Comments on: Gooseberries, Mignonette and Martian Regolith Simulant – My 2016 Projects

By: Sheep of Delight

Sheep of Delight — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 02:03:25 +0000

I had to laugh at your comment about not eating gooseberries by the handful; as kids, we did just that and loved it! We used to pick them for in the summer for my grandpa to sell at the local farmer's market to earn money for a swimming pool. All those pucker-inducing sour candies they sell now have never held any terror for me after growing up on gooseberries and fresh rhubarb in the summer.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 17:23:00 +0000

Re wishing you didn't live in Worcester: I for one am glad that you do because it is such a punishing, "icebox of MA" climate that what you can pull off shows the rest of us what is possible. And while being in a neighborhood is limiting, it is also inspiring for those who can only dream of a rural life.
~ 02568

By: Nic

Nic — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 07:45:02 +0000

The scent of mignonette really is wonderful but they are tough to grow. After several attempts I was finally successful last summer – sort of. Two plants made it and produced three flower spikes. I am going to try again this year. As for gooseberries, my dad absolutely loves them, and when I was a kid and we lived in Germany we had a red-fruited variety. My dad would leave them on the bush until they were almost purple and very soft and then eat them fresh out of the garden. I never liked them, but I love red and white currants, which I would eat by the bowl full just macerated with some sugar. They are probably the single thing I miss most about Germany, because here even when some fancy store sells them it is in such tiny portions at such exorbitant prices that one can hardly do more with them than use them as a garnish.

By: Mike Huben

Mike Huben — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 05:59:40 +0000

Thanks for the update! I hadn't known about immune varieties.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 04:13:58 +0000

Gustavo Woltmann loves mulberries and thinks this is a great post about them!

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 06:18:49 +0000

In reply to Anonymous.

My list is still incomplete, but I felt that I needed to share some of it. Yes, yes, yes, there will be many food projects – as for Kimchi, I may grow a second crop of Napa cabbage in the fall if I have time, or room, as I did in 2010 – that made great kimchi, but I make so much of it now, (3 batches this winter already), that I just haven't felt that it was special enough to blog about. I've been thinking about persimmons (to dry on strings, as they do in Japan), forcing Sea Kale, if I can get my half dozen of plants to grow larger! Many heirloom tomatoes, of course. Heirloom melons again in the greenhouse. I'm raising many heirloom warty squashes for an upcoming exhibition at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and I'm on the hunt for a corn variety that colleague of mine asked for which is common in India – a hard, yellow corn, he says. Oh, and I am also on the hunt for Bergamot Trees, and most any, sour unusual citrus, since they do so well in the greenhouse. Which reminds me, (I made 20 jars of Mandarin and Meyer Marmalade tonight!). Blueberries might line a path to the chicken coop. Oh, I wish I had room, or a farm, and that I didn't live in Worcester! But, maybe that limits me! Cheers! More food projects to come later.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:25:05 +0000

dear matt,
thanks for the status update on currants/gooseberries–very helpful. was wondering about that, especially for MA.
was also wondering if you have any food-based special projects in mind for the coming season.
our "next big thing" seems to be kimchi.
all best,
~ 02568

By: John Wickham

John Wickham — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 07:46:04 +0000

I started working on my Dianthus collection a few months before you posted about the Malmaison carnations. That just fueled the fire. I've been able to track down about 50-60 taxa, though few are D. caryophyllus. I've reviewed the import constraints on Dianthus and apparently there are strict controls on imports from the UK specifically due to several diseases. Maybe you can visit the Malmaison national collection in Suffolk.

By: Alain

Alain — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 01:45:47 +0000

I have tried several varieties of gooseberries over the years. I would say that the one that does best for me is "Invicta". As I used them for jam, I pick them when they are still tart.

By: Mlle Paradis

Mlle Paradis — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:45:06 +0000

all very exciting – and your pics are getting sooooo colorful now. i'm growing shisitos too and the idea of doing clematis in pots i love! somehow they don't do well in s. cali it may be that mildews and molds are too robust here. i'll be following your gooseberry and currant posts closely too. left two plants in nj and trying to figure out how to grow them here. another rarity in this part of the world. the native currants seem to be eaten/raised only for birds. it's always a treat to stop here.