Last night I dreamed my apple trees were loaded with apples, and some were as big as Minnesota Midgets!!! Stay with me here a minute… But there were so many apples everywhere! Maybe that was a sign this will be a good year for the orchard? Anyway…
The seed catalogs keep trickling in through the mail, tempting me to buy more seeds, but I’m pretty sure I have enough of what I need now.
Today I thought I’d share with you some new seeds I ordered that are new and exciting to me. It’s always fun to try a few new things out in the garden each year, isn’t it? Let’s start with Melons, one of my favorite summer treats…
Melon – “Minnesota Midget”
An heirloom “micro-melon”, introduced in Minnesota in 1948. They measure about 4 inches across, have sweet, orange flesh and are miniature versions of the “classic muskmelon.” Another cool thing – the vines stay short, like only about 3-4 feet in length. I’m giving these a try because I like the idea of short, space-saving vines, and also because I can probably devour an entire one of these little beauties all by myself – in about one minute flat.
Beans – “Beurre De Rocquencourt”
A productive heirloom wax bean named for Rocquencourt, France, a town in France’s rich farming country. Wax beans were introduced to France in the 1840s from Algeria. These beans are favored by cooks for their fine-flavored pods that are a bright waxy yellow in color.
I’m probably going to pass on growing the typical green bush beans this season. These Beurre De Rocquencourt beans should make for plenty of fun, colorful fresh bean dishes for summer. Why bother with boring green beans?
Rapini – Broccoli
An Italian non-heading broccoli, grown for flavorful, asparagus-like spring shoots and leaves. And loaded with vitamin A. We could all use more of that in our diets – right? However, I kinda screwed up, because what I thought I was buying was “Broccolini,” which I absolutely love. Broccolini is a hybrid vegetable, a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli that was invented in 1993. And it’s really good stuff.
However, from my understanding, “Rapini” is not at all the same thing…. Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe) is not actually a broccoli derivative at all, and is instead more closely related to the turnip. Rapini is also supposed to have a slight bitterness to it. Let’s hope I like it. If not, my rabbits will.
Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry
A Polish heirloom variety that supposedly has an unusually fine flavor—very sweet with a hint of tartness. 1/2-3/4-inch fruits enclosed in papery husks that drop to the ground when fully ripe. The high pectin content makes them an excellent choice for pies and preserves.
I’m so looking forward to growing ground cherries and making some wine, preserves or a pie. I’ve never tasted a ground cherry before – have you?
Russian Red Kale
I know what you’re thinking… “WTF? Seriously…Kale? !!!!????” “How, um…. very, very, boring.”
To be clear, I did not order Kale seeds. Apparently, Baker Creek sends along a free packet of “mystery” seed when you order seeds from them. And I got Kale. It could’ve been worse… But only if it were Okra.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate Kale (I do very much hate Okra). It’s just that Kale seems just so boring. Even Kale “chips” are not all that exciting. But whatever – I’m very, very appreciative for the free Russian Red Kale seeds and I will happily plant them. Because even if I don’t end up eating that much Kale, like I said, I know the bunnies will enjoy it. ~A
