Knock Twice Food

Seeds ordered, pt 1.

I just finished ordering seeds for the first round of planting. Here is a list, with descriptions:

• DR. CAROLYN 65 days. [Selected from a sport of Galinas. Named by Steve Draper in honor of Dr. Carolyn Male who first saved the seed.] The most flavorful yellow cherry tomato we’ve grown. Excellent balance of sugar, tartness and depth of flavor. The pale-yellow, cherry-sized fruits are typically borne 6 to a cluster. Round 1-1/4” fruits.
• CHEROKEE PURPLE 85 days. Disease-resistant, good for the South. [Pre-1890 TN heirloom, reportedly of Cherokee Indian origin. Introduced 1993 by SESE. Seed courtesy Craig LeHoullier.] Large fruits (10-12 oz.) are smooth with slightly ridged shoulders. Ripens to a unique dark, dusky pink/purple. Sometimes called a black tomato, the color carries through to the flesh, especially at the stem end. 
• CONTENDER (Buff Valentine) 42 days. Our all around favorite. [Introduced in 1949 by the SC/AES. Possibly derived from pre-1855 Early Valentine] The best early green bean for gardeners who desire a combination of good flavor, disease-resistance, and high yield. Has excellent fresh eating quality. Bears slightly curved thick pods, approximately 5-1/2” long. Fairly hardy under adverse conditions and well suited to greenhouse use. Resistant to common bean mosaic virus (race 1) and tolerant of powdery mildew.
• RAINBOW CHARD (Five Color Silverbeet) 60 days. Originally from Australia, a multicolored rainbow of plants in shades of red, orange, pink, yellow, and creamy white.
• SUMMER MESCLUN MIX These heat-resistant greens should provide great salads all summer long. Includes one packet each of Tatsoi mustard greens, Magenta Magic orach, Parris Island Cos lettuce, Buttercrunch lettuce, Anuenue lettuce, and Jericho lettuce.
• CHIOGGIA (Dolce di Chioggia) 52 days. [Pre-1840 heirloom.] Chioggia is a beautiful bicolored scarlet red garden beet with interior rings of reddish-pink and white. This specialty Italian variety beet is notable for its earliness, attractive color, relative absence of bleeding, and its ability to compete with weeds.
• SCARLET NANTES  70 days. [1870] A garden favorite appreciated for its fine texture, mild flavor, and very small core. Cylindrical roots average 6-1/2” long, 1 to 1-1/2” at the shoulder. Can be grown for winter storage, but best flavor is from spring grown carrots.
• ST. VALERY 70 days. [French heirloom mentioned in Vilmorin 1885.
  Popular market variety in the early 1900s.] Deep orange roots are 8-10” with
  sweet, tender flesh and excellent storage quality.

Dill, onions, and basil were also ordered. The plan is to till our soil this weekend and start planting as soon as possible.

News and a Cocktail

My wife and I just got a parcel in a community garden*** just a few blocks from our apartment. She doesn’t know yet… but I’m super excited. Finally we can start growing things that are too big for our window sill and require more sunlight than we can provide from inside. Its also great news that now we can also start composting. Needless to say, I’ll be writing about our efforts here.

To celebrate, a new cocktail*.

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1/2 oz tripple sec
• 4 hefty dashes of Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters

Combine, cool**, and drink neat.

*No name, still a work in progress.
** I keep a bottle of Old Overholt in the freezer, so its already cold. I mix the ingredients in an 8 oz Ball jar and shake.
***This is more accurate.

Tomato ‘Snow Day’ Soup

• 32 oz can of dice tomatoes
• 32 oz of broth

Mix liquid ingredients. Bring to a boil. Continue boil for at least 20 minutes, or till the soup has noticeably reduced. Add desired amount of salt and pepper.

If you’re feeling bold, add heavy cream.

Garnish with thyme leaves.

White Bean Soup

Start with this recipe from Bon Appétit. I didn’t use sage.

Coat the bottom of a saucepan with oil. Heat. Add one whole onion, chopped. Salt. Add two thick carrots cut into rounds. Once glistening and tender, remove contents and transfer to dish.

Tear apart or cut one bunch of kale. I used lacinato. Add oil then kale to already hot saucepan. Again, once tender and glistening, remove.

Add one can of diced or crushed tomatoes to saucepan. Add reserved bean fluid and 16 oz of broth. I used chicken. Bring to a boil.

Once the liquid is boiling add onion, carrot, and kale to pot. Cover with lid.

Add one zucchini, sliced into rounds and quartered.

Cook near simmering for 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.