The Wonder of Whitman's and William Woys Weaver

Last week I waved as hope was leaving, but it's skulking around and peeking in the windows these past few days following an awkward Valentine's Day exchange at the pool house on School House.  Everyone seems awful and difficult when their intentions are filtered through lawyers and brokers.  Myself included, almost certainly.  In person and armed with an unwieldy box of chocolates we're vulnerable, a forgivable mess.  If this thing works out we'll owe everything to Whitman's.

I want to say something about the seeds and trees I'm ordering but I don't know where to begin.  I rediscovered the amazing Kitazawa Seed Company in Oakland and am so glad that I did.  And the seeds took all of one day to get to me, ONE DAY!!  From Oakland!!!  I can't wait to grow these delicious Hinona Kabu turnips again, or try the baby-sized Konasu eggplants (they are so cute!!).  We're hoping to grow the pink popcorn that Tristan had in his garden last year.  The seed is available from Victory Seeds, an incredible and impressively ethical seed source from which I also order a peculiar strain of Mortgage Lifter tomato with chartreuse foliage.  I've grown all kinds of unusual-foliaged tomatoes and the pale leaf strain of Mortgage Lifter is the only one thus far that actually produces delicious fruit.

Other seeds I'm excited about:  White tomatoes, which I have never grown before (unless you count the cherry Snow White), including White Wax, which was previously rather hard to find and heralded by William Woys Weaver, and Etoile Blanche d'Anvers, a little pleated French Belgian (excusez-moi)
tomato (from Sand Hill Preservation in Iowa, a company that only accepts orders via actual mail). 

Since the soil here seems more suited to growing roots than the loess of northwest Iowa I'm diving headlong into carrots and turnips and rampion.  These black turnips of Pardailhan have intrigued me for a long time and I've never grown them, UNTIL NOW.  Seed seems scarce, as it is for so many French vegetables I'd like to grow.  I have a source for the turnips, but not for the bellot carrots I'd like to try, or the Roscoff onions.  Come on French people!!  Help a gardener out.