The lifestyle category in Seed Savers Exchange’s article library includes recipes passed down for generations, modern new favorites using heirloom varieties, and articles on transforming your space.
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
Feaster Family Heirloom Mustard Greens, submitted by Jerome Feaster, seed donor “Cool weather is greens weather, and we like to eat these greens on special occasions,” says Jerome, whose family has stewarded this variety for nearly 100 years on the same farm near Shiloh in rural Marion County, Florida.
Amish Meets Italian Soup with Seed Savers Exchange Veggies, submitted by Susan J. Bliss, Seed Savers Exchange customer, This soup recipe is sweet with a touch of heat… perfect. But take note—it’s these varieties and ingredients that make this soup superb.
Grilled Okra with Indian Salt and Mixed Spices, submitted by Deborah Madison, chef, Seed Savers Exchange advisor, and author; recipe excerpted from The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. A long, pointed pod with fine ridges extending the length of its body, okra has another name, lady fingers, which suggests the refinement of its shape. Grilling okra is one of the best things that someone can do with okra. For ease of handling, skewer four or five pods onto two parallel skewers, like a ladder. Brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Grandma Ott’s Ground Cherry Jam, submitted by Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange. My Grandma Ott treasured her ground cherries for jams and pies. She would pick all she could before frost and store them in their husks under a bed upstairs. They would keep for months in that cool place and could be used fresh for special-occasion pies in the winter.
Steamed Eggplant – Hunan Style, from Eric Hsu, staff member at Chanticleer Garden, adapted from The Woks of Life. Steaming is not an approach many consider using when cooking eggplant, but the texture and consistency of the finished product is delectable and adaptable to the sauce below or simply being dressed with a little chili oil and soy sauce or miso.