Gardening Progress

I thought I’d show you some pictures of what I’m growing these days.  I’ve grown everything from seed, and some things are progressing faster than others.  Right now the plants are in containers but I’ll transplant some of them into the ground or into bigger containers.  I am so fortunate to have some garden space at my current home, plus a large deck on which to do some container gardening.  Living in NYC, it is awesome to have this open space right outside my door.

Almost all seeds came from the Hudson Valley Seed Library, of which I’m a member, except for the Silver Fir tomatoes, which were shared with me at an urban gardening gathering last month.

First, my arugula.  It’s coming along quite well!  I’ll be keeping it in this container and hope to eat it as baby arugula; I’m not fond of arugula that is tool big or old.  I actually tried one of the sprouts yesterday morning and it was delicious – very green with some peppery bitterness.  It tastes like the real deal!

arugula long shot

arugula sprouts

I’ll have to thin it, and will eat the thinned baby leaves, yum.

I’m also growing lemon cucumbers, which is an heirloom variety of cucumber.

lemon cucumbers

These guys live in my kitchen window right now, and are getting big enough to transplant soon.  I also have a pot outside with two lemon cucumber plants, but these in the window are growing faster.  Go figure.  I always think of my grandfather when I consider lemon cucumbers.  I think he’d be happy that I’m growing them.

I’m also growing ground cherries and tomatillos.  These guys are slow growers and are still in the baby sprout stage:

ground cherry sprouts

tomatillo sprouts

Finally, I have four kinds of tomatoes growing, all heirlooms – Yellow Pear, Amish Paste, Pruden’s Purple, and Silver Fir.  I’ve planted them in paper pots (made from newspaper), and am in love with using these pots.  When I put them into the ground or a container, I can simply cut out the bottom and plop the entire thing into the ground – the newspaper will compost right into the ground.

tomatoes

I have plans to plant thyme, parsley, basil, and some braising greens.  Also some flowers – cosmos and butterfly flowers.  I think it would be nice to attract butterflies!

It’s been a lot of fun growing everything from seed.   It’s magical, the way they sprout up and then grow their second set of leaves.  It’s also the most economical way of acquiring plants and growing food.  I’m really looking forward to seeing them all continue to get bigger and then fruit.  And to eat it all!

Tortilleria Nixtamal – Tortillas the Traditional Way

Tortilleria Nixtamal Sign

A couple weekends ago, we decided to venture deeper into Queens to one of our favorite eateries, Tortilleria Nixtamal.  Located in the neighborhood of Corona, Nixtamal is the only place in the city that makes corn tortillas the traditional way – they start with the corn itself, soak it in water and lime (aka calcium hydroxide), grind it up into fresh masa, and make the best, most flavorful tortillas you’ll have outside of Mexico.

“Nixtamal” comes from the term “nixtamalization”, which is the process described above of soaking the grain in a slightly acidic medium.  Just like with any other whole grain, utilizing this soaking process makes the grain more digestible and the nutrients in the grain more accessible to the body.  On a practical level, it makes it easier to grind up, too.  This process was used by early peoples in the Americas.  According to Nixtamal’s website, “There is no precise date for when the technology was developed, but the earliest evidence of nixtamalization is found in Guatemala’s southern coast, with equipment dating from 1200-1500BCE.” Talk about a traditional technique!

The corn that Tortilleria Nixtamal uses white dent corn from Illinois. It’s a non-GMO corn, as well as non-transgenic.  It’s also certified kosher.  The resulting masa is used for their tortillas and their tamales, which are cooked with lard that is rendered locally in the neighborhood.  They also use the whole corn for posole (aka hominy, a sort of soup/stew made with corn).

They make the tortillas there with a giant tortilla machine that came here straight from Mexico:

La Machine

It is really a neat sight, and la machine is the only way they can make as many tortillas in a day that they need.  Often they sell out of tortillas by the end of day.

Shauna, one of the owners, usually takes our order and always has great suggestions and recommendations.  She is obviously proud of her work and business, and will even give you a tour of the downstairs cooking space if you ask!

I’ve tried a number of dishes on the menu, and my favorites are the guacamole and chips made from their tortillas; the chicken tacos and rajas tacos; and the unorthodox Italian tamale (filled with sausage and peppers as an homage to this traditionally Italian neighborhood).  However, everything I’ve had there is extremely tasty.

Nixtamal Guac

Sausage and Peppers Tamale

I do love their tortillas and always take home a pound when I leave.  Love how the tortillas are prepared, from the quality corn, to the traditional way of preparing the grain, to the final result – a soft, toothsome delight of a tortilla.  I know I will always get a wonderful meal when I’m there.  If you live in NYC, definitely make a run to Tortilleria Nixtamal!

Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Avenue
Corona, NY 11368
http://www.tortillerianixtamal.com/