Mosaic hurricanes, artichokes, feathers and blazing fall leaves bring home the joy of your Thanksgiving centerpiece.  The Flower Shop at Orchard prides itself on creative design and out-of-the-ordinary botanicals.  We’ll help you put together a not only beautiful, but extraordinary centerpiece.  Our Flower Shop is unique in many ways, especially being part of a truly one-of-a-kind nursery. We have a gardener’s paradise of resources at our fingertips to fulfill your every whim.  We offer unquestionable service and quality.  Looking forward to working with you in the Flower Shop!

Treat yourself to a fabulous centerpiece this year - call the Flower Shop soon!

Tips when placing your order with us:

• Let us know the dimensions of your table.
• Contrast your table linen with your flowers for a dramatic effect.
• Jewel tones add richness.
• A little purple mixed with the traditional oranges, rusts and burgundy colors looks smashing!
• If your table is very long, maybe a few smaller arrangements intermixed with mini pumpkins and candles would be fitting.
• Bringing in fabrics or china pieces that you would like us to compliment is welcomed.
• Be sure to water your arrangement carefully and frequently to keep your arrangement fresh.  Be sure the container is dry before returning it to the table.
• Texture is a creative element in fall arrangements; think about berries, gourds, feathers, seeded greens, etc….
• If you need a great idea, one of our talented designers would love to help you create a personal masterpiece.

By Bonnie Brusseau

There are so many roses. How on earth do you find that perfect one for your own yard? Here are a few suggestions.

Don’t just look at the flower. Think first about how tall you want the plant. Roses only bloom on the tips, so you can’t really just prune them to size. Also think about the shape: upright, arching, spreading or compact. Next, think about the flower itself. Do you want the typical shape to use as a cut flower?  Maybe you want multitudes of smaller blossoms to use in the garden landscape. Think also about the climate that the rose will be living in. Some roses do better than others in hotter or cooler areas.

Once you have determined all these things, pick the color you want. Consider what color you have in the house if using for cut flowers. After that, have fun!! More next week…..

There are bound to be vegetables you like better than others, but a cook would be lost without onions. There are many classic recipes specifically for onion dishes so they can be appreciated in their own right. Onion tarts or French onion soup, for instance, have a sublime flavor, and only onions are appropriate. But also, there is hardly a recipe where onions, or their cousins - garlic, leeks or shallots, are not used. Gently fried until soft, or fried more fiercely until golden brown, they add a unique, savory flavor to dishes.

Soil should be loose, rich, and well drained. Onions are shallow rooted and need moisture fairly near the surface. Feed plants regularly, especially early in the season. Carefully eliminate weeds. When most of the tops have begun to yellow and fall over, dig bulbs and let them cure and dry on the top of the ground for several days. Cover bulbs with tops to prevent sunburn. When tops and necks are completely dry, pull off the tops and brush dirt from bulbs. Then store bulbs in a dark, cool, airy place. Do not store them in the fridge as they may go soft. If you store chopped onion, make sure the container is sealed well.

As they keep well in a cool place, most people keep a handy stock of onions, usually a general purpose type that can be sauteed or browned. However, onions come in a variety of different colors and strengths, and for certain recipes particular onions are needed.

Onions contain a substance which is released when they are cut and causes the eyes to water, quite painfully sometimes. Cutting the onions under water or wearing goggles are two ways to prevent this.

Varieties: (throughout the season we will be carrying several different types)

Spanish Onions:
Onions raised in warm areas are milder in taste than onions from cooler regions, and Spanish onions are among the mildest cultivated onions. They are a beautiful, pale copper color and are noticeably larger than yellow onions. They have a delicate, sweet flavor which makes them ideal for serving raw in salads, thinly sliced, while their size makes them suitable for stuffing and baking whole.

Yellow onions:
These are the widely available onions you find everywhere and, though called yellow onions, they are the most pungent of all the onions and are a good, all-purpose variety. The smallest ones, referred to as baby, button or pickling onions, are excellent for pickling but can also be added whole to a casserole or sauteed in butter to make a delicious vegetable accompaniment.

Red onions:
Sometimes called Italian onions, these mild onions have an attractive appearance and are now widely available from most good grocers and supermarkets. Below their ruby red skins the flesh is blushed with red. They have a mild, sweet flavor and are excellent thinly sliced and used raw in salads and antipasti dishes.

White onions:
These come in all sorts of interesting shapes and sizes - squat, round, and oval, big and small. The very small white onion, with shimmery silver skins, are mild and best added whole to stews or served in a creamy sauce.
Large white onions can be mild or strong. There is no way of telling. Like yellow onions, white onions are extremely versatile, whether used raw or cooked. The very small white onions, called Paris Silverskin, are the ones used for dry martinis and for commercial pickling.

Vidalia Onions
These popular American onions are a specialty of and named after a town in Georgia. They are a large, pale yellow onion and are deliciously sweet and juicy. Used in salads, or roasted with meat or other vegetables, they are superb.

Bernuda Onions
These are similar in size to Spanish onions, but are more squat. They have a mild flavor and are good thinly sliced, fried until golden and served with steaks or burgers.

Scallions or Spring Onions:
These are true onions but harvested very young while their shoots are still green and fresh. They have a mild, delicate taste, and both the small white bulb and the green tops can be used in salads, omelets and stir-fries, or any dish which requires a mild onion flavor.

Baked Onions Stuffed with Feta
Serves 4

Red onions have a mild flavor and attractive appearance. The red flesh looks appealing with this feta and bread crumb stuffing.

4 large red onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons white bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a shallow ovenproof dish. Peel the onions and cut a thin slice from top and base of each. Place in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook for 10 - 12 minutes, until just tender. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and leave to cool slightly.

2. Using a small knife or your fingers, remove the inner section of the onions, leaving about two or three outer rings. Finely chop the inner sections and place the shells in an ovenproof dish.

3. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and fry the chopped onions for 4 - 5 minutes, until golden, then add the pine nuts and stir-fry for a few minutes.

4. Place the feta cheese in a small bowl and stir in the onions and pine nuts, bread crumbs and cilantro. Season well with salt and pepper, then spoon the mixture into the onion shells. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes.

5. Serve as an appetizer or as a light lunch with warm olive bread.

Peasant-Style Onion Frittata, Frittata Fredda Contadina
Serves 4, from Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking, by Paola Gavin

This frittata from Campania was traditionally eaten cold for lunch by the peasants working in the fields. If scamorza is unavailable, mozzarella may be used instead.

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves
1/4 cup Scamorza or mozzarella, diced into small pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat half of the olive oil on a heavy frying pan and cook the onions over gentle heat until they are very soft and starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool slightly. Beat the egg yolks in bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into egg yolks.

Carefully fold in the onions, basil, and cheese and season with salt and black pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same frying pan, When it is very hot, pour in the egg mixture. Cook over gentle heat until the bottom is golden. Place under a hot grill for 20 seconds and then slide the frittata onto a saucepan lid or plate. Place the frying pan over the uncooked side of the frittata and hold it snugly against the saucepan lid or plate.

Quickly flip the saucepan lid or plate over so the uncooked side of the frittata is on the bottom of the frying pan. Continue cooking the frittata on the stove until the bottom is golden. Slide it into a serving platter and serve hot or at room temperature. Cut in wedges like a pie.

(Sometimes adding a little amount of potato is nice in small cubes or slices.)

Onion Parsley Polenta
Makes 12 triangles, from the Cafe Flora CookBook, by Catherine Geier with Carol Brown

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for oiling the pan and grilling
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 white wine
7 cups water
2 cup coarse yellow cornmeal (polenta)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Thoroughly oil a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.

Sauté the onion and garlic. Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the wine and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to remove all cooked bits, until most of the wine has evaporated.

Cook the polenta. Add the water and the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt to the onion mixture, and bring to a boil. Pour the polenta into the boiling liquid in a thin stream, stirring constantly. (You're trying to avoid lumpy polenta.)

Lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until the polenta is very thick and begins to pull away from the side of the pan, 10 - 15 minutes.

Cool the polenta. Fold the chopped parsley into the polenta, and immediately pour it into the prepared 13 x 9 inch baking dish using an oiled rubber spatula to spread it evenly. Cool in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Cut the cold polenta into 6 squares and then cut the squares into 12 triangles. Brush both sides of the polenta triangles with olive oil. Grill or broil the polenta triangles until they are lightly browned and heated through, 4 - 6 minutes per side. Keep the triangles warm in a 200F until ready to use.

Resources used for information:
- Vegetarian and Vegetable Cooking, by Christine Ingram
- The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook,
by Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker
- The New Food Lover's Companion, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
- UC Davis, Vegetable and Information Center, (various leaflets)
- Sunset Western Garden Book, edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel

NEW VARIETIES WILL BE ARRIVING WEEKLY. BE SURE TO STOP BY AND SEE THIS WEEK'S SELECTION. THANK YOU!

By Tamara Galbraith

Gardeners on the Gulf and West Coasts are lucky - their climate is perfect for a particularly fragrant, dainty flower called freesia which, when planted in the garden, can start blooming in February!

A popular addition to cut flower arrangements, freesias can be planted in mid-November wherever winters are mild. Plant the corms on the south or east side of your landscape. It's also a good idea to snuggle them under the edges of overhanging shrubs, which will serve to protect freesia's emerging leaves from any unexpected winter harshness.

South African natives, freesias resemble orchids in plant structure - their foliage is strappy and about a foot high, and the flower stalks often grow upward, then shoot sideways, topping out at about 18". These gorgeous plants continue to bloom through the end of March.

Freesias do best when consistently moist--but not soggy--throughout the spring; however, keep them on the dry side in summer. Look for corms of Freesia leichtlinii, the original and most fragrant Freesia species, or the all-white Freesia alba.

This week we are feeding our citrus plants with Master Nursery Citrus Food  12-8-4. Master Nursery Citrus Food helps to promote fruit and green growth on oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits and other citrus trees and shrubs. Apply Master Nursery Citrus Food now (in the Fall), Spring, and Summer. Our Master Nursery Citrus Food fertilizer contains sulfur, calcium and iron to improve soil and water penetration, and aids in the prevention of chlorosis (the yellow veins often seen in leaves of citrus plants).

Last week's trivia question was:
Where was “fennel” considered a symbol of success?

Answer:
In Greece, it was a symbol of success.

Congratulations to these winners!
Cheryl Coen-Moss
Lisa Christensen
Debbie Hanson

Prize:
Ceramic 5” Pumpkin
Value $6.99. 3 styles to choose from

Prizes must be picked up in person and within 15 days.