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September 2008

Tomato season is finally over for us for this year. After planting over 25,000 tomato seeds and shipping them all over the country for the last 6 months, we are finally through for the season!  As much as we love tomatoes, we are kind of glad to see them go after a long season of planting.  We have found a few new favorites and are looking forward to adding some more new varieties as well as bringing some old ones back for 2009.  Tastefulgarden.com has the option of adding reviews to each of our plant varieties. For a limited time, if you visit our 2008 Spring Catalog and fill out reviews on three or more plants, we will email you a discount code of 5% off to be used on tomato plants for next year.  We would love it if you would take a few minutes to indicate which varieties you grew this year and which ones did well in your garden.  Your photos can also be added to our descriptions online if you send them to mail@tastefulgarden.com.   This is so helpful to others trying to decide which ones to grow next year.

Fall vegetables are still available for a limited time so order now!  Don't wait for the weather to cool off completely, that may be too late to plant in your area.  Timing fall vegetables is critical so that you get production before your cold weather sets in.  We have attempted to select the earliest varieties we could but don't wait, get them in the ground now for best results. Every year we plant a full collection of the most beautiful vegetable plants, all ready to go into your garden.  Many of these vegetables such as Arugula and Mustard Greens can be harvested very quickly and will continue throughout the fall. A few vegetables will even overwinter such as Cabbage, Spinach and Collards!  Try growing some of our greens this fall and add nutrition and superb taste to your table.  Read this article for more information on Growing Greens in your Garden.

Fall is really the best time to grow fresh herbs.  With the cooler weather, we cook so much more and there are no better ways to use herbs than in soups.  Get yours growing in the kitchen where they will be handy!  Our Kitchen herb planter kits, Windowsill herb gardens and Hanging Baskets are just beautiful indoors.  Send one to a friend as a birthday or anniversary gift or for a house warming present for new home owners!  Available through the Holiday season, you just can't beat our beautiful fragrant live herb plants!     

Our Garlic and Shallots are now available and should be planted in September or October in most areas. These fantastic bulbs are going fast so order now.  We have French Red Shallots that are just huge! Music Garlic bulbs are very large this year and taste fantastic.  Grown by our own Chris Bennett in his garden here in Alabama. They are very easy and perfect to grow in the garden through the winter with harvest ready in June. Read more about growing garlic in our catalog.

 At The Tasteful Garden, it's all about the flavor--try out our new delicious recipe:

Shrimp & Grits -- This is a recipe for a yummy, thick and rich concoction that is originally from the low country of Charleston, Savannah and even New Orleans.  Make it as hot and spicy as you like or creamy and delicate with hot cheesy grits.  A nice spinach salad and some good French bread tops it off. 1 cup Grits (the slow cooking kind, not instant) half & half and water as directed 4 slices of smoked thick cut bacon or 4 oz. Tasso ham or prosciutto, diced 2 tsp. butter (if using ham) 1/2 large sweet onion, diced 1 shallot, minced 1 sweet bell pepper, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 heaping tbsp. flour 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup chicken stock 3-4 chopped scallions 2-3 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, minced  (You can also use chives, basil, even cilantro) 2 cooked smoked sausages, diced 1 lb. or more of large Shrimp, peeled and deveined and cut into bite sized pieces (or leave them in the shell for a nice messy dinner) 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano Reggiano 1 tsp. butter Tabasco or Sriracha hot chili sauce salt & cracked pepper Cook grits according to directions using half water and half milk (or half & half) instead of water. Cook smoked bacon or chopped Tasso ham (if you can get it) in a large skillet until browned. Crumble bacon and set aside. In the remaining bacon drippings, or in butter, cook onion and/or shallots and sweet bell pepper until onions go translucent. Add 1 large or 2 small cloves of minced garlic at the end for another minute or so. Add flour sprinkled over the vegetables and mix until well incorporated (no flour showing) and slightly cooked. Add ½ cup white wine and cook for a minute or two then add chicken stock and stir in well to make a sauce. Cook for 5 minutes. (If it is very thick and lumpy, add a little more chicken stock) Add chopped scallions, parsley, reserved bacon, chopped smoked sausage and 1 lb. or more of large shrimp. (I peel the shrimp but if you prefer to cook them in the shell, that is fine too) Add fresh chopped parsley, salt & cracked pepper to taste and a bit of hot sauce (Tabasco or Sriracha hot chili sauce) for extra heat. Cook until shrimp are done, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup grated Parmigiano reggiano (or cheddar cheese) and butter to hot grits and serve topped with shrimp mixture.

In the Garden:

If your soil tends to be acidic, Lime your garden now!  Before the rains of fall and winter, make sure to add lime to the garden so it can be broken down and correct pH levels by springtime.  Get all your old leaves that fall and put them into the garden as well.  Leaves can actually sweeten the taste of your tomatoes in the spring, so get them all in and ask your neighbors for theirs, too!  Lay them on top of the soil and add compost on top to keep them from blowing away.  By spring you will have gorgeous rich mulch to turn into the soil.  Plus by adding the leaves on top, they act as a blanket for the worms and other critters underground that will dig and work your garden into a fluffy and dark loamy-mixture. 

Roll up and put away all your garden supports and cages and put them where you can find them next year.  Pull out any nasty weeds and get them out of the area.  All other old plant material should be composted over the winter.  If you had any disease problems, throw away any leftover plant material to prevent it spreading with your compost into next year's garden.

A soil test is a good idea so that if you have to add minerals to the soil, they can be added now to correct any deficiencies by spring.  Most gardens will need Lime to bring acidity up to the right level.  Some dry season gardens in the Southwest may need to leach the soil with gypsum to bring pH down.  Normal or neutral range is between 6-6.5. 

Cover cropping is a great idea for newer gardens that are to be dormant over the winter.  You can plant clover or rye grass or many other types of "green manure" to help "dig" poor soil.  The roots of these plants will find their way down deep and actually work the soil for you!  Turn them under in early spring for free fertilizer which breaks down into nitrogen for your plants.  They will also shade out weeds and prevent them from growing in your dormant garden.

Our End of Summer Book SALE continues!   Read some fantastic books about, what else? Gardening and Cooking from the Garden.  Our books are all on sale right now in our bookstore with many new titles!

May we remember in this time of our elections to find the best men and women for the job of leading us together towards our common goals of clean air, excellent education for our children, prosperity and good health for all. 

Contact Us toll free 866-855-6344 or visit us at www.tastefulgarden.com