Chef's Garden

    Well, the heat of summer is upon us finally!  While some people think about their rising air-conditioning bills and taking trips to the beach, I, as the chef, like to focus on what to eat!  More specifically though, I like to be acutely aware of what is happening in my garden here at the winery.  And what is happening is awesome!  There's something very primal, to me, about planting a seed, fostering it, watching it grow, and then EATING IT!  This past winter, together with Steve's (and Sous Chef Ben's) assistance, I put in a very quaint, small organic garden just west of the main entrance to the winery.  It consists of 2- 24 foot raised beds, 2- 30 foot rows for tomatoes, 12- 1/2 barrels for herbs, and a few miscellaneous plants here and there.  As the first attempt at this here at Cass, I wanted to keep it manageable.  Large enough to produce quantities of vegetables that would have an impact on what I serve in the Cafe, but small enough that it wouldn't get out of hand during what is one of our busiest times of the year.   

       
   
    The first thing that I definitely knew that I wanted to be growing this year was tomatoes.  Such a versatile little fruit, I can use them in many ways.  The undisputed "Tomato King and Queen", in my opinion, are Bill and Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm. (www.windrosefarm.org)  They grow dozens and dozens of varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year, as they have for a very long time, and have perfected techniques to both benefit the plant, and increase the crop.  So, currently in the ground at the winery, and mere days away from the beginning of a huge harvest, are some 14 unique varieties of tomatoes such as: Japanese Black Trifele, Paris Market, Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Old German, Odoriko, and my personal favorite (name-wise, anyway), the Missouri Pink Love Apple.  I had a small set of criteria that I wanted to adhere to when deciding what tomato varieties to plant.  First of all, they obviously have to all have the potential to taste delicious.  Secondly, I wanted to select tomato plants that produce a variety of different shapes and colors.  Very unlike the universal, hothouse tomatoes that one might find in their local supermarket.  I wanted it to be eye-catching.  Thirdly, and equally important, from a logistical standpoint for me, is the expected harvest time from bloom to ripened fruit.  All varieties of tomatoes ripen at different paces.  Understanding this and utilizing this information can help tremendously.  This provides me with a guideline of what to expect when, and allows me to plan menus accordingly.  Also, if planned correctly, will allow me to have fresh tomatoes from now until the latter part of October, and possibly into November, weather dependent.

    In addition to the tomatoes, I originally planted a 32sq ft plot of baby lettuces.  Four varieties, to be exact.  Those have a short growing season, 5-6 weeks, but produced some amazing lettuces for service here at the Cafe.  At it's peak, that little bed was producing in the neighborhood of 12-15 lbs of lettuce every week to 10 days.  I used a regenerating harvesting technique commonly called 'cut-and-come-again'.  When I cut the lettuces down, just below the lowest leaf, it created a canvas for new leaves to grow quickly.  It was really quite remarkable!  Now that the lettuce season has come and gone, I've since pulled the plants out and have replanted the spot with fall squash.  In addition to the lettuce, I am growing a couple different varieties of cucumbers, 4 different types of peppers, arugula, 2 types of onions, watermelons, 4types of basil (Lemon basil = HEAVEN!), heirloom dill, parsley, chives, sage, oregano, and cilantro.  So, come by Cass, drink some wine, say hello to me, and let me give you a tour of what I'm doing over here...