Newsletter: June 2011 Gardening Tips
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June 2011 Edition |
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Hello Subscriber!
Last week was the first ever survey we have sent out, with an absolutely positive response from you. We are both pleased and humbled by what you have said. Pleased that the number of responses were several times more than we expected, and that you value the time and effort we put into each and every eNewsletter. We are humbled that so many of you took the extra time to write a response, not just click the boxes and be on your way.
Please realize that the Newsletter is a product of two people, Cindy and myself, while you -our customers- are spread across North America and some 43 countries! We don’t have the resources to provide localized, zone by zone planting and harvesting guides at this time. Everything that we write is based on what will work for the most people most of the time, regardless of where they are. There are several great online resources that can provide the information you need.
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Join Us at The month of September will see us on the road, as we travel to two large shows in Northern California. We are excited to be both an exhibitor and a speaker at The Mother Earth News Fair in San Raphael, CA over Labor Day Weekend- Sept 3 through the 5th. This is being held at the Marin County Fairgrounds north of San Francisco. We are doing a presentation titled The Cycle of Terroir: From the Soil to the Seed to the Food You Eat. It is an overview of how the health of the soil combined with the quality and vitality of the seeds has a direct impact on the taste and nutrition of the food, which in turn directly influences your health. The times haven’t been posted yet, so check back as we get closer to September. If you can’t make it to see the presentation, we will have it on our blog once we return, so don’t worry about missing out! We will also be participating in a seed swap and a panel of experts to answer your questions about gardening and all things heirloom! If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello.
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We’re also at Just over a week later we will be at The National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, CA, just a little further north of San Francisco from September 13 through the 15th. This is a World’s Fair just for Heirlooms! There will be seed companies, farmers, gardeners, chefs and food organizations from across the country. The goal is to be the largest event for heritage agriculture ever held. We will be exhibiting at our booth and presenting The Cycle of Terroir as well.
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Braised and Herb Marinated Carrot Recipes
We were looking for some unique and tasty ways to use carrots at this time of year that didn’t call for canning and was different from the “slice ’em up on your salad” approach. We found a couple of great recipes- the first is Pan Braised Carrots with Rosemary and Parsley, the other one is Herb Marinated Carrots. Both of these are very unique but extremely tasty. The full flavor of the heirloom varieties really comes through, not just the sweetness. Our Purple Dragon carrot is one of the best for the pan braised recipe, and any of the carrot varieties will work well for the herb marinade. You can read the full recipes at The Heirloom Seeds Blog.
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10% Off of Everything Through June
The two brand new books that we’ve just added are included also. Vegetable Gardens, a great beginning gardener guide that walks you through gardening from planning, planting, soil topics, selecting the right plants for your area, and more. Canning and Preserving is about just that- putting up your harvest to enjoy later. Canning, preserving, freezing and dehydrating are all covered, along with recipes for each.
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Companion Planting with Herbs
Not only are herbs repellent to the undesirables, but have many positive contributions to the garden as well. Some will enrich the soil, others encourage beneficial insects and microbial communities to establish themselves, and most will have measurable benefits to the growth of other vegetables and plants that they are around. Here is a small sampling of some well-known herbs that have great benefits in your garden. They shouldn’t be planted all by themselves, but in amongst those vegetables that they can benefit. This is the beginning of intensive gardening and permaculture. For most parts of the country, it is not too late to get these sown into your garden!
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Garden or Culinary Sage
Garden Sage has volatile oils that act as antiseptics as well as the astringent tannins in its’ leaves help sore gums, mouth ulcers, sore throats, coughs and bad breath. For a mouthwash steep one teaspoonful of fresh sage leaves in a cup of almost boiling water, covered for four minutes. Swirl in a quarter teaspoon of sea salt and a teaspoon of cider vinegar. The Jamaican herbalists use lime juice instead of the vinegar. Swish mixture around in mouth for a minute while still hot and spit out. Sage has shown great promise in aiding digestion and enhancing overall tone of the digestive tract. It is a rich source of potassium, zinc, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium minerals. It enhances concentration and attention span; an infusion of sage leaves has long been recognised as a “thinker’s tea”. Its effects have been used for centuries to deal with grief and depression. In the kitchen, garden sage has the best balance of volatile oils of the sages for culinary uses. Traditionally used to cut and balance the fatty taste of sausages, duck, liver, cheese dishes and meats, it sharpness can also add strength to the flavors of vegan or vegetarian dishes. Try it toasted, minced and sprinkled on roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes or roasted tomato and vegetable soups. Sage pairs well with onion, garlic, shallot or leeks in cooking. Garden sage is one of the easiest herbs to grow, as it is hardy to both cold and heat. One little known secret to successfully keeping sage going year after year is to trim it into a mound in the fall to prepare it for the winter and protects it from root rot and insect infestation. Most people will trim it in the spring, which endangers the flowering that happens early in spring and slows down the rapid early growth. Sage is beneficial to rosemary, helping to prevent powdery mildew.
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Our customers are friends that we have not yet met, as you share our interest and passion for growing incredibly delicious foods, preserving heirloom seed traditions and biological diversity for the future through our own home gardens. Sharing this is possibly the most important work, as it helps all of us make a definite, positive impact in our lives and in those that we share. Thanks for your time this edition, we hope you have enjoyed it. Please let us know your thoughts and suggestions, as we are always working to improve. Stephen and Cindy Scott |
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