Spring Garden

Such a pleasant spring morning ... the best time to be in the garden. Everything is fresh, green, and ... bug free! We're past freezing temperatures. The heat and drought of summer is yet to come. Hope abounds. Here's what's growing today:

Beets are one crop I don't mind thinning. The baby greens are unblemished, bright green, full of nutrients. Delicious zinged up in a green smoothie, chopped into salads, or wilted in the sauté pan. Also pulled a few crimson salad turnips today. They look like radishes and have a similar spicy zing, but with an unmistakable turnip taste. The roots are good eaten out of hand, or in a salad, or cooked with the greens.

The kale has been perfect - tender and tasty! One of our favorite greens. A second row is growing in anticipation of this mature row eventually getting used up or bolting. The over-wintered spinach has already played out. We will miss those spinach salads, made especially delicious drizzled with a bacon grease red wine vinegar dressing. OMG! It's a good thing that the romaine lettuce will be ready soon.

Brushing against plants in the herb garden, inhaling fresh aromatic scents ... that's a special kind of therapy. The thyme has never looked so good! Lemon balm, peppermint, oregano, sage ... horseradish, bay, chives, fennel. Basil, cilantro, parsley are planted in other parts of the garden.

Rouse the Spouse planted the broccoli. It is growing vigorously, and has (so far) avoided the curse of the cruciferous loving caterpillars. Notice the garlic growing in the adjacent bed.



The ultimate spring-time treat - sugar snap peas! The plants are sturdy and blooming. Blackberry blossoms in the background.

Miracle of miracles! Despite late frosts, it looks like we will have a blueberry crop after all. Tiny fruits on the fig trees, too.