Cool and damp weather encourages procrastination ...

I'm slowly but surely switching out the crops planted in the fall.

We've begun to cut the asparagus, but at this rate it's going to take a week or two to accumulate enough for a meal!

The fava beans are setting fruit. Plump bright green beans are forming on the Italian and Spanish heirlooms. The "windsor" variety is slower to develop, but should have higher yields.

The over-wintered lettuces are mature and still delicious. The baby arugula and spring lettuces are ready to cut.

We've experienced poor germination of sugar snaps and edamame. I planted additional seeds between the emerging seedlings hoping to fill in the rows.

Tatsoi, pak choi, toscano kale, salad turnip seedlings have been planted and several rows of radish seeds are in the ground.

I'm hoping to beat the squash bug infestations by getting plants in the ground early. I have one bed of straight yellow squash and zucchini, plus a few "8-ball" zucchini plants at the end of another bed. The 8-ball fruits are shaped like ... guess what? ... small balls!

I have planted two rows of pole beans ... one each of "rattlesnake" and "garden of eden" varieties ... plus a half-bed of "jade" bush beans.

The remaining space in the bush bean bed is filled with eggplant, "dance" variety. It would be nice to get a little size on those plants before the flea beetles take their toll.

I stuck a couple of cherry tomato plants at the end of one bed, trellis in place for support, and one in a pot. I set out a tomatilla plant at the end of another bed. It will use the cedar snag that's placed there for support.

I put in several curly parsley plants in the herb bed. The horseradish root that Betsy gave me last fall has sprouted and is growing well. The stevia plant has survived the winter, and we have volunteer dill plants. The thyme has never looked better! Mint, oregano, rosemary, chives, sage ...

Here's a funny story. When I planted the melon plants I found a chicken egg buried in the corner of the raised bed. Weird! The next week I found that corner totally dug out. Melon plants tossed about. Oh boy! Then Rouse found an egg buried in the leaf litter near the wood pile. I've recently caught Zulie, the neighbor dog, sneaking into the hen house hoping to snitch an egg or two late in the afternoon while the chickens are free-ranging. And I've seen her running across the yard with an egg in her mouth! I do believe she buried the egg in the raised bed, then tried to reclaim it later.

Still to do: pepper plants, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, okra, more beans ...

Parmesan Spinach Cakes

When you're overwhelmed with greens it sure is nice to have some tried-and-true recipes to fall back on. This one came from my sister-in-law, Bett Wilson Foley. She served it at Abi's bridal shower last fall. It's a "do-againer"!

Parmesan Spinach Cakes

12 ounces fresh Spinach
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (may substitute 1/2 cup cottage cheese)
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 8 cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray.
• Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.
• Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 oiled muffin cups (they will be very full).
• Bake until set, 20 - 25 minutes.
• Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more parmesan, if desired.

PS ... I made this tonight using 8 ounces of spinach and 4 ounces of beet greens because that's what I had prepped in the 'fridge. I do believe you could substitute your favorite greens in any combination.

Let Us Eat Lettuce!

What to do with a refrigerator FULL of lettuce? And more to come?!

I like to make green smoothies, basically a salad in the blender. And when it comes to fresh greens in the blender I prefer a savory concoction, without the sweetness of added fruit and fruit juices. That, unfortunately, is not very appealing to some members of the family. So I decided to change the presentation from "smoothie" in a glass to "soup" in a bowl.

It's a cold soup, but if you can get past that idea you just might like it! It makes a lovely appetizer on a warm spring day. The recipe is a work in progress, but here's what I made for lunch today:

Lettuce Soup

1/4 cup V-8 (vegetable) juice
1 cup chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 cups lettuce, packed
1/4 cup tzatziki *
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Zing it all up in the blender. Pour into your favorite bowl. If you like, top with extra tzatziki.

* Tzatziki is a Greek yogurt/cucumber/garlic sauce. I'm lucky! I get mine from Angelina's Kitchen, where they serve up delicious, real food, prepared from local meats and produce. Gluten Free? Vegan? No problem. Angelina will take care of you. And the service is quick! If you're in Pittsboro for lunch visit Angelina and tell her Sue sent you!

The Winter Garden is Bolting

It's time to harvest all the greens. The over-wintered crops bolt at the first sign of warmth. But I've got help! Andrew and Brittany have been working in the garden, pulling up plants, clipping and sorting the edible leaves. Kale, collards, spinach, broccoli ... It's all on the way out and must be cut NOW!

Even the beets are bolting. This is disappointing, because the roots are not much developed at this point. These beets were planted in the fall. Experience has shown us that beets planted in March tend to have a better yield.

It's a job processing the beets!

Wash and Sort .... and yet to be cooked!

A pile of carrots. Some are crispy and sweet. Some have a woody core. Feeling lucky?

The lettuce is not bolting, yet, and still tastes sweet. We are cutting it and eating it as fast as we can, but will leave what we can in the garden as long as possible.

It's definitely time to make room for the spring and summer crops.

Sugar Snaps -- Made two plantings. Germination not so great.

Trays of Seedlings

Bok Choi and Salad Turnip seedlings,
Radish seeds - in the ground

Tax Day

Taxes grow without rain.
           ~ Jewish Proverb