Why Buy From – Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

February 26, 2014

As people begin shift through seed catalogs and displays that are starting to pop up at stores across the country, I wanted to take some time to recommend some of my favorite sources for seeds. Right at the top of that list is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are one of the most fascinating seed companies I have come across. Their catalog is amazing, full of 1500 rare, non-GMO seeds and stories to read. The catalog has a very homey feeling to it, down to the clothes the people in it are wearing and the pictures of cute kids holding different vegetables. It’s a popular free catalog that has already run out of copies to order in 2014! They also have their “The Whole Seed Catalog” that you can purchase for $7.95.

So what is so special about this company.

1. They offer heirloom seeds.
2. Their seeds are non-GMO
3. The unique seeds that I have found nowhere else
4. Passion

Passion
I want to start with the last one first – passion. This company is passionate about their seeds. It shows in the catalog. It shows on their facebook page, which they regularly update with their journeys around the world, collecting seeds. In the last two months I have seen them show pictures of harvesting bananas with orange fruit, tubers of all sorts of colors and sizes, Banana passion fruit, and much more. They recently talked about this man who grows Okra in Panama and he uses the seeds as coffee beans! He roasts them and grinds them up as a substitute for coffee. They will have those seeds available to purchase in the future.

Heirloom seeds
Everyone hear the words “heirloom” tossed around nowadays. Why should I care? Heirloom seeds are special because they have been passed down, they have stood the test of time. They are grown not just because they will bring the most profit but because they are the tasty, or good for you, or just add beauty to your garden. Many have stories behind them. Many are almost lost forever. What Baker Creek is offering is a way to preserve agricultural diversity. Big agriculture just wants to grow what will bring the most money into their bank accounts, which is not a very diverse selection of crops.

Non-GMO
Genetically modified seeds are taking over the country. Many are concerned about the health risks they pose, me being one of them. The big companies are growing more and more GMO plants all the time. Without people trying to preserve non-GMO seeds, we could see non-GMO varieties quickly wiped out. Each year Baker Creek is finding it harder and harder to offer GMO free corn seeds as Monsanto’s GMO corn is cross pollinating with heirloom, non-GMO varieties. Since corn is wind pollinated, it’s easy for this to happen and with over 90% of the corn grown in the United States being GMO, you can see where that would be a problem. That is why Baker Creek tests their corn samples to and they only offer varieties that do not test positive for GMOs.

Unique, Rare Seeds
Through their travel around the world, you can find seeds in their catalog that you cannot find anywhere else. One of the funniest parts of the catalog was going through the melon section. So many varieties, shapes, colors, and flavors I have never seen anywhere else. They had some unique tomato varieties from Russia and the Ukraine that would be fun to grow. They offer the hottest pepper on record “Trinidad Scorpion” coming in at a whopping 1.2 million Scovilles (units that measure heat of peppers). To compare, a Habanero is 350,000. They also offer pink bananas, the peel is a bright pink color and the fruit contains a ton of seeds.

These are great reasons I will plant seeds from Baker Creek this year. Here are a few specific varieties I am looking into:

Golden Sweet Snow Peas | Click here for ordering info
A snow pea that is a brilliant yellow color. It said to be more than just a novelty.

Black Icicle Tomatoes | Click here for ordering info
A dark colored tomato in the shape of a icicle that ranked high in brix (sugar), lycopene, and potaasium. It was 2nd overall in a nutritional study done on tomatoes mentioned in the catalog.

Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry | Click here for ordering
A light yellow colored wild strawberry that may be small but packs more flavor than you would ever find in the grocery store.

Baker Creek| Heirloom| Non-GMO| Non-GMO Seeds| Seeds

Buying Seeds

Sumo Citrus Fudge

Written by Eric Samuelson February 25, 2014

in Candy

The wait. The anticipation. The arrival. The first bite. A simple way to describe what I go through each year waiting for my favorite piece of citrus – SUMO Citrus. This mandarin that it more the size of a navel orange has a rich, melt in your mouth kind of taste. Perfect to enjoy on their own. But I have more in mind. I made Meyer Lemon Fudge during the Christmas season. Back then I though I need to try this with other citrus. Of course my beloved SUMO was on my mind. The next morning after buying my first batch of the season, I gathered my fudge making ingredients and got into the kitchen.

Check out my these related posts: What are SUMO Mandarins? | Where to Find SUMO in 2014

A few notes on ingredients:

1. The recipe I use, which is based off a recipe from the blog, Through Clouded Glass, calls for milk. I like this better than fudge recipes calling for sweetened condensed milk, because I always have milk on hand, so I don’t have to worry about missing an ingredient at the store.

2. Most of the flavor of the fudge comes from the zest of the SUMO. Normally you would just peel it and throw the peel out. This gives you a chance to use something to add flavor that was headed for the trash. It also uses about 2 tablespoons of juice, which is roughly half a SUMO, so you still have the other half to snack on while making the fudge. If you cannot find a SUMO, you can use whatever mandarin or tangerine variety you like.

3. I am a big fan of Morena Pure Cane Sugar. You can buy it at Walmart. It is a minimally processed non-GMO sugar. It has a better flavor than regular white sugar. It is a little more coarse, so I run in through my food processor so that it mixes into the fudge more readily.

4. The recipe uses white baking chips that are stirred in at the end. Choose chips that use real vanilla instead of the fake or artificial vanilla. I paid a little extra to get Ghirardelli. The quality of those chips was a little better than the cheap store brand or even Nestle.

5. The fudge didn’t get that orange color on it’s own. I had to use food coloring. I used a gel paste food coloring. It has more vivid colors and it’s not a liquid so it won’t mess with the fudge setting up. You could also try a natural food coloring method. Check out the blog, Nourishing Joy for some ideas.

SUMO Citrus Fudge

: Eric Samuelson

Ingredients

1½ cups fine sugar
⅔ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 drop yellow gel paste food coloring
1 drop red gel paste food coloring
10 oz white baking chips
2 tablespoons SUMO Citrus juice
zest of 1 SUMO Citrus
pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Line a 8 x 8 baking pan with wax or parchment paper. You can pray the paper with a little bit of oil to make sure it doesn’t stick (optional)
Place the sugar into a food processor. Process for 30 seconds until the sugar is fine.
Combine sugar, milk, and butter in a medium sauce pan. Heat the pan to just melt the butter, then bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Boil for 5 minutes, do NOT stir during this time.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the white baking chips and food coloring. Keep mixing until it completely melts. It may look like it won’t fully melt but just keep stirring.
Stir in the juice and zest.
Quickly place into your 8 x 8 pan. Smooth out with a spatula.
Allow to complete cool to set up before cutting.

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Old Croc Extra Sharp Australian Cheddar Cheese Review

Written by Eric Samuelson February 21, 2014

in Cheese

Strength: Sharp
Purchased At: Hillers (Ann Arbor, MI)
Price: $3.89 on sale
Would Buy Again: Yes!

There are billions blocks of cheddar you can find at the grocery store. Maybe not billions, but options are not limited. It’s not something unusual or special. So how do you make another block of cheddar cheese stand out? Well of course put an crocodile on the package. Trugman-Nash distributes Australian cheese under their Old Croc brand. When I checked out their website, my kids wondered what I was doing when they heard the sounds in nature you would expect to hear around a crocodile.

Old Croc Extra Sharp has been aged for 18 months and comes in an 7 oz square. It is made with 100% grass fed milk. The cows are not treated with any kind of growth hormones. The cheese has a pleasant bite to it way better than you are going to get from the store brand sharp cheddar that so many buy. I find those cheeses to be just sharp with no real flavor. This cheese was creamy, full flavored, with a slight nutty taste. It worked really well in mac & cheese!

What is Unique About Australian Cheddar?
Think about where Australia is. All by it’s lonesome. The grass that grows there isn’t going to be exactly like the grass that grows here in Michigan. They say you are what you eat, well a cow’s milk is effected by what it eats. Naturally an Australian cheddar is going to taste a bit different than an Irish cheddar or an American cheddar. A good reason to make up a cheddar cheese board with various options from around the world.

Here is the list of stores that carry Old Croc Cheddar. This information comes right from their official website.

Alabama
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Winn Dixie

Alaska
Carr’s

Arizona
Safeway, Wholefoods Pacific Region

Arkansas
Brookshire, The Fresh Market, Food Giant

California (Northern)
Andronico’s, Berkley Bowl, Bristol Farms, Draeger’s Markets, The Fresh Market, Gelson’s, Lucky, Lunardi’s, Molly Stone, New Leaf Community Markets, Nugget Markets, Raley’s, Safeway, Savemart, Scolarie’s, Smart and Final, State Bros.

California (Southern)
Bristol Farms, The Fresh Market, Gelson’s, Safeway, Smart and Final, Stater Bros, Von’s, Wholefoods Pacific Region

Connecticut
Adam’s Super Food, Big Y, Caraluzzi’s, Chanaty’s, Dags, Fitzgerald’s, Food Town, The Fresh Market, Fitzgerald’s, Geissler’s, Irg Stores, Key Foods, LaBonnes, Market Basket, Price Chopper, Rogers Market Place, Safeway, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, TriTown Foods

Delaware
AWI, Giant Landover, Harris Teeter, Safway, Supervalu

District of Columbia
Harris Teeter, Safeway

Florida
ABC Liquor, Crown Wine & Spirits, Doris Market, Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Winn Dixie

Georgia
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Ingle’s Markets, Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie

Hawaii
Safeway, Wholefoods Pacific Region

Illinois
Angelo Caputo’s, Big Apple Finer Foods, Blue Goose, Brookhaven Markets, Butera Finer Foods, Caputo’s New Farm Produce, Cermak, Dominick’s, Fair Play Foods, Fresh Farms, The Fresh Market, Freshline Foods, Garden Fresh, Gene’s Sausage, Harvestime Foods, Hyde Park Produce, Jerry’s Fruit Market, Joe Caputo & Sons, Kramer Foods, Market Place, Pete’s Fresh Market, Produce Center, Produce World, Schnucks Markets, Shop & Save, Sunset Foods, Tony’s Finer Foods, Treasure island, Valli Produce, Westbrook Market

Idaho
Safeway

Indiana
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Schnucks Markets

Iowa
Schuck’s

Kansas
The Fresh Market

Kentucky
Earth Fare, Food Giant, The Fresh Market, Liquor Barn

Louisiana
Brookshire, The Fresh Market, Winn Dixie

Maine
AWI, AG NE, Demoula’s Market Basket, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop

Maryland
The Fresh Market, Giant Carlisle, Giant Landover, Harris Teeter, Martin’s, Safeway, Weis Markets

Massachusetts
AG NE, Big Y, Demoula’s Market Basket, Doneland’s, The Fresh Market, Food City, Geissler’s, Highland Park, Irg Stores, Market Basket, Omni Foods, Price Chopper, Roche Bros, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, Sudbury Farms

Michigan
Hiller’s Markets, Joe’s Produce Gourmet Market

Minnesota
Cub Foods, Festival Foods

Mississippi
The Fresh Market, Food Giant, Winn Dixie

Missouri
Food Giant, Pyramid Foods, Schnucks Markets

Montana
Safeway

Nebraska
Apple Market, Rudd’s Market, Safeway, Supersaver

Nevada (Northern)
Raley’s, Safeway, Scolarie’s, Von’s

Nevada (Southern)
Safeway, Scolarie’s, Von’s, Wholefoods Pacific Region

New Hampshire
AG NE, Demoula’s Market Basket, The Fresh Market, Harvest Markets, Market Basket, Price Chopper, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop

New Jersey
AWI, Costa’s Food Market, Elmer IGA, Foodtown, Frenchtown Market, The Fresh Market, Giant Carlisle, Key Foods, Martin’s, McCaffrey’s Super Market, Pomona Market, Roebling Market, Stop & Shop, Supervalu, Weis Markets

New York
Best Yet Markets, D’Agostino’s, Foodtown, The Fresh Market, Hegedorn’s Markets, Hillsdale Market, King Kullen, Key Foods, Martin’s, Price Chopper, Stop & Shop, Weis Markets

New Mexico
Safeway

North Carolina
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Ingle’s Markets, Piggly Wiggly, Supervalu

Ohio
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market

Oklahoma
The Fresh Market, Petty’s Fine Foods, Reasor’s

Oregon
Red Apple, Safeway, Thriftway

Pennsylvania
AWI, Bethayres Market, Central Market, The Fresh Market, Giant Carlisle, Landis Supermarket, McCaffrey’s, Price Chopper, Safeway, Supervalu, Weis Markets

Rhode Island
Dave’s, Demoula’s Market Basket, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop

South Carolina
Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Ingle’s Markets, Piggly Wiggly

Tennessee
Earth Fare, Food City, Food Giant, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Ingle’s Markets

Texas
Brookshire, The Fresh Market, Randall’s, Tom Thumb’s, United Supermarkets

Vermont
AG NE, Shaw’s, Vista, Price Chopper

Virginia
Farm Fresh, Food City, The Fresh Market, Giant Landover, Harris Teeter, Martin’s, Safeway, Supervalu

Washington
Red Apple, Safeway, Thriftway

West Virginia
Giant Carlisle, Martin’s, Safeway, Supervalu, Weis Markets

Wisconsin
Cub Foods, Festival Foods, The Fresh Market, Schnucks Markets

Why the Best Grapefruit Comes from Texas

Written by Eric Samuelson February 20, 2014

in Fruit & Vegetables

When it comes to citrus two states seem to get all the press. It’s the battle between Florida and California? Who is the best? In my experience neither of those places can claim hold to the king of grapefruit. Texas may not be the first state on people’s mind when you ask them about citrus, but whenever I am shopping for or recommending grapefruit, I always look for the Lone Star State. So what makes Texas grapefruit so great? It comes down to one thing passion. Texas growers are very passionate about growing the best red grapefruit money can buy.

The Start of Texas Grapefruit
Lots of people are history buffs, well I am a produce history buff. I love to hear the story of how something we come to enjoy got it’s start. The grapefruit has a great story. Grapefruit has been grown in Texas since the 1800s. It is believed that missionaries brought the first seeds to the Lone Star State. The varieties that were grown were all white and pink grapefruit at the time. Over time growers noticed some pink grapefruit that were darker than the others. This was the birth of the red grapefruit in Texas. This took place at one of the most trying times in our country, the Great Depression. What a perfect time for a much needed discovery.

Texas growers became very passionate about their new red grapefruit. A lot of work was put into developing redder varieties. To the point where red varieties became the only varieties grown in Texas. In fact in 1962, all pink and white varieties were actually banned.

Why is Red Grapefruit Better?
So what is so great about the red grapefruit? Two main reasons – flavor and sweetness. The red grapefruit has a deeper, more intense flavor than it’s less colorful cousins. It also is sweeter, which helps better balance out the grapefruit’s nature bitterness. Darker pigments in foods are seen has having greater health benefits.

What Makes Texas a Great Place to Grow Grapefruit?
Grapefruit is not grown in just any part of Texas, the major growing region is the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The climate there is sub tropical, the soil is fertile, and there is plenty of sunshine. It is located at the southern most tip of Texas, where the Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico. The “Valley” is actually not a true valley, but a flood plain.

Where to Buy Texas Red Grapefruit
Most grocery stores like Whole Foods Market do carry Texas Red Grapefruit for at least some portion of the season. Look for them in 5 pound bags. If they are loose, check the stickers, it will tell you whether they were grown in Texas. If you want some directly delivered to your door, try Pittman & Davis. They have been in the business since 1926, right when the red grapefruit began it’s development. The grapefruit they ship is of peak quality and flavor.