This past Monday, Blake Brodien preached. Brodien, known affectionately as “flake,” “Skrodien,” or “Brodizzle” is a seminary student who works with the youth here at the church. He is looking hard at his call to preach. He is one of the folks who moved into the neighborhood and toughed it out. It’s a hard place to be. But he’s there for the kids. And whenever I need his truck. Don’t sell a Toyota to keep a Chrysler, dude. You have like 6 days before the Chrysler starts burning oil. I’ve seen it a hundred times.
Anyway, he asked over a year ago if he could preach. I told him if he let me hear him first. Seminary students tend to think they can just come in and preach. I was once one. Well, he finally screwed up the guts to meet me in the chapel at high noon, and he rocked.
Here’s how it went. He preached on the transforming power of grace.
My response: “You had me convinced you were going to suck.”
Blake: “huh? Wha?”
He needed to preach with boldness, and he did, but it was not what he expected, I don’t think. He was ready to go. So we set a Monday, this past Monday, and he dropped the Word on the people. It took me and Roz to help him handle the altar call. Krikey, I’ll be out of a job. He spent the rest of the evening ministering to the people.
He’s almost ready for Sunday. I don’t say that to say Monday night is not important. Au contraire; Monday night, if you can preach there, you’re ok. They heckle, the fuss, they ask questions. How I knew Brodien was really ready, even before he preached: One of our tattooed brethren took offense to me saying that peace would be a result of the Spirit in our lives. Barb Foster – yes, Barb!—about lost it! The guy said I did not know real life and about fighting and fussing. Turn the other cheek and all that. Look at my nose. Whatever. Anyway, he got upset with me when I said, “Jesus didn’t say, “You get two free shots and then it’s your tail…” He walked out fussing about real life and Barb was muttering “Jesus is real life, buddy!”
Well, Brodien went out with him and talked him down. Wow. Went to the rough dude and talked him down. Pray for Brodien. Pray that he will keep his confidence in preaching and pick up the call we see in him. Pray that the Rock doesn’t ruin us all. The previous pastor, Wes Olds, said, “Welcome to your last appointment in Knetucky.” He meant that there may not be anywhere else to send us, anywhere else that would have us. We preach the full Gospel, hard and edgy, full of grace and truth. We get heckled. We got called white motherf#$%ers a few days ago. And we thanked God for it! What will we do if we settle down?
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Seed Sale
If you're looking for seeds, go over to the right, scroll down to blog archive and click "Seeds for Sale."
Rogation Day
The closer spring gets, the more you want it to get here. You think that somehow you can make it get here more quickly if you do spring-like things. In one of our breaks from the intense cold of this winter, Jessie and I took a look at our compost heap. We had not done a thing to it since the last time we dumped grass clippings into it. So imagine our surprise when we had some finished product!
We set to work to turn and reform the pile, and we shook out as much compost as we could, leaving the stuff that still needs to rot down. We got about 4 cubic feet out of it, and that went immediately to the raised bed in the front yard where we expect to grow lettuce this year. [Did I mention that our lettuce seeds for sale are the best selection I have seen in one place?]
I think that you need a visual, physical picture of some of the abstractions that are so important in our lives. “Love,” for example. Or “together.” Jessie and I may say that we love each other. And we may say that we are blessed to have the opportunity to work together. But the work of ministry can be abstract. And we all know that love cannot be just a word.
Doing the first spring-like thing was also doing, seeing the first love-like thing, together-thing. It was not a warm day, really, but it wasn’t snowing! As we got to work with the pitchforks, it was not long before the clumped and moist pile had us breathing heavy and sweating. We quickly found a rhythm of shaking the heavier matter away from the finished “dirt,” and twisting and turning and loosening it up for the new pile.
There was not a lot to say, no need to say anything. It’s one thing to imagine that you are at work in the fields of the Lord; that the sowing and reaping of the Word and souls is every bit as real as broadcasting seed and mowing hay, and yet… a large part of me has to have some tangible ritual, some training by motion and posture that keeps me from flying away; propositions and logical conclusions are fine enough, but I can’t seem to get a point unless I see it. [Chris Baker knows this better than anyone!]
When I think of being human, of human culture, the rock-bottom sign of being human is work together, the work that the Lord gave to husband and wife and families. We pray every night that God will make us “preachers together.” Who knows if that is His will? But I can say that I do not understand that except when I can remember (or better yet, do) the work of raising food with the people closest to me. (Already on the floor are all the things we need to make a sieve for our compost, to get as much of the finished stuff as we can and put the rest back to rot; we all went to Lowe’s together, and we’ll get the saw and hammer out and hopefully John and Joe can see what all those trips they made to the backyard with a bucket full of slimy eggshells and coffee grounds was all about!)
It is at once our glory and tragedy that we do not depend on each other. Glorious, because to some degree, Sartre was right when he said, “Hell is other people.” We don’t want to depend on another for our survival. At least not in the direct ways we would if, for example, we were on a prairie farm in 1825. But it is our tragedy as well, because we have lost connection. It is just as easy to love someone and then not love them if it is only a word, an abstraction, or a “feeling.” If we have to cut wood, mow hay, and put up the harvest, it will be harder for me to simply say I am walking away from my family. But when we have jobs away from home, and a world that responds to the independence of cash, we can and do easily walk away.
All this is to say, I am looking forward to a long, hot summer. I love to sweat, to get dirty. I love it when you have to give the boys a pre-bath bath. And I can’t wait to be in the garden with Ica, the place where we really met and got to know one another, saying sometimes nothing and sometimes everything…
We set to work to turn and reform the pile, and we shook out as much compost as we could, leaving the stuff that still needs to rot down. We got about 4 cubic feet out of it, and that went immediately to the raised bed in the front yard where we expect to grow lettuce this year. [Did I mention that our lettuce seeds for sale are the best selection I have seen in one place?]
I think that you need a visual, physical picture of some of the abstractions that are so important in our lives. “Love,” for example. Or “together.” Jessie and I may say that we love each other. And we may say that we are blessed to have the opportunity to work together. But the work of ministry can be abstract. And we all know that love cannot be just a word.
Doing the first spring-like thing was also doing, seeing the first love-like thing, together-thing. It was not a warm day, really, but it wasn’t snowing! As we got to work with the pitchforks, it was not long before the clumped and moist pile had us breathing heavy and sweating. We quickly found a rhythm of shaking the heavier matter away from the finished “dirt,” and twisting and turning and loosening it up for the new pile.
There was not a lot to say, no need to say anything. It’s one thing to imagine that you are at work in the fields of the Lord; that the sowing and reaping of the Word and souls is every bit as real as broadcasting seed and mowing hay, and yet… a large part of me has to have some tangible ritual, some training by motion and posture that keeps me from flying away; propositions and logical conclusions are fine enough, but I can’t seem to get a point unless I see it. [Chris Baker knows this better than anyone!]
When I think of being human, of human culture, the rock-bottom sign of being human is work together, the work that the Lord gave to husband and wife and families. We pray every night that God will make us “preachers together.” Who knows if that is His will? But I can say that I do not understand that except when I can remember (or better yet, do) the work of raising food with the people closest to me. (Already on the floor are all the things we need to make a sieve for our compost, to get as much of the finished stuff as we can and put the rest back to rot; we all went to Lowe’s together, and we’ll get the saw and hammer out and hopefully John and Joe can see what all those trips they made to the backyard with a bucket full of slimy eggshells and coffee grounds was all about!)
It is at once our glory and tragedy that we do not depend on each other. Glorious, because to some degree, Sartre was right when he said, “Hell is other people.” We don’t want to depend on another for our survival. At least not in the direct ways we would if, for example, we were on a prairie farm in 1825. But it is our tragedy as well, because we have lost connection. It is just as easy to love someone and then not love them if it is only a word, an abstraction, or a “feeling.” If we have to cut wood, mow hay, and put up the harvest, it will be harder for me to simply say I am walking away from my family. But when we have jobs away from home, and a world that responds to the independence of cash, we can and do easily walk away.
All this is to say, I am looking forward to a long, hot summer. I love to sweat, to get dirty. I love it when you have to give the boys a pre-bath bath. And I can’t wait to be in the garden with Ica, the place where we really met and got to know one another, saying sometimes nothing and sometimes everything…
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
My Boy// Scroll Down to FInd Seeds for Sale!!!
There has been an ongoing "negotiation" with John. He wanted an office. So we set him up in a closet that we use for keeping records from our MOnday night program. He had not been in there 5 minutes before he said, "now that I have an office, can you get me a laptop?"
He wants to be a miniature Glandion Carney (the fellow who came to us to lead us through some spiritual exercises). John has decided that he needs to give Laura Gallaher homework, so that she can do better spiritual formation with the youth group. I know; this from an eight year old.
Anyway, he asked for a secretary, too. I found out, tho, that he has already had Charlotte making copies of homework for Laura...
One morning last week, John said that he likes 2% milk better than the 1% I buy. "Why don't you make sure the store has 2% cows?" he asked. "They should have a tag in their ears that says 2% so you'll know." I had to pull over and compose myself before we went any further...
Just yesterday, he decided he should be the Vice-Pastor.
He wants to be a miniature Glandion Carney (the fellow who came to us to lead us through some spiritual exercises). John has decided that he needs to give Laura Gallaher homework, so that she can do better spiritual formation with the youth group. I know; this from an eight year old.
Anyway, he asked for a secretary, too. I found out, tho, that he has already had Charlotte making copies of homework for Laura...
One morning last week, John said that he likes 2% milk better than the 1% I buy. "Why don't you make sure the store has 2% cows?" he asked. "They should have a tag in their ears that says 2% so you'll know." I had to pull over and compose myself before we went any further...
Just yesterday, he decided he should be the Vice-Pastor.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sick Baby// Looking For Seeds? Keep Scrolling Down
You never know what you’re going to learn, or how good things can be when they don’t seem very good.
Last Saturday, Joseph was sick. He woke up at about midnight puking. I mean lots. I have no idea where he was keeping it all. One of his dresser drawers was half-open, and of course, he yacked there. I put him in bed with us and he spewed 2 more times. Poor little guy.
Well, he was fine by next morning, eating some banana and toast. He was curled up to me a little later and I said, “well, one good thing that comes from all this is that when you’re sick you’re extra snuggly!” He looked at me and said, “Another good thing is I was frowing up and you took care of me.”
I just laid there and hugged him more. It seems that sometimes we can break through and recognize that this a bad world, not our place. And we know things will be tough—from the aggravation of a stomach bug to real suffering and death. And yet, we pray that God fills us with compassion, that we don’t walk by, that we don’t just keep living our lives. We stop, pray, love, minister, and let suffering open up paths for mercy.
A long-time member of the church received news that he has terminal cancer. As the family gathered around the bed, there was a lot of sadness and the confusion that comes from wondering what are you supposed to do or think? He said simply, almost as if he did not understand the fuss, “You knew I wasn’t going to live forever.”
He is just stone-faced about it. Not set like flint, as if he endures some uncommon trial. He was in church the Sunday after the bad news, and we just rejoiced to know that he lives in triumph. He is a Methodist, and we have no fear of death. [I have seen the peace of the Gospel among the dying too many times to dispute it. It is the gift of those who believe. Not resignation to fact, but faith in the Living God] He has assurance of Jesus. He had no false hopes for this life, only the promises of Jesus for this life and the life to come.
He wants to keep reading the Scriptures I read to him, Psalm 50:9-12 and Philippians 3, esp v. 20-21.
Last Saturday, Joseph was sick. He woke up at about midnight puking. I mean lots. I have no idea where he was keeping it all. One of his dresser drawers was half-open, and of course, he yacked there. I put him in bed with us and he spewed 2 more times. Poor little guy.
Well, he was fine by next morning, eating some banana and toast. He was curled up to me a little later and I said, “well, one good thing that comes from all this is that when you’re sick you’re extra snuggly!” He looked at me and said, “Another good thing is I was frowing up and you took care of me.”
I just laid there and hugged him more. It seems that sometimes we can break through and recognize that this a bad world, not our place. And we know things will be tough—from the aggravation of a stomach bug to real suffering and death. And yet, we pray that God fills us with compassion, that we don’t walk by, that we don’t just keep living our lives. We stop, pray, love, minister, and let suffering open up paths for mercy.
A long-time member of the church received news that he has terminal cancer. As the family gathered around the bed, there was a lot of sadness and the confusion that comes from wondering what are you supposed to do or think? He said simply, almost as if he did not understand the fuss, “You knew I wasn’t going to live forever.”
He is just stone-faced about it. Not set like flint, as if he endures some uncommon trial. He was in church the Sunday after the bad news, and we just rejoiced to know that he lives in triumph. He is a Methodist, and we have no fear of death. [I have seen the peace of the Gospel among the dying too many times to dispute it. It is the gift of those who believe. Not resignation to fact, but faith in the Living God] He has assurance of Jesus. He had no false hopes for this life, only the promises of Jesus for this life and the life to come.
He wants to keep reading the Scriptures I read to him, Psalm 50:9-12 and Philippians 3, esp v. 20-21.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Seeds For Sale
Hey guys-- this is a long post. We're having a seed sale, with heirloom seeds-- old varieties, with lost of flavor! You won't find these in the store or at the garden center. We're selling seeds as a fund-raiser for our garden ministry, which is growing by a huge amount this year! So please help us out! Ordering instructions at the bottom-- or come to the Sale, Saturday March 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.!!!
BEANS
Empress - $2.00 Bush variety - exceptional flavor, stringless green snap bean, a great bean for fresh eating, freezing or processing. 55 days.
Rattlesnake Snap - Certified Organic $2.50 Pole variety - dark green pods are brushed with purple streaks, drought resistant. 60-90 days.
Sultan’s Golden Crescent - Certified Organic / Very Rare $3.00 Pole variety - Nearly extinct! Curved yellow snap bean, stringless, and prolific. 75 days.
BEETS
Albino - Rare $2.25 Totally white, sweet roots. 50 days.
Early Blood - Certified Organic / Rare $2.50 Dark red, sweet, crisp and tender.Good for summer and autumn planting. 48-68 days.
Broccoli
DeCicco - Certified Organic $2.00 Made U.S. debut in 1890. Italian origin. Early variety. Compact plants with 4” main head, prolific side shoots. 48 days from transplant.
CABBAGE
Winningstadt - $2.25 German heirloom introduced to American in 1866. Sweet mild flavor and dense heads are great for sauerkraut or other favorites. Excellent keeper. 85 days.
Corn
Country Gentleman - Certified Organic $2.50 Introduced in 1890. Late season white, “shoe peg”, 7 - 8 foot stalks often produce two ears. 88 days.
Cucumbers
Armenian - $2.00 Heavily ribbed, pale green, burpless, no need to peel. Retains flavor at 12 - 18” long. 50 - 75 days.
Boothby’s Blonde - $2.00 From the Boothby family in Livermore, Maine. No peelin’, fresh eatin’. Crisp sweet flavor and pale green skin make it a great choice for bread and butter pickles. Best picked at 4”. 55 - 60 days.
Crystal Apple - Certified Organic $2.50 Originated in New Zealand. Unique creamy green, apple shaped variety, very prolific. 65 days.
Mexican Sour Gherkin - Rare $2.50 Culinary oddity. 1 -2” cukes look like tiny watermelons and fall off the vine when ripe. Sweet flavor backed up by an unexpected sourness, as if they were pickled on the vine. 60 - 70 days.
Miniature White - $2.00 Short vined variety is great for gardener with limited space. No peel, sweet flavor. Best raw or in salads, under 3”. 50 days.
Parisian Pickling - Certified Organic / Rare $2.75 From early 1800’s France. Used for pickling gherkins and cornichons. 55 days.
White Wonder - $2.00 Introduced in 1893 from New York. Blocky, ivory-white, 7” fruits are great raw or for pickling. Highly productive, even in hot weather. Cukes start to turn yellow when past maturity. 58 days.
EGGPLANT
Applegreen - Certified Organic / Rare $2.75 Oval, 5” fruits have pale green skin, are non-acidic, no peel, extra early variety that does well in cool and wet conditions (a true feat for eggplant). 65 days from transplant.
Thai Green - $2.00 Long & slender 12” fruits are light green, no peel, and absorb spicy flavors well, hence their use in Thai cuisine. Drought Resistant. 75 days from transplant.
LETTUCE
Amish Deer Tongue - Rare $2.50 Slow bolting. Unique triangular green leaves with straight edges. Broadcast for fantastic baby leaf, “cut and come again” lettuce, or wait for very loose bibb heads. 30 days baby. 55 days head.
Bronze Arrowhead - $2.00 Medal winner at the 1947 All American Selections. One of the very best. Red and green oak leaf type, looseleaf. 45 days.
Crisp Leaf - Certified Organic $2.50 Romaine. Flavorful heads grow to 10” tall with serrated leaves. 45 - 55 days.
Forellenschuss - Rare $2.50 Romaine. Austrian heirloom. Superior flavored lettuce with green leaves and maroon splotches. Holds well in summer. 55 days.
Grandpa Admire’s - Certified Organic $2.50. From civil war veteran George Admire. Bronze tinged lettuce that forms large loose heads. Slow bolting, stands up well to summer heat. 60 days.
Merveille Des Quatre Saisons - $2.00 Butterhead. French heirloom chronicled
in 1885. Attractive reddish bibb type rosette with excellent flavor. Color and flavor do best in cool spring/autumn climate. 60 days.
Reine des Glaces (Ice Queen) - Certified Organic $2.50 Crisphead. Great slow bolting, summer variety. Dark green, deeply pointed, lacy leaves. Use as leaf lettuce once head is cut. 62 days.
Rouge d’ Hiver (Red Winter) - Certified Organic $2.50 Romaine. Green heart with brownish red leaves. Grows 10 -12” tall. Great for salad mixes. 60 days.
Tennis Ball - Certified Organic $2.50 Butterhead. First introduced in the 1850’s. Small tight rosettes of light green leaves form loose heads no bigger than 7”. 50 days.
LIMA BEAN
Christmas - $2.00 Pole variety. Dates back to the 1840’s. Heavy yields of large white beans with maroon spots and swirls. Use as a green shell lima, or dry. Does well even in extreme heat. 75-90 days.
MELONS (canteloupe/honeydew etc.)
Canoe Creek Colossal - Rare $2.50 Large, 8 to 15 pound, deeply ribbed. Great taste, pick when just beginning to “slip”. Pale orange flesh. 85 - 90 days.
Charantais - $2.00 Consensus pick among melon lovers. Smooth, round, 2 pound melons have sweet, fragrant and juicy, salmon colored flesh. Creamy-gray skin with green stripes. 75 - 90 days.
Delice de la Table - Very Rare $2.75 Nearly extinct, late 1800’s French heirloom. Small 1 to 2 pound fruits are mottled orange, have deeply ribbed fruits, and are very sweet. 85 - 90 days.
Ha’Ogen - Rare $2.25 Israeli variety. Deep yellow-orange rind with slight green ribs. Green flesh is sweet with spicy undertones. 75 - 80 days.
Minnesota Midget - Certified Organic $2.75 Extra early, short vined variety. Round 4”+ fruits have a high sugar content and are edible to the rind. Resistant to fusarium wilt. Developed at Univ. of Minnesota in 1948. 60 - 75 days.
Petit Gris de Rennes - Certified Organic $2.75 French melon grown nearly 400 years ago in the garden of the Bishop of Rennes. Sweet orange flesh. 80 - 85 days.
Prescott Fond Blanc - Rare $2.25 French melon documented before 1850. Fruits weigh up to 9 pounds, have a dense sweet flesh and a divine aroma. Skin is “lumpy”. Drought tolerant, and like all rock melons, will NOT “slip”. 85 - 95 days.
Tigger - $2.00 Armenian variety. 1 pound fruits are a vibrant yellow with dark orange zig-zag stripes. The white flesh is semi-sweet, but it is mostly used in gourmet restaurants for it’s visual appeal and incredibly powerful aroma. They are often cut in half and used as striking dessert cups. 85 days.
OKRA
Red Burgundy - $2.00 From Clemson University. 4 foot tall plants with 6 - 8” burgundy colored, tender pods. 55 - 60 days.
ONION
Long Red Florence - Rare $2.00 Italian heirloom. Elongated, bottle shaped bulbs with mild flavor. Great for fresh use. For spring and fall planting. 110 days.
PEPPERS (Heat scale 1 to 5)
Alma Paprika (1) - $2.25 The best for drying and grinding into paprika. Can also be eaten fresh. Round, thick walled peppers are slightly warm and sweet. Ripens from cream-white to orange to red. 75 days.
Fatalii (5) - $2.50 One of the hottest peppers we know of. 3” long, top-shaped, golden-yellow peppers have a citrus flavor, with very few seeds. Can be grown in large pots and kept alive for several seasons. 90 days from transplant.
Fish (3) - $2.50 Pre-1870’s, African-American heirloom. Variegated leaves are creamy grey and dark green, making this a nice edible ornamental. 3 inch fruits start out cream with green stripes, then ripen to orange with brown stripes, then finally red. Use in white stage for cream sauces, or for salsas and fresh use at any stage. 80 days from transplant.
Mustard Habanero (5) - Rare $2.75 Unique colors and shape. Starts out pale green with a purple blush, then mustard orange, then finally reddish orange. 95 days from transplant.
Miniature Chocolate, Miniature Red, Miniature Yellow - $2.50 each color. From the Lucina Cress family in Ohio. 2 inch, mini 2 -3 lobe peppers. Great for stuffing or pickling. 90 days from transplant.
Quadrato Asti Giallo - Rare $2.75 Large blocky bell pepper from Italy. Ripens very slowly from green, to green and yellow, finally to a golden color. Sweet and spicy flavor at any stage. Thick, crisp flesh. 70 - 80 days.
Tolli’s Sweet Italian - $2.50 Sweet red Italian heirloom is versatile and tasty. Great for fresh eating, canning, or added to tomato sauces. Heavy yielding, 4 - 5” long tapered fruits. 80 days from transplant.
Swiss CHARD
Five Color Silverbeet - Certified Organic / Color Guarantee $2.50
Unlike most commercial “rainbow” chard, all the colors in Silverbeet are grown in isolation to insure a proper balance, and give you the best color. 50 - 60 days.
SOYBEAN
Agate - Certified Organic / Very Rare $2.50 Historic New Mexico heirloom. Highly productive, medium-sized yellow seeds with reddish-brown saddles. 80 days.
RADISH
Helios-Certified Organic $2.50 Pale yellow, sweet spring radish, white flesh. 35 days.
Plum Purple - Certified Organic $2.50 Exceptional variety. Round, deep purple roots, white flesh, sweet and mild all season, hardy and never pithy. 25 - 30 days.
SPINACH
Monnopa - Certified Organic $2.50 Round leaf type, claimed to be the sweetest of all spinach. High in vitamins A, C, and E. It is very low in acid which promotes the absorption of calcium and other minerals. 45 - 60 days.
Strawberry Spinach - Very Rare $2.50 Grown in Europe for centuries. 16” plants have triangular toothed leaves and tender shoots good in salads or steamed. Red mulberry-like fruits grow on the same plant and are edible, good for drying or mixing in with salads. A self-seeding annual.
SQUASH
Australian Butter - $2.00 Thick, dry orange flesh is superb for baking and is a good keeper. Hard shelled fruits weigh up to 15 pounds, with a small seed cavity. 95 days.
Galeux d’ Eysines - Rare $2.50 First seen in Tranzault, France. Sweet, moist, orange flesh is great for baking and soups. Fruits weigh 10 - 20 pounds and should be harvested before total maturity. 90 days.
Musquee de Provence - SSE Prize Winner $2.75 From southern France, introduced to America in 1899. Gorgeous, flat “pumpkinesque” fruits average 20 pounds and ripen from green to a rich brown. Deep orange flesh is perhaps the very finest for baking, and is a good keeper too. Often mixed into Fall ornamental displays.
100 - 110 days.
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato - Certified Organic $2.50 Ohio heirloom from the Knoche family, noted squash collectors. Cream-colored acorn-type squash is great for baking. Very productive. 85 - 90 days.
TOMATO
Blondkopfchen (a.k.a. Little Blonde Girl) - Certified Organic $2.75 Perhaps, the very best all-around grape tomato. 1” golden-yellow fruits with sweet taste, high yields, grows in giant clusters, and unlike many grape/cherry varieties it does not crack. Bears until frost. Indeterminate. 75 - 80 days.
Isis Candy - $2.25 Gorgeous grape tomato marbled with red and has a cat’s eye starburst on the blossom end. Almost too pretty to eat. Sweet and fruity. Indeterminate. 70 - 80 days from transplant.
Jaune Flamme - $2.25 Deep orange, apricot-shaped heirloom from France. Excellent, “bitey” flavor. Great for drying as well. 2 - 3 ounce fruits, borne in clusters. Indeterminate. 70 - 80 days from transplant.
Martino’s Roma - Certified Organic $2.50 SSE’s pick for best Roma variety. Good flavor for a Roma, unlike the supermarket. As always, great for sauce, salads and salsa. Rugose. 75 days from transplant.
span style="font-weight:bold;">John Baer - Certified Organic $2.75 Great all-around tomato. Use for canning and fresh eating. Bright red, smooth and round, meaty with a balanced flavor. Indeterminate. 70 days from transplant.
Plum Lemon - $2.25 Seed found in Moscow market during the 1991 coup. Small, yellow, meaty, pointed end fruits really resemble a lemon. Sweet, refreshing flavor.
Indeterminate. 72 days from transplant.
Purple Russian - $2.25 From Erma Henkel in the Ukraine. Plum shaped, purple-black fruits are meaty with the fantastic “black” flavor, but without the heavy cracking most other black tomatoes have. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Moonglow - Certified Organic / SSE Prize Winner $3.00 Medium size, bright orange fruit, with orange meat and few seeds. Winner of the SSE’s 2007 Heirloom Tomato Tasting. Wonderful flavor. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant.
Striped Cavern (a.k.a. Schimmig Stoo) - Rare $2.75 Gorgeous stuffing tomato. Hollow, red fruit with yellow stripes and thick flesh, looks like a pepper! Holds 4 weeks in the fridge. Perfect for stuffing with pimento cheese, chicken salad or more. Super choice for caterers. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant.
Watermelon
Cream of Saskatchewan - Rare $2.50 White fleshed, Russian heirloom. 4 - 10 pound, round fruits have exceptional flavor. Stands up to cool weather. 85 days.
Golden Midget - Rare $2.75 Very early variety with golden-yellow exterior and sweet salmon-pink flesh. Small melons have thin rind and black seeds. 70 days.
Mountain Sweet Yellow - Rare / SSE Pick $3.00 Popular in 1840’s Pennsylvania. Very high sugar content. Dark yellow flesh inside of long, 20 - 30 pound melons. Productive plants. 90 - 100 days.
Moon & Stars (Van Doren strain) - Rare $2.50 This is the original strain of the famous green melons covered with yellow “stars” and having one larger yellow “moon”. Unlike many novelty heirlooms, Van Doren’s sweet pink flesh is good eating. Spotted foliage and brown seeds. 90 days.
Mail Order Instructions
: Simply send us a list of the heirloom varieties you want, and indicate how many packets of each heirloom you need. Add up your total from the pricing given in this list, then add the postage and handling from the guide below. Allow 5-7 days for delivery. Make checks and money orders out to The Rock / LaRoca. Send your seed order to:
In-Feed
c/o: Bob McKinley
472 Larkwood Drive
Lexington, KY 40509
Shipping Fees:
$10 or less………..$3.50
$10 to $20.……….$5.00
$20 to $30.……….$7.00
$30 to $50.……….$9.00
Over $50.…………$10.00
BEANS
Empress - $2.00 Bush variety - exceptional flavor, stringless green snap bean, a great bean for fresh eating, freezing or processing. 55 days.
Rattlesnake Snap - Certified Organic $2.50 Pole variety - dark green pods are brushed with purple streaks, drought resistant. 60-90 days.
Sultan’s Golden Crescent - Certified Organic / Very Rare $3.00 Pole variety - Nearly extinct! Curved yellow snap bean, stringless, and prolific. 75 days.
BEETS
Albino - Rare $2.25 Totally white, sweet roots. 50 days.
Early Blood - Certified Organic / Rare $2.50 Dark red, sweet, crisp and tender.Good for summer and autumn planting. 48-68 days.
Broccoli
DeCicco - Certified Organic $2.00 Made U.S. debut in 1890. Italian origin. Early variety. Compact plants with 4” main head, prolific side shoots. 48 days from transplant.
CABBAGE
Winningstadt - $2.25 German heirloom introduced to American in 1866. Sweet mild flavor and dense heads are great for sauerkraut or other favorites. Excellent keeper. 85 days.
Corn
Country Gentleman - Certified Organic $2.50 Introduced in 1890. Late season white, “shoe peg”, 7 - 8 foot stalks often produce two ears. 88 days.
Cucumbers
Armenian - $2.00 Heavily ribbed, pale green, burpless, no need to peel. Retains flavor at 12 - 18” long. 50 - 75 days.
Boothby’s Blonde - $2.00 From the Boothby family in Livermore, Maine. No peelin’, fresh eatin’. Crisp sweet flavor and pale green skin make it a great choice for bread and butter pickles. Best picked at 4”. 55 - 60 days.
Crystal Apple - Certified Organic $2.50 Originated in New Zealand. Unique creamy green, apple shaped variety, very prolific. 65 days.
Mexican Sour Gherkin - Rare $2.50 Culinary oddity. 1 -2” cukes look like tiny watermelons and fall off the vine when ripe. Sweet flavor backed up by an unexpected sourness, as if they were pickled on the vine. 60 - 70 days.
Miniature White - $2.00 Short vined variety is great for gardener with limited space. No peel, sweet flavor. Best raw or in salads, under 3”. 50 days.
Parisian Pickling - Certified Organic / Rare $2.75 From early 1800’s France. Used for pickling gherkins and cornichons. 55 days.
White Wonder - $2.00 Introduced in 1893 from New York. Blocky, ivory-white, 7” fruits are great raw or for pickling. Highly productive, even in hot weather. Cukes start to turn yellow when past maturity. 58 days.
EGGPLANT
Applegreen - Certified Organic / Rare $2.75 Oval, 5” fruits have pale green skin, are non-acidic, no peel, extra early variety that does well in cool and wet conditions (a true feat for eggplant). 65 days from transplant.
Thai Green - $2.00 Long & slender 12” fruits are light green, no peel, and absorb spicy flavors well, hence their use in Thai cuisine. Drought Resistant. 75 days from transplant.
LETTUCE
Amish Deer Tongue - Rare $2.50 Slow bolting. Unique triangular green leaves with straight edges. Broadcast for fantastic baby leaf, “cut and come again” lettuce, or wait for very loose bibb heads. 30 days baby. 55 days head.
Bronze Arrowhead - $2.00 Medal winner at the 1947 All American Selections. One of the very best. Red and green oak leaf type, looseleaf. 45 days.
Crisp Leaf - Certified Organic $2.50 Romaine. Flavorful heads grow to 10” tall with serrated leaves. 45 - 55 days.
Forellenschuss - Rare $2.50 Romaine. Austrian heirloom. Superior flavored lettuce with green leaves and maroon splotches. Holds well in summer. 55 days.
Grandpa Admire’s - Certified Organic $2.50. From civil war veteran George Admire. Bronze tinged lettuce that forms large loose heads. Slow bolting, stands up well to summer heat. 60 days.
Merveille Des Quatre Saisons - $2.00 Butterhead. French heirloom chronicled
in 1885. Attractive reddish bibb type rosette with excellent flavor. Color and flavor do best in cool spring/autumn climate. 60 days.
Reine des Glaces (Ice Queen) - Certified Organic $2.50 Crisphead. Great slow bolting, summer variety. Dark green, deeply pointed, lacy leaves. Use as leaf lettuce once head is cut. 62 days.
Rouge d’ Hiver (Red Winter) - Certified Organic $2.50 Romaine. Green heart with brownish red leaves. Grows 10 -12” tall. Great for salad mixes. 60 days.
Tennis Ball - Certified Organic $2.50 Butterhead. First introduced in the 1850’s. Small tight rosettes of light green leaves form loose heads no bigger than 7”. 50 days.
LIMA BEAN
Christmas - $2.00 Pole variety. Dates back to the 1840’s. Heavy yields of large white beans with maroon spots and swirls. Use as a green shell lima, or dry. Does well even in extreme heat. 75-90 days.
MELONS (canteloupe/honeydew etc.)
Canoe Creek Colossal - Rare $2.50 Large, 8 to 15 pound, deeply ribbed. Great taste, pick when just beginning to “slip”. Pale orange flesh. 85 - 90 days.
Charantais - $2.00 Consensus pick among melon lovers. Smooth, round, 2 pound melons have sweet, fragrant and juicy, salmon colored flesh. Creamy-gray skin with green stripes. 75 - 90 days.
Delice de la Table - Very Rare $2.75 Nearly extinct, late 1800’s French heirloom. Small 1 to 2 pound fruits are mottled orange, have deeply ribbed fruits, and are very sweet. 85 - 90 days.
Ha’Ogen - Rare $2.25 Israeli variety. Deep yellow-orange rind with slight green ribs. Green flesh is sweet with spicy undertones. 75 - 80 days.
Minnesota Midget - Certified Organic $2.75 Extra early, short vined variety. Round 4”+ fruits have a high sugar content and are edible to the rind. Resistant to fusarium wilt. Developed at Univ. of Minnesota in 1948. 60 - 75 days.
Petit Gris de Rennes - Certified Organic $2.75 French melon grown nearly 400 years ago in the garden of the Bishop of Rennes. Sweet orange flesh. 80 - 85 days.
Prescott Fond Blanc - Rare $2.25 French melon documented before 1850. Fruits weigh up to 9 pounds, have a dense sweet flesh and a divine aroma. Skin is “lumpy”. Drought tolerant, and like all rock melons, will NOT “slip”. 85 - 95 days.
Tigger - $2.00 Armenian variety. 1 pound fruits are a vibrant yellow with dark orange zig-zag stripes. The white flesh is semi-sweet, but it is mostly used in gourmet restaurants for it’s visual appeal and incredibly powerful aroma. They are often cut in half and used as striking dessert cups. 85 days.
OKRA
Red Burgundy - $2.00 From Clemson University. 4 foot tall plants with 6 - 8” burgundy colored, tender pods. 55 - 60 days.
ONION
Long Red Florence - Rare $2.00 Italian heirloom. Elongated, bottle shaped bulbs with mild flavor. Great for fresh use. For spring and fall planting. 110 days.
PEPPERS (Heat scale 1 to 5)
Alma Paprika (1) - $2.25 The best for drying and grinding into paprika. Can also be eaten fresh. Round, thick walled peppers are slightly warm and sweet. Ripens from cream-white to orange to red. 75 days.
Fatalii (5) - $2.50 One of the hottest peppers we know of. 3” long, top-shaped, golden-yellow peppers have a citrus flavor, with very few seeds. Can be grown in large pots and kept alive for several seasons. 90 days from transplant.
Fish (3) - $2.50 Pre-1870’s, African-American heirloom. Variegated leaves are creamy grey and dark green, making this a nice edible ornamental. 3 inch fruits start out cream with green stripes, then ripen to orange with brown stripes, then finally red. Use in white stage for cream sauces, or for salsas and fresh use at any stage. 80 days from transplant.
Mustard Habanero (5) - Rare $2.75 Unique colors and shape. Starts out pale green with a purple blush, then mustard orange, then finally reddish orange. 95 days from transplant.
Miniature Chocolate, Miniature Red, Miniature Yellow - $2.50 each color. From the Lucina Cress family in Ohio. 2 inch, mini 2 -3 lobe peppers. Great for stuffing or pickling. 90 days from transplant.
Quadrato Asti Giallo - Rare $2.75 Large blocky bell pepper from Italy. Ripens very slowly from green, to green and yellow, finally to a golden color. Sweet and spicy flavor at any stage. Thick, crisp flesh. 70 - 80 days.
Tolli’s Sweet Italian - $2.50 Sweet red Italian heirloom is versatile and tasty. Great for fresh eating, canning, or added to tomato sauces. Heavy yielding, 4 - 5” long tapered fruits. 80 days from transplant.
Swiss CHARD
Five Color Silverbeet - Certified Organic / Color Guarantee $2.50
Unlike most commercial “rainbow” chard, all the colors in Silverbeet are grown in isolation to insure a proper balance, and give you the best color. 50 - 60 days.
SOYBEAN
Agate - Certified Organic / Very Rare $2.50 Historic New Mexico heirloom. Highly productive, medium-sized yellow seeds with reddish-brown saddles. 80 days.
RADISH
Helios-Certified Organic $2.50 Pale yellow, sweet spring radish, white flesh. 35 days.
Plum Purple - Certified Organic $2.50 Exceptional variety. Round, deep purple roots, white flesh, sweet and mild all season, hardy and never pithy. 25 - 30 days.
SPINACH
Monnopa - Certified Organic $2.50 Round leaf type, claimed to be the sweetest of all spinach. High in vitamins A, C, and E. It is very low in acid which promotes the absorption of calcium and other minerals. 45 - 60 days.
Strawberry Spinach - Very Rare $2.50 Grown in Europe for centuries. 16” plants have triangular toothed leaves and tender shoots good in salads or steamed. Red mulberry-like fruits grow on the same plant and are edible, good for drying or mixing in with salads. A self-seeding annual.
SQUASH
Australian Butter - $2.00 Thick, dry orange flesh is superb for baking and is a good keeper. Hard shelled fruits weigh up to 15 pounds, with a small seed cavity. 95 days.
Galeux d’ Eysines - Rare $2.50 First seen in Tranzault, France. Sweet, moist, orange flesh is great for baking and soups. Fruits weigh 10 - 20 pounds and should be harvested before total maturity. 90 days.
Musquee de Provence - SSE Prize Winner $2.75 From southern France, introduced to America in 1899. Gorgeous, flat “pumpkinesque” fruits average 20 pounds and ripen from green to a rich brown. Deep orange flesh is perhaps the very finest for baking, and is a good keeper too. Often mixed into Fall ornamental displays.
100 - 110 days.
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato - Certified Organic $2.50 Ohio heirloom from the Knoche family, noted squash collectors. Cream-colored acorn-type squash is great for baking. Very productive. 85 - 90 days.
TOMATO
Blondkopfchen (a.k.a. Little Blonde Girl) - Certified Organic $2.75 Perhaps, the very best all-around grape tomato. 1” golden-yellow fruits with sweet taste, high yields, grows in giant clusters, and unlike many grape/cherry varieties it does not crack. Bears until frost. Indeterminate. 75 - 80 days.
Isis Candy - $2.25 Gorgeous grape tomato marbled with red and has a cat’s eye starburst on the blossom end. Almost too pretty to eat. Sweet and fruity. Indeterminate. 70 - 80 days from transplant.
Jaune Flamme - $2.25 Deep orange, apricot-shaped heirloom from France. Excellent, “bitey” flavor. Great for drying as well. 2 - 3 ounce fruits, borne in clusters. Indeterminate. 70 - 80 days from transplant.
Martino’s Roma - Certified Organic $2.50 SSE’s pick for best Roma variety. Good flavor for a Roma, unlike the supermarket. As always, great for sauce, salads and salsa. Rugose. 75 days from transplant.
span style="font-weight:bold;">John Baer - Certified Organic $2.75 Great all-around tomato. Use for canning and fresh eating. Bright red, smooth and round, meaty with a balanced flavor. Indeterminate. 70 days from transplant.
Plum Lemon - $2.25 Seed found in Moscow market during the 1991 coup. Small, yellow, meaty, pointed end fruits really resemble a lemon. Sweet, refreshing flavor.
Indeterminate. 72 days from transplant.
Purple Russian - $2.25 From Erma Henkel in the Ukraine. Plum shaped, purple-black fruits are meaty with the fantastic “black” flavor, but without the heavy cracking most other black tomatoes have. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Moonglow - Certified Organic / SSE Prize Winner $3.00 Medium size, bright orange fruit, with orange meat and few seeds. Winner of the SSE’s 2007 Heirloom Tomato Tasting. Wonderful flavor. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant.
Striped Cavern (a.k.a. Schimmig Stoo) - Rare $2.75 Gorgeous stuffing tomato. Hollow, red fruit with yellow stripes and thick flesh, looks like a pepper! Holds 4 weeks in the fridge. Perfect for stuffing with pimento cheese, chicken salad or more. Super choice for caterers. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant.
Watermelon
Cream of Saskatchewan - Rare $2.50 White fleshed, Russian heirloom. 4 - 10 pound, round fruits have exceptional flavor. Stands up to cool weather. 85 days.
Golden Midget - Rare $2.75 Very early variety with golden-yellow exterior and sweet salmon-pink flesh. Small melons have thin rind and black seeds. 70 days.
Mountain Sweet Yellow - Rare / SSE Pick $3.00 Popular in 1840’s Pennsylvania. Very high sugar content. Dark yellow flesh inside of long, 20 - 30 pound melons. Productive plants. 90 - 100 days.
Moon & Stars (Van Doren strain) - Rare $2.50 This is the original strain of the famous green melons covered with yellow “stars” and having one larger yellow “moon”. Unlike many novelty heirlooms, Van Doren’s sweet pink flesh is good eating. Spotted foliage and brown seeds. 90 days.
Mail Order Instructions
: Simply send us a list of the heirloom varieties you want, and indicate how many packets of each heirloom you need. Add up your total from the pricing given in this list, then add the postage and handling from the guide below. Allow 5-7 days for delivery. Make checks and money orders out to The Rock / LaRoca. Send your seed order to:
In-Feed
c/o: Bob McKinley
472 Larkwood Drive
Lexington, KY 40509
Shipping Fees:
$10 or less………..$3.50
$10 to $20.……….$5.00
$20 to $30.……….$7.00
$30 to $50.……….$9.00
Over $50.…………$10.00
Friday, February 6, 2009
Rock Rhythms
The ice storm, for reasons nearly unrelated to the ice storm, kept me out of internet access...
The Rock is… a hard place to describe. Maybe I can give you a sense by describing Monday, February 2, 2009 to you.
I came in about 8:15, after dropping the boys off at school. I came in to the smell of strong coffee, the sounds of the Gaither Vocal Band; Leo was getting the day started. He met me with a friendly, “They’ll let anyone in here nowadays.”
I grabbed a quick bite to eat and Ica and I went to God’s Pantry to pick up our Food Bank order. We loaded it up on the bus. Then Melissa showed up and we grabbed 35 10lb bags of potatoes—for free!
When we got back to the church, we had staff meeting while halving the bags of potatoes to give out that evening. As we divided the potatoes and culled the bad ones (very few—thanks for cold weather!), we discussed the week’s ministries. The staff meetings are our time to touch base, keep abreast of each others’ work. After Susan Rogers led us through some streamlining of our meetings a little more than a year ago, we have worked hard to talk only to the things that impact us all. Other issues that arise get dealt with by the individuals involved. I didn’t know you could get so much done in a food pantry.
I met with a young man, Blake Brodien. Brodien is hard-core. He not only moved into the neighborhood, he moved into a tough place. He has a ministry just living where he does. He is committed to the youth. I asked him to preach, so I could see if he was ready for “prime time.” He rocked it, and now we’ll begin the work of the discipline of preaching—regular, consistent preaching.
I picked up the boys from the bus stop; we went to McDonald’s for a snack.
Got back to the church, began to get ready for the Monday night crowd. Some of them were already there, and there’s a lot of conversation and some informal counseling that happens in the hallway. We’re trying to create a family for the people who have not had and/or do not have a family. Over the long haul, there’s hardly anything better for that than prayer; not just the prayers themselves. When people pray, when they speak out their requests, when they hear what others are praying for week after week, knowing and sympathy grow.
It has also been important in the service to take prayer requests, to let people speak their concerns. For a group of people who are so often powerless and voiceless in life, just taking a prayer request and returning it to God is important. We see a lot of prayers for families, a lot of prayers for people dying early, in poor health. Ica ministered to a very young man who is afraid an oral cancer has returned. His mother died of it, his first bout was at 16. He’s under a weight.
Randy and Hobbs— two unlikely friends. Randy is a short, stocky black man, and Hobbs is a very tall rangy white man. They have been “traveling buddies” for over 10 years, on the streets, camping out. They first came about a month ago, and Randy asked for prayer for him and Hobbs. When it came time to pray, I pleaded that they would lay down the bottle and turn to Jesus. I did not want to pray that; I was afraid it would alienate them. But I felt compelled. At dinner, Randy said, “I heard your prayer. I’ll think about it. I appreciate it.” When I processed my fear about alienating him with a pointed prayer, Melissa McDonald said, “he knows you care. Anyone who has cared enough in his life to say something has is long gone or has stopped saying anything.”
Well, Randy had a sad story—Hobbs stepped into a hole and broke his leg bad. Randy is kind of lonely and maybe a bit scared of the streets.
Doug got jumped on the way to church. Doug is the fellow who has the mind of an 8 year old. Some of the guys were really upset that anyone would do such a thing, and a negative side of the “fellowship” developing is that there are some guys who will beat the tar out of someone. Once again, our motto, “The Rock—we got your back.”
I know there are a lot of stories to tell… I wish each one of us could share the things we’re seeing and hearing and saying.
The Rock is… a hard place to describe. Maybe I can give you a sense by describing Monday, February 2, 2009 to you.
I came in about 8:15, after dropping the boys off at school. I came in to the smell of strong coffee, the sounds of the Gaither Vocal Band; Leo was getting the day started. He met me with a friendly, “They’ll let anyone in here nowadays.”
I grabbed a quick bite to eat and Ica and I went to God’s Pantry to pick up our Food Bank order. We loaded it up on the bus. Then Melissa showed up and we grabbed 35 10lb bags of potatoes—for free!
When we got back to the church, we had staff meeting while halving the bags of potatoes to give out that evening. As we divided the potatoes and culled the bad ones (very few—thanks for cold weather!), we discussed the week’s ministries. The staff meetings are our time to touch base, keep abreast of each others’ work. After Susan Rogers led us through some streamlining of our meetings a little more than a year ago, we have worked hard to talk only to the things that impact us all. Other issues that arise get dealt with by the individuals involved. I didn’t know you could get so much done in a food pantry.
I met with a young man, Blake Brodien. Brodien is hard-core. He not only moved into the neighborhood, he moved into a tough place. He has a ministry just living where he does. He is committed to the youth. I asked him to preach, so I could see if he was ready for “prime time.” He rocked it, and now we’ll begin the work of the discipline of preaching—regular, consistent preaching.
I picked up the boys from the bus stop; we went to McDonald’s for a snack.
Got back to the church, began to get ready for the Monday night crowd. Some of them were already there, and there’s a lot of conversation and some informal counseling that happens in the hallway. We’re trying to create a family for the people who have not had and/or do not have a family. Over the long haul, there’s hardly anything better for that than prayer; not just the prayers themselves. When people pray, when they speak out their requests, when they hear what others are praying for week after week, knowing and sympathy grow.
It has also been important in the service to take prayer requests, to let people speak their concerns. For a group of people who are so often powerless and voiceless in life, just taking a prayer request and returning it to God is important. We see a lot of prayers for families, a lot of prayers for people dying early, in poor health. Ica ministered to a very young man who is afraid an oral cancer has returned. His mother died of it, his first bout was at 16. He’s under a weight.
Randy and Hobbs— two unlikely friends. Randy is a short, stocky black man, and Hobbs is a very tall rangy white man. They have been “traveling buddies” for over 10 years, on the streets, camping out. They first came about a month ago, and Randy asked for prayer for him and Hobbs. When it came time to pray, I pleaded that they would lay down the bottle and turn to Jesus. I did not want to pray that; I was afraid it would alienate them. But I felt compelled. At dinner, Randy said, “I heard your prayer. I’ll think about it. I appreciate it.” When I processed my fear about alienating him with a pointed prayer, Melissa McDonald said, “he knows you care. Anyone who has cared enough in his life to say something has is long gone or has stopped saying anything.”
Well, Randy had a sad story—Hobbs stepped into a hole and broke his leg bad. Randy is kind of lonely and maybe a bit scared of the streets.
Doug got jumped on the way to church. Doug is the fellow who has the mind of an 8 year old. Some of the guys were really upset that anyone would do such a thing, and a negative side of the “fellowship” developing is that there are some guys who will beat the tar out of someone. Once again, our motto, “The Rock—we got your back.”
I know there are a lot of stories to tell… I wish each one of us could share the things we’re seeing and hearing and saying.
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