Happy New Year! What a lovely beginning with temperatures reaching 60 plus degrees in some areas.
January isn't considered a 'gardening month' but it's the time of year when we gardeners have more time to relax and reflect on the previous seasons successes and failures and to plan for the upcoming growing season. Catalogues will be coming in the mail in a pretty steady stream for a while with enticing color photos and descriptions and some include valuable gardening advice, as well. We are most familiar with names like Burpee, Stokes, Select Seeds, Cook's Garden, Johnny's and Thomson & Morgan. However, I've come across an article listing a number of catalogues I've never heard of before: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interests, and Kitazawa Seed Company (Asian Vegetables) to name a few. Click here for the entire list.
Taking stock, or rather making stock, is also something we could be doing now. It's best if you tend to buy organic vegetables at the market, if not, you'll need to scrub and wash them well. Take the peelings of carrots, potato, squash, etc., that you usually toss into the garbage or disposal and put them in a large stock pot. If you've got some vegetables that have wilted (parsley, green onions)or are past their prime( tomato, green pepper, celery), cut them up and add them to the pot. Cover with water, add a tablespoon of whole peppercorns, 2-3 bay leaves, 2-3 cloves garlic or whatever flavorings you'd like and simmer for at least an hour. Strain out the solids and discard. Freeze the stock in an ice cube tray or in portions you would use to make hearty stews and winter soups. Mmmm!
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