Garden Treasures

Working in the garden can often reveal hidden treasures.  With careful attention you can spot the little surprises: colorful bugs as pretty as a painting, or the first delicate sprigs of a carrot seedling.  This spring I found some interesting things in the plot at the community garden.   After a long winter, it is easy to forget what bulbs went in last fall, so it was a delight to find garlic shoots a foot tall, and bright yellow daffodils bordering the plot. Mint shoots were coming up here and there, evidence of a determined underground trek.  So far, it’s not been a problem keeping them in check - the mint makes a fine cup of tea, fresh or dried.  What a treat to find a beautiful carpet of mixed lettuce greens, volunteers from last season’s plants left to self-seed.

As I was turning the soil in one of my beds, I noticed something shiny.  Looking closer, I spotted a lost earring, missing since last fall.  I was so glad that I hadn’t tossed the remaining earring.  A lesson my mother never taught me - if you lose an earring (or sock, glove, or anything else that comes with two) hold on to the remaining one, its match may reappear eventually. 

The harvest continues – the young collard leaves are about done, and now little flower shoots are appearing.  Cousins of broccoli raab, they were worthy of snipping.  A quick saute with garlic and olive oil resulted in a delicious dish.  Thanks Fran for mentioning the kale flowers – very similar.  This 100 pound challenge is changing what I eat.  Were it not for this experiment, my dinner vegetable might have been store bought cauliflower, instead of those tasty collard flowers.  It seemed essential to record at least 1 pound every week, and the leaves were 2 ounces short of that.  Collard flowers, young chives, baby lettuce – it all adds up - and the question becomes not "what do I want to have for dinner?" but "what is available for picking today in my garden?"