Plant Sale Purchases

My shopping trip at the MSU plant sale was pretty successful this year.  As usual, I came home with a bunch of fruit/veggie seedlings, but no flowering plant purchases (I don't like spending money on plants that won't pay me back).  I made a point of getting to the sale extra early this year (I think I arrived at 8:30am), but they were still running out of many varieties!  I was lucky to snag the very last 'Blush' tomato in stock.  I was too late to get this variety last time, which is why I got up so early this year.  I also picked up 'Great White' although I actually grew this variety from seed this year (I thought that I was growing 'White Queen' at home), so now I have a few extra seedlings to put in my giveaway pile.

Here are descriptions of what I bought:

Celery 'Giant Red': A recent re-selection from the European red-stalked celeries. Selection goals were better color, earliness and disease resistance. Red celery has a richer flavor than the green types. Until you've sampled the golden-pink hearts, you haven't tasted celery! (Baker Creek)

Kohlrabi 'Superschmelz': 60-70 days-Spectacular light green kohlrabi makes the largest bulb of any variety, up to 10 inches across, and weighing up to 10 LB! Yet the flesh is tender and never gets fibrous. Requires a very rich soil and plenty of space to reach gigantic proportions. (Baker Creek)

Melon 'Ananas': Sweet and juicy white flesh. A rare white muskmelon, fruit are around 5 lbs. An old 1800's heirloom. (Baker Creek)

Melon 'Prescott Fond Blanc': 70 days. The most unique and beautiful French melon we sell! The fruit is 4-9 lbs., very flattened and ribbed, with warts and bumps. Melons have grey/green skin turning straw color; flesh is salmon-orange. Once one of the best known melons, it was mentioned in the 1860's, but it likely is much older. The flavor is very rich if picked at perfection, and the fragrance is heavenly. This is a favorite melon of mine; almost unheard of in this country. (Baker Creek)

Pepper 'Quadrato D'Asti Giallo': 80 days. The giant yellow Quadrato bell pepper. The huge fruit are a favorite here. The largest variety we have grown, beautiful and blocky, with very thick walls; the flavor is outstanding--sweet and rich! This Italian variety gives very heavy yields; one of the best varieties for marketing. This superb pepper is a real winner! (Baker Creek)

Tomato 'Blush': These 2 inch long cherry tomatoes have an unforgettable tropical sweet flavor reminiscent of pineapple and are ready to pick when the pink blush starts to appear over the yellow background. Widely adapted with a heavy fruit set over an extended period, the tall vines need staking. (Seeds of Change)

Tomato 'Hillbilly': 80 - 85 days. A huge, bi-color heirloom: brilliant yellow color with red marbling. Very large with a rich, sweet flavor. Beautiful when sliced. An heirloom believed to be from West Virginia. (Baker Creek)

Tomato 'Great White': 80-85 days. Large, 1-lb giant, creamy white fruit, this tomato is superbly wonderful. The flesh is so good and deliciously fruity, it reminds one of a mixture of fresh-cut pineapple, melon and guava. One of our favorite fresh-eating tomatoes! Fruit are smoother than most large beefsteak types, and yields can be very high. Introduced by Gleckler's Seedsmen. (Baker Creek)

Accidental Sweet and Sour Sauce (a.k.a. Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Jelly)

In the midst of my Yellow Tomato Jam session a few nights ago, I realized I had all the ingredients to make yet another savory jam. I picked up a few patio bell pepper plants at work last spring and they're finally cranking out some fruit (although they are quite small). I also have a couple hefty bundles of garlic that I ripped straight out of the ground and hastily shoved (dirt and all) onto a shelf in my basement. As I mentioned before, I was feeling really guilty about my near total neglect for my vegetable garden this summer and the lack of garden produce I've managed to incorporate into my cooking (again, thank-you Master's degree)...hence, Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Jelly (from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving).

I added a little red food coloring because I didn't think the aspic-like jelly looked particularly appetizing. By the time I got my act together and got all my jars and lids ready, the majority of the red pepper had nearly dissolved (wasn't expecting that), but the garlic stayed intact. I added a little black pepper and red pepper flakes because I thought some heat would be nice. 

It tastes remarkably like garlicky sweet and sour sauce, which I'm a little bummed about. Sweet and sour sauce is basically a syrup of sugar, vinegar, and bell pepper colored with either food dye or paprika (so, the exact same ingredients as the recipe I was using). Why wasn't I warned? I think Ball should consider renaming this recipe.

At least it's pretty? Maybe homemade egg rolls are in my near future.

Transplanting Peppers and Tomatillos

After about 2 weeks in their starter trays, my peppers and tomatillos were ready to transplant into cell packs. I was pleased by how well they had rooted out. 

Quick Tip: When transplanting seedlings, always pick them up with the cotyledons, not by the stem. While they can survive with a torn cotyledon, they cannot survive with a broken or crushed stem.

If you start your seeds in a "communal" seed tray, carefully tease apart the individual seedlings using a pencil or other pointed instrument.

Starting Peppers and Tomatillos

This past weekend I started all the seeds that need to be sown 9 weeks before last frost. For me, this included swiss chard, sweet peppers, and two kinds of tomatillos. Normally, peppers and tomatillos would be grouped together with the tomatoes (to be sown 7 weeks before last frost), but I've had a really difficult time with these two crops in the past. I'm hoping my heating mat will help things along this year.

Still no sign of germination in the celeriac from last weekend. Hopefully they're coming along okay.

Next weekend I will be starting broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. The real fun starts in two weeks when I get to start sowing my tomatoes (all 20 varieties, over 100 plants total).

I can't believe it, but I sowed the entire packet of 'Carnival Mix' sweet peppers. Assuming they all germinate, I will be inundated!

I probably only need 4 tomatillo plants, but I think I must have sown at least 30 seeds! I think I'm overcompensating because I've had trouble with tomatillos in the past. 

I have struggled with starting swiss chard indoors in the past too. Maybe these peat pellets will give me better results (or maybe direct sowing is the way to go)?

From the sounds of it, my week 9 crops will be the trickiest of them all. Maybe I'll have better luck this year. If not, I can always buy seedlings from the garden center.

Are there any crops you have a particularly difficult time with?