Yes it’s that time of year again when the seed catalogs arrive. Eagerly you run to the mailbox (or jog—ice tends to be slippery) and pull out those gorgeous pages filled with plump ripe fruits and vegetables, a colorful array of flowers and herbs and immediately you begin planning for spring. Leafing through as you walk, you are amazed by the sheer variety of buttery lettuce leaves, the fantastic diversity of beans. Who knew beans were not only green, but purple and yellow? That corn came in red? At least the carrots all look like carrots, a subtle (and welcome) reminder you have not lost your mind.
But I digress. It’s time to buy your seeds! That is, if you haven’t been seed saving. Now mind you, for those of you who are saving seeds I completely understand how you can become so excited over your tomato crop and making sauce and ketchup that you completely forgot to save a few ripe tomatoes for the purpose of plucking seeds. Yes, you plopped them right into the boiling water to blanch them for skin removal without even thinking. It happens. It’s okay. More San Marzano tomato seeds are on my list, too.
Take heart! You’re enjoying the thrill of gardening, reaping what you sow and cooking the dickens out of it. For my raw food fans, the concept remains the same. Chopping seeds in your Cuisinart isn’t helpful for seed saving so slow down, take a deep breath, and think before you throw the switch. 🙂 I’m just sayin’…
And this spring I have a few experiements to share with you. For my tomatoes, I’m going to try some red ground paper. Supposedly it not only keeps the weeds at bay but it helps the tomaotes grow bigger and plumper. How?
I have no clue. Like I said, this is new for me. I’ll keep you posted on my progress to be sure. I’m also going to add a little diversity to my herb garden. Yes, I must confess, I’m a sucker for brightly colored-pages and one of my seed catalogs really snookered me in this year so I’m going with it. Maybe I’ll get crazy and make some herbal tea with chammomile, or add some lemon balm to my (husband’s) iced tea. A little mint anyone? Keeps the ants away!
Anyway, as you can see I have big fun planned so grab your hat—we’re going gardening!
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