PlanterTomato Vegetable Gardening

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Honey Bees: Top Ten Checklist for Spring Beekeeping

In this posting I cover the steps you need to prepare your hives for Spring.  

This weekend the temperature was in the 60's Fahrenheit again and the bees were actively bringing pollen and nectar back to the hive.  I decided it would be a good time to check on the colony and make a decision as to whether or not to add the first honey super.  

I opened both of my hives and the news was very good; both colonies have capped brood in them.  That means that the queens have survived the Winter and are still producing.  One colony was actually still pretty full with honey so I removed a few of the frames and replaced them with new ones which will provide the bees with some additional space for additional. I also replaced one frame in the other hive that had a damaged top bar.  

Last Fall, I noticed that small hive beetle had found their way into both hives. During this first inspection, I found a few surviving beetles, but the numbers are still sufficient low that they can't cause much damage. I prefer to use non-chemical mean to control pests, so I'm using a device called a "Beetle Blaster" to deal with these little devils.

If you are unfamiliar with these devices, Beetle Blasters are small traps that get filled with a little vegetable oil and then are placed between two frames.  There are a series of holes in the top of the trap that are large enough for the beetles to crawl into, but too small for bees. Once beetles enter the trap, they fall into the vegetable oil and perish.  The traps are disposable, so once they get filled you just throw them away and replace them with new traps.  I replaced a few of the old Beetle Blasters in my new ones during this first inspection and made a note to order a few more. (Beetle Blasters can be purchased from suppliers like Dadant for $1.50 each.)

Given that the bees looked like they were in good shape and that daytime temperatures are likely to be in the 60's for the foreseeable future, I decided to put supers on both hive. 

Timing Spring Maintenance:

The rule of thumb for bee keepers is to do your spring maintenance once you've past the first frost date for your area.  Technically, that date is March 30th here in Northern California. However, in our part of the country, tree and flower species begin blooming in January, so I generally do my first inspection of my hives at the end of January or beginning of February if the temperature has been warm enough.

If you are unsure about when to do a first inspection and maintenance in your area, reach out to other bee keepers or post a message to an online message board to find out when other experienced bee keepers in your area are working on their hives.

Check List For Spring:

1. If you are in a colder part of the country, remove any additional insulation you placed on the hive in the Fall.
2. Widen the entrance reducer to allow more traffic in and out of the hive.
3. Do a preliminary inspection to see if there is brood in the brood chamber and to determine if pests or diseases are present.  If so, you'll need to plan the appropriate strategy for dealing with them. 
   
4. If the hive is weak, and there are no brood or eggs present, plan on ordering a replacement package for the hive.
   
5. If your bees are OK but are running low on honey, provide additional food. (In my area this has never been an issue but in colder climates it is more common for this to occur)
   
6. Replace any old combs or broken hardware.
7. Clean the bottom board or any debris or dead bees.
8. Add a super and a queen excluder.
9. Place an order for any new woodenware or hardware you might need.
10. If any of your hives are weak or have died out over the winter, place an order for either a new queen or a new package.
    

For Those Considering Becoming Bee Keepers:

If you are thinking about becoming a bee keeper this year, you need to place an order for your first package of bees in the next few weeks.  The bees will be delivered in April.  In addition, check out my prior posting on the equipment you need to keep bees as you will also need to order your bee boxes and other equipment soon in order to have them arrive in time for the beginning of the season.

Medieval bee apiary illustration

The New Potato Chip Is Made From Kale

In this posting, I provide a delicious alternative to potato chips.  Don't tell the kids, but they are also very healthy.

King Potato Chip

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American eats about sixty-five pounds of potatoes each year.  About fourteen pounds of these potatoes are used to make potato chips -- or about 4 pounds of chips per person after cooking.

I love potato chips and I'm not going to give up eating them anytime soon.  However, I want to make you aware of a healthier substitute you can easily make at home.  And the really amazing news is that you don't have to give up the yummy, salty crunchy taste to get that extra nutrition.

Enter Kale

Regular readers of this blog, know that I'm a big fan of kale.  This vegetable packs a power-punch when it comes to nutrition.  It's without question the most nutritious veggie you can eat.  If you compare the nutritional information for equal quantities of potatoes and kale, it's clear that kale is the champion; while delivering about the same amount of protein as the potatoes, Kale gives you 70 times more vitamin A and 7 times more vitamin C. 

Recipe for Kale Chips

Kale chips are incredibly easy to make and remarkably delicious.  These chips come out of the oven super thin and crispy.  I strongly encourage you to give them a shot.  Here's a basic recipe and a few variations on the theme:

Ingredients

• 1 head of kale. 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt or kosher salt

Basic Recipe:

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wash and thoroughly dry the kale.
• Remove the ribs of the kale and cut the leaves into 2 inch pieces (you only use the leafy part in this recipe, no stems)
• Toss the kale pieces, olive oil and salt together in a bowl to coat the kale.
• Place onto a baking sheet and bake until crisp, turning once during the process. (About 20-25 minutes total cook time)

Some Alternative Recipes:

• Spicy Smoky Kale Chips
• Martha Stewart's Sea Salt & Lemon Kale Chips
• Sweet & Salty Kale Chips
  

Hardiness Zones Systems & Plant Selection

In this posting, I cover three systems for determining which plants to grow in your area.

In order to help gardeners determine the right plants for their area, a number of organizations have developed systems that specify the types of plants that can be grown in a given geography.   Here are the most important three systems used in the United States.

USDA Hardiness Zones

The oldest, and most widely adopted system, was created by the United States Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the U.S. National Arboretum in 1960. The USDA Hardiness zone map divides the U.S. into 11 zones based on the average minimum temperature.  This is a reasonable methodology because each plant specie has a temperature threshold below which it can't survive. 

However, the USDA system is not without problems.  The most notable of these is that it groups geographies together that may have the same average minimal temperature, but whose high temperature in Summer can be dramatically different. For example, Coastal Oregon and South Texas are both zone 9 according to the USDA Zone Hardiness map because the minimum average temperature for both regions is in the range of 20-30 degree Fahrenheit.  But these two areas differ dramatically in terms of Summer high temperatures (average high temperatures in Corvallis are around 80 degrees Fahrenheit while they are 95 degrees in San Antonio)

In general, the USDA Map is most accurate for the Eastern half of the US and least accurate for the West.  If you want to know your hardiness zone, here's a link to a web site that will tell you the zone based on your postal zip code.

American Horticultural Society (AHS) Heat Zone Map

This system groups like geographies based on the average high temperatures.  It is most accurate for Southern states such as Florida and Texas but suffers from the same problems as the USDA but in reverse. 

The AHS is trying to establish a system that combines their Heat Map and the USDA methodology to provide a system that specifies which plants will grow in a given geography based on both their cold and heat tolerance.  I like this idea, but I have rarely seen anyone using the AHS system so I'm not sure it will ever be adopted.  If you would like to determine your AHS zone, check out the organizations zip code AHS zone locator.

Sunset Magazine System

Sunset is a lifestyle magazine dedicated to gardening, travel, food and decorating in the Western United States.  Not surprisingly, Sunset and its readership are keenly aware the shortcomings of the USDA Hardiness Zone system for western gardeners.  In response, the magazine developed it's own system for dividing up the country....

"A plant's performance is governed by the total climate: length of growing season, timing and amount of rainfall, winter lows, summer highs, wind, and humidity. Sunset's climate zone maps take all these factors into account"

While not as widely used by the plant industry as the USDA system, Sunset provides a very good on-line tool that will help you both determine your zone and find plants that do well in that zone.

The Best System But Still Far From Perfect

In my opinion, Sunset Magazines method and on-line tool make it the strongest of the available zone classification systems.  In the future, I will try to list both the USDA zone and Sunset zone when I publish information about a given plant on this web site. 

That said, I think I should point out that there's still plenty of room for improvement.  Specifically, Sunset's on-line tool provides data on whole species of plants.  The systems will tell you if roses or tomatoes will grow in your area but, as any gardener knows, there's a wide range of tolerances within each of these species.  For example, certain rose varieties might survive in a moderate climate like Northern California, but only thrive in a places where there are really cold Winters.  Temperate climate gardeners would therefore be better off selecting a variety of rose that does well in warmer climates.  This level of detail is not really contained in Sunset's on-line tool.

I'm optimistic that future gardeners will have access to very detailed information about plant varieties that grow well in their area.  The internet opens the way for gardeners to easily contribute information to that can be broadly shared by everyone.  All that's required is an on-line tool to enter this information and a database to store and retrieve it. I'm positive someone will create such a tool;  it's just a matter of time.

My 2012 Garden Plan - What's In and What's Out

In my last posting, I covered some of the new and interesting vegetable varieties that you might consider adding to your garden.  In this posting, I'll let you know what's going what's being added and dropped to my garden in 2012 and share my 2012 garden plan.

What's In & What's Out

• Long-Fellow Corn is Out- Last year I successfully planted an heirloom variety of flint corn called Longfellow.  This is an heirloom corn that is used to make cornmeal for pollenta, tortillas and other dishes that require low sugar/high starch corn.  This crop was extremely successful for me and I ended up with over 9 pounds of dried kernels that are ready to be ground into meal.  That's enough to carry us for some time at the rate we've been eating it, so in 2012 I'll be using the space that I dedicated to this crop last year to grow a variety of other veggies that require space including Boston Marrow and Galeux D'Eysines winter squashes.  These are wonderful heirlooms that I've grown in the past.  I'm also able to plant a few new varieties.
• Petit Gris De Rennes Melon is In - This is a French heirloom that comes from the town of Rennes.  The name translates to "Little Grey from Rennes" and refers to the melons appearance prior to ripening.  Dating back over 400 years, this melon is considered to be one of the best cantaloupes in the world.  The 2-3 pound melons mature in about 85 days and the variety is reported to be well adapted to cooler climates like we experience in the Pacific Northwest.  If you're interested, you can buy seeds from Sustainable Seed Company.

 

•  Mokum Carrot Is In - Also going into this space is a new variety of carrot for me called Mokum.  This  is a hybrid carrot that matures in about 50 days.  This variety excells for it's crunchiness and sweetness.  The 5-6 inch roots are very brittle and can't be harvested mechanically, so this is one that you have to grow yourself if you want to try it.  You can purchase seeds at Johnny's Selected Seeds, Fedco or Territorial Seed Company.

• Costa Rican Sweet Pepper is Out - The pepper has performed well for me over the past few years but I would like to try an heirloom variety that is good for both fresh eating and preserving.
• Jimmy Nardello Pepper is In - This sweet pepper was brought from Southern Italy to the U.S. by Giussepe Nardello in the 1880's.  It produces large quantities of long thin peppers in 80-90 days that are said to be delicious fresh but heavenly when fried.  You may be aware of an organization called Slow Food; the Jimmy Nardello pepper is on their list of recommended varieties, or "Arc of Taste." Seeds can be purchased from many suppliers including Burpee, Seed Savers Exchange, Territorial Seed, Baker Creek and others.

• Japanese Pickling Eggplant is Out - A very good variety and one that can be used much more broadly than just pickling. (We've grilled it and also used it in egg plant parmesan.)  However, we are looking for a bit of a change, so we decided to grow a different eggplant that also comes to us by way of Japan.
• Kamo Eggplant is In - This heirloom eggplant is a traditional variety of the Kyoto region, or "Kyo Yasai" as it is said in Japanese.  The deeply purple-black 1/2 pound fruits are good for frying and baking.  According to Kitazawa Seed Company, this variety is served in some of the best restaurants in Japan.

Sugar Snap Peas are Out - These peas have edible pods which made them both more productive in-terms of edible quantities and also handier for giving to kids.  They are out this year because the pea-lover in our family has taken to eating the English variety (pods are not edible) from the Farmers Market.

Thomas Laxton Peas are In - This variety has stood the test of time.  It's over 100 years old and still favored by many.  This English Pea reliably produces peas on 3 foot vines in about 65 days.  This will be one of the first things I put into the Garden in 2012.  In Northern California, the climate is temperate enough for me to plant these in February, which means that I can harvest them long-before other veggies like cucumber or tomatoes go into the ground.  My plan is to grow a ton of these for fresh eating and freeze the surplus for later consumption.  You can find seeds for Thomas Laxton Peas at Sustainable Seed, Burpee, Cooks Garden, and others.

• Delikatesse Cucumber Is Out - This is a classic german pickling cucumber.  I plan to grow it again in future years, but want to test more compact cucumber as a container plant.
• PickleBush and Bush Slicer Are In - These hybrid pickle varieties grows on vines that are only 2 feet long.  Both are reported to be resistant to both Powdery Mildew and Mosaic Virus, the former of which is a major problem in my garden.  Since our family loves pickles, I also plan to grow an Heirloom variety called Solly Beiler.  I grew this variety last year and so its on the list to repeat in 2012.  If you are interested, Bush Slicer is sold by Renee's Seeds and Pickle Bush is from Burpee.

Calipso Bean Is In - Calypso doesn't completely replace anything in my garden as I will continue to grow European Soldier beans.  I'm adding Calypso to the list because of it's striking appearance and its reported excellence as a soup and baking bean.  This bush bean grows to about 15" and matures in 70-90 days.  Calypso, also called Yin & Yang because of its black and white coloration, can be purchased from Seed Savers Exchange and Territorial Seed.

• German Giant Radish Is In - German giant replaces some, but not all, of the Saxa Radishes I normally grow each year.  This variety can get to be the size of baseball but are best when eaten an inch in diameter.  It's a mild, red, heirloom variety that matures in 30 days.  It can be purchased from a wide variety of seed suppliers.

• Savoy Cabbage is Out - Savoy is an amazingly good cabbage for braising but it did not do well as a cabbage for Sauerkraut in a trial we did last year.  Since we are much more likely to eat Sauerkraut than braised cabbage, Savoy is getting the boot in 2012.

• Danish Ball Head Cabbage is In - This is an old standby variety that is particularly good for kraut and for cole slaw.  One thing to note if you decide to grow this variety.... It takes a long time to mature - about 125 days versus most other varieties that take 60-100 days depending on the variety.  You can buy Danish Ball Head from Sustainable Seeds.

• Red Orach Is In - We first learned of Orach at our local farmers market.  It's a vegetable that originates from the Alps mountain range in Europe and has a unique and somewhat salty taste that is reminiscent of spinach.  It is a dark maroon color and can be eaten fresh or sauteed.  It does not bolt as easily as spinach and is often grown as a substitute.  The plant matures in 60 days.  Seeds can be purchased from Burpee.

• German Butterball Potato is Out - This is a really good potato that is used for boiling or mashing.  However, I'm growing other potatoes that can be used for the same purposes and need to make a little room for a baking potato.
• Lemhi Russet is In - This is a baking style russet potato developed by in 1981 and is reported to have higher yields that Russet Burbank or Norgold Russet.
  

• Astia Zucchini is In - This patio sized summer zucchini is an addition to the garden next year and will be planted in a container.  The variety is compact enough to grow in a small pot and is offered by Renee's Garden Seed.

• Tomatoes What In & What's Out - 2011 was an absolutely awful year for tomatoes in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We had cold rainy weather for months and many of my neighbors got no tomatoes at all.  Some of our tomatoes were in a greenhouse and so we were able to harvest enough for fresh eating and some canning, but many of the new varieties we were testing in 2011 got nailed by aphids and wilt.  As a result, we had a complete loss on most of the new varieties we had hoped to try last year.  So in 2012, we aren't making any changes versus last year.

• Silver Queen Sweet Corn is Out - Silver queen is a staple corn variety in many gardens and we've planted it for years.  In 2012, we just wanted to change things up a bit and so this long-time favorite is being put on ice for at least a year.

• Bodacious Sweet Corn is In -This is a very popular, late maturing, sugary-enhanced (SE) yellow sweet corn.  It is a good variety for fresh eating and also is supposed to freeze well.  Our family will grow more sweet corn than we can eat fresh and so this later trait is important to us. 

Wasbi Arugula is In - This new variety from Renee's Seed is supposed to taste like wasabi.  It will partially replace Runway Arugula in our garden.

The 2012 Garden List

Below is a complete list of the vegetables and varieties we plan to grow in 2012.  We plant all four seasons, so what's listed below represents plants that will growing in the ground at one time or anther from February through December 2012.

• Arugula - Runway, Wasabi.
• Beans - Calypso, European Soldier, Rollande Fillet, Henderson Baby Lima, Fava.
• Beets - Cylindra, Crapaudine. 
• Broccoli - Di Ciccio.
• Brussels Sprouts - Roodnerf.
• Cabbage - Danish Ballhead.
• Carrot - Parisiane, Mokum, Chantenay.
• Celery -Amsterdam Seasoning.
• Cucumber - Pickle Bush, Solly Bieler, Bush Slicer.
• Chard - Joy Larkum's, Bright Lights.
• Dandelion - Puntarella.
• Eggplant - Kamo.
• Erba Stella.
• Garlic - Purple Glazer, Inchellium Red.
• Hot Peppers - Serrano, Pimiento de Padron.
• Kale - Lacinato, White Kale, Dwarf Blue, Red Russian, Portuguese.
• Lettuce/Greens - Forellenschluss, Buttercrunch, Jericho.
• Mache
• Melons - Charentais, Petit Gris De Rennes.
• Miners Lettuce
• Oats - Hulless.
• Onions - Red Wethersfield, Yellow Rock.
• Pak Choi - Dwarf.
• Peas - Thomas Laxton.
• Potatoes - Maris Piper, Lemhi, Russet, Yellow Finn, Reba.
  
• Radish - German Giant, French Breakfast, Saxa.
• Salsify - Mammoth Sandwich Island.
• Summer Squash - Zucchino Rampicante, Astia.
• Sweet Corn - Bodacious.
• Sweet Pepper - Jimmy Nardello.
• Tomato - Stupice, Snowberry, Japanese Trifele, Paul Robeson, Green Zebra, Costuluto Genovese, Orange Icicle, Camp Joy, Arkansas Traveler, Brandywine Liam's, Brandywine Sudduth's, Wapsipincon Peach, Amish Paste, Bonnie Best.
• Wheat - Frassinetto.
• Winter Squash - Galeux d'Eysines, Boston Marrow, Metro.

If you are growing something this next year that you think is particularly interesting, please leave a comment so we can all learn about it.

Ten Interesting New Vegetable Varieties for 2012

In December and January, the seed catalogs start showing up in my mailbox.  In this posting, I highlight some new varieties that caught my eye as I thumbed through the pages of these various catalogs.  Some are new varieties, some are just new to me, and some are just plain wacky.  Here are ten varieties that might interest you:

• Wasabi Arugula - this variety offered by Renee's Garden Seeds is supposed to have a spicy flavor profile that is similar to wasabi paste that is used to make sushi.  I love hot hit of wasabi and am excited to try this in my garden this year.  In the spirit of fair disclosure I want to let you know that Renee's sent me a sample packet of this variety at no charge.
  

• Amsterdam Seasoning Celery - When I first saw this, I thought it must be an herb that has a flavor that is similar to celery, but when I checked the taxonomic name, it's clear this is a true celery (Apium Graveolens).  What makes this variety unique is that it has a growth habit that is similar to parsley.  There are no thick stems - you eat the leaves and these are reported to have an intense celery flavor.  You can find this variety offered by Renee's Garden Seeds.

• Patio Star Zucchini - half the size of a standard squash plant, this variety was bred specifically to be grown in a container.  If you have a container garden, this compact plant may be the way to add zucchini without having the plants take over the whole patio.  The plant produces full sized zucchini in 50 days and is offered by Territorial Seed Company.
  
  
  
• Rutgers CS Space Select - OK, this one was just so weird I had to mention it.  As part of an experiment during the 1980's, NASA put tomato seeds into space and exposed them to cosmic radiation for 6 years.  I assume NASA tested these upon return to the Earth to determine what impact an extended space flight would have on their germination and growth.  Obviously not much, because the 12 million seeds that had been placed into orbit were subsequently distributed to schools for children to grow in the US and 30 foreign countries.  These seeds offered by Territorial Seed Company are the direct descendants of that experiment.  This tomato is a red slicing variety (2 inch diameter) that is open pollinated and matures in 75 days. Territorial does not specify this, but I believe this is a determinate tomato.  

• Jetsetter VFFNTA Hybrid Tomato - If you're plagued by diseases that kill your tomato plants this short-season hybrid may provide a solution that allows you to grow tomatoes at home.  This is a quick maturing (64 days), red, slicing tomato, but what makes it unique is that it is its outstanding disease resistance -- verticillium wilt, 2 strains of fusarium wilt, nematodes, tobacco mosaic virus and alternaria.  That pretty much covers it.  You can purchase seeds for this indeterminate variety from Tomato Growers Supply Company.

• Princess Larette Potato - A french potato that Burpee claims has a mildly nutty flavor that is similar to chestnuts, hazelnuts and almonds.  Burpee's description of this variety bears a very strong resemblance to a French variety that made a sensation in the US a number of years ago when served by chef super stars Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller.  That potato was called "La Ratte" and I believe that Burpee is selling the same potato under a name that is more appealing to U.S. consumers. 

• Indigo Rose Tomato - Reddish purple tomatoes, often called "black" tomatoes, have been the rage for the past several years.  I've grown a number of these including Black Krim, Paul Robeson, and Black Cherry and can attest to their excellence.  Indigo Rose is a new introduction that is being sold by both High Mowing Organic Seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds.  This new variety makes other black tomatoes look pale by comparison.  It really is amazingly black.  The tomato produces 2 inch fruits on indeterminate plants in about 80 days.

• Chinese Green Luobo Radish - Over the past few years, I've seen an unusual variety of radish showing up in farmers markets and also in seed catalogs.  This root vegetable is sold under a variety of names including Watermelon Radish, Chinese Red Meat, Shinrimei, and Rose Heart.  These large, round, radishes are white on the outside with a green top and when you cut into them the center is red.  I grew these several years ago and like them primarily for the beautiful presentation they make on a salad plate.  As I looked through the Baker Creek catalog, I found a similar variety that I find even more visually appealing -- the Chinese Green Luobo.  This cylindrically-shaped heirloom radish is white on the outside with a green top section.  When you cut into the radish, the center is emerald green.

• Black Elephant Tomato - On the other end of the spectrum is perhaps the ugliest tomato I've ever seen.  This Russian heirloom is misshapen, cracked and is brownish-purple in color.  However, it is reported to be quite tasty.  This indeterminate tomato matures in 80 days.  Only Baker Creek could bring this tomato to the US market!

• Lina Sisco's Bird Egg Bean - This is an heirloom bean variety that was brought to Missouri in the 1880's.  It was passed down to Lina Sisco, a founding member of the Seed Saver's Exchange, who donated it to the group in 1975.  This  large, tan shelling bean with maroon markings is now in the Seed Savers Exchange catalog.  Planted in Spring, it will provide heirloom beans in about 85 days. 

If you've seen a new variety that you think is appealing, please post a comment about it so that other readers of this blog can check it out.

Smithsonian Collection of 10,000 Seed Catalogs

Yesterday, I posted on my favorite seed catalogs.  If you'd like to look at see some truly beautiful seed catalog covers from days gone, by check out this link to the collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

The collection contains over 10,000 seed and nursery catalogs from the 1830' through the 1930's.  The Smithsonian site has an on-line tool that lets you browse by plant type (tomatoes, apples, begonias, etc.) or by seed company.

 

Best Vegetable Seed Companies

Traditionally, seed companies mail their new catalogs out in December and January.  This is the time of year that I do my garden plan and place orders for any seed I need for the Spring and Summer. Over the course of the next several posts, I'll let you know what I believe is new or interesting in the 2012 seed catalogs and also share my 2012 garden plan with you. 

To get things rolling, I'm providing a list of twenty of my favorite seed companies from whom I've purchased over the years.  While certainly not an exhaustive list, these are companies that are dependable suppliers and you may want to check them out as you plan your garden.  They are listed below in alphabetical order with links to the company's web site.

• Baker Creek Seed - one of my favorite seed companies because of their incredibly large selection of heirloom open pollinated seeds.  Beware: Baker Creek publishes a glossy catalog full of such gorgeous photographs that you'll want to order more varieties than you have room to plant.
• Botanical Interest - A good selection of high quality seeds.  Botanical Interest is also unique in that each seed packet provides a wealth of information including: growing and harvesting information, pests/diseases, recipes and more.  Botanical Interest seeds can be purchased over the internet and also at select garden stores.
• Bountiful Gardens - Bountiful Gardens is a garden seed and tool supplier that sells organic, open pollinated seeds.  The company is a non-profit, dedicated to supporting a style of sustainable agricultural practice called bio-intensive farming.  Vegetable seeds, plants and tools can also be purchased locally from their sister store Common Ground if you live in the Palo Alto, CA area, and you can learn more about bio-intensive farming at the company's educational website GrowBiointensive.
  
• Burpee - Burpee provides one-stop garden shopping by selling a full line of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and garden tools.  Most of the seeds you'll find here are hybrids, but Burpee is also selling an increasing variety of heirlooms as consumer interest increases in this area. 
• Cook's Garden - Cook's Garden provides a curated seed shopping experience for customers with a high interest in cooking; the company selects a mix of hybrid and heirloom, European and American  varieties they believe are superior in the kitchen. 
• Fedco - This cooperative sells vegetable varieties that are particularly well adapted to the climate in the North East. Their catalog is a B&W PDF download.   The company is solid, but be aware that the shopping experience is poor by today's standards.
• Ferry-Morse - One of the oldest, and I believe the largest, seed providers in the United States.  Ferry-Morse seeds (sold under the FM and Lilly Miller brand names) are widely distributed through garden centers and retailers including Tractor Supply, Wal-Mart, HomeDepot, Lowes, Farm&Fleet and others.  The company sells a broad selection of vegetables but a fairly limited number of varieties within each vegetable type.  Fortunately, they seem to have a good selection of heirlooms, although they are not generally called out as such.
• Four Winds Growers - FourWinds provides a huge range of dwarf citrus trees from the common navel orange to the exotic - Buddha's hand, Yuzu, and Etrog etc.  Potted trees can be found at select nurseries around the United States or can be purchased directly from their on-line store as bare-root trees.
• High Mowing Seed - A nice selection of hybrid and heirloom seeds from this small company in Vermont.  All seeds are organically grown on the company's own farm.
• Italian Seed & Tool - As it's name implies, this company started out as one that specialized in Italian varieties but now carries a wider selection.  If you are looking for a specialty Italian variety of lettuce, fennel, squash etc., this is a good place to look. 
• J.L. Hudson - Like Baker Creek, J.L. Hudson is both a seed company and an evangelist for open pollinated seeds and biodiversity.  The company sells a wide range of heirloom veggies.  Unfortunately, as with Fedco, the shopping experience is not easy.  The "on-line catalog" is simply a list of veggies without photos.  Ordering is by snail mail, email/PayPal. 
• Johnny's Selected Seed- Johnny's is one of my favorite seed companies.  They have a very wide selection of hybrid and open pollinated vegetables, fruit and herbs, tools and supplies.  Their catalog is well illustrated with photos and contains lots of growing information for gardeners.  If you only want to shop with one supplier, Johnny's is the way to go.
• Kitagawa Seed Company- This firm specializes in Asian vegetables and vegetable varieties from Japan, China, Thailand etc.  If you are looking for a special Japanese pickling cucumber, hot Thai pepper, or adzuki beans have a look at Kitagawa.
• Raintree Nursery - Raintree sells a range of heirloom and hybrid fruit and nut trees, berries, and other plants.  The company's selection includes the commonplace (apple trees, strawberries etc.) as well as some very exotic items (Wasabi, thimble-berries, tea plants, jujubes, paw paws etc).  They also sell a good selection of table and wine grapes and ornamental trees.  Raintree sells its fruit trees on a variety of root stocks allowing you to choose a dwarf, semi-dwarf, or full size tree according to your needs.
  
• Renee's Garden Seeds - This company sells a good assortment of vegetable, herbs, and flower seeds that are choosen by the owner, Renee Shepherd.  Ms. Shepherd is notable for being one of the first seed providers to sell fine culinary varieties that had been sourced from around the world.  As with Cook's Garden, Shepherd Seeds are a curated seed experience as all varieties sold need to get Renee's stamp of approval.  Renee's Seeds can be purchased on-line and in select garden centers.
  
• Sandhill Preservation - Sandhill Preservation is seed company run by a husband and wife team that are dedicated to saving heirloom seeds.  They have a wide selection and is one of the places you might want to check if you are looking for a particular variety. Similar to J.L. Hudson and Fedco, the on-line catalog is just text with no photos.  Sandhill also sells heritage poultry if that interests you.
• Seed Savers Exchange - Dedicated to preserving heirlooms and fostering biodiversity, this is both a seed company and a non-profit organization.  Anyone can purchase seeds from the on-line catalog but members get a 10% discount as well as a quarterly magazine published by the organization.  Your membership also supports the organizations efforts to find and preserve heirloom varieties. 
• Sustainable Seed - Like many of the recommended companies on this list, Sustainable Seed sells heirloom open pollinated seeds.  The company has a good selection of vegetables but is distinguished by the fact that it is the only merchant I'm aware of that sells a large selection of heirloom cereal crops for home gardeners such as oats, rye, wheat, barley, corn, spelt, etc. etc.  I'm currently overwintering a rare variety of wheat that is supposed to make heavenly pasta flour.  The seeds for this wheat were purchased from Sustainable Seed.
• Territorial Seed - Territorial seed sells heirloom and hybrid vegetables and specializes in varieties that are good producers in the Pacific Northwest.
• Trees of Antiquity- A very complete selection of heirloom fruit trees on semi-dwarf root stock including apples, apricots, plums, peaches, pomegranates and quince.  If you are looking for a heritage English Apple or the amazingly delicious Baby Crawford peach, Trees of Antiquity will have it.

Wishing All A Happy 2012

With the new year fast approaching, I want to thank all my readers for your interest and comments in 2011. 

Below is a photo of some fresh eggs taken from our coop earlier this morning. We added some new chickens to the flock this summer and we are rewarded today with a New Years Eve treat..... some of the new girls are laying eggs with beautiful greenish-blue shells. So we ring in the new year with delicious, fresh eggs in an array of colors - white, cocoa, dark brown, and now, green.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2012.  I look forward to sharing much with you in the new year.

Yuzu: Citrus Fruit For Harvest in Winter

A citrus fruit that can be grown in temperate climates and harvested in Winter for holiday recipes.

Yuzu is a citrus fruit that is very popular in Japan.  The fruit looks similar to a tangerine, but is more yellow and the skin is bumpy.   Similar in flavor to a lemon but more delicate, Yuzu was introduced into Japan from China during the Nara period (710-794 AD) and is now a staple in Japanese cooking; Japanese food lovers and cooks will be most familiar with Yuzu as it is the primary ingredient in Ponzu sauce.

Tolerant to 10 Degrees Fahrenheit

Yuzu is unique among citrus fruits because of its extreme cold tolerance.  Unlike other citrus fruits, Yuzu can tolerate cold temperatures as low as ten degrees Fahrenheit.  This means that gardeners in temperate climates (USDA Hardiness Zone 5 and higher) can successfully grow it their garden if they would like to do so.  Yuzu can also be purchased as a dwarf tree and grown in a pot indoors by anyone.  In the garden or inside, Yuzu can be enjoyed year-round:

• Beautiful green foliage 12 months of the year.
• Fragrant flowers in May or June.
• Ripe fruit in December or January.

Growing Yuzu

Depending on where you live, you may be able to purchase Yuzu from your local nursery.  If not, Yuzu can be ordered from FourWinds Citrus Growers and several other suppliers.  One thing to note when searching, the current taxonomic name for this citrus is Citrus ichangensis x C. reticulata but the plant is often sold under it's old taxonomic name Citrus junos.  

As with other citrus, you should grow Yuzu in well drained soil.  In my area, the soil is a miserable clay, so I grow my Yuzu in a SmartPot (a fabric growing bag) that provides great drainage and air circulation to the roots.  Here are basic care instructions:

• Plant in well drained soil.
• Keep soil moist but don't allow the roots to get waterlogged.  The best approach is to provide one deep watering per week (versus many shallow waterings).
• Fertilize with a nitrogen weighted fertilizer -- more "N" in the formula than Phosphorus (P) or Potassium (K).  Apply fertilizer are rates per the manufacturers recommendation.
• Plant or place pot in full sun.  If you use a pot, you can move your tree indoors or to a greenhouse during the Winter to provide additional protection.  This is the only option for gardeners who live in Hardiness Zones 1-4 and is probably also a good option for those living in Zone 5 (the lowest zone where Yuzu can be successfully grown outdoors)

 Yuzu Recipes

If you decide to grow Yuzu, here are some potential uses:

• Candied Yuzu Peel - prepare the same way you would make candied orange peel, but substitute Yuzu.  Since Yuzu is harvested in December/January, this might make a nice treat for the holidays.
• Yuzu Marmalade - just substitute yuzu for orange in Alton Brown's recipe.
• Yuzu Liquor - this is traditionally made by steeping the peel in liquor and then adding back juice at a later point.  The traditional recipe for "Yuzushu" uses 35% alcohol Shochu (Japanese rice liquor) and requires that the liquor be aged for one year.  I have not tried this method of method yet, but I think a faster way to make Yuzu flavored liquor would be to substitute yuzu for lemons in the recipe for Limoncello (made with vodka rather than shochu).  See my prior posting on how to make limoncello for details. 
• Ponzu - A traditional Japanese dipping sauce.

Chicken Lovers Eggnog Recipe

This recipe for "Baltimore Eggnog" comes courtesy of House and Garden Magazine from the 1970's.  It's made better if you are able to include fresh eggs from your own chickens, so I call it Chicken Lovers Eggnog.

This recipe serves 30, so cut down appropriately.

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen fresh eggs (from your own hens is even more special!)
  
• 1 pint brandy
• 1/2 pint light rum
• 1/2 pint peach brandy
• 3 pints milk
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 cups superfine sugar (this is sugar that is more fine than regular, but less than confectioners) If you can't find it, use what you can have on hand)
• Nutmeg (will be grated on top of eggnog)
  

Recipe:

1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until they thickened.
2. Set aside the egg white which you will whip just prior to serving.
3. Slowly, add all the remaining ingredients to the egg  yolk/sugar mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. When ready to serve, whip the egg whites until they are stiff (like meringue).  Mix into the rest of the ingredients.
5. Serve in punch glasses and top with grated nutmeg.

Happy Holidays to All From PlanterTomato!