Ya win some, ya lose some.

We've had a cool, rainy spring, perfect for planting, harvesting and digging so that's what we've been doing. The peas and broccoli have come and gone, lettuce is no more, garlic is curing on the porch, swiss chard is up and at 'em, squash has been coming off for weeks and our first tomato will be eaten in a day or two! I planted potatoes this year and have been sneaking a few from under the straw for the past few days-way fun. Carrots are the biggest hit this year. I planted lots. It's great fun to pop them out of the ground, it just makes the most wonderful sound. Potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper fresh out of the garden have been on the menu this week and squash casserole is bubbling away in the crockpot for dinner.
True confessions: the beets were a bust, twice. Turnips weren't much better.Tomatoes are wilting daily. Neem oil is good but cool, very wet days are a curse on tomatoes.

Walked She Did

That's Yoda for She walked across the stage at Emory's graduation but hasn't quite graduated yet but it was still fun and we are proud. The Quad looked like this the night before...

and the next morning...

a crush of people, all happy.
Arnold was the speaker, as in Swartzneger. His message: Work hard. Believe in yourself. Give through volunteerism.

creamed swiss chard

Wow! It was delicious.

One bunch of swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
One big clove garlic, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Sautee the garlic briefly in oil. Toss in the swiss chard and cover cooking over low heat until thoroughly wilted. Pour over the cream and stir in the parmesan cheese. Let evaporate until thickened. Season to taste.

Raised Bed

Not a bed on bricks, a bed of bricks. We have three garden areas not one great big garden. Each gets different sunlight and boy did I plan this one wrong. This raised bed is built of stacked bricks over an old, concrete driveway. Lettuce, broccoli, spinach and swiss chard are getting full, southern, afternoon sun.If we were really having spring weather that'd be OK. But the temp has been hovering around 90 for days. Ouch. I cover the bed with sheets to keep the plants from getting sunburnt. The Romain bolted (ran for it, so to speak) and had to be harvested all at once to a neighbor's benefit. Our fridge is stuffed with bags of greens, all kinds. I've been cooking and freezing greens every day. We eat them every meal but breakfast. That's the life of a gardener...feast or famine. Puts ya in touch with your heritage pretty quick. I think of my grandparents (and the greats) and puzzle, 'How in the world?'. Did we really crawl out of the mud hundreds of thousands of years ago hunting, gathering and growing food all the while until about 100years ago? Wow. There's some powerful mo-jo in our genes.

Easter Sunday 2010

The Spring Garden

So much for whining about nothing to do. We have endless sunshine in the forcast and warm days ahead. The lettuces that wintered over have put on new leaves, Swiss Chard is coming on strong, parsley has perked up, collards are harvested with some frozen for the future. Carrots, beets and radishes have put on true leaves, potatoes are planted and peas are coming up. The rhubarb wintered over in pots and now has a permanent place in the garden. The garlic and onions are forming bulbs. And I am watering again. This is an ominous sign. O-o-oh no-o-o!

Liquid Sunshine

Gardening is suspended. There's nothing to do but wait for the weather to cooperate. Trapped in the house two weekends ago, I took out Eugenia Bone's Well Preserved and made lemon pickles. Preserved lemons are lemons juiced and salted. No heat, no mixing, just the raw materials combined. They are beautiful sitting on my counter. Bottled sunshine.