favorite band at the local winery. No, this is about another kind of “blues” that you do want to have.
Little Jack Horner 
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie,
He pulled out a Prunus domestica
And said, “What a good boy am I!”
Known as Italian, Empress, and blue plums, you’ll not be disappointed putting in your own European prune plum. Also in the Rosaceae family, likely native to the coastal Mediterranean regions of Italy, their exact history can only be speculated.
It’s likely P. domestica and its ancestor fruit is about 2000 years old and originated in the region around the Caspian Sea and Caucasus. Pomologist Luther Burbank’s extensive records note evidence that dried plums (prunes), were staple foods of the Tartars, Mongols, Turks and Huns who maintained a crude horticulture from very early times.
Prune plums gradually spread to Europe by traveling peoples using trade routes carrying dried “prunes” as nutritious food sources. The first record of prune plums in the US was 1771 when Prince Nursery of Flushing, NY advertised “33 kinds of plums for sale”. Luther Burbank improved more hybridized plum trees of different species than any others in history. His work on improving plum trees has been proven unequaled through varieties enjoyed and cultivated today in Europe, America and Australia.
One of the first to bloom in spring, these compact (10-12’) trees fill with multiple buds exploding into clusters of brilliant bright-white flowers. After fertilization (likely thanks to your Mason bees), green fruits develop into ovate-shaped drupes turning from green to a blackish blue with a powdery bloom when ripe in late summer. Did you know this bloom acts as a natural barrier from insects and bacteria?
There’s nothing quite like some succulent-sweet prune plums that you can’t usually indulge in, other than growing your own. With Italian varieties being self-fruitful, you only need one tree for fruiting! Surrounding a brownish, easily removed pit, the dense amber or yellowish-green flesh is unrivaled with its jammy-sweet texture. The low-water/high-sugar ratio creates not only fruitiness with citrus undertones but makes for ideal dried fruits.
They’re high in antioxidants, Vitamins A, B1, C, Niacin, Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus and Iron, and also taste great fresh or as a dried snack. Aside from fresh eating and drying, these plums can be used straight out of hand in salads, sliced for appetizer plates, and fruit bowls. They’re great grilled, but most suited for baking since they hold their shape and turn lovely fuchsia shades when cooked in crumbles, cakes, dumplings, turnovers, tarts, jams, jellies, compotes, sauces; and, of course, in that Christmas tart or pie!
Although fruiting later, Italian Prune Plums live a lot longer than Japanese varieties. Given full sun, they’ll thrive in moisture-retentive heavy-clay soils as long as they’re well-drained. Somewhat disease resistant, they’ll likely benefit from an autumn and spring spraying of copper soap to deter leaf and bacterial/fungal growth.
They’re hardy to zone 3, so maintain them at more compact levels or espalier when space is tight or you desire an attractive addition to your garden space.
While 2-3 years may seem a long wait, your rewards will be delicious pop-in-the-mouth plums and that special Christmas pie!
Resources:
Specialty Produce
Italian Prune Plums Information and Facts
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sow America
History Of Plum Trees And Their Hybrids
Plant Sources:
One Green World
Raintree Nursery
http://www.raintreenursery.com
Recipe: Plum Tart
Pastry:
10” removable bottom tart pan lined with brown parchment paper
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour (oat flour alternative)
¼ cup organic sugar or coconut sugar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
zest from one organic lemon
2/3 cup olive oil
Mix flour, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl with wooden spoon. Pour oil over and mix until dough forms together (don’t overmix). Chill while making filling.
Filling:
3 lbs prune plums, halved or quartered and pits removed
1/3 cup coconut sugar
ground cinnamon
½ cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
Coarse sugar crystals (like turbinado)
Preheat oven to 375°
Roll out dough on plastic wrap then invert into tart pan. Press into pan, piecing together spots that might have torn. Trim crust by running knife along top edge of pan. (any scraps can be cut in strips, placed on foil then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar to bake for about 10 minutes along with tart for extra treats).
Place plum halves cut side down or quarters cut side up in a rosette pattern starting from outside edge overlapping rows to middle of pan. Sprinkle with coconut sugar, cinnamon and pistachio nuts.
Bake tart about 30-35 minutes covering with foil if pastry starts to brown too much.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, then remove pan sides and slide tart onto serving platter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Serve warm or chilled with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. About 8-10 servings.
When the scent of autumn’s crisp air sends out its seasonally splashed sensations, one is likely swapping out summer-sweet melons for Vitis 
vinifera, Vitaceae.
Table grapes take precedence at our holiday presentations. Their clusters of green, crimson and ebony fruits drape like pendants of iridescent pearls from their fiery foliage. There’s nothing like the succulent sweetness of that long-awaited-for table grape sliding across your taste buds.
Surprisingly, table grapes were not always so tasty. Given their predecessors’ tough skins, acidic juice and bitter seeds, it’s a wonder we have such sweet fruits today. So we shouldn’t take grapes for granted. If they’d not been thought worthy of cultivation, we’d have no tempting table grapes today.
Archaeological discoveries of wine residues in ceramic jars showed first domestication (viticulture) began approximately 8,000 years ago in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe near the Caspian and Black Seas. Their existence has also been found pictured in hieroglyphics dated back to 5,000 BCE.
Originally, they were grown for medicinal seeds (pips), fresh and dried fruit (table grapes), and fermented (wine) and fresh (juice) for beverages. Their versatility made for a most important crop throughout Europe and Asia during early times.
The Spanish introduced grapes to America as a wine source for Catholic ceremonies in the late 1700s when missionaries established vineyards in California. In 1839, William Wolfskill planted a vineyard near Los Angeles, CA. By the mid-1800s, Colonel Agoston Haraszthy brought over 100,000 cuttings from Europe to provide a fruit source to miners during the gold rush.
Around 1860, William Thompson planted a Mediterranean variety, “Oval Kishmish”, near Yuba City that today is known as – you guessed it – thin-skinned, sweet-seedless “Thompson” grapes. Although Thompson was the preferred raisin grape, in the 1920s red and black seedless varieties were soon developed.
It’s no wonder that today’s seedless varieties have overtaken the previous popularity of seeded grapes. Their delightful, seedless, pop-in-the-mouth convenience makes for a healthy and tasty snack that’s hard to resist. About 12% of the world’s grape production is table grapes.
Grapes are a good source of vitamins C and K, and contain protein, carbohydrates, fiber and minerals. Black, purple and red varieties provide antioxidants.
Best for indulging in raw, one can pair grapes with soft cheeses, in salads with toasted nuts, or with other fruits such as figs, strawberries, apples and pears. Savor relishes to accompany meat, poultry, or seafood, vinaigrettes for salads, toppings on custard tarts or even quickly sautéed in a Balsamic reduction.
Table grapes grow well in this area as long as you select a suitable cultivar and site. They need full sun, well-drained soil, and a vertical structure for training vines. Fruit production occurs about 2-3 yrs after planting, with maximum production after 5 yrs. Grapes can live to at least 100 years if well tended.
When that long, expectant wait at last reveals clusters with satiny-white “bloom” covering each berry, we know it’s autumn. It’s no wonder these little beauties inspire us to seek their ripened clusters after summer’s last showing.
So next time you need something tasty, sweet and simple to serve for your special meal, don’t forget these succulent clusters!
Resources:
BACI Kitchen
A HISTORY OF GRAPES
Lucidcentral
About Table Grapes
Jasmine Vineyards
Sticky Raisins to Seedless Grapes: The History Of …
OSU Extension Service
Growing Table Grapes – OSU Extension Service. A thorough guide to growing, pruning and maintaining healthy grape vines.
Sources for Plants:
One Green World
Raintree Nursery
http://www.raintreenursery.com
Both have many cultivars to select from, including green, red, and black varieties, and info on site preferences for each. Those that are good for making raisins are identified.
Recipe: Grape Pizza
Dough:
1 package of active dry yeast
1¾ cups white whole wheat (or gluten free) flour
¾ cup warm water (105-110°)
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
Sprinkle yeast over ¼ cup water and let it sit until foamy, about 15 minutes. Mix together flour, salt and rosemary, then add olive oil and yeast. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Knead on a floured surface about 10 minutes (or in stand mixer or food processor) until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Topping:
¼ cup sweet vermouth
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups table grapes, any variety or a mixture, halved
5 oz shredded Fontina
5 oz fresh grated parmesan
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary
fresh basil leaves removed from stems
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Bring wine and honey to a boil in a small saucepan and continue simmering over medium heat until reduced about 5 minutes. Add grapes and stir to coat them, then remove from heat to a bowl.
Preheat oven to 500°F. On a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper, pat out dough to form a 12” circle that’s higher on the edges. Arrange grapes, cheeses, nuts, rosemary and basil leaves on top, then bake 14 to 18 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Transfer to a cutting board to cool 5 minutes before slicing. Good for an appetizer or accompanied with a salad. Servings depend on the number of slices.
It’s time to get with the “Fest” and sow some Allium cepa during Octobersbest, the time to start overwintering onions. 
Why plant overwintering (OW) onion varieties? These onions are exceptionally cold hardy and don’t flower (bolt) after prolonged cold exposure. So you get fat, succulent, tender, tasty bulbs in spring without the tough stalks. While some small-bulbing, non-storage OW varieties have been more recently developed, all of today’s cultivated onions have a long history.
Many archaeologists/botanists believe onions originated in Central Asia, Iran or Pakistan 5000 or more years ago. These wild onions were likely a staple consumed in prehistoric diets long before farming or writing came about.
Growing wild in many regions, onions were likely consumed for thousands of years and simultaneously domesticated throughout the world. They are possibly one of the earliest cultivated crops given they’re easily grown in many soils and climates, less perishable than other vegetables, easily transportable and beneficial for sustaining human life.
Autumn-sown OW onions offer earlier harvestable bulbs and different varieties from spring-sown onions. Small-bulbing and bunching onions can be overwintered, including annual varieties, perennial Welsh and Egyptian Walking onions.
In the ground longer, OW onions’ stronger roots also withstand freezing weather better than their spring counterparts. Most of their growth also occurs during early spring’s abundant soil moisture.
Bulbing varieties mature in June-July when days are longest for good curing, allowing fat, succulent bulbs rather than flowering stalks that compromise size, flavor and texture.
Sow in late September-October, since the hottest days should have lessened. For August sowing, you’ll need to select more bolt resistant varieties. Also, for most successful sprouting, purchase quality seed annually from reputable seed companies.
Sow seed ¼” deep in rows 6” apart and cover with fine compost. Moisten if soil is dry or no rain is expected. Once seeds sprout, thin seedlings to 1” apart, saving discarded ones for consuming. Ideally you want plants about ¼” diameter going into the winter.
Raised beds are preferable to open ground. They have superior drainage (onion seedlings are very susceptible to rotting in heavy-wet conditions), more friable soil, and beds’ minimal nitrogen loss promotes root growth. Good mulching and hoop houses also manage moisture during the winter.
When regrowth starts in late January-February, side dress plants with blood meal, then again in mid-April. Use a complete balanced fertilizer in mid-May.
Harvest bunching onions while green throughout spring. This is when you can indulge yourself by using them sliced in fresh salads, soups, bread, cooked eggs, potato/egg salad, and caramelized for a tasty topping.
For larger bulbing onions, when tops start yellowing, stop watering about 2 weeks before pulling bulbs. Since OW onions don’t cure the same as spring planted, storage is shorter for them. However, their tender-sweet bulbs are unbeatable.
So, move over garlic and shallots. Octobersbest OW onions are settling in to share the space and be savored before the snow melts on the mountains.
Resources
High Mowing Organic Seeds
Time to Plant Fall Onions for Overwintering!
FaFard Inc.
Growing Winter Onions and Shallots
National Onion Association
Seed Sources:
Leeks may also be included for overwintering
Territorial Seed
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Recipe:
Caramelized Spring Onions and Peppers
1½ pounds spring onions (bunching, regular onions or a mix of both) red and/or yellow, washed, roots and skin removed, then sliced in 2” pieces for bunching and thin crosswise slices for green onions
2 large sweet red peppers, washed, stemmed and seeded, then thinly sliced lengthwise
1 red jalapeno, stem, seeds and pith removed, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
1½ tablespoons cooking olive oil
2 tablespoons each sweet sherry wine and frozen organic apple juice concentrate (1/4 cup juice only may be used instead of wine)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
zest from one organic lemon
Heat oil in a heavy-lidded sauté pan until it’s hot but not smoking. Toss in onions, peppers and rosemary. Cook on medium heat until limp, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually add wine, apple juice vinegar, honey and sea salt. Stir to mix, then return to medium heat and stir until it bubbles. Cover with lid and continue cooking on medium low about 15-20 minutes until liquid has concentrated into a glaze and onions are a golden color. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and serve hot or cold as relish, burger, sandwich, wrap or salad topper, on seafood or poultry or vegan dishes.
Store in fridge for about 2 weeks or freeze for longer.
Are you hoping to be a winner? Then Allium cepa var. ascalonicum is your golden ticket! 
This particular “ticket” – not to be had from any lottery dispenser – is actually a supreme shallot.
Why bother with such an insignificantly small bulb as a prize, especially when you can have a heftier onion trophy? That’s a good question with an even better answer.
Although other alliums – such as regular drying onions, ramps, garlic (and their scapes), scallions, leeks and bunching onions – usually take the top place, shallots are the true treasure.
Ever hear of good things coming in small packages? It’s definitely true here since shallots trump the onion in many ways. First, they’re delightfully more delicately flavored – mildly-sweet with a hint of caramel and touch of garlicky piquancy.
Shallots are also winners by offering you their riches in fiber, vitamins A, B6, and C, potassium, folate, manganese and antioxidants (which are released when bulbs are sliced or crushed).
Most likely originating in Southeast Asia, they spread throughout India and the Mediterranean region. Highly noted in Greek history and literature, they were transported further through trading and general crop movements.
Although cultivated for thousands of years, today they’ve become rather an unknown treasure just waiting to be rediscovered. This is especially so for the true French shallot you’ll have to grow to experience.
So why are shallots such a treasure? If you’ve never had the pleasure of sampling one, you’re in for a real treat.
Although on the outside shallots may appear like an onion, they’re composed of clusters with each clove covered with coppery skin. Inside they’re more similar to garlic, lacking rings like onions.
Aside from its milder flavor, its texture and unique aroma have earned it a “favorites” award for a diverse number of dishes. You can use the bulbs, cook the leaves (as a vegetable), add to salads, pickle it, shave it raw, or even top your trophy dish with shallot flowers.
Like garlic, shallots should be planted in autumn in our area. Most likely bulbs (seeds aren’t as reliable or true) will need to be ordered as early as possible this month.
Shallots prefer a rich-moist soil that’s somewhat sandy, but will grow in many soil types as long as they’re fertile and well drained.
Break bulbs apart into individual cloves. Plant them 6-8” apart with root end down (points up please!) then cover with more compost. Leave about one third of bulb tops exposed. Sprinkle soil surface generously with fine ashes so any fungus thieves won’t steal away your prize.
Keep lightly moistened by watering until rain arrives, and pray it comes this autumn.
Growing similarly to garlic, shallots’ early leafing will die back in winter, only to resprout in early spring when bulbs start forming.
Adding nitrogen-rich fertilizer, as well as frequent watering, will enhance your growing treasure.
In about 90-120 days when leaves have dried off, gently lift bulbs from their bed to claim your jackpot. After curing in a shaded, well-ventilated area for a couple weeks, they’ll be ready for you to savor: your very own shallottery!
Resources
The Spruce Eats
What Are Shallots?
Food Print
Real Food Encyclopedia – Shallot
Britannica
Shallot | Growing, Harvesting, Cooking
Shallot Sources:
Territorial Seeds
Hudson Valley Seed Co.
French Grey shallot
Keene Garlic
Conservor, Red and Dutch Yellow shallots
Organic Heirloom Gardens
https://organicheirloomgardens.com
Several varieties
Recipe:
Golden Caramelized Shallots
2 pounds whole shallots peeled (place in boiling water for 1 minute so skins slip off easily)
2 tablespoons cooking type olive oil
3 tablespoons honey, good real maple syrup or agave nectar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (black may be used but is more pronounced)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
Zest of one organic lemon or lime
¼ cup chopped raw pistachio nuts
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In heavy ovenproof skillet (cast iron is the best) heat olive oil until hot. Add shallots and honey, stirring until shallots begin to brown. Add vinegar, salt and pepper then stir until shallots are well coated.
Sprinkle the rosemary over the shallots and roast in the oven about 20-30 minutes until caramelized.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lemon zest and pistachio nuts, then serve as a side dish, topping for meats, poultry or seafood. Or serve warm or chilled on salads or in sandwiches as a piquant relish.
A single blade with a blast of citrus!
While there are two types of lemon grass, Cymbopogon flexuosus (East Indian) and C. citrates (West Indian), C. citrates is the most sought-
after culinary variety. Both sport skinny emerald-green leaves in fountainous sprays up to 4 feet high. However, the West Indian variety has long been prized for its flavorful leaves and bulbs.
Lemongrass is native to the islands of Southeast Asia where wild plants for centuries have been foraged for aromatic stalks and essential oils to use both culinarily and medicinally. Eventually it spread to the rest of Asia, Africa and Australia, where it was naturalized in home gardens. After WWI, lemongrass was introduced to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Mexico and the US. Today it is purposely grown worldwide.
In Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, lemongrass is pulverized in tall mortars, then combined with garlic, kaffir lime leaf and other herbs to make curry pastes. The South Pacific Islands also include it in their recipes. The leaves and bulb at the base are both used for their very citrusy-lemony scent, making lemongrass a very popular ingredient in raw, as well as cooked dishes. Its essential oils are used commercially in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes. It’s a minor source of vitamins and minerals as well.
When using it raw, the outer leaves need to be removed and the bulbs should be peeled. Once the central pale-yellow hearts are revealed, they can be finely minced and then used in salads, blended into pastes, infused in sauces, marinades, and dressings, and used in soups, stews, curries, and desserts. After bruising them with a wooden mallet to release aromatic oils, tougher outer leaves cut in half can be used to infuse longer cooking dishes (soups, stews and sauces) with flavor, and then discarded when the cooking process is done. The real kicker is that lemongrass doesn’t curdle creamy sauces, custards and other dairy-based dishes, since it lacks the acid in citrus fruits.
Although a tropical plant, fortunately for those who live in colder regions, lemongrass grows quite well in a large pot with good quality, well-draining potting soil. You’ll want to start seeds early in spring, sowing inside ¼” deep in well-moistened sterile seed mix. Keep on a heat mat until it sprouts in about 7-10 days, then place under lights. Once seedlings have true leaves they can be potted up in 4” pots. Their final pot (for seedlings as well purchased plants) should be about a five-gallon size.
Pots can be put outside once frost danger is past. Feed with high nitrogen fertilizer. Put lemongrass outside in full sun and protected from wind throughout the growing season. Water it frequently to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Harvest leaves and bulbs during the growing season when stalks are about ½” thick. Bring pots inside to over-winter and cut stalks back to about 5” high. Put them in a sunny spot and keep them moist but not overwatered. Put pots out again in May, and soon you’ll get to snip your first lemony zip!
Resources:
Urban Farmer Seeds
Lemongrass – From Seed to Harvest
Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/plant/lemongrass
Inherited Seeds
https://inheritedseeds.com/products/lemon-grass
Specialty Produce
https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Lemongrass_320.php
Sources for Seeds and Plants
Inherited Seeds
Tomorrow Seeds
Eden Brothers
Almanac Planting Company
Colonial Creek Farm
Logees
Recipe:
Lemongrass Custard
1½ cups milk (soy or almond can be substituted
1 cup cream (soy or almond milk)
¼ cup organic sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 stalks lemongrass, roots trimmed off
2 tablespoons fresh grated gingerroot
6 eggs, warmed at room temperature for 30 minutes or 15 minutes in warm water
fresh lemon zest
6 custard cups
Baking or roasting pan large enough to hold custard cups and deep enough for water bath to cover them half way up.
Oil custard cups then place them in the baking pan.
Bring the cream, lemon grass and gingerroot just to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for one hour. Pour mixture through strainer into large bowl, pressing lemongrass and gingerroot to extract liquid. Discard lemongrass and gingerroot.
Preheat oven to 325°F and bring a teakettle full of water to a boil.
Stir sugar, vanilla, and salt into the milk mixture and whisk thoroughly until the sugar dissolves. Mix eggs in a small bowl until well blended; then pour into the milk mixture while whisking slowly until thoroughly blended.
Ladle custard mixture into greased custard cups. Carefully slide baking pan into oven. With oven rack still out carefully pour boiling water into pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake custard about 35 minutes until it jiggles when shaken. Then remove from the oven and lift each cup out of the pan onto a clean towel. Let cool about 15 minutes, then refrigerate until cold. Serve with dollops of whipped cream topped with fresh lemon zest.
If you want more bang for your berry bush but have limited space, this plant offers thrice the berries in one space! Ribes x nidigrolaria, 
known as jostaberry, (pronounced yostaberry) has a name that combines the German for blackcurrant, Johannisbeereand, “Jo”, and gooseberry, Stachelbeere, “Sta”. This hybrid resulted from a unique crossing of three species: the blackcurrant (Ribernigrum), the North American coastal black gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum) and the European gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa). And what a wonderful berry it is!
Although a desire for gooseberry-like fruit on thornless plants started in the 1800’s, it was a long time coming to fruition. Its first crossing in 1880 by William Culverwell (Yorkshire, England), “Ribes x culverwellii” was nearly sterile (unable to reproduce). But of course, our heroine’s hybrid story didn’t end there. In the 1920s, a Berlin breeding program headed by Paul Lorenz resulted in about 1,000 different hybrids. Another crossing resulted in 15,000 hybrids, from which three seedlings were selected for disease resistance, vigor, and the fertility lacking in the first plants. In 1977, plant breeder Dr Rudolph Bauer, (Cologne, France), introduced the first official jostaberry cultivar to the public, named “Josta.” Two more – “Jostine” and “Jogranda” – were introduced, and eventually led to the number of thornless varieties available today. The “Orus” line includes several rather prickly types, which were developed at the USDA Agricultural Research Service unit in Corvallis.
Although Jostaberry, like other currant species, is still an intermediate host for white pine blister disease, it is not banned in Oregon. However, it is banned in some US states: DE, ME, NC, NH, NJ, WV, MT, OH, RI & MA. It is restricted in MI and NH. So here in Oregon, we get to enjoy an amazing thornless berry-plant with incredibly delicious and nutritious fruits.
Jostaberry plants are sold both bare root and potted. They can be planted directly in the soil or put in large pots. So even with limited space, you can still savor these super berries. This robust, disease-resistant bush is hardy to zone 3 with good heat tolerance. Plant in well-drained soil amended generously with compost in a sunny spot that gets some afternoon shade. Mulch in summer and prune in winter, shortening branch tips to maintain size and remove drooping, broken or old wood. This will encourage fewer but larger berries and new replacement shoots.
Early in spring, branches sport large, bright green serrated-edge leaves with irregular lobes. Flowering in March-April is followed by clusters of green berries hanging firmly on their stems. Ripening in July, they turn red, then satiny purplish-black in a black currant cross, or redder, in red currant crosses (which are also available).
Jostaberries are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and other beneficial compounds like their parent plants. Jostaberries taste both tangy like gooseberries and sweet like black currants and grapes. They’re delicious fresh, and very versatile in recipes. Use them in fruit salads, muffins, pies and tarts. Juice them, make jams, jellies or preserves, or freeze them for later.
Since Jostaberry growth habits render commercial and mechanical harvesting impossible, you’ll have to grow your own berries to get them. So, if you “jost” have to have this plant, save space in your garden plot or large favorite pot.
Resources:
The National Gardening Association
Growing and Caring for Jostaberry – Garden.org
Italian Berry
Jostaberry, the Triple Hybrid of Currant and Gooseberry
https://italianberry.it/en/news/jostaberry-il-triplo-ibrido-di-ribes-e-uva-spina-898
FoodStory.ca
SpecialtyProduce.com
Jostaberries: Information and Facts
Plant Sources:
One Green World
They have both black and red varieties as well Orus 8 (a hybrid of black currant and gooseberry with less thorns)
Raintree Nursery
http://www.raintreenursery.com
Has several varieties including giant jostaberry
Recipe:
“Jos-to-have” Jostaberry Crisp
Oil and line the bottom of a 9” square pan with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Crumble mix:
2 ½ cups oat flour (or whole wheat)
1 cup regular rolled oats
¼ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup olive oil
Mix dry ingredients until blended. Drizzle in the oil, then mix until all ingredients are coated and coarsely crumbly.
Press about 1/3 of the crumble mixture into bottom of prepared 9” square pan.
Filling:
3 cups Jostaberries, stem and blossom tips removed
2 tablespoons oat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or organic sugar)
1/8 teaspoon salt
zest and juice from one lemon or lime
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Mix all ingredients, then pour them over the crumble mix in the prepared pan. Sprinkle over remaining crumble mix, then press down gently atop the filling.
Bake in preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes until golden and the filling is bubbling around edges.
Remove from oven. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold with fresh whipped cream or ice cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Serves about 8.
Feijoa? 
Say “Fay-oh-uh”…
Fay-oh-uh, Fay-oh-uh, bo boa
Banana fana fo foa
Fee-fi-mo moa
Fay-oh-uh
Feijoas, Acca sellowiana, (also known as pineapple guava, Guavasteen, Brazilian guava, fig guava and Guayabo del Pais), are little-known aromatic fruits usually had by growing your own.
Feijoas have grown wild since ancient times in regions of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. An archaeological dig in Santa Catarina, Brazil reveals where Southern Je peoples may have first consumed feijoa. The shrub was named by German botanist Ernst Berger after Portuguese naturalist Joao da Silva Feijo.
Fruits spread naturally throughout South America through animals and migrating peoples. German naturalist Fredrich Sellow was one of the first to collect fruits in Brazil and Uruguay in 1815. In the mid-to-late 1800s, Swiss botanist, M. de Wette, grew the species in Europe.
Horticulturist Dr. Edouard Andre grew feijoa seedlings in his garden (1890) which eventually spread across the Riviera to Spain, France and Italy. In 1901, Dr. F. Franceschi of Santa Barbara, CA, acquired seedlings that he sent to Florida.
In the early 20th century, feijoas thrived in New Zealand and are sometimes referred to as the fruit representative of that island. They’re also grown in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the US.
Though not true guavas, feijoas are in the same family and are consumed similarly to them. The word “feijoa” generally describes many varieties within this species.
This hardy-evergreen shrub typically grows to 10 to 15 feet tall. Leaf tops are dark-glossy-green with undersides that are silvery and fuzzy. Leave unpruned for a perfect privacy hedge birds in which birds love to nest, or shape to a single trunk or espalier.
Having bi-sexual flowers, you’ll need two or more named types for fruit production. Birds and Mason bees are great pollinators, but hand pollination is best.
Whether grown for fruit or display, flowers explode like sparklers with brilliant red stamens and puffy-white sepals to create a wonderful show. Their fragrance exceeds even that of the fruit that follows.
Skins are dullish-green with leathery-smooth to pebbly-rough textures. Whether pear-shaped or round, fruits the size of a hen’s egg, and have creamy-white, slightly granular flesh with a jelly-like center pulp and edible seeds. They are rich with vitamins C, A, K and E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, folate, fiber and flavonoids.
Feijoas’ fragrant taste is often described as minty-pineapple, strawberry, and guava. Their edible flowers’ sweet, thick, white marshmallow-like sepals melt in your mouth like cotton candy.
Plant feijoas in a wind-protected, well-drained area with afternoon filtered light. Being heavy feeders, maintain and replenish their nutrients with rich compost and balanced organic fertilizer. Although drought tolerant, regular irrigation yields better fruit production and mulching protects roots.
Harvesting is the best part. Spread tarps, cloths, or nets to catch ripe fruit that naturally falls from the plant. Use in 2-3 days before the flavor deteriorates or refrigerate. Consume raw by spooning pulp from within the skin, or freeze, dry, or make preserves or sauces. Use in cooking and baking and to make sorbet, pie filling and custards. Chop and slice for salsas and salads. Substitute for apples in recipes.
If you’re seeking a more exotic-tasting fruit or tweaking up your tropical landscape, try a feijoa to add just the right sweetness and spark.
Resources:
Specialty Produce
American Health and Diet Project
Foods Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere
Feijoa Feijoa
One Green World
Plant Sources:
One Green World
Raintree Nursery
Recipe:
Feijoa Mango Freeze
3 cups feijoa, peeled and cut in pieces
2 large mangos. Cut halves off the seed, then remove flesh from skin.
¼ cup agave or honey
½ cup Meyer lemon juice
1½ cups vanilla Greek yogurt (nonfat or low fat)
Puree feijoa and mango together in a food processor. Pour puree into a large bowl, then mix in the agave, lemon juice and yogurt. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to directions or in a metal cake pan in freezer. If using a cake pan, remove mixture when partially frozen and stir to break up crystals. Serve soft frozen with slices of feijoa and mango cubes. Pack in freezer containers to store.
More indeed! Does Solanum tuberosum have a rainbow of varieties and an incredible history to tell!
The potato’s story started some 350 million years ago when they evolved from their poisonous ancestral plant, the noxious nightshade. Potatoes slowly evolved in the South American Andean Highlands, between Peru and Bolivia, into forms that looked like gnarly fingerlings.
Some 15 thousand years ago, the Incas arrived and started domesticating those potatoes. They preserved potatoes by dehydrating and mashing them into a substance called chuño. Allowing for storage for up to10 years, chuño provided great insurance against starvation due to crop failure.
In the 1500’s, Spanish conquistadors searching for Peruvian gold discovered potatoes and brought them to Europe. But despite its rainbow of varieties, Europeans believed the potato to be weird, poisonous and evil. For years they suspected it caused leprosy, syphilis, sterility, and narcosis, so they destroyed the very soil it grew in.
It wasn’t until French botanist, Antoine-Augustin Parmentier convinced King Louis XVI in the late 1700’s to start mass cultivations for the military. These guarded fields got the attention of civilians. Thereafter, potatoes became one of the most popular food sources in Europe. Then in 1845 a disease destroyed Ireland’s entire potato production. With a million dying from starvation, large numbers of people emigrated to North America and Australia.
Our own USA was the last large country to adopt the potato, but not until Thomas Jefferson served some spuds at a White House dinner did guests see them in a positive light. After horticulturist Luther Burbank hybridized a disease-resistant potato in 1872, they really took off.
Once introduced to North America, they became an important part of the world’s cuisine and the fourth largest worldwide food crop (following rice, maize, and wheat.) Due in part to their high caloric value and many varieties, world production in 2010 was 324 million tons (74.8 million in China, 36.6 million in India, 21.1 million in Ukraine, 18.3 million in the USA and 10.2 million in Germany, to name a lot.)
No matter what variety, potatoes can be consumed baked whole, mashed, roasted, fried, ground into flour, and used as a thickener for sauces. They have highly digestible sources of vitamin C, protein, potassium, thiamine, niacin and fiber.
The “eyes” in potatoes produce stems called stolons. The stolon’s tip is where potato tubers form. Given the number of varieties (over 1,000 worldwide), it’s no wonder skins and flesh can be white, golden, deep purple, rich red, striped, green, red or purple, starchy, waxy, or in between. They can be round, oval, or fingerling ranging from a few ounces to 3 pounds.
When buying potatoes for planting, purchase certified seed potatoes to plant in rich ground soil. Planting them in pots (half barrels work well) is even better. Dumping pots out allows harvesting without digging and gives just about anyone a chance to cultivate this wonderful rainbow of heirloom tubers.
Some Potato Fun:
In 1974 Englishman Eric Jenkins grew the largest potato from one plant. It was 370 pounds!
There are two National potato holidays: one on August 19th and the other October 27th.
The “Mister Potatohead” toys came out in 1952. Anyone remember those?
Potatoes became a fashion statement when Marie Antoinette wore their blossoms in her hair.
Resources:
The Little Potato Company
https://www.littlepotatoes.com › Blog
Vegetable Facts
Origin and History of Potatoes
Potato Nutrition
https://potatogoodness.com/potato-fun-facts-history/
Seed Sources:
Irish Eyes and a Hint of Garlic
http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com
Recipe:
Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Preheat oven to 400° or 375° in convection oven
Cover baking sheet with heavy foil and coat with oil
2 lbs. small, single or mixed variety, fresh potatoes (fingerling, blue, red, gold, etc.) washed and halved if fingerlings or quartered if larger ovals
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground organic chili powder, mild or hot
½ teaspoon organic honey
4 cloves garlic pressed or finely minced
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced fine
Mix oil, salt, chili powder, honey, garlic and rosemary in a small bowl. Put potato pieces in a large zip-type plastic bag. Pour in the oil mixture then close bag and massage until all pieces are coated.
Place potato pieces on foil lined baking sheet and roast in oven about 25-35 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and serve hot or enclose in foil and keep warm until needed. Serves about 6 as a side dish.
What we’re talking about here isn’t just “good juju,” but Ziziphus jujube, the incredible jujube. Also known as Chinese dates, red dates, Tsao and Korean dates, jujubes belong to Rhamnaceae, the buckthorn family.
Cultivated for more than 4,000 years in what’s believed to be their native China, jujubes were used as nutritional remedies. Their flesh has also flavored mooncakes for the autumn Mooncake Festival, the second most important celebration in China next to Chinese New Year.
The fruits were taken by extensive trade routes throughout Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa and eventually Europe. They were used medicinally by John Gerard in 1600s Europe. In the early 1900s, they arrived in America with Asian immigrants who came to build the railroads. In 1908 while visiting China, US agricultural explorer Frank Meyers (who partnered with USDA) returned with samples of 67 jujube varieties, including the So jujube. Meyers’ samples were propagated at the Chico, CA plant station, then distributed to other USDA stations in FL, GA, NM, OK, and TX. Today, only specialty growers have So jujubes, but other improved varieties are readily available for home growers.
Prized for their unique appearance, jujube fruits are also excellent sources of fiber, vitamins A & C, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron. While fresh, jujubes are delightfully consumed out-of-hand. Both the crisp, sweet, apple-like flesh and thin mahogany skin are edible. The date-like seed should be discarded. Jujubes can also be dried, made into paste, and used instead of dates in baked goods and candies. You can cook jujubes in soups, simmer them into syrups, steep them into tea, and flavor butter, jams and beverages.
Thriving in well-drained soils in a sunny location, jujubes are drought tolerant, require little fertilizer, and produce fruit whether pruned or not. Their imperviousness to pests and diseases is definitely another plus to raising these delightful, delicious and nutritious fruits.
These deciduous trees range from 8 to 12 feet tall, depending on variety and winter pruning. So and various contorted varieties are even more compact. They’re unique deciduous specimens with exceptionally hard thorny wood, zig-zagging branches and small ovate leaves.
Inconspicuous 1/5 inch greenish-yellow or white fringed flowers appear over several months from late spring (missing frost damage) into summer. Although flowers are receptive to pollination for only one day, most are partially self-fertile. A second variety ensures better crops.
Fruits are drupes that develop over the summer into round or elongate shapes from ½ to 2 inches, depending on cultivar. Starting out bright green, the fruits turn to a dark mahogany when ripe. If picked when green, they won’t further ripen once off the tree. Fruits will ripen over an extended time period of 2 to 3 months — yet another great reason to plant a jujube.
Once picked, jujubes can only be stored and refrigerated for about a week. Enjoy them fresh while you can. Drying or freezing will keep you in good jujube supply all year to use whenever you want.
So, what are you waiting for? Give to your garden and fill your fruit basket with some “good juju” harvested from your own sweet jujubes.
Resources:
California Rare Fruit Growers
Britannica
Specialty Produce
So Jujube Information and Facts
Ty Ty Nursery
History of the Chinese Jujube – ‘Zizphus jujube’ Tree
Jujube Sources:
One Green World
One Green World has the So contorted jujube.
Raintree Nursery
Recipe:
Jujube Rice Pudding
12 to 16 fresh jujubes, pits removed (slice vertically all around, twist halves in opposite directions, then dislodge the pit) and cut into large chunks
1 cup short grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 cups of soy, almond or regular milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup honey or agave nectar
1 egg
zest of one organic lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Sliced toasted almonds
Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and stir until mixed. Cover and cook on medium low until tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes.
Put 1½ cups milk, spices, sea salt, honey and chopped jujubes in a clean saucepan and stir together. Add cooked rice and cook over medium heat stirring frequently for about 15-20 minutes until thick.
Beat the egg with the remaining ½ cup milk. Add egg mixture and lemon zest to the rice, then return to heat and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and almond flavorings, stirring until combined.
Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream. (An alternative, soy whipping cream, can be found at Trader Joe’s.) Sprinkle with sliced toasted almonds.
Serves 4-6.
Oregon State University Extension
