John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

Transcription

5/22/12
Gmail - The Garden's Best Snack Food~Crunchy, Munchy Sugar Snap Pea Pods
Kathleen LaLiberte <[email protected]>
The Garden's Best Snack Food~Crunchy, Munchy Sugar Snap Pea Pods
1 message
<[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 1:45
PM
The Garden’s Best Snack Food~Crunchy, Munchy
Sugar Snap Pea Pods
Thank you for having signed up for horticultural emails from Kitchen Garden
Seeds, Van Engelen and John Scheepers*.
Eating Sugar Snap Pea Pods straight off the vine is a pleasure
everyone should experience. Morning, noon or night, they are our
very favorite little veggie for idyllic, inthegarden grazing. The
easytogrow pods can be eaten when barely an inch long (with the
flowers still attached!) but are at their best once the peas inside
have plumped up a bit and filled out. We like to dunk the crunchy,
sweet pods into herb dips and hummus, or mix bitesize pieces into
tossed salads and pasta dishes. They’re equally delicious lightly
steamed or sautéed, which deepens their flavor and gives them a
velvety texture.
Prior to 1979, there was no such thing as a Sugar Snap Pea. Utah
plant breeder Calvin Lamborn, who grew up munching peas in his
parent’s vegetable garden, spent 10 years perfecting a cross
between Snow Pea Pods and Shelling Peas. Once his treasured
creation was unveiled, the little pods were all the rage. We are
pleased to offer Super Sugar Snap Peas, an even more productive
and more diseaseresistant variety than Lamborn’s heralded
introduction. Super Sugar Snap’s extremely productive vines wind
their way through supportive trellises or structures with vigorous 5
to 6 foot vines, producing a carpet of lush foliage and delicate little
flowers, followed by an abundance of crispysweet, 3” to 4” pods
over a long harvest season. If your garden space is limited or if you
prefer a more bushy plant, Sugar Ann Snap Peas are a good
option. Ann’s 2 foot vines are selfsupporting and begin yielding
crunchysweet 2½” pods at least a week earlier than Super Sugar
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Snaps. Why grow just one variety when you can grow both for a
Sugar Snap bonanza? Easy to Grow From Seed
Like all Peas, Sugar Snap Peas are a cool weather crop. The plants
prefer nighttime temperatures in the 50s and daytime temperatures
in the 70s (who wouldn’t?). Plant the seeds directly into the garden
as soon as the soil reaches about 45 degrees F and is dry enough to
work. (You can also refer to our Seed Starting Schedules.) Choose
a location with full sun and prepare a planting bed by gently
loosening the soil and amending it with organic fertilizer, compost
or wellrotted manure as necessary. Before planting Sugar Snap Pea seeds, although not absolutely
necessary, you may soak them for a few hours in room temperature water, but no longer than eight
hours for they may rot. (Although not essential, you may choose to dust the seeds with an inoculant of
nitrogenfixing bacteria to help the plant roots absorb more nitrogen.) Plant the seeds 1” to 2” deep and
1” to 2” apart. To make the most efficient use of a trellis, plant a double row of seeds about 4” apart on
center. It’s a good idea to set up your trellis before planting the seeds. This will make sure you plant
close enough to the trellis so your peas can grab hold just as soon as they emerge from the ground. (If
you’re growing Sugar Ann Snap Peas, plant them in rows 12 to 18” apart.)
When the vines are 10” to 12” tall, mulch the plants with straw or shredded leaves to help keep the soil
cool and moist. Water as needed, at least weekly, making sure the moisture reaches the root zone. Sugar
Snaps climb with the help of wiry, 1” long tendrils that wrap tightly around thin string or wire. Peas
can’t climb a pole and they can’t grab onto mesh or wide slats of wood~too hunky for the delicately
grasping tendrils. A nylon trellis with 4” grid openings works well. Sugar Snap Peas should be picked
when the pods are plump, smooth and shiny. If you pick Sugar Snap pods daily (what a wonderful
cadence to one’s day), you can extend the cherished harvest for three to four weeks. If you miss any
pods hiding in the foliage, remove and compost those that appear dull and dry for they are overripe,
starchy and unworthy.
Sugar Snap Peas in the Kitchen
Most Sugar Snap Peas never make it into the house, but when they do, there are lots of wonderful ways
to use them. Unless the pods are very young and not yet filled out, you’ll want to “string” them to
remove the fibrous strip that runs along the inside edge of the pod. Just snap off the tip of the pod where
it joined the vine, and pull down. When you get good at it, you can string your pods as you pick them
from the vine.
One of our favorite recipes is Sugar Snap Pasta Primavera, in which Sugar Snaps are paired with
Asparagus, bowtie pasta and grated Parmesan or mild goat cheese. Sugar Snap Peas are delicious
simply sautéed for a minute or two with shallots and either thyme, mint or lemon juice. If you are lucky
enough to have a bumper crop of Sugar Snap Peas, try making a few jars of pickled Sugar Snaps. Put
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the raw pods in quart jars with a clove of garlic and a sprig of tarragon. Cover with white vinegar that’s
been brought to a boil with a pinch of sugar. Store the jars in the refrigerator for a week or two before
eating. If you don’t mind a bit of hand work, you can also open and delicately stuff the little green
canoes with Boursin or your own herbed, homemade ‘fromage blanc’. (There is a terrific Emeril
Lagasse recipe for it at www.foodtv.com: whole milk, heavy cream and buttermilk steeped and curdled
with fresh lemon juice and drained through cheesecloth. Then, you can make it into your own signature
savory herbed cheese or lemonzesty, honeysweet cheese to accompany fruit and nuts. This is one of
our new favorite things to do.) Sugar Snap Peas also freeze beautifully. Blanch or steam them for 2
minutes, then immediately cool them down in an ice water bath for 2 minutes. Pat them dry and pack
them in a thin layer in good ziptop freezer bags and freeze flat. Once frozen, you can line them up in
your freezer door to enjoy at will over the course of six months.
We share our bestofthebest recipes so you can feed your family and friends well without feeling
frenzied, and practical, handson horticultural tips to demystify gardening with seeds (it need not be
tricky or difficult. Truth be told, it is a bit more like easy magic.) If you need help with anything, our
office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can email us at
[email protected] or call us at (860) 5676086. Lance Frazon, our seed
specialist, is happy to help you in any way possible. He loves to talk seeds.
To see our seed collection click: Flowers, gourmet fruits & vegetables and aromatic herbs.
To request a 2012 Kitchen Garden Seeds catalog, click: Request catalog.
To look at our yummy recipes, like Sugar Snap Pasta Primavera, click: Recipes.
Or, call us at (860) 5676086: we will help you in any way we can!
*We never rent or borrow email addresses from anywhere. In the course of requesting one of our bulb or seed catalogs,
you provided us with your email address. If you prefer to not receive any emails from us, please know that we honor all
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Gmail - Baby Vegetables: Extremely Small, Delectably Delicious and Incredibly Cute
kitchengardenseeds.com> wrote:
Baby Vegetables: Extremely Small, Delectably
Delicious and Incredibly Cute
Thank you for having signed up for horticultural emails from Kitchen
Garden Seeds, Van Engelen and John Scheepers*.
It’s easy to understand the appeal of a beefy heirloom tomato or
a threepound head of Cauliflower. But why are we so attracted
to Beets the size of a quarter, Carrots no bigger than a pinkie,
and Summer Squash that we can eat in a single bite? Maybe it’s
the same reason why we love bunnies, babies and bonsai.
Scientists call this well documented but unexplained
phenomenon “neoteny.” Humans have a natural attraction to
small, juvenile versions of mature specimens.
But baby vegetables have lots more going for them than their
irresistible baby size. They’re tender, tasty, and bitesize.
They’re also kidsized, and what could be better than vegetables
that kids want to eat?
Good Things in Small Packages
Baby vegetables are in high demand by the world’s top chefs,
and many boutique farms grow nothing but ‘little’ food. Seed
companies have responded to this demand by introducing
vegetable varieties that produce smaller versions of fullsize
favorites. Our Happy Baby Garden is a perfect way to explore
this exciting world of baby vegetables. The collection includes
different types of smallbutbeautiful vegetables at a 10%
savings: Kestral Baby Beets, Adelaide Baby Carrots, Sungold
Cherry Tomatoes, Little Gem Baby Romaine Lettuce, Lemon
Cucumbers, Wee Be Little Pumpkins and Savoy Express Baby
Cabbage.
Another way to get baby vegetables is to simply harvest them
before they’re mature. This works perfectly for Potatoes,
Summer Squash, Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Beans, Peas,
Spinach, Fennel, Cucumbers, Kohlrabi, Turnip, Leeks and
Onions. For Greens, Broccoli and Cauliflower, crowding the
seedlings into 1/2 to 1/3 of the space they should normally have
will encourage them to mature before they reach full size.
Harvesting vegetables early and small doesn’t work with
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everything. Some vegetables need to reach maturity before they
acquire their full flavor and texture. For these, you need to plant
varieties that are bred to be small, such as Eggplant Bambino,
Currant Tomatoes, Pony Watermelon and Sweet Dumpling
Winter Squash.
How to Grow Baby Vegetables
Producing a continuous supply of baby vegetables requires a
little extra planning because in most cases, you’ll need to make
several plantings to maintain a good supply of succulent young
produce. When crops go past their prime, remove them from the
garden, put them into the compost pile and resow. Make a habit
of sowing Spinach and Lettuce seeds every other week from
spring through early fall. They’ll be happy growing wherever
there’s a foot or two of empty space. Leave room in the garden
for successive, multiple plantings of Carrots, Beets, Turnips,
Radishes and Kohlrabi (row covers and shade fabrics are very
helpful for plantings during the high heat of summer).
Harvesting diminutive, pintsize vegetables requires an eagle
eye. Little vegetables grow quickly and are easy to miss. With
Cucumbers, Summer Squash and Beans, what was a flower on
Sunday may be ready to harvest on Thursday. Beans and Peas
may be picked when 3” long. Summer Squash is also typically
picked at 2” to 3”. Baby Beets, Turnips and Onions can be
harvested when they’re about 1” in diameter. Cauliflower and
Broccoli should have fully formed yet tiny, florets. Artichokes
can be harvested when only 1” in diameter.
Small Vegetables Make a Big Impression
Want to turn some heads at your next dinner party? Compose a platter of lightly steamed baby
vegetables napped in a lemony vinaigrette or a maplebutter glaze. Good candidates include halved
fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, Cauliflower florets, pearl Onions, Beans, Peas, Asparagus, and Summer
Squash. Roasting or grilling can be equally impressive. Toss any of the above with olive oil, salt and
pepper, cover with foil and roast in a 375 degree F oven. Be sure to add some halved baby beets,
radishes and turnips.
Jars of pickled baby vegetables are another delight and make great hostess gifts. Combine little Peas
and Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrots, Asparagus and pearl Onions into a colorful mélange, or
pickle each type separately. Blanch them for less than a minute and nestle into pint or quart jars. Beets
should be cooked separately until just tender. Add Hot Peppers, Gingerroot, herbs or peeled Garlic
cloves to taste. For the brine, combine 1 cup water, 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½
tablespoon pickling spice, ½ tablespoon coarse salt and ½ tablespoon whole peppercorns. Bring to a
boil, pour over vegetables, cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours to let the flavors develop. Eat
within a month (if they can last that long).
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To look at our yummy recipes, like Cornichons, click: Recipes.
Phone: (860) 5676086 * Fax: (860) 5675323
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2975 Hinesburg Rd | Richmond, VT 05477
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[email protected] | kathlaliberte.com
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Gmail - In Focus: Toma Verde Tomatillo
Kathleen LaLiberte <[email protected]>
In Focus: Toma Verde Tomatillo
2 messages
<[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 1:50
PM
In Focus: Toma Verde Tomatillo
Thank you for having signed up for horticultural emails from Kitchen Garden
Seeds, Van Engelen and John Scheepers*.
What fruit grows inside its own little papery gift bag and tastes
like a cross between a Lemon, a Pineapple and a Tomato?
Tomatillos, of course, a distant relative of the Gooseberry and the
Tomato. If you're a fan of Mexican cuisine you've probably eaten
lots of Tomatillos in savory sauces and snappy salsas. In today's
culinary world, Tomatillos are enjoying a popularity explosion,
with chefs of all persuasions finding dozens of ways to highlight
their tarttangy goodness. If you don't live in Texas or the
Southwest, Tomatillos can be pricey and hardtofind in local
markets, which is odd, since they are so easy to grow. They thrive
with virtually no attention and are seemingly immune to blights
and pesty insects. Just two plants will produce hundreds of fruit
over a long harvest season. Lucky us.
The Tomatillo varieties we eat today are not very different from
the ones grown by the Aztecs more than a thousand years ago.
And our favorite, Toma Verde Tomatillo, is a highperforming
variety with fruit that is more uniform and bigger than most, at
about 2" in diameter. Sweeter with a more mellow, complex
flavor profile, Toma Verde is green, just starting to mature to
goldengreen, when ripe. Chopped coarsely, they are delicious
raw in tartsweet salsas. We like them skewered whole and grilled
until blackened, or sliced in half and oven roasted with Summer
Squash and sweet Onions. Or as a flavorful addition to cooked
salsas and sweetsavory sauces (the first Tomatillo sauce we ever
tasted was one of those onceinalifetime moments of exquisite
culinary enjoyment). High in vitamin C and antioxidants,
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Tomatillos add a sweet citrusy brightness and seductively
compelling flavor to homemade pies, jams and exotic chutneys
(wonderful with chicken, duck and pork).
Easy to Grow From Seed
Like Tomatoes, Toma Verde Tomatillos are easy to grow from
seed. Sow the seeds indoors, six to eight weeks before the last
spring frost date in your area. (You can also refer to our Seed
Starting Schedules.) Plant them thinly in flats or pots in sterile
seed starting mix, keep the soil moist but not wet, and provide a
little extra warmth (75 degree F soil temperature) to aid
germination. Once the seed germinates and early growth appears,
they need 15 to 16 hours of bright light each day. It's best to grow
your Tomatillo seedlings under fluorescent lights, not on a
windowsill. Plants grown on a windowsill get leggy and flop over
as they stretch for light since normal daylight length and intensity
is rarely sufficient no matter how bright the spot. When the
seedlings have two sets of true leaves, transplant them into 4"
pots. Fertilize lightly and increase the pot size as needed. As the
last frost date for your area approaches, harden them off by
gradually acclimating the seedlings to outdoor temperatures and
light for a good week before planting them in the garden. Prepare
the planting bed in full sunlight, adding compost or wellrotted
manure and some all purpose fertilizer as necessary. Once all
danger of frost has passed, transplant the seedlings into the
prepared bed, burying them one leaf deeper than initially grown.
Unlike Tomatoes, which sometimes need coddling, Tomatillos
still have all the health and vigor of their wild ancestors. To
manage their enthusiastic, rangy semideterminate growth, surround them with a large Tomato cage or
even better, a three foot diameter cage made of reinforcing wire. They develop into bushy plants from
three to four feet across. How do you know when Tomatillos are ripe? When their abundant fruit has plumped up so much that it
starts to burst the confines of its papery husks. For the variety Toma Verde, this happens when the fruit
inside matures to medium green, just on the verge of a golden blush. Spotting swollen, ripe green fruit is
easiest from below, so crouch down and look up into the plant. Ripe Tomatillos, with their husks still
intact, will keep at room temperature for up to a month. Lay them out in a single layer, where there's
good ventilation and they're out of direct sunlight. Remove the husk only when you're ready to use the
fruit. Ripe Tomatillos are often slightly tacky on the outside, which is perfectly normal.
Mexican Flavors and More
Tomatillos are an essential ingredient in salsa verde, a spicy and flavorful green chili sauce. They can
also be combined with Tomatoes in any salsa recipe, fresh or cooked. Tacos, enchiladas, tostadas and
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tortilla chips all benefit from the brightness of the Tomatillo. A friend from Vermont's very favorite salsa
recipe calls for roasting Toma Verde Tomatillos to concentrate their sweetness. Slice two pounds of ripe
fruit in half, toss with olive oil and roast cut side down in glass baking dishes at 375 degrees F. At the
same time, roast several cloves of garlic in foil, drizzled with olive oil. Remove the Tomatillos from the
oven when the skins are beginning to blacken and the juices have thickened. Puree the roasted
Tomatillos and Garlic with 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 chipotle chilis en adobo and 2
tablespoonse adobo sauce. Stir in 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro. This Roasted Toma Verde Salsa
freezes beautifully in ziptop freezer bags. Tomatillos are also good additions to West African and
Indian cuisines. We particularly love Jack Staub's recipe for IndianStyle Red Velvet Okra and
Tomatillos. Toma Verde Tomatillo~another healty addiction to which we are happy to acquaint you.
To look at our yummy recipes, like IndianStyle Red Velvet Okra and Tomatillos, click: Recipes.
Phone: (860) 5676086 * Fax: (860) 5675323
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John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

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