Today a small snowstorm just dusted the leaf litter on the hill outside the bedroom window, traced the bare arms of the maple tree with white, and sent me straight to the seed catalogs. There I found joy. Hudson Valley Seed Company -- the folks with the delightful varieties and the artful packages that celebrate "the art of the seed" -- made me yearn for the season beyond the snow.
In the mix I found a wonderful tomato for sun-drying: Organic Principe Borghese. The catalog graphic shows hollowed-out tomatoes, ready to dry, along with an anecdote that made me laugh out loud.
Organic Principe Borghese comes with a hearty endorsement from Diane Greenberg at Catskill Native Nursery, who wrote, "Personally, I love Borghese. But sometimes people don't know how it should be used. They try to eat it like a cherry tomato and say, 'It was sooo dry and tasteless...' I have a good friend who has a little takeout restaurant in Lanesville and she makes the most wonderful dried tomatoes and sauces from Borghese.
"The best thing about Borghese is that they are perfect for drying in the hatchback of my Subaru Outback", she continues. "No other tomato dries so fast. I just cut them in half, sprinkle with salt and lay them on a parchment covered cookie sheet with some basil. I then place them in the back of the Subaru on a hot sunny day. Usually they are nicely done by late afternoon, plus the car smells like a ripe tomato."
Well, I have no Outback, but I do have a vintage Forester and a very sunny driveway, so I can't wait 'til summer to try this quick-and-easy recipe!
Another new introduction --Mikado, formerly Turner Hybrid -- grabbed me, not with a snazzy new commissioned-art cover, but because of the graphic from the original 1890's seedpack.
GRAPHICS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED SITE
And why in the world does this remind me of 2018 politics? CAN'T WAIT to get back out to the garden.
