Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
My neighbor, Donna, has a rainier cherry tree growing near our property and she generously shares its fruit with us. It always is a battle between the birds and us to see who gets the largest part of the harvest, but this year a large crow has taken up residence, protecting the berries from smaller […]
The purslane is emerging in the vegetable garden and I need to decide how much to keep. To some this is a weed but to me it is a delicious topping for a sandwich or salad. Its crunch and texture is unique and adds an extra element to a meal. Its slightly sour taste and […]
The sugar snap peas are in and they are delicious. We started eating them a week ago and now pull at least half a pint every day. I prefer them raw though Juana likes them to be lightly cooked. Regardless they are delicious. Just planted the second seasonal crop that should start producing by late […]
The strawberries are in and so is Olivia. After some initial hesitancy to sample a strawberry, she digs in with all of the gusto that her sister Charlotte exhibited at her age. She smiles as thin lines of strawberry juice rundown her chin, staining her shirt. We probably lose half the harvest to her but […]
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. The same can also be said for dandelions except you make muffins. The lawn is chock full of dandelion flowers and I have enlisted Juana and Olivia to be my helpers to harvest the makings of dandelion muffins. Olivia is more interested in dropping the spent blossoms […]
Our average daily harvest.
Spring salads from the garden are the tastiest as the long wait between fresh harvests is finally over. Though I have tons of claytonia, I can finally mix it up with other plants both cultivated and wild. From the garden, I harvest a few leaves of claytonia and butter crunch butterhead lettuce. For a bit […]
It’s an early spargel season (or asparagus to those who don’t speak German). The last two weeks in the garden have been more than hectic as the temperatures turned a barren canopy and grounds into late Spring lushness. We have been eating greens from the garden for over a month as the claytonia explodes. Even […]
The irony was not lost on either Juana or I. After over six weeks in the tropics where the temperature never dropped below 70 degrees, we come back home to a Nor’easter and 6 inches of snow. The first thing we did upon arriving late in the day was to don our snow boots and […]
One of the great things about being in Florida this time of year is that strawberries are fresh out of the fields and available in farmer’s markets. I love to gorge myself on perfectly ripe, red and juicy berries. I can’t get enough. But to my surprise and shock, I recently spotted white strawberries that […]