April Showers Bring May Flowers
Judging by our sales, the spring planting season is in full swing. Vegetable sales are still strong as we continue to seed out warm weather crops of beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, squash, watermelons. Tomato planting is winding down a bit but there is still time to get them in the ground before hot weather arrives. Check out our 1 gallon selection to get a head start in your garden.
A variety of Okra that is much revered in Texas is a German heirloom from Malcom Beck, founder of GardenVille, called Beck’s Big Buck. It produces short, plump pods that are tender and easy to prepare fried or in Gumbo.
Peppers have always been a special interest for us to grow, especially ones for Mexican & Asian dishes. Check out Costeno Rojo, a 3foot tall bush that produces 2” x2” pods that turn red when mature. This spicy hot pepper is thin walled and dries well for chile powder. It is often used in making mole. Another Mexican specialty is Chillhauchle Negro, also known for making the classic Oaxacan mole. Peppers are small, dark chocolate brown and mildly spicy. It is also thin walled and dries well and can be smoked over an open flame. In addition to mole, it is also good in salsa and other authentic Mexican cusines.
Now that the weather is warming up, it is time to plant everyone’s favorite herb, Basil! Italian, Genovese or Large Sweet Basil is the classic choice for growing and making pesto. Due to wide spread Downy Mildew affecting this crop be sure to look for DMR (Downy Mildew Resistant) varieties like Sweet Eleanore, Prospera, or Rutgers Devotion or Obsession. In addition to Sweet Basil there are many other types that are interesting to grow and use in specialty dishes.
Clove Basil is a rather rare variety that was introduced to me by Madalene Hill, co-author of Southern Herb Growing. This tall growing herb can be used in soups, stews, sauces. Mrs. Burn’s Lemon Basil is a large leaf, heirloom variety from New Mexico. The lemon flavor is strong and highly preferred over the smaller, narrow leafed Lemon Basil variety. For best production keep the blooms pinched off and cut the plant back pb a third or half periodically to encourage new growth.
Feeling adventurous? Try other types of basils for culinary use such as Bell Pepper, Cinnamon, Lime and Thai. Some types of basil are edible and/or medicinal and are quite attractive in the garden. African Blue is a tall showy plant with purple leaves and long purple blooms. There are other purple varieties like Amethyst, Opal, Purple Ruffles, Red Rubin and the new Prospera Red to delight the senses and add interest to your herb garden.
Madalene always advised gardeners to experiment with using herbs. Try adding 1, 2 or 3 different herbs to softened butter to spread on breads, muffins or over steamed vegetables. Or do the same with softened cream cheese and use on crackers. Enjoy the bounty of your harvest and Happy Gardening!
