Seed Savers Exchange’s library of how-tos is full of practical guidance on a wide range of topics, including gardening, seed saving, pest control, soil health, and more.
Maximize space in your garden with trellises. Some crop types—like cucumbers, tomatoes, and pole beans—need the extra support a trellis can provide, and others, like melons and squash, don’t require trellises but can benefit from being lifted off of the ground. When fruits are suspended from a trellis and kept from the soil surface, they are less prone to disease, and going vertical means that plants can grow vertically instead of sprawling, opening up some garden real estate on which to plant other crops.
Sugo: Juice of Life, submitted by Robin Morgan, Seed Savers Exchange intern and Italian chef. The Italian word sugo means both “juice of life” and a tomato-based pasta sauce. To call something sugo is to say it is rich, interesting, and worthy.
Cabbage Pasta, submitted by Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange, Diane’s daughter, Tracy Lynn Whealy, never was a vegetable fan, but she discovered how delicious cabbage can be through her mother’s pasta dish. This is a beautiful dish when prepared with red cabbage.
Fried Thin Skin Ausilio Peppers, submitted by the Ogle-Riccelli family, who have stewarded the ‘Ausilio Thin Skin Italian’ pepper for four, going on five generations. These fried peppers taste great on bread or in a sandwich and go well with onions, mushrooms, and diced potatoes.
Golden Tomato Tart, submitted by Rosalind Creasy, author, photographer, and Seed Savers Exchange advisor. This spectacular tart can be served as an appetizer or as an entrée for a light lunch. It is quite dramatic made with gold tomatoes or any combination of colorful homegrown luscious tomatoes. Any leftover marinade can be used as a base for a vinaigrette dressing.
Rustic Zucchini Crust Pizza, submitted by Amy Goldman, special advisor to the SSE board and author; recipe from The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower’s Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds. This rustic repast is something like a frittata but not quite as eggy. It is cooked in the oven like a pizza rather than on top of the stove. My daughter won’t eat zucchini in any other form.
Chard Tart with Saffron and Fennel Seeds, submitted by Deborah Madison, chef, Seed Savers Exchange advisor, and author; recipe from The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
