Notable Edibles

Margaritas up next for Indy’s Hoosier Momma

The ladies behind Hoosier Momma Bloody Mary mixes have won over the brunch crowd. Now, they’re moving in on happy hour with two new margarita mixes.

Key lime and strawberry-rhubarb margarita drink mixes will make their debut at liquor stores in March. Though its flavorful, homemadetasting Bloody Mary mixes have been the hallmark of Hoosier Momma, a 2-year-old Indianapolis company, conquering other cocktails makes sense. Hoosier Momma co-founder Erin Edds hates to see people combine premium liquor with an inferior drink mix.

Enter Hoosier Momma’s high-quality mixes, naturally flavored and made without high-fructose corn syrup.

The key lime mix came from Edds’s partners KC Cranfill and Cat Hill, who really love the twist that key limes give to a traditional margarita. Strawberry-rhubarb was Edds’s baby, inspired by this discovery: Her homemade strawberry-rhubarb lemonade tasted mighty fine with some tequila in it.

“Margaritas are, across the board, a good-time cocktail,” Edds says.

Each 32-ounce jar makes six to eight margaritas, and will retail for about $7.99.

The Bloody Mary mixes—sold in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Louisiana—are becoming something of a celebrity. They are the official cocktail drink mix of this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival, an annual celebration that leads up to the Derby. And, in a recent Los Angeles Times story, a reporter called Hoosier Momma’s Bloody Mary mix “the best in my 40 years of research.”

Cheers to that!

Details: Margarita mixes debut in March at Indy chain liquor stores including Crown Liquors, United Package Liquors, 21st Amendment and Kahn’s Fine Wine & Spirits, as well as Goose the Market and Twisted Sister. www.hoosiermomma.com

Photo courtesy of Hoosier Momma —Erica Sagon

Eager Gardeners Can Start Now With Seedlings

If you’re a home gardener whose green thumb is itching to get started on spring planting, there is no need for further delay.

March and April are ideal months to begin nurturing seedlings indoors for an upcoming garden or home landscaping, says Lori Farr, a horticulturist and perennial production buyer at Dammann’s Lawn and Garden Center, which has three Indy locations. www.dammanns.com

She recommends broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, pansies and impatiens as great crops to start indoors for early spring planting.

“Getting a jump start on the growing season is a fun activity and can help shake some of the pesky winter blues,” Farr says.

Farr offers these tips for getting started: • Choose a tray that will allow enough room for each plant to grow and spread without overcrowding. • Purchase trustworthy seeds and read the packets carefully to find the best times to start seeds for our area, usually six to eight weeks before the last frost date. • Start the seeds in a high-quality mix such as Organic Seed

Starting Jiffy Mix. • Place seedlings by a south-facing window or use a grow light and rotate the tray throughout the day for consistent light exposure. • As seedlings grow, gently brush the tops of them with your hand to encourage strong stems. As the weather warms, place them outside for a few hours each day to minimize the chance of shock when they are transplanted.

—Joan Jacobs