Just Put It In Your Mouth

And see what happens? I am not talking about the Adult Entertainment Industry here friends, I am of course talking about the introduction of new vegetables in my garden this year. I find it quite rare nowadays to meet people with curiosity for new or uncommon vegetables. I know people as a matter of fact who simply find them repulsive because they grow in the dirt... Which begs the question: Why do you prefer something that came out of somethings butt or probably was fed its own poop. Believe me, I am no vegetarian but on the scale of all things gross, I find it barely comparable.

Kohlrabi

I had kohlrabi for the first time last year after visiting the Redmond Saturday Market. I had seen it around in some grocery store but had never tried it. The stem makes several long leafs and creates this bulb that you harvest, trim and eat like a root vegetable. It's truly a beautiful plant that could make it in the decorative category. I am looking forward seeing if  they produce a decent bulb this year. These actually overwintered.

Paw Paw Tree

New addition to my backyard, a lovely couple of Paw Paw trees. These exotic looking younglings will be growing up to 15 feet tall and produce a fruit which apparently tastes like banana custard. It's one of the few fruits you probably will never see in the grocery stores. I probably won't see any fruits until next year or more, until they are well established but am already intrigued by its exotic looks.

 

 Arugula... Surprise, the flower.

 

So I've grown arugula plenty of times And was a little disappointed this spring when it bolted during the few warm days we had a month ago. I have been picking at the leaf and removing the stems as I do thinking that it was pretty much a wash until I discovered that unlike most things that bolts, there is a positive twist: the flowers. They are actually edible and a fantastic addition to your arugula salad. Those who have had nasturtiums before will recognize the same complexity in their taste, from an onion like to arugula to sweet and aromatic. Arugula is so easy to grow, it add some spiciness to your greens and provides long after its prime. Try it!

There is no words to express the amazingness...

so I won't say anything else.

Good night!

First Sugars of the Season

Asides from the sweet taste of a well rounded beet, nothing beats the delicate yet overwhelmingly sweet flavors of the first strawberries of the season. Yet this is the part that I love and dread the most, as other voracious critters (not counting children) also dedicate their life in the pursuit of the perfect berry... And I mean slugs.

Contrarily to most popular beliefs, slugs do find some non-green or foliage shape things delicious. One of them is the fruit of my labor. I have tried tenaciously to avoid the disappointment of having to throw away or severely maim the round plum delicacies but thus far to no avail. It's like they are small scarlet beacon of light in their slimy dreadful existence. None the less, when proper care and a hasty pick, I can usually eat them for several weeks, or at least until the blueberries are ready to deliver their own tart punch of flavor and antioxidants.

Strawberries are extremely easy to grow. in my garden, they create runners and like a well rehearsed prison break, they launch their ropes over the wall of their container and attempt the great propagation of the century. Some will say that there could be worst weeds to have around but most gardeners will regard any plants with that much determination with a leery eye.

I currently have an entire 3 feet by 7 feet wooden container of them, saves me from some unruliness at least until a moment later, they touch ground again. It also allows me to keep SOME undesirables out. What I however did not do in my infinite wisdom is considered other varieties to ensure a long and prolific harvest.

I believe that there are 3 categories of strawberries: June Bearing, Ever Bearing and Alpine.

As you may have guessed, June harvests in June, Ever bearing should produce all Summer long and Alpine is a smaller, daintier variety. Recently I have acquired a pot perfect for strawberries. At the risk of biting more than I can chew this year (a bad habit of mine in the garden), I am tempted to try the Alpine variety. It seem to describe the wild strawberries of my childhood, those so small and so sweet that it produces the world most delicious jam, Godly really.

I shall report on my splurge within the coming weeks!... Unless I come to my senses. In the meantime, it's a fight to the death with my slug nemesis... Who apparently enjoy potato plants too?!

P.S. Courtesy dictates that my youngest palate partake of the berry first. Enjoy my child!

Ok, I'm changing it up now

You may have noticed that I have been quiet as of late... Or not. There are after all no followers to this blog yet, just my own little personal soap box onto which I can voice my darkest desires... or just ramble therapeutically without harming anyone.

I admit it, compared to my friends tempestuous lives, my chaos has been greatly tempered over the years. I have lived enough to make a saloon girl blush and today, I have one talent and one thing I do well: gardening.

I am not an expert but I am like most pig headed people, willing to try my hand at it year after year after year. I have actually picked up a few things and somehow always find joy in my harvests. So I propose this dear blog... Like talk the crap out of the greenery and perhaps someday, someone will read this and find a certain solace in my quirky spade and compost filled mockeries.

Profile of a Gardener

Name: Marie-Claude
Age: 35
Gardening since: 2003
First Garden most memorable thing: Visited by a three legged rabbit. We didn't care, who can get mad at a 3 legged rabbit?
Favorite vegetable: asparagus
Favorite fruit: raspberries
Mortal enemy: the slug.
Fear: Prolific slugs
Most memorable moment of the season: harvesting my first successful cauliflower.
Why gardening is great for me: My father and my grandmother were all gardeners. I remember as a child watching my dad dig in the garden every evenings to decompress from a long day. I didn't really pay that much attention when I was a child but I often wondered why he did it, especially in these harsh Northern climates where I am from. We suddenly remembered when summer came and the fresh taste of carrots and lettuce were introduced at our table. Today, I understand the connection to the feeling of creating something special, something that sustains your family's table for a whole summer. I watch life evolve through growth, decline and abundance. It's simplicity and reward.
Why gardening is stupid for me: I am allergic to bees and wasps.It's sort of like having dumpster diving as a hobby when you're afraid of rats.
Quirk: I always thank the plant for the great harvest. I don't know if it can hear or feel anything, but considering how intimately connected you are to your food, it does not hurt to do it for your own sake.
Favorite Garden Recipe: Garden loose leaf lettuce with heavy cream, garlic salt, chives and pepper. Sometimes I had green peas for a sweet enticing taste. Delish!
Smartest move I've made: Buy these high density resin containers. WOW! My garden got an early start with these Lifetime containers. It's absolutely fantastic! More on that in the next few posts.
Most obscure edible plant in my yard: I recently acquired two paw paw trees. They are still too young to produce but more on that later.
Best garden visitor: the hundreds of green forest frogs that prowls around. I love amphibians!


Good night Seattle!