Both pics are from Tomodori. I will get the info on what the parents of both are.

ipods and poo pots

2009-04-07T00:00:00.017-04:00

Okay... Take the poll at the bottom of the page about iPods. I'm just curious how many growers listen to one while in the garden. If you do, what are your favorite songs? You can post that under this post in comments. I'm adding a new list on the sidebar that I will update every week with my iPod list. Right now (this will change) my favorite tunes are: Cocoon and Wasting Time both by Jack Johnson, Hate my Life by Theory of a Deadman, Whatever you Like by T.I. and Solitary Thinkin' by Lee Ann womack. Kind of a good mix of stuff. If you want , you can check them out on Limewire. "snicker "

I potted up about 100 of my transplants Sunday. Using the Poo pots as Ami (Ted, my TBFF) and I call them. I love doing that. The healthiest, biggest ones I had were; my St. Fiacre Cherry, Len's Brandywine, Big Cheef and Aker's West Virginia. I've picked up a couple more big accounts so I might have to actually hire a driver this year. Whooo hooo!

All I can say is my life is a bit stressful right now so thank God for the tomatoes and all of my grower friends. You make it better.

New mater chat room

2009-04-02T16:24:00.003-04:00

Just puttin' the word out for one of my mater friends. He has set up a new tomato chat room.
Here's the link: http://client11.addonchat.com/sc.php?id=384166
If you just want to shoot the breeze and talk maters with other addicts, this is a good place to visit. He is setting up a chat meeting tonight at 8 EST for those of you that would like to go.
Good Luck Mater!!!!

Finally!!!!

2009-03-22T11:07:00.002-04:00

Ok...I have been sick for a few days. Today I woke up and felt better. It's going to be 53F outside. So, I go out and mosey around the garden. All of the garlic is popping up. The rose bushes are starting to green up. OMG.... I think winter is gone... Finally.
I noticed all of my mint is starting to turn green. You know what that means..... time for fresh brewed ice tea with mint....
Of course, this year I have to expand the garden. Hahaha... every gardener knows this is part of the sickness. You have to plant more every year. This year I am growing Leeks and trying to make an Asparagus bed.
I have 2 people I am seriously mentoring this year. I hope to do a few stories about it as we progress. I have to make them both buy iPods..LOL. Mandatory equipment for the garden.
Out of the 40 Peppadews I started it looks like 37 have germinated. I'll take it.
Hope everyone is getting into their garden mode. It's going to be a good season. I can tell.

Leeks

2009-03-01T23:30:00.005-05:00

Leeks are a delicate and mild member of the onion family.Easier to digest than their onion cousins. They are also related to Garlic, Chives and Shallots.Leeks, unlike their counterparts, develop long, succulent stems rather than producing large bulbs. These stems are used as an onion substitute in many dishes. They're also easy to grow, tolerant of cold weather - and very expensive to buy in the supermarket. What more reason could you need to add a big patch of them to your kitchen garden? Often called the "gourmet's onion" Leeks add subtle flavor to soups and enhance the taste of many dishes.

Leeks can be grown from seeds or transplants. When growing leeks from seeds, it’s often easier to start them indoors even though they’re considered cold tolerant, as hard frosts can be detrimental to young plants. Sow the seeds in individual pots for easier transplanting about six to eight weeks before growing season or in early spring. Transplant seedlings once they reach about six inches tall.

Leeks like a place in full sun and thrive in rich, well-worked soil with good drainage. To grow large, white, succulent leeks, blanch the lower part of the stem by hilling the soil up around the stalk as it develops. Give leeks plenty of water to keep them growing strongly. Around midsummer, start removing the top half of the leaves. This will encourage greater growth of the leek stalk.

The time from planting to harvest is about 80 days from transplants and 120 days from seed. Pull the leeks as you need them, but harvest them all before frost.

There are several varieties of leeks available to home vegetable gardeners. Listed below are the different varieties of leeks.
Broad London, harvest at 30 days from seed, produces thick mild-flavored stems.
Titan, harvest at 100 days, is earlier and larger than Broad London and has a broader base.
American Flag, harvest at 95 days, is easy and flavorful.

According to Welsh tradition, back in the days before military uniforms, the Welsh fighters were instructed by their king to distinguish themselves from the enemy by fixing a leek to their helmets. Whether because of this legend, or for older reasons, the leek is one of Wales' national symbols, and is worn on the lapel in honor of St. David, Patron Saint of Wales, on his Day.

The very famous soup, Vichyssoise is made with leeks and potatoes. Traditionally, vichyssoise is served cold, and it may be garnished with snipped chives or parsley. This classic French-style soup is very easy to make at home, and many people find it enjoyable hot as well as cold, although vichyssoise purists may frown on serving the soup warm. It is also available in many some restaurants and cafes, especially those with French pretensions.

If you're interested in making a batch of vichyssoise for yourself, start by frying some sliced leeks and onions in oil and a small amount of butter. Add loosely chopped potatoes and chicken or vegetable stock. Boil until the ingredients are soft before adding cream or a non-dairy alternative for vegans, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree your vichyssoise before serving, and garnish as desired.

Farmer's Markets

2009-02-27T06:21:00.009-05:00

I have to admit...I am a huge fan of Farmer's markets. After growing tomatoes, there is nothing I like better in the summer than visiting the markets on the weekends.

Farmers' markets are one of the oldest forms of direct marketing by small farmers. In a farmers' market, a group of farmers sell their products once or twice a week at a designated public place like a park or parking lot. Some farmers' markets have live entertainment. Shopping at a farmers' market is a great way to get local fresh, flavorful produce and seasonal items direct from the source.

One of the things I love about these markets is the diversity of products. You can get anything from homemade natural soaps to organic, fresh dog treats. Fresh cutting flowers, local honey, grass fed cheeses and meat and fresh seasonal berries are just a few of the things you can count on. Most of those products would cost you an arm and a leg thru a store but since there is no middle man, prices remain reasonable to low. Here in Ohio, the Amish are very present at the markets and a good place to find their products if you are looking.

One of my favorite aspects of the markets are the sellers or growers. They are the friendliest group of people. They are more than willing to educate you on any product and offer suggestions and smile the whole time they are doing it.

If you have never made it to a farmer's market, this is the year I would do it. They run every weekend in most states and some areas have them year round. You'll get the best of the best, the freshest and the most in season produce available.

You can probably do a google search for markets in your local area.

A Tomato Prayer

2009-02-26T19:26:00.003-05:00

A Tomato Prayer From "A Common Prayer" by Michael Leunig, well-known Australian cartoonist.

It is time to plant tomatoes. Dear God, we praise this fruit and give thanks for its life and evolution. We salute the tomato, cheery, fragrant morsel, beloved provider, survivor and thriver and giver of life. Giving and giving and giving. Plump with summer's joy. The scent of its stem is summer's joy, is promise and rapture. Its branches breathe perfume of promise and rapture. Giving and giving and giving.Dear God, give strength to the wings and knees of pollinating bees, give protection from hailstorms, gales and frosts, give warm days and quenching rains. Refresh and adorn our gardens and tables. Refresh us with tomatoes.Rejoice and rejoice! Celebrate the scarlet soul of winter sauces. Behold the delicious flavor! Behold the oiled vermilion moons that ride and dive in olive-bobbing seas of vinegared lettuce. Let us rejoice! Let this rejoicing be our thanks for tomatoes.

Amen

Started Peppadews today

2009-02-25T23:07:00.006-05:00

Today I started 40 Peppadew seeds. Last year it was a bust. The seeds I got were imposters. So this year, I got them from 3 different sources. A grower in the U.K., a grower in Canada and a grower in Wasington State. All of them swear they are the real deal. I sowed all 40 of them. I have them marked so I know which ones came from which grower. The truth is, you can't have too many Peppadews. I have had some requests for the brine recipe... Well, it's a secret recipe and I have one that is supposedly close.

Peppadew Pickled Peppers

Cut off stem and deseed unless you want burning hot peppers. It's best to use surgical gloves, as the peppers can make your fingers burn. Cut off the stem end and scrape out the seeds with a small teaspoon. Try to remove all the seeds.

Dissolve about 4 tablespoons sea salt in just over 2 cups water. (We have metric measurements: 60g salt to 600ml water.In another submission of this recipe, the author gave the following instructions: Leave overnight in a brine consisting of 2 ounces kosher/coarse salt and about 2 1/3 cups water). Drop peppers into brine after deseeding, and leave them in for a few hours or overnight. (Increase brine mixture according to volume of peppers!) Put a plate or other weight on top if necessary, to stop them from bobbing on top. Before continuing, be sure your jars, caps and rings are very clean and sterilized in boiling water. Leave in the hot water until ready to fill the jars.

Syrup ingredients: 1-1/2 cups good vinegar, grape or wine or malt (5% acetic acid) 1-1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
a few pieces sliced fresh ginger some fresh garlic cloves
2 tablespoons crushed peppercorns (the mixed peppercorns are nice)
some bay or lemon leaves
a little sea salt

Additional ingredients:

2 whole green chili peppers, reserved, optional extra small whole green chili peppers for garnish

Combine the syrup ingredients in a non-reactive pot that is large enough to hold the peppers. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Then bring to a rolling boil. Take care, as the mixture does foam up a bit.In the meantime, rinse the brined peppers. Place in a colander or sieve and shake to remove as much moisture as possible. Add the peppers along with the green chili peppers to the boiling syrup. Boil for a minute or two. Use a slotted spoon to fill the jars with the peppers. Push them in; you want to fill the bottles nicely! Then pour over the boiling hot mixture. Use a small rubber spatula along with gentle tapping and rotation of the jars in to fill the pepper hollows with the syrup.

You can add a green chili to each jar for decorative purposes if you like. Final filling should be to 1/2-inch of the top. Wipe the rims of the jars. Cap the jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1000 feet, 15 minutes from altitudes of 1000 to 6000 feet, and 20 minutes above 6000 feet. Leave for about 2 - 3 weeks before use.This recipe fills 2 ordinary (supermarket size!) 375 ml bottles, i.e. each about 1 1/2 cups. Don't work with huge quantities -- rather make in smaller batches, it's easier and safer. * I use white grape vinegar because it's pure white. I dislike the cheaper spirit vinegar. Use whatever is available to you. Cider vinegar is also fine, except that it's slightly colored.

Also, Here is a link to Peppadew International that has recipes for the Peppers.

http://peppadew.co.uk/how_to_peppadew.php

Let's all cross our fingers that all or at least one of the groups of seeds are the real deal. Then I will make sure everyone get's them. I might end up in Peppadew Prison but...it's a worthy cause.

Forcing a bulb

2009-02-17T09:11:00.003-05:00

Ok... I've never forced bulbs before but I'm trying it for the first time. It's kind of nice to be growing something when the snow's still flying.

I'm in a little competition with a friend of mine over whose is going to bloom first. I'm glad I didn't wager anything because mine is lagging. Haha. If I remember right, mine is a Hyacinth. My friend's are Paperwhites. Wonder if I gave mine fertilizer if he'll sprint to the finish line? (snickering to myself)..

Addition to the grow list

2009-02-10T12:42:00.001-05:00

I am adding one I got from Gary Millwood

Mr. Hege's German Pink--I always trust Gary's finds.

Post Script on my growlist.

2009-02-07T13:34:00.003-05:00

I would like to say to all of my followers the following about the tomato under blacks called LN.

I hear there are some out there that are saying it's a racist name and that maybe I should have improvised and used another name for it. I did not name the tomato. It is listed with the SSE under that name. That is the historically correct name for it.
Most of you know me and know I'm a stickler for the correct names and histories of all heirlooms.
The fact is, I am growing it because it is a very seldom if at all grown variety. It has nothing to do with racism. I gave it some thought before I put it on my growlist. I know in this day and age there is great sensitivity about that word. So..... for the record.

I did not name the tomato. It was listed with the SSE under this name.
I am not a racist.

I am willing to grow this variety out, save seed and re-list it with SSE under a new name.
If you have suggestions as to an appropriate new name, please feel free to email me with it.
I agree that it's time to change the name of this tomato.
P.S.S.
Apparently the original Russian name for this was Negrityonok.. Translated that means Black Child. It was mistranslated I believe by the seedsman that sent it to the U.S. I received my seed from an '07 SSE listing. I have been told that starting in '08, SSE has started listing it under the name Little Black.
So.... Hopefully this clears it up and we can all go forward and grow our tomatoes.

Growlist Up-date

2009-02-06T07:19:00.006-05:00

Okay........I think I finally have my growlist complete. I have to force myself to quit messing with it. LOL.

Here it is....(drumroll)

2009 Growlist

Reds
Aker’s West Virginia
Frank’s Large Red
Big Red
Ramapo F1
Brandywine Len’s Garden
Jewish
Serdtse Buivola (Buffalo Heart)
Brannar

Pinks
Marlowe Charleston RL
Marlowe Charleston PL
Fritz Ackermann RL
Earl’s Faux
Dora
Liz Bert
Papa Vic’s Big Cheef
Heatherington Pink
Heart of Compassion

Yellow/Orange
KBX
Yellow Cookie
Claude Brown’s Yellow Giant
Golden Queen USDA
Peg’s Round Orange
Orange Minsk
Dad’s Sunset

Blacks/Purples
Carbon
Spudakee Purple
Kumato
JD”s Special C-Tex
Gary O’Sena
Chocolate Stripes
Brad’s Black Heart
Negrityonok aka Little Black
Cherokee Chocolate
Tim’s Black Ruffles
Mr. Brown

Greens
Green Giant
Green Velvet
Max’s Large Green
Malachite Box

Blushers/Bi-Colors
Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink
Pamplemousse du Grand Père.
Holyland Yellow
Spudayellow Strawberry
Scabitha
Spunky
Lucky Cross
Big Orange Stripe
Striped German
Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge
Virginia Sweets

Whites
Jack White
Blanche de Fred

Cherries
Champagne Cherry
Nicholayev Yellow Cherry
Marizol Gold Cherry
Green Grape
Black Cherry
Sungold F1
Isis Candy
Piccolo
Black Zebra Cherry

Experimental
Lincoln Adams
Jack’s Paste (Canada)
OSU Blue Fruit
St. Fiacre Cherry
Regina Yellow F1 X

Seed Starting 101

2009-01-31T11:53:00.004-05:00

I know it's getting to the time when everyone is thinking of starting their seed.

Here is a copy/paste from Botanical Interests for those who might be new at this.

Seed Starting 101 Why should you grow plants from seed? ` Witnessing a seed sprout and grow into a plant is a joy and wonder of nature! ` Starting plants from seed gives you control over growing conditions. ` It's less expensive than purchasing plants, especially if you want large numbers. ` Many unique or larger varieties are not available in garden centers as plants. ` All Botanical Interests seed varieties have been pre-tested for germination rate at an independent laboratory to give you the best chance for success. What do seeds need to succeed? A Comfy Container - Almost any empty container at home can be used to start seeds - clean milk, yogurt, or margarine containers, egg cartons, etc. Seed starting trays and small packs are also available at garden centers and are fairly inexpensive. Any container used must have drainage holes on the bottom. If you reuse containers each season, be sure to disinfect them with a 1:9 bleach solution to destroy any potential seedling pathogens. Good soil - For best results, always start your seeds in a high quality seed starting mix (available at most garden centers and nurseries). It will be light and fluffy to prevent compaction and will not have pathogens or pests like garden soil. Consistent moisture - Seedlings must be kept moist (but not soggy) at all times. If they dry out just once, they are "toast"! Conversely, you don't want to drown them. Soil that is too saturated is an invitation for fungal problems. Air Circulation - Indoors, providing good air circulation (similar to wind fluctuations outside) will help prevent damping off fungus (causes stems to get spindly and fall over) and increase the strength of each seedling's stem. To do this, you can place a small oscillating fan a few feet away from seedlings. Temperature - Most seeds will germinate just fine at room temperature.A heat mat is usually not necessary, but seeds that prefer very warm temperatures for germination (like tomatoes and peppers) may benefit from it. And most importantly ... Let there be light! When you start seeds indoors, do they get tall and skinny and fall over? The most common reason that seeds don't develop into healthy plants is lack of sufficient light. If you are starting them indoors, they must be in a sunny south-facing window that gets light most of the day or be under fluorescent light bulbs with 14 to 16 hours of light every day. (You should keep the lights 1-2 inches above the seedlings to prevent them from stretching towards it.) When to Plant: Before you plant, the most important thing to know is when the AVERAGE LAST FROST DATE occurs in your region in spring. (If you are interested in planting a fall garden, look up your AVERAGE FIRST FROST DATE.) You can contact your local county extension office for this information and more particulars about gardening in your area. To find your local office, click here: Local Extension Office
For a general U.S. map of average last frost dates, click here:Average Last Frost Date Why is this important? So you will know how many weeks before the last frost to start seeds indoors or when it is safe to plant or transplant outdoors. Sowing indoors: What types of plants should be started indoors?
Plants that require a long growing season to reach maturity
Biennial or perennial flowers that you want to encourage to bloom in first season
Plants grown for edible sprouts
Some vegetables that are recommended for starting indoors include: Artichokes, celery, eggplant, endive, leeks, onions (bulbing), peppers, sprouts (alfalfa), sprouts (mung bean), sprouts (fenugreek), tomatillos, tomatoes, wheatgrass Herbs that are recommended for starting indoors include: Most herbs, but especially: fenugreek (for sprouts), marjoram, oregano, savory, thyme Some flowers that are recommended for starting indoors include: Flax, Impatiens, Lobelia, Marigolds, Nemesia, Ornamental Peppers, Ornamental Eggplant, Pansies (12 weeks before blooms desired), Salvia Blue Victoria, Statice, Violas (Also note that seedlings started indoors must be 'hardened off' gradually to allow them to adjust to outdoor weather conditions. Put them outside in a filtered sun/shade location away from harsh winds during the day for just a short time at first. Bring them in at night and gradually increase their time outdoors each day for a week.) Sowing outdoors: What types of plants should be started outdoors?
Plants that don't transplant well (weakened by root disturbance)
Plants that require very warm temperatures to sprout and get established
Root crops (carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.)
Vegetables that are recommended for starting outdoors include: Amaranth, arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, gourds, mustard, onion (bunching), parsnips, peas, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, squash (summer), squash (winter), Swiss chard, turnips Herbs that are recommended for starting outdoors include: Borage, cilantro, Clary sage, dill, fenugreek, mitsuba Flowers that are recommended for starting outdoors include: All large packet flower mixes, Baby's Breath, Bachelor Button, Bishop's Flower, Black Eyed Susan Vine, Broom Corn, Cardinal Climber Vine, Castor Bean, Cat Grass, Chocolate Flower, Cleome, California poppies, Forget-Me-Not Spring & Summer, Four O'Clock, Godetia, Hyacinth Bean Vine, Love in a Mist, Money Plant, Nasturtiums, Poppies, Sunflowers, Virginian Stock, Zinnias Most Botanical Interest varieties not listed above can be started indoors or outdoors. Follow instructions on back or inside of packet. So now that you've taken Seed Starting 101, it's not too early to start choosing seed varieties for your spring garden if you haven't already. Remember that some plants like TOMATOES and PEPPERS require sowing indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside, and you will want to give them a good head start before spring to get the most fruit before fall frost.

Michelle DePaepe

How to make a glow in the dark tomato

2009-01-27T14:42:00.002-05:00

I
know there is no useful reason to do this but hey.......it's winter. We have to amuse ourselves somehow.

Make A GLOWING TOMATO ! - video powered by Metacafe

Piment d' Espelette ; Doux des Landes

2009-01-24T10:36:00.009-05:00

Piment d' Espelette

Most tomato growers also grow peppers. They just belong together like salt and pepper.
Seems I have neglected to give much attention to the peppers. I'm going to do better. I'm going to start with a little info on two of my favorite French peppers.

Piment D' Espelette--Piment d'Espelette literally means “pepper of Espelette” in French. It is a food product produced around the town of Espelette in Southern France, in the region sometimes known as Basque Country. This pepper is so famous that in 1999 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), was granted to Espelette peppers, or "Ezpeletako bipera" in Basque language, giving it the same protection as more famous names, such as Champagne and Roquefort . Only ten communities are allowed to use the name Espelette.Piment d’ Espelette is most commonly strung up to dry and ground into a powder and is often used as a substitute for black pepper in the Basque country and in common Basque dishes.Once harvested, they are threaded by hand and hung on the facades of buildings to dry in the sun -- this initial process takes about two months. After being dried a second time in wood-fired ovens, the peppers are ground into a fine powder. Every October, Espelette and surrounding villages hold a festival honoring the finished product -- a celebration complete with parades, dancing and cooking competitions.
Espelette’s hotness falls between sweet bell pepper and Cayenne. It has a rich, round deep flavor with heat present, lifting flavor, but not intrusive.PIMENT d'Espelette is to French Basque cooking what curry is to Indian cuisine.
Doux des Landes This is another pepper from France. It translates Long from Landes. Honestly, it is the longest pepper I have ever seen. It is a sweet pepper and turns from green to red. Also from the Basque region, it is sometimes called a Basque fryer. A delicious, sweet pepper, it is used in many basque recipes including piperade. Can also be eaten fresh or sautéed. Landes is in the South West of France also know as the home of Our Lady of Lourdes. I personally like to use this pepper as a fryer or diced up in my tomato salad.

How to make seed tape

2009-01-15T00:00:00.022-05:00

Seed Tape
If you notice a lot of seed vendors sell seed tape but at a very hefty price. You also have to stick with whatever varieties of seeds they have. It's very easy to make your own and you can use whatever seeds you like.
Here's what you will need:

Newspaper, toilet tissue or pre-cut seed tape paper
Elmer's Glue OR Glue Stick
Seeds
Ruler
Waterproof Marker

If you do not want to mess with using newspaper or toilet tissue, you can order just the seed tape paper at: http://seed-tape.com/ You will want to cut your newspaper or TP into 2 in long strips.You will want to check the spacing requirements on the type of seed you are using.
Using your ruler, mark off the correct intervals with a waterproof marker.
Drop your glue on the designated spots or use your glue stick. Place seeds over glue spots. Allow to dry 24 hours
Trust me, this makes planting flower and small seeds so easy in the spring.

BlueRibbontomatoes.com

2009-01-12T20:11:00.012-05:00

Blue Ribbon Tomatoes

You'll notice on the sidebar that my friend Maria Stenger from Blue Ribbon Tomatoes is the Tomato Rock Star of the week (Even though it usually goes longer than a week)
I am doing a little copy paste from her blog at: Blueribbontomatoes.blogspot.com
She is a wonderful tomato grower and I consider her a great source for Kentucky heirlooms.

Here is a bit about her:

Blue Ribbon Tomatoes specializes in Kentucky heirloom tomato seeds. We're located in a rural county in central Kentucky (zone 6), and actively search out newly discovered local heirlooms. Tomato varieties that have evolved here are the thoroughbreds of the tomato world. They tend to be large and sweet family jewels, grown for the simple reason that they taste good sliced on a plate.

Our growing season here is at least 160 days, with a limestone clay loam. In our county, tomatoes go into the ground on Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. Late summer can get really hot and dry, but with a little care, the plants come right through it, and some produce until October's first frost.

I use no chemicals in the garden. Permanent raised beds are kept covered with leaves, hay, and paper, with supplemental horse manure, and organic foliar sprays as needed: seaweed tea, colliodal silver, and molasses.

Herbs, annuals, berries, and other vegetables are included in a naturalistic style. The tomatoes are given proper spacing, and the rest is filled in by intuition. Earthworms, birds, snakes, toads, and butterflies are welcome residents.

Our farm is a 24 acre wildlife habitat on a windy hill. Walking paths wind around blackberries and raspberries, and the expanding orchard is an ongoing process. Here's a couple of pics of two of Maria's Ky Heirlooms. Also, there is a link to her site on the sidebar for those of you that would like to order seeds from her.
Max's Large Green

Franks Large Red

BURRATA; Tomatoes new BFF

2009-01-04T16:16:00.003-05:00

I have found the ultimate companion to tomatoes...Although fresh Mozzarella has been the standard, there's a new kid in town. Not really new, just new to us.
It's called Burrata. It means Buttered in Italian.
Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a unique soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. Burrata, once only packaged in leaves, is nowadays wrapped in a plastic sheet, sometimes printed with a leaves pattern on the outside. Even so, the tradition of having a wrapper of asphodel leaves is still followed, even if only covering outside the plastic. The leaves are indicators of the freshness of the Burrata; as long as the leaves are green, the cheese within is still fresh and ready to ooze out. Young Burrata is a magnificent cheese, and must be consumed fresh, no more than 48 hours after production. Its marvelous liquid center can be scooped up with slices of crusty bread, and is excellent when enjoyed in the company of a bottle of Montepulciano. Try tossing Burrata into pasta, such as drained penne or spaghetti. For a truly rich caprese salad, encircle fresh Burrata with slices of ripe red tomatoes and torn basil leaves, and drizzle with olive oil.
Extremely hard to find because of its short shelf life, burrata must be flown in from Italy the day after it is made and quickly sold to consumers. Once a challenge to find in the US, burrata has recently become more widely available, as it is being distributed domestically by an Italian cheese producer in southern California. It has recently become a "hot"gourmet item in places like New York City and Beverly Hills.

Many recognize burrata as one of the best fresh cheeses in the world.

So... My goal is to find a source for Burrata before tomato season. Would love to hear from any materheads that have actually had it.

2009 Grow list

2009-01-02T19:04:00.004-05:00

Well now comes the hard part... Narrowing down what you are growing for the season.
Here is my tentative grow list. Of course it will be whittled on some more.

2009 GROWLIST

REDS
AKER’S WEST VIRGINIA
Indiana Red (heart)
Big Red
Ramapo F1
Brandywine Len’s Garden

PINKS
MARLOWE CHARLESTON
Fritz Ackermann
Earl’s Faux
Dora
Liz Bert
Kellogg’s Breakfast Pink
KBX Pink

BLACK/PURPLE
CARBON
SPUDAKEE
AKER’S WEST VIRGINIA BLACK
Kumato
Tennessee Black
1884 Purple
JD’s Special C-Tex
Gary O’Sena
Chocolate Stripes
Brad’s Blackheart
Little Black
Cherokee Chocolate
Tim’s Black Ruffles
Mr. Brown

YELLOW/GOLD
KBX
Yellow Cookie
Tangerine
Orange Heirloom
T.C. Jones
Dr. Wyche’s Yellow
Golden Queen USDA
Brandywine Apricot
Peg’s Round Orange
Orange Minsk
Dad’s Sunset

Greens
Green Giant
Aunt Ruby’s German Green
Green Velvet
Cherokee Green
Max’s Large Green
Malachite Box (Malakhitovaya Shkatulka)

Bi-Colors/Blushers
Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink
Spunky
Holyland Yellow
Scabitha
Lucky Cross
Big Orange Stripe
Striped German
Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge

Whites
Jack White
White Oxheart

Cherries
Champagne Cherry
Marizol Gold Cherry
Brown Berry Cherry
Black Cherry
Sun Gold F1
Isis Candy
Fruity Orange
Piccolo

Experimental
Lincoln Adams
Jack’s Paste (from Canada)
Ya’ara (Israel)
St. Fiacre Cherry
OSU Blue Fruit

St. Fiacre Cherry

2008-11-29T21:32:00.005-05:00

Here is the story of my miraculous little cherry tomato.
My tomato garden is at the back of my property. Living on almost 3 acres that's quite a distance. In the front of my house is a long rose bed, heavily mulched every year.
For the last 2 years, this random tomato plant sprouts up right next to my Princess Diana Rose. I always find it weird because I wonder how a tomato seed got down thru that mulch and comes up every year in the same spot. Well I'm pretty sure it's a white cherry. The odd part comes in that I have never grown a white tomato until this year and it wasn't a cherry. So being me, I sit and chew on this all of the time. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... So I decided this year that since that little plant was so determined to come back every year, I would taste it. It was very good. So I saved seeds for it and have named it after the Patron Saint of gardens and gardeners. St. Fiacre cherry. It's on my grow list for next year and will finally have it's proper place in the big garden. I am posting pics because I am wondering if it's a yellow or a white.Let me know what you think.

Peppadew Update

2008-11-13T07:59:00.004-05:00

Well, I wasn't kidding when I said that Peppadew International is serious about NO ONE getting these seeds. Click on the following link and see what I mean..
http://www.whatsnewiningredients.com/pages/PRDetail.aspx?articleId=20190

Duane Rocks

2008-10-10T09:54:00.008-04:00

I have to brag about my friend Duane Perry. He is a greenhouse owner that lives south of me and is kind enough to allow me to keep my tomato seedlings there in the spring. Well........my friend just won the state record for the largest tomato ever grown in the state of Ohio. 4.48 lbs.
I talked to him and told him that would be a tough record to break and so typical of him, he said he intends to break his own record next year. LOL.
So, congrats to my friend that now has the bragging rights to growing the largest tomato on record ever in the great state of Ohio.
By the way.........the tomato was a Church. Listed on my "waste of garden space" sidebar. lol... It is a spitter but for size, I've never seen 'em bigger.
In the photo is his little girl Taylor...

Ghost Chili

2008-09-27T16:34:00.002-04:00

Ghost Pepper

OMG!!!! I can't even begin to explain how hot this pepper is. So hot that I don't even know how it could have a culinary purpose.
Certified in 2006 by the Guiness World record keepers as the hottest pepper on the planet. From Northeastern India, it is called Naga Jolokia, or Bhut Jolokia. I believe that translates to "Ghost chili". Apparantly eating one can cause you to give up the ghost.

One of my best friends bit into one and got a blister on his lip. One of my chef's decided to make a hot sauce out of them and had to repeatedly leave the room because the fumes were burning his lungs and sinuses.

So...other than having the bragging rights of having the "hottest chili in the world" growing in your garden, I have no idea what to do with this.... It's just off the charts hot!!!!
I'm curious if anyone else grew it or anyone has any suggestions for uses of a pepper that could destroy your digestive track?

Tomato Porn 2008

2008-09-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

Here is the tomato porn for 2008... I will be adding more pics as I take them so keep checking.

This Year's All-Stars

2008-08-25T12:08:00.009-04:00

Every year I have tomatoes that are so good they go on my all-star list. Meaning they become a fixture in the garden every year. You'll see on the sidebar I have an "all-star" list and what I call the "waste of garden space" list. Here's this year's list makers:

Marlowe Charleston: What a great tomato!! I got the seed for this from my friend Maria in Ky. It's such a dark pink that it almost looks like it should be in the purple category. Very productive and somewhat disease resistant. Sweet beyond belief.

Champagne Cherry: The seed for this one was hard to find but it was worth the work. In the white category but turns yellowish when very ripe. It is larger than a currant tomato but smaller than most cherries. Grows in clusters like grapes. I have never eaten a sweeter cherry. It got rave reviews from every person that ate it.!!

Jack White: This was my first year growing a white variety. I also grew Viva Lindsey's White Ky.Heirloom. It was interesting having two whites side by side to try. The Jack White was early, very disease resistant and so productive it was almost funny. Stayed very white even when ripe. The VLWKH was later, not as productive and turned more yellow as it ripened. Not nearly as good and smaller too. Jack White is an Alan Bishop tomato.

KBX: What a beauty!! It's true, it's better than the RL version. I won a tomato judging in Pittsburgh with a 2 lb. KBX. (pics soon).. Not a big fan of the yellows but this even hooked me.

Now for the losers:

Beauty King: In all fairness, I might have to try this one again. It looked more like a striped variety than a blushing tomato and I believe BK is supposed to be a blusher or true bi-color. This one looked like a Big Zebra but rounder. It had a distinct melon taste and not one of my tasters liked it. I have a suspicion that the seed I received might not have been true so I am giving this a thumbs down with reservations. Whatever I grew labeled Beauty King was a real spitter. If anyone has a comment on this one, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Giant Belgium: They were huge and they were beautiful but the taste was very sub-par. I kept trying them thinking they would get better but it never happened. Nice looker but very disappointing in the taste category. There are much better tasting big tomatoes. Very blight suseptable (more than any other variety in the garden).

As soon as possible I will try and post pics of these. I have to upload hundreds of pics I have taken while my pc was down.

Wisconsin 55 Gold

2008-08-06T17:45:00.002-04:00

Wisconsin 55 Gold 80 Days RL
Wisconsin 55 Yellow/Gold is a yellow mutant of Wisconsin 55 (This splendid cultivar represents some of the last focused open pollinated tomato breeding done at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1950's. by J.C. Walker, who was actually a plant pathologist. Shortly after that time, breeding efforts shifted to F1 hybrids and this was among the varieties that were nearly forgotten.) that Dr. Robert Raabe, professor emeritus UC Berkeley, found growing in a field of the original Wisconsin 55 growouts in 1953/54 when he was a student tending fields and picking fruit for processing. Raabe saved some seeds as a curiosity. He's grown them for them 50 years since because he likes them but never thought there would be widespread interest in such a thing until Alison Stewart got excited about it and asked him for seeds. Raabe gave Alison some seedlings from which she got a supply of seeds some of which she sent to Martin Longseth, a champion of Wisconsin 55. This tomato grows hardy plants under harsh conditions in shallow soil and makes thick walled, dense tomatoes suitable for canning and slicing. WI-55 Gold seems tolerant to disease, heat, heavy rain, and survives bug infestations while producing relatively blemish free fruit without cracks that ripen to a very pretty yellow/gold color that is not orange. (Variety info from IN JE B2)

Jack White

2008-08-01T08:15:00.012-04:00

Jack White 75 Days RL

This is one of my new whites I'm trying this year. It comes from Alan Bishop..

This is a beefsteak shape, thin skinned white usually 10 oz or more. It is a stabilized cross between Great White, White Beauty and White Tomesol. Very Productive. Said to have more flavor than most whites. Named after the lead singer of the rock band the White Stripes. Review will follow.

Garden Part Deux

2008-07-27T17:15:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't been posting much. Working on the tomato jungle most of the time. Here are some great shot's I got today. When you click the play button, on the bottom left of the screen you'll see a little quote box, if you click on it, it will show the captions.

Today in the Garden

2008-06-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

The first Peppadew of the year

2008-05-31T19:54:00.001-04:00

Picked today. Got about 30 seeds out of it. whoo hooo!!

The top grow list

2008-05-17T18:42:00.014-04:00

This is about the tomatoes on my "I'm so excited to grow this one" list. I usually have one every year and it's funny how it plays out. Some of them end up being duds and some of the mater's that I'm "not excited" to grow, end up being great. So, here's the line up of the "Most Excited about" tomatoes.

Jack White--This is a tomato created by Alan Bishop. A large 12 ounce or more, beefsteak type, White/Cream colored tomato of excellent quality. Relatively thin skinned but holds up better than most whites. A stabilized cross and selection between Great White, White Beauty and White Tomesol . If you think whites don't have a taste try this one on for size, very productive. Named after the lead singer of the rock band The White Stripes. From what I have been reading, white tomatoes are a very good choice with seafood.
Coeur De Poulain-- A red heart from my friend Lucine in France. She received it from her neighbor who got it from a truck farmer in Lyons, France. It's a heart shape and she reports that it is very sweet and juicy. The name translates to "Heart of the Foal".
Belmonte--A beautiful tomato I first heard about from the French peeps. Originally from Calabria, Italy.
Pink Peach-- This is a matte, fuzzy skin pink tomato. Bright red inside when you cut it open. Only about 2 oz. but reported to be excellent! Sweet and juicy.
Liguria-A fluted paste tomato.Stable variety originally from Albenga in the Province de Savone in the Region of Ligurie in

Italy

Champagne Cherry--A white cherry tomato that is very obscure. I love the name and hope it's a great one so I can share with my fellow mater-heads.
Purple Dog Creek--Another Kentucky heirloom. Purple Dog Creek is a very rare family heirloom from the small community of Dog Creek near Munfordville Kentucky. I say it's very rare because very few have seeds for it outside of Dog Creek. The tomatoes were served as part of a "thank you" outside dinner served to a WV preacher and members of his congregation. They went to Dog Creek to do home improvements for the lowe income elderly of the area. The preacher liked the tomatoes so much he asked if anyone had seeds for them. One of the guys at the supper had grown and brought them. He went home and brought the preacher back some seeds. One of my friends in Martinsburg WV is a member of the preachers church. They got to talking about the trip to Dog Creek and the preacher offered some seeds to my friend. He grew them and loved them. He sent me some last year and I grew them this year. They are dark pink less than 1 pound although I've heard they grow to 18 oz. They are very good. Strong plant and fairly productive.
Couiless Du Taureau--This translates "Balls of the Bull". Got these seeds from Roland Robins in France. He received the seeds from his Spanish neighbor. So the tomato is originally from Spain .
Yellow 1884 Pinkheart--It was developed by Darrell Merrell (recently deceased) from a chance cross between "The 1884 Tomato" and an unknown yellow. He had been selecting seed for nine years and has it stabilized it to produce a light yellow skinned tomato with pink on the blossom end and pink striations in the meat and sometimes a pink splotch right in the middle of the meat. It has a creamy smooth, sweet flavor. The more pink, the sweeter the flavor. (Low acidity.) Prolific, and I mean prolific production. He said it was one of the best producing tomatoes of all that he grew. Early on the tomatoes are up to one pound and oblate in shape. The tomato man and daughter
Kumato--I did a whole post about this one. If you go in the archives, you can read about it in detail. I small black that was never released in the U.S.. Said to be great at any stage of ripeness.
T.C. Jones --A newly discovered heirloom from Kentucky. A big yellow beefsteak. My friend Gary acquired this one from one of his friends. Apparently, the friend said that it had been in his family for generations.

Abraham Lincoln Tomato

2008-05-14T07:02:00.003-04:00

DAVID CAVAGNARO

Abraham Lincoln Tomato From Mother Earth News Mag.

Every year I am asked to name my favorite tomato. My honest response — I don’t have one; I enjoy variety. Yet I think it’s fair to say that of all the “big reds” (as I call them), ‘Abraham Lincoln’ consistently ranks at the top. It is one of those heirloom varieties that faithfully produces huge crops of extra large, meaty fruit, and resists foliage diseases, making it ideal for organic growers like me. On top of that, it has a real summery tomato flavor that is largely missing in modern hybrids. I also like the fact that it produces heavily right up to the first killing frost and keeps me in pre-ripened green tomatoes for jams and chutneys all the way to Christmas. And on a sultry August day, there is nothing like a chilled glass of white wine and a light bruschetta made with fresh ‘Abraham Lincoln’ tomatoes.

‘Abraham Lincoln’ was introduced in 1923 by the W. H. Buckbee seed company of Rockford, Ill., which named the tomato in honor of the state’s favorite son. It was released without much fanfare, but over the years it has proved itself to be one of the great tomato classics that happily survived the big shift to hybrids during the 1940s. After the demise of the Buckbee firm, the tomato was continued by R. H. Shumway of Randolph, Wis.

Looking back on the tomato situation in the 1920s, there were a lot of other big reds competing for culinary attention: ‘John Baer,’ ‘Bonny Best,’ ‘Landreth’ and ‘Henderson’s Winsall’ (developed in 1924 in response to ‘Abraham Lincoln’), yet most of those are selections of one another and when placed side by side, it’s pretty difficult to tell them apart. ‘Abraham Lincoln’ stands out, perhaps because of its dark red color and bronzy-green leaves. Buckbee claimed that the average fruit weighed about a pound; I would say it’s closer to 8 ounces, though some fruits occasionally do get that large. You tend to get smaller fruits if you allow them to develop in clusters from six to nine tomatoes, and larger specimens if you pull off the small ones.

Today, there are two strains of ‘Abraham Lincoln.’ The original 1923 strain is considered a late-season tomato, maturing in 87 to 90 days. Because I plant tomatoes outdoors in mid-April, this means I will have harvest-ready tomatoes by mid-July or early August at the latest. Another strain of ‘Abraham Lincoln,’ which is offered by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, was introduced around 1975 as a more mid-season tomato that matures about two weeks earlier. This strain does not have the distinctive bronzy green leaves of the original, but it is identical in all other respects, even the same flavorful dark red fruit.

Rather than oblate (a flattened sphere) in shape like common beefsteak tomatoes, ‘Abraham Lincoln’ is round, solid and firm, which is why it’s such a good slicer. And unlike some heirlooms, ‘Abe Lincoln’ can tolerate rainy weather without splitting. In my garden, where I have a problem with tiny ants, splitting is an important issue because as soon as cracks develop on any of my tomatoes, the ants appear and the invaded fruit is quickly ruined. Last year, ‘Abe Lincoln’ won the war against the ants, so I didn’t have to resort to any remedial treatments (a real plus for organic gardeners).

Planting by the Moon

2008-05-02T19:56:00.005-04:00

Planting by the Lunar Phases

Gardening by the moon is as old as time. Going back as far as Babylonian times. Unfortunately, most gardeners have cast it aside in modern times.
Not only does the moon affect the tides, many scientist will tell you it affects human behavior, animal behavior and plant behavior.
The practice, known as moon or lunar gardening, centers on the moon's gravitational effect on the flow of moisture in soil and plants.

The basic concept is:

Plant above ground crops during the "Waxing" or rising moon. This is a period of increasing light from the new moon to the full moon.

Plant root crops during the "Waning" or declining moon. This is from the full moon to the new moon when the moonlight is declining.

The moon moves through a complete cycle every 29 days. For moon gardening purposes, this cycle is divided into four quarters or phases. The first two quarters are waxing increasing) phases and the two latter quarters are waning (diminishing) phases. The term phase refers to the moon's apparent shape as viewed from earth during the month.The full moon as marked on a calendar is the demarcation between the two types of phases. To plant by the moon phases you will need an almanac or calendar that lists the exact time and date of the moon phases.

So how does this all relate to your garden? Well, in the waxing phase, the theory is that the water table rises and plants take up nutrients faster, making it an ideal time to plant.

The waning phase is much better for pruning and weeding as the water table is lower and things like tree sap run much slower. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that harvests are larger and plants don't go to seed as quickly if planted in the appropriate cycle.

Here are two sites that explain it in depth and are dedicated to the topic.

http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/
http://kaykeys.net/spirit/earthspirituality/moon/moonseed.html

Names of full moons

January: Wolf
February: Snow, Quickening, Storm
March: Worm, Sap, Chaste
April: Seed, Pink, Grass, Sprouting, Wind
May: Flower, Corn Planting, Hare
June: Strong, Rose, Sun, Strawberry
July: Mead, Thunder, Buck
August: Sturgeon, Wort, Corn
September: Barley, Harvest
October: Hunter's, Blood
November: Mourning, Beaver
December: Cold, Oak, Long Night's

Getting Ready for the Garden

2008-04-29T08:51:00.017-04:00

Almost Go time

Whew!!! I've been re-potting and hardening off the plants for the garden. Just the hauling them in and out of the garage everyday is a 15 minute job if you're working fast. Finally have the garden tilled and the 4 new herb beds done. I decided at least for this year to put the perennial herbs in the beds and put the annuals out in the open. The whiskey barrels are for the mint. That stuff will go crazy on you if you let it. Doing some new things when planting this year too. Going to be doing some pruning the Euro way on the maters. Can put them closer together but that means bagging blossoms for the seeds I want to save. I have my new St. Fiacre in his new home. taken Here's a pic on the left of my baby lettuce coming up. Whoo hooo!!!! Now to just keep the pesky rabbits out. I ordered a tomato plant by mail which I normally never do. It's called T.C. Jones. A newly discovered Ky heirloom. Big yellow beefsteak. Kept going in the same Ky family for 5 generations. Picture on the right for your viewing pleasure. LOL Trying out some new Basils this year. So far the winner of the beauty contest is one called Ararat. Beautiful varigated purple and green. I think I will do a special post just on the different kinds of Basil. I never realized how many there are. Of course, then there's the Starbucks coffee grounds. I think my garden gets more caffeine than I do.
I figure two more weeks and I can put the maters in the ground!!!!!

Hillbilly hotdogs

2008-04-22T08:20:00.007-04:00

Hillbilly Hot Dogs

What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share good info, even if it's not tomato related? HaHa
I saw this on the Food Channel and maybe it's the Hillbilly in me, but I was fascinated by it.
It's better info if you watch the re-runs on the Food Network.
Friday, April 25th: 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 26th: Midnight
Monday, April 28th: 1 p.m.
Friday, May 9th: Noon

In a nutshell, these folks have a hot dog business in W. Virginia and it's as Hillbilly as you can get.
In a broken down school bus. LOL
Word is that they have some of the best hot dogs in America and the Hillbilly motif is an all in fun poke at themselves.

As soon as Jack gets here in May, I am making the trek to W.V. for some of the dogs. Nothing beats a road trip just for laughs.
Life's short, have fun!!!
Hillbillyhotdogs.com

Kumato/Rosso Bruno

2008-04-20T07:37:00.009-04:00

The Mysterious Kumato

Known as the Kumato in Europe and called Rosso Bruno in Canada. (I have no idea why the company changed the name for Canadians).
As with all new varieties, questions abound and curiosity gets us tomato growers. Much mis-information is floating around the internet about this one.
The company that circulates it in North America, Dulcinea, says it is a hybrid (a cross of two known or unknown tomatoes, first generation)
The distributor states that it is not a GMO (Genetically modified Organism) which is a plus.
The seeds are not available for gardeners, only the fruit. Which means that if you save the seeds and plant them out, it would take approximately 7 generations to stabilize it for conisistancy.
The company that owns the rights to the Kumato, Syngenta Seeds Europe, has itself put out some mis-information on it's own product. They state that the tomato is from the Galapagos Islands. Hmmmmm, that might be only half true.

"Kumato Tomatoes are described as black, but they are actually more of a dark brown. It developed over six years by Damien Flores, a Spanish grower in Aguilas, southern Spain (100 km from Murcia) for by Syngenta Seeds Europe. The company was looking for a tomato that would grow in salty soil. According to marketers' press releases, the tomato was developed from a variety from the Galapagos Islands. However, there are actually no black tomatoes in the Galapagos Islands. Syngenta may have used some tomatoes from the Galapagos, which are "Lycopersicon cheesmanii", in the cross-breeding it did, but those tomatoes are not black -- the black actually comes from tomatoes that have been in Europe for hundreds of years, through selection. Kumato is seed not available on retail market to home gardeners, only to commercial producers, and Syngenta has said it will not be released to the public. "

I have even heard speculation from growers that are stabilizing it for home gardeners that they think it might not be a Hybrid at all.Possibly that Syngenta put out the hybrid bit as a ruse to keep gardeners from growing and saving the seed. Protecting their investment.
One of my gardening friends in Canada has grown it for 4 seasons and has reported that it is true to the F1 every year. No variations.
That would indicate that it is indeed an open pollinated variety and not a hybrid. You would expect some variations in fruit size and color every year from hybrid seed.
The Kumato is reportadly very sweet and edible at 3 different stages.
This year, my French peeps and myself have started "Operation Kumato". We are all growing plants from the seeds to compare results.
If we all obtain the same results, it would indicate it is an OP.It will be interesting. Stay tuned for results.

Terracycle

2008-04-02T07:04:00.007-04:00

Terracycle

Wow, I haven't been this impressed with a product in awhile.
This is a company that was founded by two Princeton University students who left to create the most eco-friendly products without premium prices. They call it Eco-Capitalism.( I think Al Gore does a form of this by selling "Carbon Credits" ) They use recycled drink and food containers to package everything from fertilizer to bird feeders.
Here in the pic is the tomato food. You'll notice at the top it says "contains liquid worm poop". LOL. It goes on to say that they feed premium organic material to millions of worms. Then they collect the worm poop and liquefy it to create this fert. No mixing required, just feed with it as you would any liquid fertilizer. This is a 64 oz. recycled pop bottle. This would work fine for a small garden, but I don't think some of us that have 200+ tomatoes could afford it. LOL.
But I love the concept and the products. I will add their link to the sidebar if you want to check out their other products. In my area, Home Depot, Walmart and Target carry the line.

Monkey Ass

2008-03-30T11:23:00.001-04:00

Monkey Ass Tomato

I am writing about this tomato because I find the passionate disagreement over it very amusing. Many tomato growers turn their nose up at this one as "silly" and a "gimmick". I will give you my take on it and you can make up your own mind.

There is a family by the name of Wagner. This tomato has been in their family for many generations beginning with their ancestors in Riardo, Italy in the Province of Ceserta. They are much like an extra large Oxheart tomato with meaty salmon flesh and not many seeds. Some of the very large ones develop a crack-not a split, but a closed crack which resembles a Baboon’s ass. Sounds like an heirloom to me. Right?

Well, here's the rub, the family that has been growing this tomato, decided to give it a name and thought it would be funny to call it Monkey Ass. They trademarked the name and sell the seeds on E-Bay. That is the part that annoys some tomato growers.

The family didn't use the normal channels of tomato growers, the forums, seed savers or giving seeds to a commercial seed supplier. I say; SO?

Some of the arguements I have heard are; "it could be a know variety and they re-named it". So? That happens every year all over the country. People buy a tomato at a market stand and like it but don't know what it is. So they give it a new name and call it there own.
I've heard " the name is silly". I personally find it funny. I don't think all tomato names have to be serious.

Some tomato growers don't like the fact that they sell the seeds on E-bay. So?
What this family has done is taken a family tomato and marketed it. And cleverly I might add. What they have done is no different than what many seed companies do with their tomatoes. Some growers find it irritating that they didn't use the "proper" channels.
This tomato meets all the criteria for an heirloom. It's been in a family for generations, beginning with their Grandmother that brought it from Italy. It's been passed down thru the family as most heirlooms are.

I grew this last year and it was good. I would give it a 7.5/10 It did indeed develop a crack like a Monkey Ass. My gardening friends and I had a blast with it. Caused alot of laughs at some of the tomato events I went to.

I don't see the harm done here. The family was smart enough to market the tomato and ensure it's longevity for many generations by selling the seed to everyone. As far as I'm concerned, the family did what many seed companies do. Come out with a tomato,trademark the name, and market and sell the tomato only from their company.

So, in closing my thoughts are, Good for you Wagner family. You are a clever group. Tomato growers should stop treating this tomato like a silly joke, and realize that it is a true heirloom from Italy. Just happens to be sold on E-bay.

Black Cherry

2008-03-29T06:34:00.000-04:00

Black Cherry

I would say Black cherry is hands down one of the best tasting cherries you can grow.
Not only are they beautiful to look at, the taste is amazing.
Yep, this is one of my Blue Ribbon winners from the fair last year.
Black cherry was developed by Vince Sapp, husband of Linda Sapp, owner of Tomato Growers Supply Company.
Dark purple-red skins. I can't add much more here other than to say, if you haven't grown it, you should this year. It's one of my All-Stars.

Green Giant

2008-03-25T07:05:00.001-04:00

Green Giant

This is one un-believably good tomato.
It's a 'green when ripe'. It never turns red.
How do I know when it is ready you might ask? You only know by feel. You have to gently squeeze it until you feel some give then wait 1 day.
I first met this tomato at a plant swap. A fellow mater head kept pushing this plant on me. I had no interest. I had already made up my mind that a green when ripe was not going to taste very good. Finally, to get this insane tomato person off of my back, I took the plant.

I went home and grumbling under my breath the whole time, gave him a home in the garden. I didn't pay much attention to him because I "just knew" it was going to be a bad one.
It was a hardy plant I noticed. Big potato leaves. Seemed very healthy.
Finally, the tomatoes were getting ready. I cut my first one off of the vine. Took it inside and cut it open. Just a light green color. Yuk!!!!!!!!!!!! But I don't like green tomatoes. I took one bite. I know my eyes had to get really big. It tasted great. I thought I had better take another bite to make sure. Yep! this was one of the best tomatoes I had ever tasted. If you had your eyes closed and were eating it, you would swear it was a red or orange mater.
Originally from a selection/stabilization made from another green when ripe variety by Reinhard Kraft, German tomato enthusiast. Large clear-skinned, lime green when ripe fruits on a potato leaf plant.

2008-03-22T06:44:00.001-04:00

Goose Creek

I thought I might start posting individual posts about the tomatoes that are on my All-star list. These would be tomatoes that score a 9 or 10 out of 10 (according to my taste buds of course). Every year I plant new varieties and only the best make the all-star list and those get planted every season. To start out with we will go with Goose Creek. There is some controversy surrounding this one. Usually when there is some disagreement over a tomato it has to do with the history and some of the mater heads have informed me that they do not believe the history on this one is accurate. Here is a copy/paste from Laurel's page:

"This family treasure comes to us from edible landscape expert, Jimmy Williams, owner of Hayground Organic Gardening in California whose home garden we found to be an enchanting escape. Jimmy, born in 1942, and his Native Island Gullah-Geechee family aredescendants of slaves brought in bondage from The Caribbean to the coastal islands of the Southern United States to grow rice for plantation owners.

The Gullah are still keepers of a fascinating culture of food, language and beloved traditions--a most extraordinary and delightful people.

The seeds of this sublime fruit have been passed down through generations since the 1800's when Jimmy's great-great grandmother, a young Caribbean slave, smuggled them with her aboard ship. When the ship docked at Charleston near Goose Creek, South Carolina, she had the treasured seeds with her, hidden deep in her skirt pocket and planted them that first spring. Jimmy's grandmother, Elouise Watson, shared this precious heirloom with him more than 45 years ago, assuring Goose Creek 's place in his family's garden for generations to come. Among its extraordinary qualities: A very high fruit yield and very few seeds.

Along with being very heat tolerant, it shows remarkable cold-tolerance along the cooler coastal areas where the fruits continue to set and ripen through November and December. It is a wonderful choice for growing in containers."

Laurel's Heirloom Tomatoes

Okay, I have no idea if it really came from slaves or not. But when a tomato is great, it's great no matter what the history is. Grew this one last season ( '07). The fruit wasn't big and I wasn't expecting much as far as taste. Wow! I couldn't have been more wrong. It is amazing. Out of 50 plants, this one stood out for taste alone.

I had a counter full of tomatoes last year and twice I had someone in the family say " what was the little red one you had in the back because it was great".

Jacques and Lydia personally requested this one by name for '08.

2008-03-17T22:59:00.000-04:00

Real Mojito Mint

I will admit readily that I got this info from the Mother Earth News magazine, (great rag) So this is just a paraphrase of the info.

Mojito's are a Cuban drink consisting of Rum, Powdered sugar, lime juice, club soda and a mint unique to Cuba. Since the real Mojito mint is rare here in the U.S., Spearmint is usually substituted. Said to be the favorite drink of Ernest Hemingway.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I want the real deal. I want Mojito mint.
According to the mag. article, Mojito mint is; "clearly different from most other mints. It's scent and flavor are agreeably mild and warm, not pungent or over-sweet like some mints."

Well, thanks to Richters Herbs, we can all grow Mojito mint now. They were able to obtain seed from Cuba and now offer it to gardeners.
I only post this info because I like "authenticity". Plus I like to grow things that are rare or hard to obtain. I have no connection to Richters Herbs.
There is a link to them on the side bar if you too want the real Mojito this summer.

The mysterious Peppadew

2008-03-13T07:28:00.002-04:00

The Peppadew

There is a lot of of mystery surrounding the Peppadew pepper. I am going to do my best to delve into the known facts about it.
The Peppadew is a trademarked name for a certain preparation of slightly sweet and slightly hot pickled bright red piquanté peppers from the Limpopo province of South Africa. Although the Peppadew-type pepper is sometimes described as a cross between a pepper and a tomato, this description is not botanically accurate, and refers only to the resemblance in color and size between the peppers and cherry tomatoes. A Peppadew pepper is a particular kind of capsicum, prepared in a particular way.

A copy and paste from their site:
Just a few short years back, businessman and farmer J.S. (he prefers to stay anonymous) was looking around the garden of his holiday home in the Eastern Cape in South Africa when he spotted an unusual-looking bush, standing head high, laden with small bright red fruit which looked like something between miniature red peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Fruit being picked

Gingerly, he bit into one. It had a unique, delicious taste – a mixture of peppery and sweet, but with a distinctive flavor. Rightly believing that he had hit upon something really new, he saved seeds from the ripened fruit of the mother plant , cultivated the seedlings, developed the secret recipe with which to process the fruit and gave the processed fruit the name PEPPADEW™ (they are obviously peppery but are as sweet and tantalizing as the dew).

Fruits going through cleaning process

Worldwide research, global registration of the trademarks, international sole rights to grow the plant commercially , the establishment of commercial farms in the bountiful farmlands of the Tzaneen area and the building of a special processing, bottling and packaging factory followed and now Peppadew™ Sweet & Spicy Fruits are being savored by discerning palates around the world - from South Africa, to Britain, Europe, Canada and as far away as Australia.

You will notice in their blurb, global trademark, international sole rights to grow the plant are mentioned. I know that the growers for the Peppadew are made to sign a contract that they could face prosecution for distributing seed outside of the company. The growing fields are
actually guarded. I don't know about the rest of you, but this all out war effort to control a variety or species of open pollinated fruit or veggie, makes me crazy. ( Not talking about hybrids that seed companies come out with). The fact that this company(Peppadew International) has gone to this effort to monopolize this pepper just makes me crazy and all the more determined to lay my hands on the seeds.
The fresh pepper is never sold anywhere. The peppers are distributed around the world with the seeds removed and in a brine. (No seeds, no pepper growing). Thus far, they (PI) has been very successful in keeping the seeds out of the hands of gardeners and farmers.
The bottom line: It is extremely thug like to try to prevent any person from growing a veggie that is naturally occurring in nature. To put it in perspective, image the outrage if a global company came out and said" we own all Sugar Maple trees and no one is allowed to grow them anymore) ???
Of course with my world-wide secret seed cartel, I managed to lay my hands on the seeds. I am growing 15 plants this year and it is my goal to put these seeds in the hands of every gardener I know. I have to say, of all seeds I have ever chased after, this was by far the hardest one to obtain. I knew Gardeners all over the world that couldn't get them. I am still getting emails from total strangers that are requesting the seeds. I did share what I had so there will be other growers though only a handful.
The chef at one of the restaurants I am supplying told me he would take ALL the Peppadews I could supply him at my price. That should give you an idea.
So, in closing I say "Peppadew International, take your monopoly and shove it up your ....."

Tomato Candles

2008-03-13T07:08:00.000-04:00

Wow, my friend Cindy and her fiancee made these cool tomato candles. Red or green. I had her send me two of the green ones. Mmmm, they smell just like tomato plants. Good for the dead of winter when you are dying to smell the garden. They just started up their own candle business.
Cindy's Link:

http://www.northcoastcandlecompany.com/

Flowers I love in the Garden

2008-03-10T22:36:00.001-04:00

I love to plant flowers amongst the veggies. It just adds so much.
My all time favorite has to be the Sunflowers. I like to plant them in groups of varying sizes and colors. There's just something about looking out in the morning and seeing them that puts you in a good mood right away. I think Sunflowers are happy flowers. This year I am adding the one in the pic, Teddy Bear. Love the name too.

One of my next favorites would be Hollyhocks.
They are so representative of old farmhouses to me. At one time they were grown to hide the outhouses. When guest's came to your house they didn't have to ask where the outhouse was, they just looked for the Hollyhocks.
Thomas Jefferson grew Black Hollyhocks. It's said it was his favorite flower after the Rose.
This year, along with my other Hollyhocks, I am growing a new one called a Zebrina Hollyhock.(Thanks for the seed Duane) Pictured here on the right. You can see the striking difference from the French Hollyhocks on the right. Just a nice old fashioned flower that reminds me of a time when things were simpler.

Then there's the Morning Glories. I love the way this flower opens to greet the sun. It' climbs on just about anything from a fence to a flag pole. This is not my pic by the way. It attracts Hummingbirds too which is a plus. This year I will be putting in a mix of different colors.

I have a bunch of new varieties I am trying out this year so I will keep you updated on the ones I liked the most.
I think flowers add so much to the garden it surprises me how many people never think to add them amongst there veggies.