What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

[Xabia Jim]

Okay, it's January .... but my garden is all spices....chives, parsley, sage, rosemary & Thyme....(hey wasn't that a song too?) for the pizzas and for the fire! Spices of life...

[james]

Not bad for January. You have great light in the photo as well. Enjoy the sun!

Did you have that nice soil carted in?
James

[sssmasi]

Originally Posted by jjerrier

Has anyone tried growing San Marzano tomatoes here in the US? I've seen a couple of places that sell them. We grow our own basil and rosemary - but I'm thinking about doing tomatoes and peppers too???

The reason San Marzano tomatoes are supposed to be so good is not the actual genetics of the tomatoes but the nutrient rich soil that can only be found in that region of Italy. So sure you could probably grow them... but you are never going to be able to beat a real San Marzano tomato.

As for gardens... I think the most important ingredient on a pizza is Basil. So thats mostly what I put my efforts in. I grow TONS of it... then if there is a lot left at the end of the season the family indulges in fresh pesto... there is nothing quite like it! Then there is always parsley, rosemary, oregano and others... but in my opinion you could not have a good pizza without basil.

[Xabia Jim]

sssmasi...

can you give some growing tips on basil...we love it.

We usually grow it in pots during the summer for regular use and then harvest in the fall and make pesto to freeze.

I'd love to know the secrets to growing and harvesting great basil.

[sssmasi]

Xabia Jim,

You know its funny... my uncle who seems to be amazing at growing everything seems to have trouble with basil... The way we grow it is in pots as you said you do. We make sure it gets plenty of sun and lots of water. We buy the basil as little plants.... not as seeds. There seems to be a niche habitat for basil and it takes a lot of experimentation. Perhaps it has something to do with our climate... we live in Vancouver BC, Canada. Its pretty wet but we do get enough sun. We have our pots on the ground right outside of the kitchen.

I would love to share more secrets with you but I do not really have any... it just seems to work for us. For years I have debated with my family on what the best herb is... it generally is a heated argument between basil and parsley. To me nothing can beat the aroma of basil. It is fantastic!

[CanuckJim]

XJ, Smashy,

Like you, I grew basil in pots with limited success; usually small, spindly plants. Last season, though, I made up an herb garden along the west facing wall of my oven and put the plants directly in the ground with a bit of granular fertilizer. Man oh man did those plants ever take off, bushy and nearly three feet tall by harvest time. Still, the topsoil is very rich, and I made sure they got lots of water during the hottest periods. Pinched off the flower spikes as they appeared. Only problem was I didn't put in enough plants, because I was trimming them all summer.

Give it a shot. I'm not the world's best gardener, but this seemed to work.

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

My Italian Uncle pretty much yelled at me for not pinching back the basil as it starts to go to seed. Every time you see a little seed bud? forming, just pinch it off. My 2 cents.
Drake

[BarbaraC]

For goodness sake - DONT FORGET THE PARSLEY!

Parsley is great for everything - even pizza.

In Italy the garlic is not dried like we have here in California, they just pull it out of the ground and it is fresh and has a much milder flavor. Also I did not see any zucchini or crookneck squash, which is great on pizza and or dipped in sauce.

So one more tip - whenever I buy basil at the store, I buy a big batch and then toss the whole mess into a giant bowl of water and trim the end off the stems a tiny bit so that they take up water. (same with parsley) I let them soak for about half a day, then dump the water and put them back into a bowl with less water in the bottom, so the leaves are above and the stems are in the water. Some wilts, and some eventually sprouts after some days. I can keep basil in the kitchen for weeks in a water bowl or vase that way. I tip off the flower tops. I rarely change the water, just add some if it gets low so it gets swampy. When the basil sprouts, I find a pot of potting soil and shove them in there and water the heck out of it. Voila, basil plants. I put it outside unless it is cold, and I keep it inside in a sunny place. Mostly if the winter is too gloomy or cold, I keep it in water.

You can never have enough herbs.

Also plant red new potatoes. They are good sliced on pizza with pesto (toss in pesto first). Yeah Yeah too much starch - who cares. Put a cherry tomato slice or two you also grew in pots on them.

If you want adventure try asparagus and broccoli - also great with pesto.