Newsletter Update

September 2007 (Our newsletters are all copyright The Tasteful Garden 2003-2007 if you would like to reprint any of this information please let us know by email.)

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I am so glad that September is almost here! After one of the worst droughts in many years here in the South, I can't wait for September to transition us into fall. Sometimes our summers seem to last forever and this year is no exception. With much sympathy for those in the middle of the US actually floating away, we are still excited every time we get a few drops from the sky. Our trees are shedding leaves to keep from drying out completely and grass is crunchy in our pasture. (Maybe someone will eventually figure out how to save water from one area and redistribute to drier areas.) Cabbage plants

Spinach, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts, Beets, Greens and Lettuces are ready to ship! Our wonderful collection of Fall vegetables have just exploded this year. The most colorful Swiss Chard and Golden Beets standing next to the dark green Spinach and Radicchio leaves waiting for the purple and white heads to form. Savoy Cabbage has gorgeous ruffles and our Endive adds texture and flavor to any salad. We have our entire line of fall plants ready for shipment and we will continue shipping through September. These plants are beautiful and you can just see the nutrition in their leaves! Try some in your garden this season.

Garlic and Shallots are to begin shipping next week for planting this fall. For most areas, October or November are the best times to plant. We have three varieties of garlic available including Nooka Rose, Inchelium Red and Elephant Garlic as well as Dutch Red Shallots. These go fast every year so please order early so we don't run out. They are very easy to grow and perfect to stay in the garden through the winter. Read more about growing garlic in our catalog. Try something new from The Tasteful Garden...where its all about the flavor.

Our 2007 Tomato season has finally come to an end but we are already looking towards next year's selections! Let us know your favorites in the survey below, we love getting feedback from you so we can offer the best selections anywhere. It just takes a few minutes and you will receive a 5 percent discount on your plants next season!

2007 ANNUAL TOMATO SURVEY

Join in on our annual tomato survey to give your opinion of the following tomato varieties we offered this past season. Your two cents will help us determine selection for next year and let us know if varieties prefer particular conditions or grow best in certain regions. Not all varieties are listed to keep this relatively simple to complete. If you have not grown that tomato before, just leave "Did not grow" selected.

You will receive an email with a special code to enter for a 5 percent discount next spring, just for answering.

I have grown the following tomatoes and my opinion is as follows:

Aunt Gertie's Gold Bradley

Arkansas Traveler Copia

Black Pear Gold Medal

Black Brandywine Goliath

Brandywine Green Zebra

Big Zebra Juliet

Cherokee Purple Rose de Berne

Persimmon Pruden's Purple

Ozark Mortgage Lifter

San Marzano Roma Classica

Romeo Sun Gold

Stump of the World Watermelon

My favorite tomato is

I hope you will add this tomato to your selection

my email address

Tasteful Garden Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

1 package egg roll wrappers (or use no boil lasagna noodles or cook your noodles if you have the time.)

2 16 oz. jars of pasta sauce, you may use marinara sauce, meat sauce or Alfredo sauce, or a combination of sauces *Note, I always get more sauce than I think I will need because for some reason, lasagna always takes extra sauce. You can also make your own marinara or béchamel (see below)

Vegetables and Herbs -- Your choice of:
Zucchini squash or eggplant, sliced thinly
Mushrooms, sliced
Red or Yellow Bell Peppers, sliced
Onions, sliced
Spinach, cooked or frozen and squeezed to remove water then chopped
Broccoli floret's, blanched
Carrots, sliced thin or matchstick sized

Fresh Basil, Parsley, Chives, Marjoram or Oregano, minced.

15-oz.container ricotta cheese
6 oz. goat cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onions, peppers, squash, eggplant, mushrooms, and other vegetables in a little olive oil until just tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add the herbs and cook another minute or two more and remove from the pan to cool slightly.

Lightly coat a 13 X 9 baking dish with olive oil. Spoon 1/3 cup of the sauce in the dish. Top with egg roll wrappers in a single layer just slightly overlapping pieces. In a small bowl stir together the ricotta cheese and the goat cheese. Spoon 1/2 of the mixture over the noodles in the dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella and a small amount of Parmesan. Top with 1/2 of the vegetables and 1/3 of the sauce.

Add another layer of egg roll wrappers, and repeat the cheeses, vegetables and sauce. Add an additional layer of egg roll wrappers then top with remaining sauce, mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Let stand, covered, on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Béchamel Sauce

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

New Books in our catalog: