A Gardener's Dream; A Cook's Reward

It may barely be January but when a catalog arrives filled with the seeds of the promise of summer, no one can blame you for dreaming of and planning for your next garden.

The Cook’s Garden from W. Atlee Burpee, a long-respected leader in garden plants and seeds, is brimming with seeds and starters for a range of vegetables, fruits and flowers guaranteed to keep the garden and kitchen humming. The 107- page catalog states it is the premier seed source for European Garden Vegetables and that seems to be an accurate description.

Some of the stand-outs include the new Pineapple Tomatillo, a golden-yellow blueberry-sized fruit that tastes like a pineapple. These are low-growing plants (always welcome) that produce huge yields of tomatillos encased in papery husks. Another new standout is the Carmelita Tomato—a hybrid of the most flavorful French heirloom varieties, these 8-ounce raspberry red fruits have superior flavor and texture. The Thai Purple Blush Eggplant is a miniature, round eggplant that is particularly well-suited for Thai cooking and curry dishes.

Salad greens include tangy Arugula, Lollo Rossa, a looseleaf lettuce and once-wild greens such as Lamb’s Lettuce. The Heatwave blend is a mixture that provides a prolific and dependable source of greens during even the hottest months.Colorful pepper collections such as hot Dancing Spirits and sweet Friggitello will add to the garden and the cuisine that follows.

Then there are the pages of intriguing edible flowers—Nasturtium, Calendula, Marigold, and others to add distinctive color to the garden and to meals.

Turning the pages of Burpee’s Cook’s Garden catalog will put anyone in the frame of mind of thinking about tilling the warmer earth and planning and planting. Even armchair gardeners can enjoy dreaming with this booklet.

Visit http://www.cooksgarden.com/ for more information, ideas and to request a catalog.

Birds as Winter Colors

It’s true that virtually all flowers and lithe green things have finally been beaten down by the three or so frosts that have carpeted much of the landscape of late. There still are plenty of scarlet, flame and nutbrown leaves scattered on the tress and on the ground. But not for long. Now is the time to fill the birdfeeders in the garden if you have any and the time to buy at least one if you haven’t had the pleasure of feeding wild birds during the winter months.

It is work, of course. And a commitment. Once you start, you have to keep up. But the rewards are many. Even having one feeder, keeping it filled with nyger seed or other small variety for finches or small birds can be very filling for the birds and quite entertaining for you. Have a suet cake holder for easy-to-use suet cakes for larger birds.

When buying seeds such as sunflower for larger birds, it is worth the extra cost to purchase the hulled seeds, that way there will very little seed cases scattered all over the ground, slowly building into an unwelcome heap.

You can find a good selection of wild bird food in chain stores, some specialty shops and also online, at www.petfooddirect.com, which often has specials that translate into having virtually no shipping costs.

Give it a try. You will be helping the birds—who in turn help you in the summer by eating harmful insects and weed seeds--- and helping yourself as well.

Garden withdrawal

It is nearly November and if you haven't already dismantled your vegetable garden, now is the time. Don't worry about garden withdrawal. Think of the removal of the spent and dried or wilted stems and branches as reminders of the future; what you will plant and care for and watch over come next Spring. Let the Winter blanket the plot with restful frost or snow. Planting a winter rye grass may help nourish the soil for your next planting.

Plan and the Plant. But that is several months (at least) away. Given the state of the economy, you may want to devote more space to a vegetable garden next year.