Busy, Busy, Busy...

Pfew... I breathe a sigh of relief as everything on today's agenda was completed.  Well, almost.  But the rest can wait until later this week.  

This morning, one hundred and seventy five (175) tomato plants were transplanted found a new home in more spacious peat pots.  It was a cold and ominous morning, definitely not suited for gardening.  But, I made it work.  Piled on the layers, threw on the old Uggs and set up camp on the only dry space outside, the front patio.  With the containers taking up more space the cold frame seems a little cramped.  

By noon it was decent enough to explore the perennial vegetable space and found horseradish (left) and rhubarb (below, right; and bottom left and right) coming up.
Horseradish?  Yes, the same horseradish that is ground up and preserved with tons of salt and vinegar that is used to make cocktail sauce for shrimp and crab cakes. Horseradish is a pretty powerful spice, and in large doses is poisonous.

Rhubarb... I love rhubarb.  Its sour and pairs really well with anything sweet.  Every year I pick it fresh and make muffins, rhubarb "applesauce" which is boiled rhubarb with honey, and finally rhubarb-strawberry crisp with frozen strawberries from last season.  Rhubarb is a great source of fiber, vitamins C & K, and phytonutrients like lycopene, hesperidin, lutein and zeaxanthin.  Rhubarb helps support red blood cell function, is anti-inflammatory, keeps eyes healthy and is favorable for prostate health.  Please note, however, you cannot eat rhubarb leaves, they are highly poisonous.  The bright red/pink stalks are the only edible parts of the plant. 

Four rows of onions, two of white and two of red, were planted in the large garden this afternoon.  They always look so beautiful when their greens jump out of the ground.  Onions are packed with phytonutrients they are beneficial for cardiovascular health and fighting free radicals at the cellular level.  Free radical formation in the body has been shown to increase one's risk for cancer.  Phytonutrients like quercetin and allicin, which are found in onions, especially red onions, fight free radicals and help to prevent cancer.  

I had to show updated pictures of the blackberry bushes and garlic.  Last week I pruned the blackberry bushes and they have since formed leaves!  Yayy :o)  

The garlic took a huge growth spurt this week because of the warmer temperatures and misting rain.  Garlic is packed with nutrients.  Besides being a tasty ingredient in many dishes, garlic is full of antioxidants and has anti-inflammitory properties.  It has also been shown to support the immune system!  All are great reasons to add it to your favorite dish!

Yesterday my dad made three more raised beds.  Two for strawberries and an extra for zucchini, squash and cucumbers.  In between the set of two and the single will be two trenches of asparagus.  Although asparagus will come up every year, we cannot fully harvest for 4 years to ensure a hardy crop.  AHHH, so tempting!! 

Next week I'll plant potatoes, and hopefully the blueberries, asparagus and strawberries will be ready to plant too!!!

What's Old, is New Again...

So, as I was working outside this weekend, I came across some amazing things.  Now, every year, I get so excited about spring that I prematurely work in the garden.  This year is definitely the exception, and this is why...

This past fall I had planted cabbage and broccoli.  I never do well planting cabbage and broccoli in late summer for a fall crop.  The bugs absolutely love those crops that time a year.  So, what I do is let the bugs do their thing and use those plants as compost.  This year, I come outside to a beautiful cabbage plant that is doing wonderfully in this weather.  So, needless to say, it was left alone and I worked around it.  

Saturday when I came home from work, my dad had worked up the raised beds.  You saw from my last post that my one raised bed is full of garlic, but this raised bed will be for carrots, collards, and peas-- a typical, nice spring garden.  

This year I am trying a different method of planting.  Not sure what it is called, but in the past year I have been researching historic gardens, and all the gardens have crops planted in hill-rows instead of flat rows.  Since I live in a pre-Revolutionary War era farm house, it seems appropriate to plant this way, or at least try to plant this way.

If you've been following, you know that about a month ago I planted collard greens and kept them in the cold frame until they were large enough to transplant.  Well, this weekend I had the opportunity to transplant the baby greens.  

If you have not had the opportunity to try collard greens, I highly recommend them.  The smaller greens are very tender and only require sautéing them in garlic, olive oil, some red pepper flakes and salt.  The larger greens are often tough and requires more cooking time in a liquid such as water or broth.  

Before I got the opportunity to cut back my blackberry bushes, they already started growing leaves! Yikes!  When they were getting cut back, I discovered my 4 original plants multiplied to 8 plants!!

Pictured below is the the new extension to the garden.  Fifteen years ago when we moved into the our house, this was the original site of the garden.  The garden I refused to work in, if only I knew then what I know now.  If only, right?  Planned are two raised beds for strawberries, two rows of asparagus, and possibly spring onions or sweet potatoes. 

From small beginnings, come great things.  (American Proverb)

A Few Spring-like Days...

So, we had a few days near 70 degrees this week and everything started peeking out of the ground.  Garlic that I had planted in late October (right before the only big snow we had this year) took a major growth spurt and is now about 6-8 inches tall!  I planted a new type this year, so it will be interesting to see how large these get.  

What is exciting though, is these are a hardneck variety.  Hardneck varieties of garlic produce awesomely delicious garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes are good in stir fries, pestos, salads, and to make compound butters and herb oils.  Last year there were only 2 bulbs that produced scapes, but this year all should produce!

 This year my family and I are trying our hands at fruit.  Tony and I gave blueberry bushes as Christmas gifts, so the four holes you see above are for those.  The plowed site (above) is for two 5'x10' raised beds and several hills of asparagus.   

Below is the site of my annual vegetable garden.  Last year it held 4 rows of onions, 50 tomato plants, 3 hills of potatoes, one row of hot peppers, two rows of beets, one row of eggplant, broccoli and cabbage and two rows of beans.  This year, we extended it by five feet, or about three more rows!!  

Who knows what tomorrow can bring!!

Week 3

Today marks week three since I planted my seeds.  With the warm weather, and ample sunlight, they have been pretty successful!  Some were late to sprout which is always nerve-wracking, but even the tomatoes planted last weekend have begun to pop-out of the dirt.  

 Tomatoes, in all there are seven types in colors ranging from vivid yellow and orange striped, to blackish purple.  Planted are two types of canning tomatoes, two types of paste tomatoes, one sandwich/ slicing tomato, and two all purpose tomatoes.  These pictures only show a small selection.

 Below are the collard greens.  They look like bright green butterflies at this stage!  So cool!

 Mustard greens (below) are my all-time favorite variety of greens.  They have a citrus, spicy flavor and have a wonderful crisp texture.  These greens are wonderful fresh, cooked, or lightly wilted.  

 This is the second year I am planting leeks.  The seedlings are definitely much stronger this year than last.  Once they are transplanted, leeks are very low maintenance.  If you have never had them, they are harvested in the fall and make the best addition to soup, salads and roasts.  Leeks have a unique taste with notes of onion and garlic, but are very mild.  

 The mesclun greens are beautiful and lush right now.  They are thriving in the cold frame and look like a green blanket dotted with purple.  

This definitely has me excited for spring and summer, to begin cooking and using these beautiful fruits and vegetables!  YUM!!