Radishes Ripe

Our first bundle of radishes. The roots are lovely, and so delicious, but don't throw those greens in the compost!

Radish greens are edible. The hairiness of the leaves in a fresh salad might be a bit off-putting, but they cook up very nicely. I like to mix them with kale, spinach, turnip or beet greens... whatever you have!

 

Turnip Tops

I continue to thin the salad turnips. The roots are not yet developed, but these greens will not go to waste. They are quite tasty! I cook them just as I would cook any greens .... mustard, kale, collards, etc. I especially like to mix all available greens in the pot. The flavors blend and complement each other is a very satisfying way.

Harvesting Spring Greens

 

A beautiful head of Romaine Lettuce
Leaves big enough to substitute for a slice of bread!

kale, romaine and leaf lettuce, spinach
What would I do without my salad spinner??

Herb Bed

Oregano and red-veined sorrel plants are well established, along with my favorite mint (spearmint?) positioned at the near end of the bed. The mint had rambled quite a bit, as mints are wont to do. So I cleared out the wanderers, then added thyme, savory, stevia, and sage plants.

Spring Day

over-wintered lettuce and spinach thriving

Sprouts! Thinning Required

Thinning the seedlings is a necessary chore. Healthy, well-formed plants require plenty of growing room. Too many plants growing too close together must compete for nutrients, water, air, and root space. Over-crowding also leads to increased risk of disease.

Still, I hate pulling up those tiny seedlings, tossing them unceremoniously aside to dry up in the warm spring sun. So, I ate them! Very tasty... fresh and a bit spicy. I made a simple spring salad with over-wintered lettuce, sliced green onions, and a pile of these turnip and radish sprouts.

sugar snap peas down the middle
turnip and radish sprouts along either side

turnip and radish sprouts

over-wintered lettuce

Final Harvest of the Red Russian Kale

The red russian kale is at maximum maturity.

The plants are poised to bolt as spring progresses and temperatures increase.

We've had a minor problem with aphids this year, but nothing that a good salt water soak can't resolve.

That's a sink-full of kale, but it will cook way down...