A Great Day at the Garden

Today indeed was a great day at the garden. You're looking at the end of the story. 

It all began early today with all the windows open at our little home. The birds were singing way before dawn. If you've never been to Florida, I suggest you choose March as the month to make your visit. The citrus trees and anything else that blooms is blooming like crazy. The air is full of the most exotic, delicious smells. And, this morning, the wind was blowing our windchimes hard enough so that all 4 notes could be heard.

I still had lots of greens from the patch at McRorie Community Garden, but it was such a nice day I thought I'd freshen up the fridge. If you've been following my posts, you already know that this season the patch has broccoli, collard greens, garlic chives (been there for years), kale and mesclun, which are salad greens of all sorts. 

My big decision was whether or not to bring my bike to the garden and then ride down the Hawthorne Trail a bit. We live about 10 miles from the garden, so bicycle commuting isn't always practical. My bike has saddle bags and can easily carry most of what I need, but the route to the garden is sketchy in some places. I also needed to drop by my new mechanic friend's shop even further down the line. I finally got a VW Westy I affectionately named Fred the Bed Van (the 3rd) after looking for one for years. I raised my kids in vans like these rather than going nuts indoors. So, they actually named the first Westy Fred the Bed Van. They say you never own a Fred Van, you just maintain it.

The broccoli has bolted and with the flowers come bees. So, the bees and I coexisted this day as we feasted on the delicious broccoli. That's a major benefit of gardening. When hunger strikes you can just dig in and eat right there and then. And, we did.

The garden is such a festive place. Almost every time I come on a weekend, there are visitors. Today, two ladies dropped by and strolled around admiring the various patches. One addressed the other as "Mom". When she came by she asked me "I don't see any compost bins. I always look for the compost bins." I pointed to the south side of the garden, having just dropped off a couple of days worth of veggie discards. 

Back to it. I clipped off the broccoli and ate more than I put in my bag for dinner. I hope there are a few more florets before it gets too hot for the broccoli to survive. 

The collard greens live behind the broccoli. I've had some fun with collard greens thanks to various recipes you all have put here on Zoobird and ones I've found. In fact, last night I had a craving for coconut curry, and I found a recipe that worked perfectly. We find coconuts all over Florida, but last night I just used canned coconut milk. Sometimes you have to make do.

The collard greens have been a favorite in my garden because they are super hardy and grow like crazy. They are "dark green leafy vegetables" that every doctor and nutritionist says are best for your health. I like them because you can make them taste a zillion different ways. And, I mean to try Carla Van Arnum's collard green freezing instructions.  

I have three cookbooks in particular that help me figure out how to cook collard greens. One is called The Ethnic Vegetarian: Traditional and Modern Recipes from Africa, ... and another is A Taste of Africa I especially like "A Taste of Africa" because it covers most of the countries of Africa and a dish or two each country is famous for. One of the more interesting ones is Madhur Jaffrey's Indian CookingChandra is also proving to be big help with Indian cooking. Thanks, Chandra!

The mesclun mix is just behind the collard greens. It's been fantastic! Here's what Garden Guides says about growing mesclun mix "Mesclun is amazingly easy to grow, as seeds germinate in cool weather, even as low as 40º F. Even if you live in an area with a long, cold winter, you can grow Mesclun practically all year round using growlights, a greenhouse, or season extenders such as cold frames and tunnels. And, as lettuce tolerates close planting, Mesclun doesn't necessarily take up much space. I start mine indoors around the first of February, sowing the seed directly into a pair of large shallow clay pots. The lettuce seeds sprout in about a week, although some of the greens are slower. Because you don't want the faster-sprouting lettuce to crowd out the greens, it's best to seed your greens separately in a different container, seed-tray, or windowbox." 

The mesclun was just about done. It was practically more flowers and seed than leaves. So, I picked the last bag of leaves and then pulled out the plants altogether. 

Kale has been a favorite this season since I discovered how to make a kale roughie. Let me tell you: the kale, cucumber, jalapeño, and pineapple combination is indescribably delicious. 

All along the way, the birds were singing, people passed by and said hi. The nicest smells wafted by from the garlic chives and little patches of mint that give me delicious mint leaves for tea. 

Meanwhile, here at home I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the basil sprouts are doing so well they are nearly poking through the damp paper towel. The bad news is that the tomato sprouts are not sprouting anymore. I think I may have planted them too deeply in the compost, or maybe I should have used potting soil instead. Who knows, maybe they'll be fine. There's still time to try sprouting them again. 

Have you planted your next season's garden yet? I'd love to hear about it!