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In stock now at Orchard Nursery!MENTUCCIA ROMANA/ ROMAN MINT: Straight from Italy! This perennial grows to 3’ with a minty / oregano flavor. Full sun, low water use when established. Rare in the U.S. A classic dish that this mint is used in is: Artichoke hearts with Parmesan cheese and baked Roman mint:
Wash and clean the artichokes, cut the hearts into thin slices and stir fry with oil, garlic and salt. Set on a baking pan, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mint. Bake at about 250 degrees for 10-15 minutes (or just watch it). If you are a fan of the restaurant Slanted Door at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, then this plant is definitely for you! You’ll see it on their menu. This herb has a lemon and coriander-cilantro aroma and a peppery flavor. It is used as a culinary herb in Southeast Asia, and also in Latin America. Some chefs will substitute with this herb for regular cilantro during the warm season because regular cilantro can bolt quickly. Quinoa ‘Cherry Vanilla’ Annual to 4-6’ with fluffy seed heads of pink and white. Like amaranth but upright. Sun. Ripens fall. Quinoa ‘Brilliant Rainbow’ Annual to 4-6’ with fluffy seed heads of bright colors, like amaranth. Eat the grain or enjoy the sight! Ripens fall. Both of these plants are terrific and underused. Can be used as a salad green or allowed to ripen and the seeds eaten as a grain. Amaranthus caudatus ‘Giant Burgundy’ 3-6’ tall annual with long, upright deep burgundy blooms. Full sun and regular water. Stems and leaves turn from green to reddish burgundy in the fall. Highly nutritious grain can be harvested and cooked like rice or popped like corn. Amaranth grain is high in protein and other nutrients. Leaves can be picked young for salads or steamed like spinach. The Aztecs believed that this sacred plant had supernatural power and gave their warriors strength.
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These works of art are designed
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With the summer season well under way, here are some great cookbooks at the Lazy K to give you delicious ideas on how to use all the seasonal vegetables straight from your garden!The Great Salsa Book,
Simply Organic, A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients,
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Sample recipes:
Sample recipes:
Now that we are well into summer and enjoying the rewards of our hard labor, here are some general tips for harvesting your vegetables from late spring through the warm season. Enjoy and bon appétit! Beans (snap): Pick before you can see the seeds bulging. They should snap easily into two. Check daily, as they will get tough quickly. Cantaloupe (muskmelon): The color should change to beige and the fruit will "slip" from the stem easily. You may be able to notice a sweet smell when ripe. Cucumber: Check daily and harvest early (if harvesting for pickling, even earlier). Timing and length will vary with variety. The fruits should be firm and smooth. Over-ripe cucumbers can be very bitter or pithy, even before they start to turn yellow. Corn: Pick after the silks become brown. The kernels should exude a milky substance when pricked. Eggplant: Slightly immature fruits taste best. The fruits should be firm and shiny. Cut rather than pull from the plant. Garlic: The garlic tops will fall over and begin to brown when the bulbs are ready. Dig gently, don't pull, and allow to dry before storing. Shake off dirt rather than washing. Lettuce (Head): Harvest once the head feels full and firm with a gentle squeeze. Hot weather will cause it to bolt or go to seed rather than filling out. Lettuce (Leaf): Harvest the outer leaves once the plant has reached about 4 inches in height. Allow the younger, inner leaves to grow. Leaf lettuce can be harvested in this fashion for quite some time. If seed stalks begin to form, harvest the whole plant immediately and refrigerate. Okra: Harvest frequently, figure about 3-4 days from flower to mature pod. Err on the immature side--the pods get woody and tough as they get older. Remove old pods, even if you missed one too long, so they'll keep producing. Wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting; okra has small spines (they look like hairs) that can make you itchy--even 'spineless' varieties have some. Harvest pods at around 2 – 3” in length. Onions: Onions can be dug once at least half the tops have ripened and fallen over. Allow the onions to dry in the sun. Onions (bunching): Dig before bulbing starts or before they become too thick (over 1/2 inch diameter). Peppers (bell, sweet): Fruit should be full size but still green, firm and crisp in texture. If red fruits are desired, leave on plant until red color develops. Peppers (chile): Fresh fruit should be full size, shiny green to slightly red, firm and crisp in texture. Dry red fruit should be allowed to turn completely red and dry on plant. Potatoes (Irish): "New" potatoes can be harvested when the tops start to flower. Carefully dig at the outer edges of the row. For full size potatoes, wait until the tops of the potato plants dry and turn brown. Start digging from the outside perimeter and move in cautiously to avoid slicing into potatoes. Pumpkins: Once the pumpkins have turned the expected color and the vines are starting to decline, they can be cut from their vines. Radishes: Radishes mature quickly. Harvest as soon as they reach edible size. They will go quickly to seed. Rhubarb: Delay harvest until second year after establishment. Established plantings (3 years) can be harvested for about 8 weeks. Harvest the largest stalks by grasping each stalk near the base and pulling slightly in one direction. Squash (Summer): Pick young and check often. The skins should be tender enough to poke your fingernail through. Squash (Winter): Color is a good indicator of winter squash maturity. When the squash turns the color it is supposed to be, cut from the vine. Tomatoes: For the best taste, harvest tomatoes when they are fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. Gently twist and pull from the vine. If your plant looks like it may be over-producing, you can also harvest some as they start to ripen and let them finish indoors. If you like fried green tomatoes, harvest as they reach full size (or just as the first color change begins, if you like them a bit less tart). Watermelons: The white spot on the bottom of the melon should change to yellow when ripe. Some people can hear a change in the sound made when the melon is thumped with a finger.
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Plant a Row for the Hungry starts Sunday, July 5thDoes anything taste better than a crisp, sweet apple newly picked off the tree? Or a juicy, vine ripened tomato fresh from the garden? At Orchard Nursery, we believe nothing beats the taste of garden-fresh produce. We think that everyone should be able to experience it. With that in mind, we are proudly joining forces with Garden Writers of America’s “Plant a Row for the Hungry” and the Monument Crisis Center. The goal is to connect home gardeners who grow extra fruits and vegetables with those in our community who are in need of that nutritious food. It may be hard to imagine, but the face of hunger isn’t just homeless people in our downtowns. It is the face of an elderly neighbor choosing between food and medication. It is the working parent who earns too much to qualify for food stamps so she goes without in order to feed her children. It is the middle class family dealing with job loss and relying on the local food pantry for donations. Everyone can do something to help alleviate hunger in their community. Donating as little as one pound of fresh produce – a few tomatoes or a couple of squash – can supplement up to four meals for a person in need. The mission of the Monument Crisis Center is to provide food, help, and referrals in crisis situations and promote community awareness of needs and available resources. The Center provides emergency food supplies (a 3 day supply of nutritious food) to families in need. Orchard Nursery invites you to help us make a difference in our community. Drop off your surplus harvest at Orchard Nursery from July 5th through October 26th. Donations will be accepted on Sundays and Mondays only. Orchard Nursery will then take the bountiful harvest to the Monument Crisis Center, which will in turn disperse it to those in need. Here are some items that will hold up well and have high nutritional value:
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Last Week's
Question: What are the three major fruits that are native to North America? Correct Answer: Cranberries are one of just 3 major fruits native to North America. Blueberries and Concord grapes are the other two.
Prize Winner: Patti Burrows has won a $10 Orchard Nursery gift certificate. Congratulations! Gift certificates are to be picked up within two weeks of winning. Winner must bring an ID to the nursery to claim the prize. Prize must be picked up in person. Employees are not eligible for this contest. Please stay tuned for another question next week! |
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What You'll Need:
Step by Step:
Yield: 4 servings
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