Month: December 2003

The first seed catalog arrived today. It was from the <a href="http://www.vermontbean.com/" title="Vermont Bean">Vermont Bean Seed Company</a>. As such, I guess it is officially time to start thinking about what next year&rsquo;s garden will look like. I am going to use the <a href="http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/uj250.html" title="Pennsylvania Vegetable Variety Recommendations for the Home Gardener and Bedding Plant Grower/Garden Supplier">Pennsylvania vegetable variety recommendations</a> from the <a href="http://www.cas.psu.edu/" title="PSU College of Ag Sciences">Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences</a> as I guide to help in my selection.



You can find some interesting varieties through the <a href="http://www.all-americaselections.org/" title="All America Selections Offical Web Site winning seed selections">All-American selections</a>. You can also get seeds on the Web from:

• W. Altee Burpee Seed Co. [3]
• Harris Seeds/Garden Trends [5]
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds [6]
• J. W. Jung Seed Company [7]
• Park Seed Company [10]
• Stokes Seeds Ltd. [12]

Tomatoes

The <a href="http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=556&amp;itemType=PRODUCT&amp;iMainCat=13&amp;iSubCat=1864&amp;iProductID=556&amp;iSubSubCat=1864" title="Burpee - Tomato Bush Early Girl Hybrid">Bush Early Girl</a> is the earliest of the recommended early tomatoes at 60 days. At 4 inches across, it supposedly has the largest fruit and is very flavorful. It has a compact 18 inch, self supporting bush. The <a href="http://www.stokeseeds.com/cgi-bin/StokesSeeds.storefront/3fd23c6f00864d902747cf366ce306ce/Product/View/343A&amp;2D1" title="343A Ultra Sweet Vft">Ultra Sweet</a> staker, is another early tomato at 62 days. It supposedly produces 10 ounce, flavorful, red meaty fruit. It is resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and mosaic. The <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/vegetables/detail2.html?edit_id=483&amp;cat_id=459&amp;parent_id=458&amp;prodname=First%20Lady%20II%20(F1)&amp;name=Indeterminate%2FStaking&amp;top_name=Vegetables&amp;subcatname=Tomatoes&amp;topcatid=1&amp;page=1" title="Johnny's Selected Seeds: Vegetables: Detailed Product Information">First Lady (II)</a> is another recommended early tomato at 65 days. A staker, it supposedly sets clusters of delicious, midsize (5 to 6 ounce) globe-shaped fruit with deep red color inside and out. They are smooth, medium firm, and seldom crack. It is resistant to the alternaria stem canker, fusarium wilt, nematodes, tobacco mosaic virus, and verticillium wilt.



In the Early/Mid category we have <a href="http://www.jungseed.com/detail.cfm?SKU=00175" title="Celebrity Hybrid">Celebrity</a> at 70 days, <a href="http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&amp;catalogId=10066&amp;langId=-1&amp;mainPage=prod2working&amp;ItemId=5433" title="Park's Gardens: An early, extra-large beefsteak tomato with huge yields and good adaptability.">Big Beef</a> at 73 days, and <a href="http://gardeners.harrisseeds.com/cart/detail.asp?subcat=90&amp;product_id=0852" title="Harris Seeds - Product Detail">Better Boy</a> at 74 days. Celebrity and Big Beef are resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, nematodes, alternaria stem cancer, mosaic, and stemphylium. Celebrity is determinate and crack resistant, producing 8 ounce fruit. Big Beef is indeterminate and produces 10- to 12-ounce beefsteak fruit. Better Boy is resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes. It is an indeterminate, producing 10-ounce fruit.



For main season varieties, we have Mountain Delight at 76 days, <a href="http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=590&amp;itemType=PRODUCT&amp;iMainCat=13&amp;iSubCat=243&amp;iProductID=590&amp;iSubSubCat=1865" title="Burpee - Tomato Burpee's Big Girl Hybrid">Big Girl</a> at 78 days, and Delicious&sup1; at 79 days. Big Girl supposedly combines the quality of Big Boy with resistance to verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, producing 12- to 16-ounce, smooth, crack-resistant fruits with mouth-watering flavor.



Finally, in the paste varieties, we have <a href="http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=481&amp;itemType=PRODUCT&amp;RS=1&amp;keyword=paste" title="Burpee - Tomato Viva Italia Hybrid (Paste)">Viva Italia</a> at 72 (80) days and <a href="http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1432&amp;itemType=PRODUCT&amp;RS=1&amp;keyword=paste" title="Burpee - Tomato Roma VF">Roma</a>&sup2; at 75 days. Viva Italia is supposedly the best tomato for soups and ketchup. Vigorous determinate plants, resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, nematodes, anthracnose, and stemphylium, yield an abundance of 3 ounce fruits. Roma is the classic paste tomato. Determinate plants, resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and anthracnose, have bright red, plum shaped, paste-type fruits with meaty interiors. 

---

&sup1; Delicious is <em>not</em> a hybrid



&sup2; Roma is <em>not</em> a hybrid

This morning’s breakfast was a half of a grapefruit, a glass of orange juice, and a piece of toast made from Gretchen’s raisin bread.



Lunch was crudit&eacute;s &mdash; a couple of cut up carrots, celery stalks, and cauliflower florets, served them with a little of <a href="http://www.newmansown.com/4a3_creamyc.html" title="Newman's Own - Creamy  Caesar">Newman&rsquo;s Own Creamy Caesar</a> as a dip &mdash; and a <a href="http://www.sierra-nevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html" title="Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale">Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale</a>.



<ins datetime="2003-12-06T19:08:00-05:00">Dinner was spaghetti with <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_20175,00.html" title="Food Network: Tomato Sauce">roasted tomato sauce</a> that I made with tomatoes from our garden this summer and froze, and a small green salad and a <a href="http://www.sierra-nevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html" title="Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale">Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale</a>.</ins>

Breakfast was half of a grapefruit and a glass of orange juice. I weighed in at 162.



<ins datetime="2003-12-05T16:48:00-05:00">Lunch was a repeat of <a href="http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/m/h/mhl100/2003_12_01_journal.html#id107056494466579988">yesterday</a>, adding navy beans, cauliflower, cucumbers, and hard boiled egg. I rode the bus over with the rest of the guys from the office &mdash; it appears to be the first big snow storm of the year &mdash; but I walked the mile back to the office. It was still snowing, but it was fairly warm, so it was not that bad.</ins>



<ins datetime="2003-12-05T19:08:00-05:00">Gretchen made her saut&eacute;ed onion and pepper pizza for dinner, which we split, with 1&frac12; <a href="http://www.sierra-nevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html" title="Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale">Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale</a>s.</ins>

<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10693598953418200,00.html?mod=Tastings">WSJ.com - Tastings</a>: What makes an everyday, all-purpose wine glass good?

1. Clear, unadorned glass.
2. A nice, long stem so we can hold the wine without warming it, and gently slosh it around.
3. A capacity of at least 20 ounces. We only pour a little wine into the glass, of course, but this size allows us to swirl it as much as we want, to get some air into it, and it also feels comfortable and generous in our hands. (Read the fine print in catalogs to see how big a glass is. Even tiny glasses can appear large, sort of like a lizard made to look like a dinosaur in those old horror movies.)
4. A gentle curve at the top, to focus the aromas.
5. Thin glass, because we want to taste wine, not glass.
6. A reasonable price.

An indoor kitchen herb garden will add interest to your meals and color to your window sills… and help satisfy that urge to garden during the cold, wintry months ahead.

Most culinary herbs require at least five hours of sun per day. You can use a sunny window, provided the reflected heat is not too intense. If you don’t have a window with direct sunlight, put your pots of herbs in a spot with plenty of light, then move them into the sun for a few hours whenever possible.

Fluorescent lights or special grow lamps also work if left on about 14 to 16 hours per day. Place the lights 12 to 18 inches above the tops of the plants. If the light source is too far away, insufficient light will reach the plants, and they won’t grow.

You must also consider temperature and humidity. Most herbs need daytime temperatures of 68 to 70 degrees F with 30 to 50 percent humidity. To increase humidity, place a dish of water near the plants.

Pot your herbs in a potting mix of vermiculite or equal parts peat moss, garden loam, and coarse sand. Any container will do as long as it has good drainage.

Sow the seeds according to the package directions, but no deeper than two times the diameter of the seed. Some easy-to-grow annual herbs that can be transplanted to your garden next spring include basil, dill, oregano, chives, coriander, and anise.

After planting, soak the bottom of the container in a pan of water until the surface is wet. Or spray with a mister until well-watered.

Place each container inside a plastic bag to create a “greenhouse,” leaving the top slightly open to allow some air and moisture to escape. Set in a fairly warm location (65 to 75 degrees F) out of direct sunlight until seeds germinate.

Germination should start in two to three weeks. At that time, remove the plastic, and move the container to a cooler area (60 to 70 degrees F) where it will receive good light but not direct sun. Gradually increase the amount of sunlight by moving plants every few days. Turn for even exposure to sunlight. Continue to water, but don’t overdo it or the plants may rot.

Thin your herbs when the seedlings have two sets of true leaves. If you started herbs in flats, this is the time to transplant them to individual pots. Use a soil mix that’s richer than the medium used for germination. A good mix is two parts garden loam, one part coarse sand, and one part sifted peat moss.

Herbs generally need little fertilizer but will respond to some. Use a soluble fertilizer such as 5-10-10, and apply at half strength, based on label directions. Over fertilized plants often have a poorer flavor than those grown at a more moderate rate. [Perry]

---

Perry, Leonard. &ldquo;<a href="http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/herbs.html" title="herbs">Window Sill Herb Gardening</a>.&rdquo; <i><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/" title="Perry's Perennial Pages">Perry&rsquo;s Perennial Pages</a></i>. 24 November 1998. <a href="http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/herbs.html" title="herbs">&lt;http:// pss.uvm.edu/ ppp/ articles/ herbs.html&gt;</a> (4 December 2003).

Breakfast this morning was half of a grapefruit. I weighed in at 160 pounds. I walked over to <a href="http://www.hfs.psu.edu/unionstreet/Piccalillis.htm" title="CFA">Piccalilli&rsquo;s</a> at lunch and had a salad of iceberg lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, green peas, chickpeas, croutons, and <a href="http://www.hellmanns.com/" title="Hellmann's">Hellmann&rsquo;s</a> fat free red raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The walk was maybe three miles round trip.



<ins datetime="2003-12-04T18:42:00-05:00">Dinner was two servings of Gretchen&rsquo;s home made turkey noodle soup with garlic bread and a <a href="http://www.sierra-nevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html" title="Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale">Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale</a> with a half an apple for dessert.</ins>

Spacefem.com Color Quiz: the wonderful color of lightgrey: “Quiz Result: You are lightgrey #D3D3D3

“Your dominant hue is red… you are passionate, energetic, and unafraid of life’s changes. You’re all about getting out and trying something new, even if it means taking risks that other people would be afraid of. Hey, if they’re afraid and you’re not, more power to you, right?

“Your saturation level is very low — you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you’re working.

“Your outlook on life is brighter than most people’s. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You’re not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up.”

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/dining/031AREX.html?ex=1385787600&amp;en=d10b49f995ab91e7&amp;ei=5007&amp;partner=USERLAND">Recipe: Spiced Baked Apples With Maple Caramel Sauce</a>:

• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, more for pan
• 4 tart baking apples, like Winesap or Empire
• ⅓ cup plus 4 teaspoons maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons chopped pecans
• 4 teaspoons chopped golden raisins
• ¼ cup dry white wine or water
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 whole cloves
• 1¼-inch-thick slice fresh ginger root
• 1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a small cake or baking pan. Use a vegetable peeler to peel a strip of skin from around stem of each apple. Use a melon baller or grapefruit spoon to scoop out core of each apple, leaving at least ¼ inch at base. Stand apples in pan and use a paring knife to make 6 vertical cuts surrounding cavity, being sure not to pierce through bottom of apple.
2. Place 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon maple syrup into cavity of each apple. Mix together brown sugar, pecans and raisins, and stuff ¼ of this mixture into each apple. Pour remaining maple syrup and the wine into bottom of pan, and add cardamom, cloves, ginger and cinnamon.
3. Bake apples, basting with liquid in pan every 5 to 7 minutes, until tender yet not collapsed, 45 minutes to an hour. Serve warm or at room temperature, with custard if desired.

<strong>Yield:</strong> 4 servings.



<strong>Note:</strong> Apples can be made without the filling of brown sugar, pecans and raisins.

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/dining/03APPL.html?ex=1385787600&amp;en=44ef6beba6bbf308&amp;ei=5007&amp;partner=USERLAND">In Search of the Perfect Baked Apple</a>: &ldquo;In the long history of baked apples (which, one would assume, dates back as far as fire and apples), plain cooked fruit without a sweetener was not always considered the food of abstinence. Stuffed with sausage or mincemeat, as was popular in the 18th century, apples could be decadently savory.



&ldquo;If you start with an intense, spicy apple, baking concentrates the flavor and adds a caramel nuance to the juice. In the &lsquo;Original Boston Cooking School Cookbook&rsquo; (1896 edition), Fannie Farmer directs her readers to bake naked apples in autumn, when the fruit is at its best. In late winter, after the apples have been stored for several months, she advised a thick dusting of powdered ginger, mace and sugar along with some rose water.



&ldquo;Dorothy Hartley gives this advice for roast apples, prepared without sugar, in her seminal &lsquo;Food in England&rsquo; (1954, Macdonald): &lsquo;When the cores are left in, the pips give a pleasant aroma to the fruit, so well-flavored apples should be roasted whole. Later in the year the core may be withdrawn with a scoop.&rsquo;&rdquo;

CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) — Eating an orange a day can keep certain cancers away, according to a new Australian study.

The government’s key research group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), found consuming citrus fruits could reduce the risk of mouth, larynx and stomach cancers by up to 50 percent.

One extra serve of citrus a day — on top of the recommended five daily servings of fruit and vegetables — could also reduce the risk of a stroke by 19 percent.

“Citrus fruits… protect the body through their antioxidant properties and by strengthening the immune system, inhibiting tumor growth and normalizing tumor cells,” CSIRO researcher Katrine Baghurst said in a statement.

The Australian study, which was based on 48 international studies on the health benefits of citrus fruits, also found “convincing evidence” that citrus could reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.

Baghurst said oranges have the highest level of antioxidants of all fruit, with more than 170 different phytochemicals, including more than 60 flavonoids shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot inhibiting properties.

---

Reuters. &ldquo;Study: Oranges keep cancers away.&rdquo; <i>CNN</i>. 3 December 2003. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/12/03/citrus.cancer.reut/index.html" title="CNN.com - Study: Oranges keep cancers away - Dec.  3, 2003">&lt;http:// www.cnn.com/ 2003/ HEALTH/ 12/ 03/ citrus.cancer.reut/ index.html&gt;</a> (3 December 2003).