An Investment That Will Really Grow: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Gardeners beware. Or maybe I should say "be aware." But there is a place in Petaluma that is so scary cool, that any of you out there with green thumbs and a passion for extreme veggies, will find very, very dangerous.

I'm talking about the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed store, or as it's affectionately known around these parts, The Seed Bank.

I say dangerous because there's only so many plants one can realistically cultivate, especially if you're like me and mostly stick to raised beds or container gardening. But you walk in to Baker Creek, housed in an old, ornate bank building on the corner of Petaluma Boulevard and Bolinas Highway, and "Ahhh" (cue celestial music), you are greeted with row after row of seed packets of the craziest, strangest, most colorful, non-GMO fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers that you ever will see. Even for me, who fully realizes my limitations both as a gardener and as a land baron, immediately had visions of running off and starting a farm. 430 gajillion varieties of eggplants? Sign me up.The Seed Bank came to Petaluma last Spring, but it took me a year to get there to explore. It was a place I saved to visit for when my mom came to town; I had a feeling it was somewhere she would find interesting as well. Well, I kick myself for not going sooner, but glad that this place is on my radar screen now.

A little homework on Baker Creek turned up that it's owned by "Jere and Emilee Gettle - a couple of 20-something homeschooled traditionalists from the Ozarks. [They] offer a mind-expanding array of 1,400 fruit and vegetable varieties, many of them collected by Jere on his travels in Southeast Asia and Central America." (O Magazine).

Ok - so once I got past the fact that these 20-something adorable kids (google them - you'll see) are doing amazing things while I am doing nothing even remotely as cool in comparison and my life is passing me by (not bitter - really - just staring 40 in the face) - I got over it and bought some seeds.
I couldn't possibly narrow down my desires in the tomato section alone (check out the photo above!), so rather than walk out of there with more vegetable seeds that I could ever possibly plant, I stuck with herbs and greens. I got two kinds of basil (lemon and lime), plus some wild zaatar oregano. I also got two packets of a European mesclun salad blend, a tangy combo of radicchio, arugula, endive, orach, mizuna, kale, mustard, corn salad and more. I'm already looking forward to big colorful bowls of spicy, zingy salads, which I will be sure to share with you. At least here on the blog, that is (the greens themselves are all mine)!



In addition to all the seeds, Baker Creek's shop also carried a fun array of locally-made products like sauces and spice mixes; handmade cards (displayed in a grapevine card rack that I plan to reproduce for myself someday); gardening tools, and tons and tons of resource books.

Anyhow, super cool place if you like to geek out over food plants as much as I do. But for all of you out there that can't make it to the Petaluma shop or Baker Creek's headquarters in Bakersfield, Missouri, you're in luck: they have an online catalog! So, as The Seed Bank has painted on its windows, "Invest in your garden!" That's money in the bank for sure.

So Much Sorrel, So Little Time, Part 1: Pan-Seared Halibut with Sorrel Sauce

Any sorrel fans out there? I'm a big fan, but my affection for the leafy herb is still young. The first time I ever had sorrel was a scant year ago when my friend Jane made sorrel soup as her contribution to the Fare to Remember cookbook. She made the elegant yet simple soup from sorrel grown in her own garden, cultivated from seeds that had been lovingly been brought from France by another mutual friend.

The soup was a revelation. I learned that I've been missing out my entire life! Ever since, I can't get enough of it. I promptly bought a seedling, and when my herb beds were completed last Spring, the seedling had a permanent home where it has grown and grown...and grown (sorrel is know for its propensity to grow like a weed). No matter. Sorrel has a bright, verdant flavor that requires little else to spruce it up - so I've been using it in salads and oftentimes in place of spinach in certain recipes. It's divine.

This recipe came about simply because my garden was brimming with both sorrel and parsley. And after reading up about sorrel, I learned that pairing sorrel sauces with fish is very traditional in French cooking. Well ooh la la... saisissez le jour!

As for the soup that started it all... there's plenty more sorrel in my garden, just waiting for "soup weather" to arrive. Any day now... any day.

Pan-Seared Halibut with Sorrel Sauce

• 2 pounds of fresh halibut filets, skin removed and cut into portion-sized pieces
  
• 2 shallots, minced fine
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (maybe more to pan-sear the fish)
  
• 1-1/2 cups dry white wine (I used a chardonnay - a typical "fat" Napa chard with lots of buttery/oakey flavors... not what I like to drink, but perfect for this recipe.)
  
• 1/2 cup nonfat sour cream (or go for broke and use creme fraiche or heavy cream)
• 2 cups fresh sorrel leaves, rough chopped
• 2 cups fresh parsley, rough chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Place the shallots and olive oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the shallots are soft. Add the sorrel and parsley; cook gently until the herbs are wilted. Add 1/2 cup of the wine to deglaze the pan; cook until reduced by 1/4. Transfer everything to a blender; blend until smooth. Return to saucepan and add the remainder of the wine; bring to a simmer and reduce again by 1/4. Add the cream and continue to simmer until the sauce naps a spoon. Do not allow to boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, lightly brush the halibut with olive oil on both sides. Preheat an oven-proof skillet on the stove with a coating of olive oil in the bottom of the pan. When the pan is smoking hot, drop in the filets in a single layer and sear each side until caramel in color. Transfer to hot oven and continue to roast until done (about 10-12 minutes per inch of thickness).

My First Basil Harvest of the Year

Just had to share this picture of my first crop since it's so pretty.... do I see pesto in my future, or what? Was able to harvest some of all five varieties of basil I've got growing in my herb beds; this batch is earmarked as a gift for a friend (down payment on some fresh tomatoes from her garden). It's a good day.

I'm Growing!

While my waistline may very well be expanding (please God no...) - what I mean by "I'm Growing" is that I finally finally finally have a garden to call my own. For the first time since Ran and I bought our house, we were able to plant the garden that we've envisioned for so long. Not that we'd been lazy (ok, only a little lazy) - but our tiny yard has literally taken us four years to get into good enough shape to even contemplate a garden (thanks previous owner!). But the demolition, grading, roto-tilling and earth-pounding are behind us... ahead: Plants! Flowers! Greenery!

To that end, Ran built two different raised beds from lumber that he reclaimed from an industrial make-over project in town (pictures on Twtitpic!). I then got them all planted with seedlings that I purchased from MorningSun Herb Farm, a local grower that sells an amazing variety of plants. Since we have access to a seemingly unending supply of fruit and vegetables at the Farmers Market, I dedicated all my growing space to culinary herbs (and one lone spicy pepper plant!). Check out this list:

• Spearmint
• Chocolate Spearmint
• Chives
• French Savory
• Arugula
• Bergartten Sage
• Pineapple Sage
• Wedgewood Thyme
• Lavendar de Provence
• Shiso (green)
  
• Italian Oregano
• Cilantro
• Curly Parsley
• Italian Parsley
• And five kinds of Basil: Genovese, Lemon, Red Ruben, Thai and a variegated basil called Pesto Perpetuo

Wow! And I think I even have a tiny bit of room for more! So, y'all can look forward to some herb-infused recipes in the future... you know I'll keep you posted. But for now, I'm going to go dig around in the dirt!