Seed to Feed Me

Thursday, 23 May 2013

HOW TO GROW BASIL

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Basil is a great culinary herb as it is really versatile. It has a strong, clove like flavour that is perfect with tomato and pastas dishes or fresh in salads. Used profusely in Italian dishes it is no wonder it is one of our most popular herbs.

Basil is an annual plant and so is very easy to grow from seed. It requires a consistent and high temperature to initiate germination. Basil is easy to sow from seed indoors on a windowsill or in a greenhouse in March or April, ready to be planted out in early June. You can sow the seeds direct into the bed during late May and early June. Alternatively sow basil seed anytime if growing inside in pots in a light warm position.

Fill a pot or a seed tray with damp John Innes ‘seed and potting compost’. Thinly sow your basil seeds over the surface. Gently cover with compost and water. Move to a light warm position such as a windowsill.

You can speed up the germination period by covering your pot with glass or placing in a propagator. This will ensure that moisture and humidity levels are maintained at a constant. Ensure you permanently remove any coverings as soon as your basil seedlings have germinated or they will be prone to fungal infection.

Your basil seeds should germinate between 7-14 days depending on variety and species. Water your pot but do not allow the compost to dry out, or over water . A light watering twice a day should be about right. When the seedlings have emerged move to a light position out of direct sunlight. You can transplant each seedling into a 9 cm when the second set of ‘true’ leaves have fully formed. Plant 3 seedlings in each pot.

If planting outside, ensure that you fully harden off your plants for several weeks. Plant basil outside after the risk of frosts have passed, usually the end of May. Select a well drained, sunny spot. Cultivate the soil and incorporate a general purpose fertiliser. Space the plants 30 cm apart.

Pinch out the growing tips regularly to produce a bushy plant. Harvest the leaves regularly as this will prolong the life of the plant. Remove any flower buds as they arise as they make the leaves taste bitter and reduce the grow of new foliage.

Harvest the leaves during the summer. Any extra leaves can be made into pesto or chopped up and frozen in ice cube trays.

Basil is not frost hardy so if you wish to continue your supply of fresh basil simply dig up the plant in September and move to a pot on the windowsill in the house.

For related articles click onto:
Artichokes
Bella donna
Can you keep bees in your garden?
Differences between vegetables and fruit
Drainage
Do worms sleep?
Feeding plants
Garden sheds
Grass maintenance - laying turf
Grass maintenance - sowing a lawn from seed
Growing Christmas trees
Growing Garlic in Containers
Growing rhubarb
Growing potatoes
Growing tomatoes
Growing tomatoes from seed
Harvesting potatoes
Herbaceous borders
History of the lawn
How do I attract bees into my garden?
How do you know when tomatoes are ripe?
How to grow broccoli from seed
How to grow cauliflower from seed
How to grow garlic
How to grow lavender
How to keep your cut Christmas tree
How do seedless fruits propagate
How to build a cold frame
How to Grow Agave from Seed

How to grow artichokes from rooted cuttings

Photos care of
http://marycrimmins.com/, http://foodnstuff.wordpress.com/,
http://onehotstove.blogspot.co.uk/,
https://www.sears.com/

Sunday, 19 May 2013

SORRENTO LEMONS

CLICK HERE FOR THE 'GARDEN OF EADEN’ SEED SHOP

Written by guest author Simon Eade from Travel and Holiday Europe

If you have ever travelled the roads along the Amalfi coast then you have probably noticed the huge number of fields that are devoted to lemon production.

The introduction of the varieties of lemons grown on the Amalfi Coast and the coastline surrounding Sorrento date back to Roman times, and have changed very little over the passing 2 millennia . In fact, mosaics and paintings that survived in ancient Roman villas in Pompeii and Herculaneum show lemons that are shaped remarkably like the lemons grown in Sorrento today.

However, it millennia until much later, from the 10th-11th centuries, that the cultivation and production of lemons would start to become an important part of the economy on the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.

Cultivated under traditional, tall wooden frames, these lemon groves require protection from cold winter winds, rain, hail and - rather surprisingly, the occasional frost. And when I say tall I mean it, you can be looking at frames of up to 5 even 6 metres tall. Why. Because the lemon varieties grow in Sorrento can get as tall as 8 metres. They are easy to spot as they are often left to protrude through the netting and have there fruit unharvested.

The tops and sides of the wooded structures were traditionally covered with a kind of rush, twig or bamboo matting - something that you can still see. However, growers are now starting to modernise and converting over to black plastic shading

The inhabitants of the small town of Sorrento are rightly proud of their lemons. In fact, these locals believe that their lemons are the best in the world!

Found in Campania region of southern Italy, sorrento lemons - otherwise known as the Limone di Sorrento, Ovale di Sorrento, Massese or Massalubrense lemon, is a highly regarded lemon variety whose popularity outside of the United States rivals that of the Eureka.

Even as late as the turn of the twentieth century, Sorrento lemons were sold individually and could only be handled by women who had to have trimmed nails and wear cotton gloves to handle them. Why? Well, the rind of the Sorrento lemon is relatively fragile and any damage to it will quickly allow fungal rots to take hold.

The Sorrento lemon has a lemondrop yellow, highly fragrant, medium-thick peel. Its ovate in shape with tapered ends.

The pulp is translucent yellow in colour and yields a large quantity of semi acidic juice. Although the flesh is very low in seeds and often found to be seedless, the lemon cannot be sold as a seedless variety.

In Italy the Sorrento lemon is the lemon used in the making of the popular and very tasty Italian liqueur, Limoncello. In fact 60% of the lemons cultivated are reserved for Limoncello. It is also the most widely used lemon for fresh consumption in Italy.

In November of 2000 Sorrento lemons earned their own IGP recognition (Protected Geographical Indication), similar to the prestigious AOC designation for cheeses.

For more articles from Simon Eade click onto The Garden of Eaden
Sorrento lemons
Where is Sorrento?
based on an article from http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Sorrento_Lemons_4780.php and http://www.reveal-italy.com/how-to-make-limoncello/
Images care of http://www.villamassa.com/VillaMassaStore/showpage/130?LANGUAGE_ID=2 and http://www.altracostiera.com/tours.asp?l=1&idt=14 and http://destinationsbymv.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/naples-and-sorrento-italy/

Monday, 6 May 2013

CUTTLEFISH FACTS

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Cuttlefish are molluscs. They belong to the marine order Sepiida and class Cephalopoda, along with octopuses, squid and nautiluses. But rather than living in the open water like squid they stick close to the ground.

They get their name from the strange cuttle bone, an internal shell that runs along the length of their body. This bone is porous and made of aragonite. It provides buoyancy to the cuttlefish, which is regulated by a change of gas to liquid ratio in the chamber.

Cuttlefish bone is often collected on the beach and sold in pet shops as a dietary aid to caged parrots and birds as it is high in calcium.

Cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles, which are covered with tiny tentacle suckers. They often weigh several kilograms but the largest species, Sepia apama, can weigh over 10 kg (23 llb). They range in size from 15 to 25 cm but can reach 50 cm in length.

Cuttlefish move mainly by a fin line that runs around their entire body. They feed on small molluscs, shrimp, crabs, octopuses and other small sea creatures.

Like octopuses cuttlefish are capable of sudden colour changes, which they use as camouflage and also to signal their moods. They control their colour through groups of red, black, brown and yellow pigment cells called chromatophores.

Each square millimetre of the skin is covered with up to 200 of these specialised colour changing cells.

Cuttlefish can live up to two years. They are intelligent creatures, having the largest brain to body ratio of all the invertebrates. Each species is distinctive in its shape, size and pattern of ridges.

They have sophisticated eyes and distinctive ‘w’ shaped pupils, which means that they cannot see colour but can see forward and backwards. Like their cousins the octopus and squid, cuttlefish also have ink which they use to help evade predators.

For related articles click onto:

All about starfish
Acid rain and its effect on wildlife
Can starfish grow back their arms?
Causes of acid rain
Conserving fossil fuels
Cuttlefish facts
Energy saving light bulbs
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels: Alternative sources of energy
How many seas are there in the world?
Is the sea sponge a plant or an animal?
Ladybirds