Baby Bok Choy

evergreenseeds_baby pak choy

So this year I’ve been getting into Baby Bok Choy and am looking for some starts as I’m too late to start from seed. Can you imagine that? Already too late to get some crops started-amazing! Anyways, I’ve tried the full size Bok Choy and like the Baby version better-more tender. I never thought much about it as a vegetable before but I bought some to try. I cut them in half and sauteed them in olive oil and then at the end, added a couple splashes of tamari and it was wonderful. So if any of you know where to buy some locally or seeds for next fall, please let me know!

The Best Lettuce and Greens Seed Catalog-The Cooks Garden Seed Catalog

Mar4

'Curly Ruffle Mix' from The Cook's Garden Catalog

I love lettuce and salad greens. The Cook’s Garden Catalog is one of my favorite seed catalogs for these. I think it is by far THE BEST CATALOG FOR SALAD GREENS. Period. It has 20 pages or so of unique lettuces, mesclun mixes and greens. Did I say 20 pages? Yes, I did. Very exciting for a greens eater! Every year now I can’t wait to go through it and see what new types they have.

Some of my favorite lettuces are Santoro Lettuce, Yugoslavian Red, Forellenschluss and Navaro Red. My favorite mesclun mixes include Provencal Mix, Summer Mix, Oakleaf Mix, Fall and Winter Mix, and Heatwave Blend and new this year, Curly Ruffle Mix. There are lettuces for every season from winter through the heat of summer. If you don’t have their catalog, go to www.cooksgarden.com to order one. It’s not too late and you won’t be disappointed!

2011 Vegetable Lineup

Jan23

I finished my vegetable list for my main garden. I will grow many heirloom tomatoes, Fairy eggplants, Shishito peppers, Costata Romanesco zucchini, Galeux d’ Eyesines and Red Warty Thing winter squash, Rattlesnake pole beans, and several different cucumbers and some greens. I will have to expand the garden one more time but not before the season starts but sometime this summer. This is so I can get my tomatoes on a 3 year rotation. I’m ok for this year but need a new section for them by next year. I hopefully will be at our Farmers Market this coming year again. We have to apply each year and they have a jury system to get in as it is so popular and has grown so much. Looking forward to a new growing season!

2011 TOMATOES
HEIRLOOMS
PLUM STYLE
(2) Goldsman Italian American-red-BH
(2) San Marzano-red plum/80 days/AFN
BI-COLOR
(4) Striped German-bicolor-SFGH
(2) Gold Medal-bicolor-75-80 days-BH
(1)Ananas Noir
BLACK OR PURPLE
(2) Paul Robeson-black/75-85 days-AFN
(2) Cherokee Purple/80 days-AFN
RED
(1) Pantano Romanesco-red/70-80 days-BH,TOMFEST
(2) Costoluto Genovese-red/78 daysTOMGROWERS
(2) Goldsman Italian American-red-BH
CHERRY TOMATOES
(2) Black Cherry-black/75 days-AFN
(1) Green Grape-green/
(1) yellow/62 days-TOT TOM
HYBRIDS-I grow a few hybrids
(2) Lemon Boy-AFN
(3) Park’s Beefy Boy-red-70 days-AFB

2011 VEGGIE LIST
BEANS-Rattlesnake (remarkably favored pole bean)
PEPPER-Shishito (Japanese non hot pepper)
SUMMER SQUASH-ZUCCHINI-Costata Romanesco (best tasting zuke around)
WINTER SQUASH-Galeux d’ Eyesines and Red Warty Thing (that’s what it’s called!)
EGGPLANT-Fairy (best sweet, no bitter taste and soft skin eggplant I’ve tasted)
CUCUMBERS-Parisian, De Bourbonne, Boothsby Blonde, Poona Kera, Armenian and Parade? I grow cukes for either taste or which variety is best for different types of pickles
CORN-not this year (I’ll get it from our Farmers Market)
LETTUCES-From COOK’S GARDEN-Provencal Mix, Mesclun Mix, Buttercrunch, Yugoslavian Red, Santoro Lettuce, and Little Gem
SPINACH-From COOK’S GARDEN-Bloomsdale
CARROTS-Purple Haze and Scarlet Nantes
ARUGULA-Apollo

2011 HERBS-Following is a list of herbs that will be planted or exist on the property
Basil-new
Lime Basil-new
Thai Basil-new
Oregano-exists
Thyme-exists
Lemon Thyme-exists
Chives-exists
Dill-usually self seeds
Marjoram-new
Mint-exists
Sage-exists
Lavender-exists

My lettuce bowl-chickens love it!

Apr16

I put the lettuce bowl outside under heavy rowcover cloth (.09) as it wasn’t getting enough light inside. Yesterday I thinned it so the baby lettuce have room to grow and gave the seedlings to my chickens.

The girls eating the lettuce seedlings

They are nuts for lettuce anyways but fresh baby seedlings? yum! Here are some pictures of the chickens eating it and some closeups some of them as well. Speaking of chickens,besides providing wonderful eggs they help make compost with their manure.

Chickens eating lettuce seedlings

They are pets which each having a name so I don’t eat them, just their eggs. I feed them lots of scraps from the kitchen which is what makes their egg yolks so orange. The rest of the kitchen scraps goes into the compost pile. Their manured compost is great for the veggie garden but don’t put it on fruit trees-it has too much nitrogen.