Green Verjuice Sauce

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ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Tak percely, a good quantite, & a litel peletre, & mynte, sauge, dytayne, grene garlyk; wasche hem, grynde smal, & bred therwyt. Tempere it wyt verius or wyt sorel & serue it forth.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

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MODERN RECIPE:

• 1 C parsley
• 1 C mixed fresh, green herbs, including mint, sage, chives, and other green herbs
• 3/4 C white bread crumbs
• 1/2 C white grape juice
• 1/4 C wine vinegar
• Garlic to taste
• 1/4 tsp hot mustard powder
• Salt to taste

1. In a blender or food processor, combine herbs and bread crumbs, and grind them fine.

2. Add the mustard powder, salt, apple juice and vinegar, and blend thoroughly. Pour the sauce into a bowl and allow it to sit for about an hour. Stir well before serving.

Yields one cup of sauce. 

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The Greenhouse: A Building with Many Stories

Photo by Marty Steeil

The Greenhouse of Teaneck, begun in 1953, is the only municipally-supported greenhouse in the State of New Jersey. Town Council records show that the Greenhouse is based in the refurbished Vandelinda Sewerage Treatment Plant.

 Adapting that building for use meant,  according to Council Minutes,  “covering the concrete vats, repairing the roof, and installing a heating system. ”The Garden Club of Teaneck took on cleaning up glass and debris, as well as fundraising, by asking for $25 per family to turn the site into a greenhouse. It opened up officially in January, 30 1954. Members organized by interest area work groups (i.e., herbs,  geraniums) and propagated plants for the use of the Township in parks and malls.

There were 31 original benches that were assigned in the opening year; all members paid dues of $3.00. Members who joined the Greenhouse needed to be members of the Garden Club, live in Teaneck and join a group to develop plants for the Township. These rules are used today still. Greenhouse Directors have included Gene Hubbard, Lou Schwartz, Dania Cheddie, Len Schwartz and Stephanie Murphy.

The Greenhouse has developed outreach activities in the community, such as their  education programs for children, now over 20 years in existence. It is finished for this year, and included students planting seeds and learning about a plant’s growth and parts.

The Garden Club holds an annual Plant Sale in the Greenhouse, this year from May 2^nd to May 10^th,. Container gardens, herbs, tomatoes, hanging baskets, vegetables, annuals, and more can be bought. To find sale hours, check:  http://gardenclubfteaneck.org   New this year are special demonstrations of interest to gardeners. You will see knowledgeable Garden Club members preparing soil, arranging potted plants and using color in landscape design. 

SOIL+ WATER plus ATTENTION = HERBS

SOIL+  WATER plus ATTENTION = HERBS

Getting Them Started in the Greenhouse

SOIL: Culinary herbs that we grow locally are rumored to do well in poor soil. This is a myth; herbs need nutrients to develop flavor and grow the cells that provide aroma and flavor (volatile oils), which comes from soil and sun. There are 17 types of soil in NJ; we will worry about that when we go outdoors. For germination indoors, we use a sterile medium to give the plant a head start.

Not for a while

STARTING FROM SEEDS: Some prepare a seed flat with soil and a lining of porous paper, such as newspaper, to keep the soil in the flat. Make sure not to dig them into an early grave! Plant a seed in a hole to a depth of 2-3 times the thickness of the seed. (experts vary.) Although the seed will huddle in the dark until it is ready, it will assert itself and break through the soil. Small seeds, such as Basil, Oregano, and Thyme can be placed on top of the soil and gently pressed into the soil, no layer on top. You can cover a seeded flat with plastic and place them away from light to germinate---the plant does not need light until it pushes forth. Then they need to develop that critical chlorophyll to absorb nutrition from the light (photosynthesis).

STARTING FROM CUTTINGS: When propagating Scented Rose Geraniums, use a sharp knife to make the diagonal cut on a tip stem, leaving 2 leaves. Do not enhance it with root hormone; there are chemicals in the cells that promote rooting. When there are two leaves on the stem of any seedling, separate the plantlets and place into small pots. You have a short window on plant health—they may overcrowd, and their root systems will entangle.

FERTILIZER: Another myth is that herbs do not need fertilizer. They will "make it", maybe, but why grow malnourished plants? Since the plants are in an enclosed space rather than outdoors, pay close attention to the dosage used.

WATER: When the plants are on a heated pad, you must watch the water moisture due to dryness; the seeds will dry out. If the plants are in a plastic wrapped flat, over moisture may cause seed rot. Think here of Goldilocks and the porridge that is “just right”. Some herbs are moistened by the random splashing of ocean spray. With the name, Rosemary, (ros= " dew” ,marinus= sea"), one would naturally infer that Rosemary can do well with only some spritzing and spare watering. Check the nature of the plant you tend.

NOW WHAT? Pay attention to the plant: water, feed, trim and have a good beginning to summer planting.  It is not much different when summer comes and these plants are outdoors.

But that is another story.

Seed Catalogs in January: My Short List of The Best

Picture from Roots Recipes Cookbook, Garden Club of Teaneck, P. Fromm

Brave Gardener  in Teaneck NJ  Community Gardens
n March 2014, No  doubt he will be doing this in March 2015.

SEED CATALOGS in January

To sleep, perchance to dream---this is not the best way to realize your garden dreams for 2015, no matter what Shakespeare said. It is time to look at catalogs and think of the first seeds to hit the ground in March. 

And why do we look at seed catalogs? To look at the gorgeous pictures, to believe our garden will look that good in July, to plan the best garden ever, especially after last summer’s are the usual answers. 

I looked at many a garden catalog to draw up my Short List of Catalogs I Cannot Do Without, with the necessity that herbs were included.

The Catalog with Beautiful Photos: Territorial Seed Company  

.  The very best photo book costs a whopping $7.95, the company claims it is a new venture that goes beyond a catalog to a garden book. Their free catalog is chock full of pictures of rare and hard to find vegetables. A close second is the perennial favorite, Burpee Seeds. This one makes me itch to plant all those new hybrids so I have a rich tomato sauce with less tomatoes.

Most Information in a Catalog: Seed companies want to have their seeds germinate, and so they provide information on the best conditions for planting the seeds. Johnny’sSeeds had the most complete array of information on planting factors, just follow the instructions for successful germination. It was rated overall the top company in a Mother Earth article on the best sustainable seed company.

Second, there is the encyclopedic Well Sweep Farm catalog, with herbs grouped by Latin name. This serves as a handbook for herb lovers, with its complete varieties of Rosemary listed. And third here is Salt Spring Seeds, for its large collection of articles on seed saving and preservation for each vegetable.

www.saltspringseeds.com

 

Best Greens and Herbs from Asia: Kitazawa Seed Company has a wide array herbs from Asian countries, such as Vietnamese ones, such as Culantro Ngo gai  and Kinh Gioi,

Best Seed Packaging Most use paper seed packets, some are decorated elaborately (Renee’sSeed Company, uses original watercolors on the packets. ) Seeds of Change has a thick plastic packet with a zip-lock closing to keep the seeds from tumbling out or deteriorating.

 I have them from last season.

Attention to Cooking: No surprise, it is Cook’s   the other Warminster, PA seed company, has a collection of recipes in From the Cook's Garden that features the herbs grown from seeds in the catalog.  I bought it at a community garden conference, it has veggie-centered good recipes.