Well, another gardening season has come to an end, except, maybe, for the last bit of raking and garden clean-up. I'll probably still be out there, trying to get my gardens done, when the first flakes of snow appear!
If you were one of those forward-thinking gardeners who saved seed from the vegetable garden, and need some advice on packaging and storing them, Fine Gardening magazine has made it easy. They have a plain, printable, seed packet template to download and a couple options available with the graphics done for you. To store your seed, provide the opposite conditions needed for growth, i.e., put them in a cool, dry and dark location. If you've got space, a refrigerator shelf is a good option. How long will they last? That would be different for each category of seed. Tomatoes last four years, whereas, beans are two to three.The seed packets you create would make great gift tags, by themselves and, filled with seed, an even better one.
When the snow flies this winter and your sitting by the fire looking at seed catalogues, consider trying something different for your vegetable garden. Saffron, usually considered a rather exotic and very expensive spice, is incredibly easy to grow, harvest and store. The taste of this spice is described as earthy, bitter and briny and the color it imparts to your dish can be a buttery yellow or nearly flourescent! Saffron is harvested from the red stigmas in the center of Crocus 'sativus'.This bulb (corm) is planted in the summer and lies dormant until October when it emerges from the ground with lovely lavender flowers. Dedicate a small area (2' x 5' is good) to growing this spice. After planting the safron crocus, overplant the area with annuals like portulaca. When the annual's flowers are blackened by frost, pull them out and you'll see the tips of the crocus starting to push through the ground.
Saffron is traditionally grown in the Mennonite gardens in rural Lancaster County, PA, a mecca for American Folk Art. In the mid-1800's, Joseph Lehn, a Mennonite farmer, turned his woodworking skills to craft a special container in which to store this spice. Shaped like a goblet with a cover and decorated with painted strawberries, pomegranites or pussywillows, this Lehnware has become a highly sought after antique, sometimes fetching a price of $48,000 at auction!! Yard sale anyone!!
Recent Comments