Seed Catalogs- the True Gift of the Season

The best part of the winter holiday season is the arrival of this year's seed catalogs. Right when day length is diminishing and my tea consumption is rising exponentially, the best seed catalog that I have ever read arrives in the mailbox, the Fedco Seeds catalog. Am I biased? Absolutely. I read this catalog cover to cover multiple times during my daily bus commute.

Fedco Seeds is a cooperative owned by its employees and grower members in Clinton, Maine. In my opinion, the seed selection and price can't be beat for vegetable, flower, and herb growers. They offer volume discounts and accept group orders. In addition, if you are looking for an eco-friendly school fundraiser, they offer a seed packet selection for fundraising!

Each catalog is chock full of growing resources and information. Each crop, where applicable, is divided into at least two sections with hybrid and open-pollinated varieties for the seed-saving enthusiast.

To go to the main Fedco Seeds site, click here. For a downloadable pdf copy of their catalog, go here.

Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cumin Butter

Recently, a garden friend gave me an acorn squash. I have to say that I am not a big fan of this particular vegetable. It's a textural and partly taste issue. After a long list of attempted and discarded recipes, I tried this recipe from one of my favorite vegetable cookbooks by Jack Bishop, Vegetables Every Day. This cookbook is absolutely amazing because the recipes are simple but highlight the complex flavors of different vegetables. If you recently purchased a share in a CSA, community supported agriculture, program, then I would definitely recommend checking this book out.

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, cleaned of pulp and seeds
• 3 T butter
• 1 t cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Place the acorn squash pieces, cut-side down, on a baking sheet coated in cooking spray.
3. Roast the squash for about 45 minutes.
4. Melt the butter, add cumin, salt, and pepper.
5. Brush the cumin butter over the squash halves and serve.

Pest: Slugs

Warm days, opening tunnel, surprise frost, slugs: who are you gonna call? Night feeding mollusks. Midnight cow.

Disaster this September, I diligently seeded 18 varieties of lettuce, for the second year, to continue with a winter lettuce variety trial. All of the varieties germinated and then the slugs struck. I have started a new garden this year and at first was at a loss. Chipmunk, rodent, slug? It is confirmed--- SLUGS!!!!

Well it is now the first week of November, what to do? I've decided that I will reseed as many varieties as possible along with mache and spinach. After seeding, I will apply a liberal dusting of diatomaceous earth to the soil surface.

Update to follow . . .

Planting the seeds of a low tunnel revolution

Last month, a group of volunteers helped to set-up a pilot low tunnel for the Gardening for Good project at Troy Community Gardens. Gardening for Good is a supported gardening project that hosts regular activities and special events to bring gardening to people with developmental disabilities. To learn more about Gardening for Good, go here.

I had a tremendous amount of fun sharing what I had learned after just two years of winter growing with unheated low tunnels. The summer gardening season is starting to wind down and I hope to have a little more time this winter to share some stories and ideas about extending the season in Wisconsin.

Blizzard-Tough Low Tunnels

Finally, this year, Wisconsin weather lives up to its reputation. I was hoping to test the snow and wind strength of the low tunnels last year but the winter was unseasonably mild with hardly any snowfall. This December, just in time for the holidays, Madison was walloped with a sixteen inch plus snow storm with winds in excess of 20 mph.

I've included some photos of the first of three low tunnel clean-ups. After some of the snow melted in January, I was able to harvest some celeriac that I'd been holding over since this summer.

The Fedco Seeds Catalog Is Here!

Last week, an early Christmas present arrived- the Fedco seeds catalog. If you're not familiar with Fedco, it's a small seed cooperative in Maine. They have amazing variety selections with low prices. I know this sounds like an advertisement but I don't know what I would do without Fedco. The catalog itself is a work of art with lots of timely, thought-provoking quotes and illustrations. The variety descriptions written by the company's founder C.R. Lawn are often funny and always interesting. The variety offerings range from those best suited for home gardeners to market gardening.

For those of us from Northern climes, the catalog emphasizes cold-hardiness with a large proportion of varieties that perform well with a short growing season.

Here is a link to a downloadable copy of their current catalog. In addition, here is a link to their online store.

Good Food Read: "Folks, this ain't normal" by Joel Salatin

At past PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture)conferences, I've heard Joel Salatin speak on a variety of agricultural topics. It is about time that I read one of his books. This is a review of his most recent work "Folks, this ain't normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World."

Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, a diversified animal operation. Salatin is considered a pioneer in rotational grazing. This book is not a guide to his farming system but an intellectual exploration of range of farming and food issues. I may not agree with all of Salatin's politics but I enjoy reading what he has to say and thinking about it.

This is a book for contemplation. A great winter read after a long season of farming or gardening.