As the Snow Flies

As the snow flies, the mercury drops and we huddle in our cozy sweaters. It is winter in my little corner of Michigan. There is a white blanket of frozen-ness covering the world out my window. Yes, frozen-ness. Everything is frozen, waiting to be awakened in spring, snuggly blanketed by white fluffy insulation. Some might find this dreary, and wish for this season to pass. Not I! Blame it on my Canadian ancestry or my love of gardening, but winter is enchanting to me. The quiet stillness of a landscape washed anew with a gentle snow fall. The nose pressed to the glass anticipation of waiting for the mailman to deliver small bundles of wonder containing thousands of seeds. Curling up in my favorite spot with a cup of hot tea, dreaming of spring. And it's when I plan my garden for the next year.

For those who are just getting to know me.... my garden is five acres. Five acres of dirt stomping, vine growing, bug exploring, soul soothing GOODNESS. And it falls under the name of Shag Bark Hickory Farms. I am already excited about the 2013 year. My seed bucket is FULL of those little packets of miracles and my wish list is still to many pages long. lol. I mean..... I ONLY have 5 acres. That's not a whole lot for a lady like me. See, I have a love affair with them all. The squash, tomatoes, melons, beans (fresh and dry)... you name it. But they all have one thing in common. They are heirloom seeds. What is an heirloom? The long and short of it: It is what your grandma would of grown in her garden. And her mother, and her mother.... and so on. I am not going to get on a soap box about the benefits verses hybrid seeds, but I will share that it is personal. I have three beautiful children and two have Autism. My way of coping with the first diagnoses was to research, research, research. There are some real concerns about our food supply. I was unaware. So imagine my surprise the first summer I planted a heirloom tomato. I fell in love. There is nothing like the mouth watering goodness of a vine ripend heirloom tomato, still warm from the sun. The love grew from there to squash, then to melons. This year I am fascinated with radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and anything French. Let me share with you some of my favorite varieties.

Purple Tomatoes: Smoky with a hint of citrus, wonderful. Nyagous was my favorite last year. Roasted, it was absolutely heaven. Made such sweet sauce, my oldest was caught eating it out of the pot.

Currant Tomatoes: These little bits of pure flavor burst in your mouth. There are thousands of them on a single plant.

Ancho Peppers: Also smoky. Wonderful in chili or any dish you would like to spice up.

Seminole Pumpkin: (C.moschata) Sweet dry flesh in a small package. Prolific with great pest resistance. A must grow. Wild in the Everglades.

Butternut Rogosa Violina "Gioia": (C. moschata) Italian type, violin shaped with wrinkled tan skin. Deep sweet orange flesh, great for baking. This one surprised me. I didn't expect it to be 3 ft. long. Late, but well worth the wait.

Dwarf Blue Curled Leaf Kale: Hearty deep blue green leaves with a mounding habit. Gorgeous for an edible garden as a boarder plant. Still going in our 20 degree Michigan weather.

Plum Granny or Queen Anne's Pocket Melon: Bland in flavor but makes up for it in fragrance! Beautiful ornamental with history as being used in pockets for perfume. Tigger and Rich Sweetness are similar with flavorful sweet flesh.

Prescott Ford Blanc Melon: Unique French Melon. Ribbed with warts, bumps and grey-green skin that ripens to straw. First mentioned in 1860's, but probably older. Nothing like it when picked at perfection.

Rotonda Bianca Sfumata Di Rosa Eggplant: Mild and delicious large Italian. Round with rose-pink blush. Beautiful.

I could go on and on. Did I mention my seed bucket was full? But there will be other blogs and lots of weeks before planting to tell you about them. My most ear-tagged seed catalogs are:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

www.rareseeds.com

Seed Savors Exchange

www.seedsavorsexchange.org

Next week: The different classifications of squash with a few of our favorites of each. Check out Shag Bark Hickory Farms on facebook. We have weekly recipes, specials, and market information. Find me on Pinteret with boards for the Farmer's Market, Shag Bark Hickory Farms and many others. Not only do I love gardening, but I like to craft and refurbish.

Until next time,

Christi Kotus