What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

[christo]

Down here in North Carolina I spent the day clearing out the area for the new pizza oven and preparing the vegetable garden for the year.

What are the pizza people growing in their gardens!!!

I've got plans for tomoto, bananna pepper, garlic, eggplant, as well as my herb garden. Does anyone have some tips on what to plant and when to plant to make sure that we always have something fresh to pick from the garden to make pizzas with?

Thanks!

Christo

[jjerrier]

Tomatoes

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???

[Robert Musa]

garlic... it seems that a gazillion percent of the (boring) garlic you buy in stores comes from gilroy but if you grow it yourself you can really get pretty wide variations in taste depending on how much you water it, the type of soil, how often the neighbor's cats visit your garden ... some home grown garlic (even when using store bought heads as seed) can be incredibly HOT (as hot or hotter than serranno peppers).

last year we ordered several varieties of garlic online with the plan of having a garlic tasting party (the party never happened). we had to store it in a cool dark place so what better location than the tub in the guest bathroom.




beats the hell out of a glade air freshener.

this year we had a bunch of cloves left over that fell out of their identifying bags so i planted that and now we have a garlic mystery garden.

you are supposed to plant near the shortest day of the year and harvest on the longest although you can also plant in the spring in colder climes, but if you are going to do it you should do so now. so get on it !!!

[jjerrier]

How about wine and/or beer selection with pizza or wood oven cooking? We are having a baby on 3/31 and have relatives descending for several weeks so I know the oven will be running non-stop. We are at critically low level of alcohol. What do you all recommend - I'm looking for specific brand names!

Jay

www.texaspizzaoven.com

[Les]

Jay, If you are having a baby AND relatives for a few weeks....Everclear comes to mind.

[james]

This is much better than what pizza oven owners grow. What do they drink?

My vote is Pinot Grigio. Nice dry white table wine, good with food.

Jay, did you go off wine along with your wife???

James

[vitoduke]

We enjoy either a Hendry Winery or a Storybook Mountain Winery Zinfandel. We are lucky, they are both close to our house. They perfectly match up to the pizza.---Mel

[jjerrier]

Instead of giving up alcohol, i just decided to gain 25 pounds with her.

Pinot and Zinfandel it is...

I also enjoy a nice hefeweizen with a lemon or orange wedge.

Jay

[pizza master]

garden pizzza

Hey its great to grow pizza garden but should be carefull kids love to play with small plants thats right

thanks

http://pizzarecipe.blogspot.com

[vincent]

My wife and i prefer a nice full bodied red. A cabernet/merlot blend...a shiraz/cabernet blend..Since we a very close to the Finger Lakes Region of New York; the selection of wines is excellent

[Xabia Jim]

Re: What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

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]

Re: What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

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]

Re: Tomatoes

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]

Re: What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

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]

Re: What are the pizza people growing in their gardens?

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!