My Photographer and Tech Man

Sebastien Prunet

I am the luckiest grower in the world to have Sebastien Prunet as my garden photographer. Well.....yes he is more than my photographer but for now..we'll discuss his photography, and maybe a few other things.
In my opinion, No one takes better garden porn than Seb. His tomato photos are un-believably good. Perfection. I tell him what photos I need, and he takes them. (Good soldier)...They are art.
He lives in the French Alps region which is not known for gardening, but Seb gets around all that by using Greenhouses. He is an A+ grower. He has a FB page that displays his gardening skills and photos if you want to see more.
https://www.facebook.com/Jardin.de.Sebastien?fref=ts  Jadin de Sebastien


He has a couple of cats. Here's a photo with Scarpette. I call her his barnacle because she attaches to him 24/7. He has another cat named Grisou that is a hunter/killer cat. haha
Some people might find it strange that my photographer lives in France but it all works out. Good people always find each other. We visit back and forth several times a year. We speak Franglais together and it is mighty funny let me tell you. :-)
He is my right hand man with the Secret Seed Cartel. He's my French tomato spy.

Of course, sometimes I like to take photos of Seb. Here's a couple. My favorite is when I photoshopped him into an Amish man.  Yes, taking him to Amish Country and telling him it was OK to take photos of the Amish was quite amusing. hahaha... I know, I'm bad.
He is quite the baker too. He has just recently perfected bagels. Something they don't sell in France. They looked professional to me! taught me how to make a classic French dessert called 'Clafoutis'. Probably my favorite dessert ever! So inside this tomato grower is a photographer, Alpine skier, pastry chef and hilariously funny man and good human being.
So this is a shout out to the best photographer, tomato grower, tech man and so much more. I love you Seb!! Thank you for all the work you do for me and other tomato growers. xoxoxoxoxo

2012 Tomato Porn

Litchi Tomato

So this is a very interesting little fruit. Also called Morelle de Balbis. Mother Earth News did a great article about it so heres a copy/paste from them:

"The Morelle de Balbis, or Litchi tomato, has been grown as an ornamental curiosity in American gardens since the 19th century, but only recently has it gained attention as a novel-tasting food. Its dark red cherry-size berries, with the distinctive flavor of sour cherries and a hint of tomato, can be used in a wide variety of culinary applications — from fruit tarts, preserves, jams and sauces, to sorbets and wine. Plus, it’s easy to grow and frost resistant.
The Litchi tomato comes to us from South America, where it has been an important part of indigenous cookery for hundreds of years. Because the plant itself is covered with thorns, it is sometimes used as a hedge plant to discourage animals from wandering into vegetable gardens — not a bad idea.
 The fruits ripen dark red and are round and somewhat bullet-shaped, tapering to a blunt point. The interior flesh is yellow and full of tiny flat seeds that are arranged much the same way as seeds in a cherry tomato. Thus, when eaten out of hand, the raw fruit has the mouth feeling of raspberries. The actual flavor is tart and refreshing, quite similar to a sour cherry, for which it can be used as a relatively good substitute in pies." (Mother Earth News)
 Sebastien LOVES the Litchi Tomato. He has been trying to get me to grow it for 2 years. He uses it to make Clafoutis and Ketchup (I think). He sent me enough seed to sell on my seed site for this year but I am definitely growing it next season., I have to admit, I love the appearance of it. I think they are beautiful. As you know, I'm always on the lookout for unique and interesting things. The Litchi tomato is definitely interesting. Although it related to tomatoes, it's catagory is S. sisymbriifolium, therefore you do not have to worry about it crossing with your heirloom or hybrid tomatoes.

If any of my readers have grown it, I would love to hear your opinions and maybe recipes for it. The photo above was taken by Sebastien Prunet and used with his permission.

 My cousin Ted and his friend Sterling eating the Brown Trinidad Scorpian pepper. haha
Order seeds for this on my seed site. Secretseedcartel.com

2012 Winners and Losers

I have really been slacking about getting this list done but here it is for 2012!!!!! There are 2 that I despised but wont bother talking about because they were not stable varieties nor is there seed available commercially. Please...keep in mind as usual, this is ONLY my opinion.
The Losers or AKA Waste of Garden Space:

The first big disappointment I grew this year and will never show up in my garden again is:
Every single one of the Dwarves I grew from the Dwarf Project. I know that saying this will not make me popular in some circles but I"m willing to risk it for my followers. The following is what I grew and grown in France by Seb with a very similar report as mine.
Wild Fred
Mr. Snow
Summertime Gold
Summertime Green
Some were grown in pots and some were actually put in the garden. All produced poorly with small fruits. Although the tastes were average, they still left me confused and disillusioned. Not at all up to the hype you hear about them. The Mr. Snow in the garden, grew to 7 ft. Not sure how that fits the dwarf catagory. Sebastien had almost identical results in France. He also was disappointed.  Saying all that, the growers that work on the Dwarf project are amazing. They have put tireless effort and years into these varieties. This is in no way to diminish their work. Just trying to be true to my findings. If you've thought about growing any of these, move on.
There were other disappointing tomatoes but honestly I believe they were crossed seed so I will spare them the bad review. If I was sure they were 100% not crossed I would be more forthcoming in my critique of them.
The All-Star List:
The first one is:Marmande Garnier Rouge. This is a French, 1970ish selection of Marmande kept by a private collector for years. The most beautiful tomato I think I have ever grown. Super producer. Never quits pumping out tomatoes until the first frost. The taste is excellent with a more firm meaty interior with plenty of juice. Very tomatoey taste.


Banjan Rumi
 

Banjan Rumi. A small, beefsteak looking yellow orange tomato from Afghanistan. This little guy was amazing. You get a much better taste then you are expecting from a small tomato. VERY juicy and sweet. Got many good reviews on it from all of my volunteer tasters.
Blackberry. A purple/black heirloom from Kentucky. What I liked about this black was not only it's production and sweet taste but it seems to genetically be programmed to not scar or crack which can be a problem with many of the blacks. The appearance factor pushed it above some of the other blacks that are equally as good in taste.

So these are the ones that either stood above or below all the others. There were many that were very good but didn't have that little bit extra to make me grow them again or rave about.
Hope you all find this helpful and had a great season!

Post Script: I forgot to add Honeydrop Cherry to my favorites list. This was by far, the best cherry tomato I have ever grown. Heads above Black Cherry. Super sweet and a very nice cantoloupe color. Comparable to Sungold but an open pollinated variety. If I didn't grow for seed, this would be the only cherry I ever grew for the rest of my life.

2 RARE Varieties now available.

Now available...Hippie Zebra. I love the name! Quite a cool looking tomato. Taste is sweet and light. For those looking for a truely unique tomatoe for their collection.

This is is so special. Oncle Remi. Sent to me by my friend Gerard in Brittany France.  His wife's uncle brought the seed back with him to France from Algeria in 1962. Their family has been growing it since then. Huge beautiful red slicers that are always crack free. Picture perfect and rich tomato taste.

Look for these two in stock @ secretseedcartel.com

New 2012 Seed in Stock

 

I would like to announce that my 2012 seed stock is now online @ secretseedcartel.com  Still waiting on beans to dry but they will be added soon. Please feel free to check it out.

Knee Deep in Maters

Oh yessssssss. I've been buried in tomatoes for a couple of weeks now. Can't stop eating them. Already I can see which ones are real winners and which ones are  a bust.  Unfortunately, you will all have to wait for my All-Star and Waste of Garden Space review which should be up in a couple of weeks. This year for the first time ever I had a groundhog make a home under the garden. He was tunneling under my potatoes. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Had the neighbor set a live trap and capture him. No problems since.

All of the Sunflowers are in full bloom. I love them! They are such happy flowers. Always facing the sun so tall and majestic. It's like they stand gaurd over the garden. Lots of different Marigolds too.

I don't know about the rest of you but I've been eating BLT's non stop. This is the only time of year I eat them. My perfect BLT:

Toasted Organic bread

Hellman's mayo

big thick slab of garden tomato

little bit of sliced red onion

bacon

piment d' Espelette

fluer de sel.

 

I forgo the lettuce but any crunchy lettuce will work. Something about eating a garden fresh tomato on a BLT with a glass of home brewed iced mint tea that screams summer. I look forward to this all winter.

Hope you all are enjoying your garden and daily Blt's! Coming soon: the 2012 tomato review.

 

Droughts and Doubts

I'm sure most of you know we here in my area are in a very bad drought. Thank God I'm on well water or I would be in serious trouble. I have the hose running morning to night. The only problem is, nothing really compares to rain water. The plants are struggling. The fruit growth seems stunted and many varieties are getting hit with BER or as the French like to call it... "Black Ass". Haha.
I posted a photo of some of the varieties that are doing well. Grinch cherry, Banjan Rumi and most of the cherries.
Just seems like it's the nature of the beast. You never know from one season to the next what Mother Nature will do. A couple of years back it was non-stop rain. Lost most of my crop to Early Blight. Still, in spite of the challenges of weather, I wouldn't change what I do for anything. When I lose a tomato plant I really mourn for it. The same way I celebrate the ones that hold strong and come thru. I am so emotionally invested in these tomatoes that I feel pain or joy according to what they do. I know this would sound silly to anyone that doesn't have a passion for growing but I know most of you feel what I'm saying.
On a side note, I entered a national tomato contest. (fingers crossed). I will post the photo after the results are posted...win or lose. Wish me luck.
I hope most of you are enjoying a great season with few problems!!! Stay tuned..........

Trial Balloon

I'm floating a trial ballon here. Please give your opinion. I was thinking about offering 2 or 3 (only) select memberships to the SSC. (Raising money for much need equipment). I haven't thought it out completely but it would give those members access to my complete seed inventory (not just what's online) and X amount of seed a year. They would also get advance notice of what's going in the store and consulting on what's the trending tomatoes and peppers. Monthly updates on what I'm chasing and advance notice of my yearly review. Thoughts please. You can leave comments or email me @ Terry@Secretseedcartel.com

Just Launched

Well finally! My seed site is up and running.

For the time being, the inventory is limited from last year's stock. In September I will be updating and adding 70 new varieties of tomatoes, peppers and flowers. I also will ship internationally because I believe in sharing with everyone! My new contact info is: Terry@Secretseedcartel.com  Please use that email for any questions. I look forward to doing business with anyone looking for the best and rarest seed available.

http://secretseedcartel.com/en/

2 New "Must Have" tomatoes

The 2 up and coming must have tomatoes. Mini Kumatos and the Spanish RAF tomato aka Pata Negra tomato.

The RAF tomato is famous all over Spain. Also known as Pata Negra (Black Paw). It is not a hybrid and is originally thought to be of French origin. They are the most sought after tomato in Spain. Cultivated in Bajo Andarax and Campo do Nijar in the Province of Almeria. It is resistant to fusarium. Green and striped with red. Deep grooves and ripens from the inside out. Ask anyone that has eaten one and they will rave about its sweetness. Of course, I have it growing in the garden this year and will have seed available in October.


RAF Tomato Pata Negra

The other is the Mini-Kumato. A cherry version of the Kumato/Rosso Bruno tomato. I have seeds for it but will probably not grow out until next year. Promising little tomato. I might try and start seed and see what happens before winter so check back........

Coming Soon

I have been working for a long while on getting a seed site up that will offer all of the rare and unusual seeds I chase down all over the world. I now have a web designer that will have it up and running by June. I'm calling it the Secret Seed Cartel. My goal is to not only offer seed that has no commercial source, but to offer seed that is not available in the U.S. I also intend on selling to all European countries. Something that most seed companies here in the U.S. do not currently do. I want the Europeans to have the same access to varieties that we have.  I want this site to be the best of the best. I will work hard on providing the best seed I can find for all of us to share.
In time, I am also going to have up and running a site for hard core tomato heads. Merchandising items for all tomato enthusiasts. I know there are many seed sites but I plan on filling the current gap where there are no sources for a lot of seed and to be a friend to the Europeans that look for varieties outside of their catalog. Stay tuned..........

Why I Love Seed Criminals

There are so many reasons I encourage people to commit seed crimes that I don't know where to begin.. You may ask "what is a seed crime?" A seed crime is when you send crop seed to another country where it is forbidden. A seed crime might be saving your own seed from your own harvest. A seed crime might be growing a vegetable that the government has forbidden. It can be as simple as sharing seed to a pepper that a corporation owns and being in peril of a lawsuit. I know it sounds crazy but every example is true.
Most of my readers are familiar with my quest to free the Peppadew. I think I have done a mighty fine job if I may say so myself. Should it be illegal to grow a Peppadew? Not hardly. Unless a corporation owns the rights to a F1 hybrid, I believe everything else is free for all. I have done my best to not just preach but to be active in what I say. If you're growing Peppadews in your garden, I'll just say "You're welcome". :-)
Next I want to discuss the European catalog. In the European union (and Canada I have heard but not verified) they have a catalog which lists all government approved crop seed. You are forbidden to "sell, swap, gift or exchange" any seed not listed in the official catalog. If you would like to list your families heirloom tomato for example, you have to pay for the privilage to the tune of about $6000 USD. Really. I'm not making this crap up. The damage here, many old family heirloom varieties will be lost forever. All commercial seed companies sell the same varieties more or less. No competition there except for pricing. So ridiculous. The Europeans are also at a disatvantage in that they cannot get seed for varieties from other countries. American heirloom crops or any other country. The government controlling what they grow and stealing their money in order to grant them permission to grow maybe their own family tomato. This is one reason I love to send seed to Europe. Yes, there is a huge underground of growers that seek seed outside of the catalog. Can you blame them?
If you have friends or family in Europe, I encourage you to be a seed criminal and mail all the forbidden seed you can to them. I don't think the U.S. will extradite you for your "crimes". Some of you might ask "Why should I care? I don't live in Europe". My best answer is that sometimes you have to defend the rights of others to protect your own rights. If this insanity comes to the U.S. (we all know the current administration would like to model Europe), we will be well prepared correct?
I was going to move along to the subject of GMO seed and how Monsanto is trying to control the worlds seed supply but I think that might be another post all unto itself. If you think GMO seed is a good thing,  read the following link about the epidemic of Indian farmers commiting suicide over it.  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/wave-suicides-among-indian-farmers-060910878.html

Long Pie Pumpkins and Bubbles

 

This was my first year to grow winter squash and Brussel Sprouts. Of course, your first year growing anything is always a learning experience. One of the winter squash I grew is called Long Pie Pumpkin. Sooooo cool . I really loved this one. It has a very interesting history and I love how it is long like a zuchinni.  It has been said that it came originally from the Isle of St. George in the Azores and been brought to Nantucket in 1832 on a whaling ship. Sometimes known as the Nantucket Pumpkin or the Maine Pumpkin. It grows anywhere from 4-7 lbs. You know it's ready to pick when there develops an orange stripe or spot where it is in contact with the ground, as you can see in my photo. You pick and put in storage and it will turn a bright orange all over in a period of weeks and months. I made my Thanksgiving pies with it and it was seriously the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten. The flesh is almost 90% stringless so no need for a food mill.

If you're looking to grow just one winter squash next year,here's the winner. You have to try it.  

The other newbie for me was Brussel Sprouts. I bought already established plants at the nursery. My variety was called Bubbles. I loved growing them. So pretty. You definitely need to stake them. As they get weighted down with sprouts they will lean. I put mine a little too close together, so another lesson, space them out. We ate them for Thanksgiving dinner and I also froze tons of them for the winter. Not a real time consuming vegetable in the garden so for those that don't like fussy veggies, this is a good one.





Pepper Reminder

Just a reminder for those of you lookin for the Peppadew pepper seed. Please check my store listing with Local Harvest. http://www.localharvest.org/members/st_products.jsp?id=26862&m=1&p=3

The Basque region and it's official peppers

Basque Country is a small ethnic enclave located in the heart of the Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France from one another. The size of Rhode
Island, the Basque region, includes four Spanish regions, known as the South Zone, and three French speaking regions known as the North Zone. The Spanish and French Basque regions share a Union Jack–style flag (green, red, and white), cuisine, and common language (Euskara), spoken by about a half million people.

Basque cuisine is influenced by the abundance of produce from the sea on one side and the fertile Ebro valley on the other. The mountainous nature of the Basque Country has led to a difference between coastal cuisine dominated by fish and seafood,and inland cuisine; with fresh and cured meats, many vegetables and legumes,and freshwater fish and salt cod. TheFrench and Spanish influence is strong also, with a noted difference betweenthe cuisines of either side of the modern border.

Basque cuisine employs the use of not one, not two, but six varieties of pimientos, (peppers) all of which are grown locally.
·
The pimiento Anglet aka
Doux de Landes (Lapurdi):
·
The Pepper Espelette - (Lapurdi)
·
Gernika Pepper (Vizkaia)
·
The Guindillas Tolosa - Langostinos of Ibarra - (Gipuzkoa):
·
The Piquillo Lodosa - (Nafarroa)
·
The Cuerno de Cabra - (Nafarroa)

These are the "Official" Basque peppers. It took me forever to gather all of the information on them and put it all in one place. So here you go and you're welcome!

Doux de Landes (Basque Pepper)
Translates to “sweet from Landes” Also known as Piment d' Anglet. Honestly, it is the longest pepper I have ever seen. It is a sweet pepper and turns from green to red. Also from the Basque region, it is sometimes called a Basque fryer. A delicious, sweet pepper, it is used in many basque recipes including piperade. Can also be eaten fresh or sautéed. It is often roasted, peeled, and stuffed with a variety of fillings like salt cod, tuna, or cheese. Landes is in the South West of France also known as the home of Our Lady of Lourdes. I personally like to use this pepper as a fryer or diced up in my tomato salad.


Piment d’espelette (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 85 days
Piment d'Espelette literally means “pepper of Espelette” in French. It is a food product produced around the town of Espelette in Southern France, in the region sometimes known as Basque Country. This pepper is so famous that in 1999 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), was granted to Espelette peppers, or "Ezpeletako bipera" in Basque language, giving it the same protection as more famous names, such as Champagne and Roquefort . Only ten communities are allowed to use the name Espelette.Piment d’ Espelette is most commonly strung up to dry and ground into a powder and is often used as a substitute for black pepper in the Basque country and in common Basque dishes.Once harvested, they are threaded by hand and hung on the facades of buildings to dry in the sun -- this initial process takes about two months. After being dried a second time in wood-fired ovens, the peppers are ground into a fine powder. Every October, Espelette and surrounding villages hold a festival honoring the finished product -- a celebration complete with parades, dancing and cooking competitions.
Espelette’s hotness falls between sweet bell pepper and Cayenne. It has a rich, round deep flavor with heat present, lifting flavor, but not intrusive.PIMENT d'Espelette is to French Basque cooking what curry is to Indian cuisine.


Corne De Chevre (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
From an area in the north of Spain called Navarre. The name translates to “horn of the goat It is also called “pimiento choricero” Like the Espelette pepper, it is dried on the facades of houses. Then it is re-hydrated and pureed after removing skin and seeds to makes the paste (Carne de Pimiento Choricero). The paste is added to the making of Chorizo sausage. Furthermore, it is so popular in Spanish cooking is not uncommon to find commercially packaged in glass jars.


Gernika Pepper (Basque Pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
Gernika or The Guernica is a Spanish pepper similar to the Padrón in flavor but bigger and without any heat, Guernica is the 'proper' Spanish spelling;
Gernika is the Basque spelling.It is often served fried like the Padrón or stuffed with cheese or other fillings. Gernika peppers are grown primarily in Vizcaya Served on a plate all their own, pimientos de Gernika are typically fried in olive oil with garlic until they’re
shriveled and slightly browned. They are finally sprinkled with a generous hand of fat salt grains. Slightly bitter, these peppers are great with steak or on their own as a ración (small plate), eaten with a cold beer.


The Piquillo Lodosa (Basque Pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 85 days
From "Lodosa" Navarra region of Spain
It is regarded as "red gold" of Navarre. Piquillo peppers are traditionally wood fire roasted and then hand peeled ad seeded to preserve the natural taste and shape of the peppers. Known for their intense red color, wood fire aroma, fleshy texture, and sweet, delicate taste. These peppers are an exceptional addition to any plate. Great in salads, meats, seafood, or lightly sauteed and stuffed.


The Guindillas Tolosa (Basque pepper)
(Capsicum annuum) 90 days
From the Basque area of Spain known as Gipuzkoa. The guindilla is a thin pepper, picked early while it is still greenish yellow. Conserved in white wine vinegar and packaged tight like sardines in glass jars. traditionally eaten with beans or bar snacks as an aperitif.

I grew 4 of the 6 official Basque peppers this year and will be growing the other 2 next season. My next bit of research is to find out about specific tomatoes grown in the Basque region. sigh

Seeds for the four peppers I grew this year from the Basque area are available for sale at my store http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

whew! that was work!

Next Year and other garden thoughts

I'm tearing down the garden for the year. Working feverishly on seed swaps and sweating "already" over my grow list for next year. I found a cool site for garden shoes in the meantime and thought I would pass on the link. I've owned a pair of their shoes and they lasted a good 4 years. Time for a new pair for next year. I love them because they are waterproof and have a lining that keeps your feet really dry when you're working in wet soil.

http://www.gardenshoesonline.com/ They sell boots, clogs and everyday shoes and..... mens' designs.

I can't believe how many tomatoes I already have on my growlist for next year. (This is where I would paste a crying face). It's not even January and I'm already up to 65 varieties. A lot of very new varieties for me. Some from overseas and some from the breeders. It's gonna be a tough job whittling it down to something managable.

I will be putting the garlic in soon along with shallots. Thought I would try over-wintering the shallots and see if it does better for me this next season.

In the meantime...here's a little freethought I found and loved.

Free shipping until October 1st.

Free Shipping on all orders until October 1st. European growers, I can't offer free shipping to you but please feel free to order. I have no problem shipping seeds over-seas. hehe http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

Seeds

I finally have seeds for the Chocolate Ghost Chili and the Peppadew. If you are interested you can go to my store on Local Harvest. Also have Goose Creek seeds for those looking for it.

http://www.localharvest.org/store/M26862&ul

2011 Garden season

I told you so

Well.....I've been raving about the tomato Goose Creek for years!! Telling everyone that would listen how it is small but the best tasting tomato ever! So...it was voted best tasting tomato out of I believe 250 varieties at the 5th Annual Buffalo-Niagra Tomato Tastefest. Ha! And who told you first?? I hate saying I told you so but.....I TOLD YOU SO! Yes, if you haven't grown Goose Creek maybe this will convince you.
Edit: for accuracy, the photo belongs to Laurel at http://heirloomtomatoplants.com/

The garden has been super productive this year. Got some early blight but too late to affect the crop harvest.

Another new thing I tried... I made Piment d'Espelette powder. Sold in Europe and a fortune to get here in the U.S. I use it on EVERYTHING. I use it instead of black pepper. Sweet with a little bite to it.

This year I grew Thelma Sander's Sweet Potato Acorn Squash. OMG..so many of them. Instead of the usual green color of Acorn squash these are a cream color when ripe. The inside is a light sweet potato color. I decided to use them to make acorn squash bread (instead of pumpkin bread). Sooooo gooooood! The flavor reminds me of chestnuts. This is a definate grow again.

Also... I am posting a link to my seed site at Local Harvest. I have so many requests from readers to buy seed that I finally set up a store. I am also setting up an actual site but will use Local Harvest until it is done. So...If you need seed from anything I've ever grown (even if it's not listed in the store) You finally have the place to do it. http://www.localharvest.org/tomato-addict-M26862

Scones and other new obsessions

The garden is on auto-pilot for now with the exception of weeding. So now is as good a time as any to update the blog.

Today I'm going to rave about a few of my new finds. Things I think are totally cool. The first is a French coffee bowl. In Quebec with Sebastien, I saw his sister drinking tea from a bowl. I asked Seb why and he explained the French coffee bowl to me. Used primarily for breakfast so dunking is easier. Had to get some. So while out shopping in Quebec, Seb bought me 6. Merci Beaucoup!!!!!!!

The next thing, also thanks to Seb's sister, is Organic peach juice. I found out the hard way that finding just plain peach juice anywhere is difficult. Why is that? You can find just about any juice you want except peach juice. Seems so simple but there must not be a demand for peach juice. Some juice producer somewhere needs to change that. Pronto.

Annnnnd....Maple Butter or Maple Cream. Ohhhh yes. Also another find from Seb's sister (yes, she's cool). It looks like creamed honey, Same concept except maple. Use it in oatmeal and on toast. So good I'm sure there are a million other uses for it also. Order online unless you are fortunate enough to live near a maple farm.

Then's there's scones. (I feel like I'm doing an "Oprah's favorite things" episode) Yes, we Americans have gotten good at eating scones but...not the real way. With clotted cream. Seb and I stayed and a B&B in Niagra on the Lake and the owner served scones with Clotted Cream. Never eaten it that way before. What a great combination. Made a good scone into a fantastic scone. So today I am going to make maple oat scones. Going to tweak the recipe so it has no dairy. (Trying very hard to eliminate most dairy from my diet. Yes, I know clotted cream is dairy) After I make my scones I can use my French coffee bowl to dunk them.

Just sharing the good stuff
Maple Oat Scones
For The Scones
1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons cold butter (small pieces)
1 large egg
1/2 cup half-and-half or 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple extract
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans


Maple Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
5 teaspoons water
Change Measurements: US Metric

Directions:
Prep Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 25 mins
1 Preheat oven to 425°F.
2 Using a food processor or blender, finely grind oats.
3 In a mixer, mix flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder.
4 Add maple syrup and butter and mix well.
5 In a small bowl, beat the egg with the cream and maple extract.
6 Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
7 Add pecans and mix just to incorporate.
8 Place dough on a floured surface. Knead and pat dough into a 8 to 10 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.
9 Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place wedges on top and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until light brown.
10 Remove scones from oven to wire rack. Let cool about 3 to 5 minutes.
11 Mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Adjust the amount of water to get to the desired consistency. I like the glaze to be rather thick. Spread lots of glaze over each scone and dry about 15 minutes before serving.

All About Beans

I swear I am getting as obsessed about beans as I am about tomatoes. I start researching one bean and it leads me to another and another....and so it goes.
This year, I am growing two new Greasy Beans... Whitey Swanger Greasy and Lazy wife Greasy. Also, a yellow pole bean called St. Fiacre or Buerre de St. Fiacre (Thanks Seb). Pretty obscure bean. I would post a photo of it but they are pretty non existant. You guys will have to wait a couple of months until I can snap a few.
So in my research..I come across 2 beans I had to have. One is called Blue Jay Bush bean. The following is a copy paste from Two Wings Farm:

" a wonderful old Canadian bush bean called Blue Jay. It was brought back from extinction by a couple of growers (ourselves included) and by the work of our friend Shirley Bellows of Seeds of Diversity Canada. When we looked into the parentage of the Blue Jay bean, we found the Comtesse de Chambord a tiny bean from France, and before that Scotland. However, the more I searched, the more I came up with a blank. There apparently is only one source for this bean that I could find –anywhere-in the world! That is very close to extinction,"

So....of course I ordered it for next year. Ha. Also, the Comtesse de Chambord rice bean. A copy/Paste from Mother Earth News:

"Two different beans go by the name rice bean. The one I recommend, Comtesse de Chambord, is a true bean, or Phaseolus vulgaris. (The other rice bean, Vigna umbellate, is a cousin of the cowpea.)
Many people are quite startled by its miniature size when they see a rice bean for the first time. The tiny, young 4-inch pods are so tender and sweet that you can eat them raw or toss them in a mixed bean salad. They make a beautiful garnish, too. The small, dry beans resemble rice when cooked, although the flavor is richer and nuttier, and the texture is much more appealing. Best of all, you dont have to soak rice beans before cooking them, because they take only about 20 to 25 minutes to cook."

Another thing I am obsessed with lately is Mache. A.K.A. Corn Salad or Lambs Lettuce. Sebastien raved about it last season but I have never tasted it. I found some fresh at the new Earth Fare store by my house. Soooooo Gooooood! Has a very mild peanuty taste. The French have been enjoying it since the 17th century. Twice as much vitamin C as normal lettuce and chocked full of other vitamins. Fairly un-known to U.S. growers. If you haven't tried it..a must!

I can't believe I took the time to post today. So much work in the garden still. Good Gardening to all!!!!!