Fenton Friday -- Tomatillo: Food or Cat Toys?

purple tomatillos

So I have these five purple tomatillos I grew at my Fenton Community Garden plot sitting on my kitchen windowsill. They are pretty and all, but I have NO idea what to do with them. Too few for a salsa or really any recipe. Too tart to just eat them straight. So there they sit. Or should I say, there they MOSTLY sit as every morning this week I have found one or two rolling around on the kitchen floor. Cat toys in some nocturnal kitty soccer game. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see cat hair on the one that is second from the right as evidence. At this point, I may sacrific them all to the cats unless someone has a good recipe idea?

My Martha Adventure

So it started a few weeks ago when a couple friends both separately mentioned wanting to take a NY trip this fall. I remembered I had wanted to take in a Martha Stewart Show taping sometime and figured I'd check the television taping schedule to see if any would make timing sense with the NY trips.

On the Martha Stewart web site, the first show listed was for a "Harvest" show and they wanted gardeners to bring in their home-grown edibles. I shot off a quick online note that night describing my new community garden plot and saying I'd bring okra. I got a call and email the next morning say "yes" -- to bring the okra (as no other applicants had mentioned it) and could I bring some gardening friends.

I immediately thought of my fellow garden writers and New York natives, Ellen Zachos and Ellen Spector Platt. I called the Ellens and they were both "in." I made my bus reservations and started planning my basket design and wardrobe. The show sent a few more notes asking again for more gardening friends, for garden advice tips, and to tell us all the rules. Those included not to wear black, tan, or grey; to not bring Martha "gift" or expect an autograph; to arrive on time (8:30am for our 10am live show); etc.

Packing up my basket the day before my departure, I saw I was a little low on okra so I added a strawberry basket in of tomatillos, yellow cherry tomatoes, and a small jar filled with ground cherries. I then asked a few fellow community gardeners if they had okra to spare. I cut 2 green from one plot and 3 reds from another. I figured more was better than looking skimpy. I'm glad I did as I lost a couple okra somewhere along my journey!

The morning of the show, the Ellens and I arrived at the studio to find a long line out front. We had a little time as they brought in groups a few at a time through security and screening. We compared basket contents with our line-neighbors and exchanged stories/backgrounds/introductions. It became clear to me that most others there were not home gardeners, but instead were professional farmers. Indeed, as we were grouped and seated for the show, they called folks in by their farm names. I was disappointed that the theme and focus had shifted off of backyard, urban growers, but I understand the staff had to make sure there was a full bounty and good turn-out.

While we waited outside, Joey, the warm-up guy, and a few producers came out and told those of us still in line to get ready for a camera pan and to put on our "TV smiles." They did a few passes with a steady cam then we got in and filled out release forms, checked our bags, and got seated.

Before the show and during the commercial breaks they played amped-up energy pop like Eminem and the Pussycat Dolls. I had to wonder if Martha actually liked it or merely tolerated it. 

The opening segment, Martha pulled out HER basket of home-grown okra and proceeded to cook with it. So, yeah, my presence or basket were not needed - LOL.

It was an interesting show with chef Emeril Lagasse as the only guest. He came in the ground and made a dish from the ingredients he collected from baskets. To me he seemed rather subdued and quiet, maybe Martha makes him nervous?

Next, they pulled a NY corn farmer from the audience and he got to use his sweet corn with Martha showing some cooking and preserving tips.

A segment taped at the National Heirloom Exhibition in Sonoma, CA, was very well done, and actually made me want to go to it next year. Though I believe the time conflicts badly with the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello :-(.

Most of the produce brought to the show went to City Harvest, a NY food bank. (You were given a choice if you wanted to take it back or donate it and Martha even commented off-camera that she knew it would be hard for some to give-away their home-grown babies as they put so much work into them.) I gave all the okra (about 5 pounds worth), but kept the jar of ground cherries as I promised to try and save the seeds for a few fellow gardeners. The ground cherries and tomatoes I shared with seat neighbors to snack on.

After the show, we all received two books, ""Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders," by Emeril Lagasse and "The Heirloom Life Gardener," by Jere and Emilee Gettle. I perused both on the bus ride back to DC. I'll be adding the heirloom edibles book to our review pile for the magazine and think I'll make the Emeril book a prize in a future contest.



Ellen Zachos in blue, Ellen Spector Platt in red, and me in tangerine sweater set (waving).



Don't blink or you'll miss me!



Emeril picks the lilac wine from Ellen's basket. I'm on her left.



Emeril trying to open Ellen's lilac wine on air.



During the Q&A, the women in front of us gets picked first. You can see Ellen Spector Platt's herb basket on her left and my okra basket to her right.



As the end credits roll, they panned up the aisle and you get a really good luck at us and our "tv smiles."

Video Wednesday: DC School Garden Week 2011 Kick-Off

DC School Garden Week 2011 kick-off event at the Walker-Jones Academy in NW Washington DC at the Walker-Jones Farm.

The events this week include workshops, talks, networking, and school garden tours. Find out more at http://www.dcschoolgardenweek.org/.

Music in this video is "Everything Begins" by http://www.danosongs.com/.

Tip for Halloween Pumpkin Shoppers: Buy Local and Buy Early

Margaret McGrath, associate professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University, comments on the current growing season and the availability of pumpkins to consumers this fall.

She says: “There has been a lot of concern about the pumpkin crop this year because conditions were very favorable for diseases to develop with all the rain during recent storms. But just like a bad flu season when many of us are able to avoid becoming sick, there are some nice healthy pumpkins available, especially for the early shoppers.
   “Our farmers put a lot of effort and money into producing top quality pumpkins and other produce. In a year like this when they have lost more than usual, it is especially important to buy local to help support these farmers so they can stay in business. They don't increase their prices to make up for their losses.”

Pruning the Social Media Maze for Gardeners and Garden Organizers

You are invited to a FREE talk -- part of DC School Garden Week --
Pruning the Social Media Maze for Gardeners and Garden Organizers

Moderator:
Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine

Panelists:
~ Abbie Steiner, The Capital Area Food Bank
~ Lola Bloom Co-founder, City Blossoms
~ Frances Evangelista, Community Outreach and Development, Walker Jones Education Campus

Tuesday, September 27, 5:00 p.m.

In the school library at the Walker Jones Education Campus. 1125 New Jersey Avenue NW.

FREE to attend
Find out where gardeners are hanging out in the social media sphere and how to best reach them. We’ll discuss the pros-cons, hows and whys of Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, e-newsletters, and, the newest to the party, Google +.

Fenton Friday: Watermelon "Feast"

garlic

Another water-logged week in the Mid-Atlantic, so I'm not doing much over at my Fenton Community Garden plot other than oicking some okra, cherry tomatoes, and corn as well as pulling the occasional weed. I did see that the garlic I planted has popped right up. Maybe next year, I'll have some nice-sized heads.









'Sugar Baby' watermelon on the vine


I also finally picked one of my 'Sugar Baby' watermelons. It never grew much bigger than a large grapefruit and rather than let it rot out there, I figured I might as well cut it and see what is inside. The outside flesh is a very dark green, almost black, which is just as 'Sugar Baby' should be. The inside flesh was red and sweet, though not that much to it really. It has more seeds than I care for when eating it, but I suppose I should collect and save some for the upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges this winter. For anyone who wants a "personal-sized" watermelon, this would do well. I think though as I love to snack on watermelon in the summer heat, I'll look for a variety that is a bit bigger, seedless, and ripens earlier in the season.

'Sugar Baby' watermelon cut up



Eyewitness Gardening

Guest Blog by Sharon Corish

I have always loved gardening, but recently I have really gotten interested in the botany aspect of gardening. I have gone to the library to pick up books like Botany for Gardeners: Revised Edition by Brian Capon, and the Eyewitness Books on plants. I have turned to encyclopedias and browsed various web sites in search of answers to plant questions. Though, nothing quite beats the privilege of hands-on learning.

My favorite way to learn about the plants around me and how they work is by watching them. For instance, most of this past summer I was wondering why I did not see many impatiens seedpods. I soon learned that they would not produce many pods until later in the summer, and when they do, the pods burst when they have ripened fully. Learning from real-life experiences is the only true way to learn something and actually remember it. I do not think any textbook reading or online article can match to the excitement and surprise I felt when that impatiens seedpod suddenly exploded out of my hands shortly after being picked. Nature is an exciting classroom, best experienced in person. Articles are great for background knowledge, because without them, sometimes we have a hard time knowing what to look for.

About Our Guest Blogger:
Sharon has started blogging at http://sharon-corish.blogspot.com/. She loves botany, art and writing, and has a passion for helping others.

We welcome guest blog posts from beginner and experienced gardeners. If you'd like to submit a guest blog post, contact us at wgardenermag (at) aol (dot) com with "Guest blog" in the subject line.

Video Wednesday: Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello

This video is to give you a little flavor of the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello.

Free Royalty Free Music by DanoSongs.com

What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?

This past week I visited a great exhibit at the National Archives in downtown DC. The free exhibit runs through January 3 and is all about the government's effect on the American diet. It sounds like a rather dry subject, I admit, but don't let that prevent you from going. I found a lot of the displays were quite fascinating and much ofthe subjects were centered on gardening/growing of food in this country and how the government has had a hand in guiding it.

For instance, did you know the US government gave out free seeds from 1839-1924 just for the asking? A log book is on display at the exhibit as well as some of the seed packs. Not just crops like wheat, just also cosmos flowers and more ornamental plants. The practice ended after the American Seed Trade Association successfully lobbied against the practice as clearly this hurt the seed trade.

Another fact I had not known was that while the folks back home were on rations during World War II and told to grow their own food, our boys overseas were alloted 5,000 calories per soldier and the average joe came back 15-20 pounds heavier!

If you go, be sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out. They have some nifty cookbook reprints and retro-style items. I have my eye on a tin mug stamped "Dig for Victory" that will make a great holiday gift for a couple folks on my list.

BTW absolutely NO photography is allowed inside the exhibit, so leave the camera at home.

Heritage Harvest Fest this weekend!

I'm ecstastic that Washington Gardener Magazine will be the part of the 5th annual Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello this year. It is a celebration of gardening, sustainable agriculture, and local food, held on the breathtaking West Lawn of Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. Taste heirloom fruits and vegetables and learn about organic gardening and seed-saving at this fun, family-friendly festival talking place Friday-Saturday, September 16-17, 2011.

We'll have a table in the Tasting Tent all day Saturday where you can sign up for subscriptions or buy current and back issues. I'll also be talking on "Small Space Gardening" on Saturday from 3:15-4:15pm in Classroom 7, Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of my friends and colleague there as well as participating in the old-fashioned Seed Swap on early Saturday morning. One booth I'll definitely stop by is Landreth Seed Company. If you have not already heard, they could really use your support.

I hope you will join me for all or part of the festival!

Fenton Friday: Tomato Time!

So finally the tomatoes are doing something! After weeks of piddly fruit and those few I did get all cracking/splitting from the hurricanes/tropical storms, I finally have a good crop ripening all at once. I am surprised to see that many of my fellow Fenton Community Gardeners have already ripped out their tomato plants (fruit and all) and throw them on the compost pile. There is still plenty of life in those vines left folks and I guarantee we'll have more 90+ degree days in the next few weeks as summer is NOT over yet. (Despite what big retailers and marketers would have you believe.) Even if we do not have any more hot days, you can still pick the green one and let them ripen at home or use them "green" in salsa, jams, or other savory recipes. Personally, I'm not pulling my tomatoes until the frost blackens them.