When we ventured down to the community garden plot for the first time this year I was delighted to see that the kale and Swiss chard had overwintered. They’ve grown considerably due to the unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve been enjoying and yesterday I harvested the first of the kale.
We haven’t enjoyed any fresh greens around here since last November when we put the garden to bed so I decided to make one of our favourite salads. (This salad wasn’t entirely garden-fresh as I had to purchase red cabbage and carrots. The cabbage was grown nearby but I wasn’t able to find any locally grown carrots. Ordinarily I would have passed on them but I really wanted to make that salad. One does what one can.) You can find the recipe for this and other kale salads at this post: Kale. It’s What’s For Dinner.
It was such a beautiful day yesterday that after church and lunch out with friends I decided to do a bit of gardening in the deer-proof garden in the back yard. I added some of the vermicompost that the residents of the Worm Hotel have been busy producing over the winter and planted some radishes and lettuce. I also transplanted the lettuce that I planted in milk jugs back in February some time. How wonderful it is to see green in that little garden!
Here’s a few other simple spring things I took great delight in yesterday:
- Hanging the hummingbird feeder.
- Pulling the garden bench and large flower pots out of the garage. I still need to get out there and see exactly what survived the winter.
- Setting up chairs on the upper deck.
- Putting out a special pair of ladybug rubber boots that I plan to fill with pansies again this year. They’re torn and tattered but they were special favourites of my granddaughter–so they’re treasures to me. 🙂
- Setting up the lawn swing.
- Leaving the doors open and letting the spring air fill the house.
I’m looking forward to getting back to the community garden in a day or two when the warm weather returns to dig in the dirt, plant some cold-weather crops, and harvest more kale.
Welcome spring!
Your garden sounds lovely.
It’s not much right now, Marjorie, but it is a place of peace for me nevertheless.
I have really learned to like Kale. Guess I need to try your recipe.
I love the first time I can open windows and smell the fresh air. Thankfully, we’ve had more than a handful of those days already.
You’ve made me very hungry for fresh greens that have just been picked :-)!