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Seed Catalogs
I love seed catalogs. Each year they arrive at my home during January or February here in Northern California, and I peruse them eagerly. Those luscious tomatoes ! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have some all summer long growing right outside the back door ? How about those fresh greens ? Lovely lettuce, collards, multi-colored Swiss chard, spinach ? It is always wonderful to be able to step ourside and pick one's salad just before serving and eating it ! Some years back in a catalog I found a type of spinach called New Zealand spinach. I noticed it at the grocery store, too, and bought a package. It proved to have rather more stems in relation to the amount of leaf that the spinach I was accustomed to has, but this wasn't a disadvantage. The stems added a chewy quality. This New Zealand spinach proved to be delicious when steamed, then served with a bit of olve oil or butter and some finely chopped garlic. It seems not to be offered at my local grocery store any more, but I still have seeds saved from my annual planting. Incidentally, when you plant New Zealand spinach, don't fuss over it. Remember where you planted it, and keep your eye on the spot during rainy season. The seeds sometimkes take six months to germinate. The plants trail out from a central stem and sprawl all over the ground. Leave some of them alone and they will re-seed your spinach patch for the following year. Seed catalogs bring out my sense of hope, ethusiasm, optimism. They evoked memories of sensory delights from my childhood. When I was young, my father had at least a quarter acre planted with all kinds of fresh vegetables. This was back in Massachusetts, where the winters were much colder than they are here in Northern California. He used to grow parsnips ! Parsnips need a month or two of cold, freezing weather while in the ground to develop their sweet flavor fully. Have you ever eaten parsnips ? They're fine when boiled or steamed and served with butter, but there's an even better way to have them. Next time you make a stew, add two or three sliced parsnips. You'll find that the parsnips impart a sweet flavor your stew wouldn't otherwise have. The seed catalogs that make me dream the most and that give me the most pleasure are the following: Territorial Spring -- Aimed at the gardener who lives in a colder climate in the United States and Canada. If you live in Florida or some other comparatively warm climate, this one will be of lesser interest to you. Park Seed -- a very conventional catalog aimed at the entire United States and filled with wonderful possibilities. Johnny's Selected Seeds -- Excellent selections. I always look forward to perusing this one. Thompson and Morgan -- my favorite seed catalog not only because it has a wide variety of seeds and plants but also because it usually has some exotica, seeds for fruits and vegetables you probably haven't heard of but might like to try. |
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