I don’t know if there’s any kind of pie I don’t like, but strawberry rhubarb pie is without a doubt my favorite. In January, opening a jar of this jam is the next best thing to pie. It’s peak strawberry season here now, so I made a big batch of jam last night, and we may have to have pie this weekend too. Continue reading
The weather was chilly and grey today, and after a quick stop at the garden to check on things after work, I wanted soup. The first local asparagus turned up the co-op last week, and I had a bunch of it waiting at home in the fridge. This soup is very simple and barely takes half an hour to make, but it tastes like something very fancy. I want to eat it every day until the peas come in, and then I want to eat this soup with peas in place of the asparagus. Continue reading
Last spring one of my community garden neighbors gave me her extra leek and shallot seedlings, and showed me how she grows leeks in a trench. To grow leeks with nice long white stalks, you need to keep covering the stalk with soil as it grows. Often leeks are planted level with the ground and soil is mounded up around them as they grow. My neighbor told me that she likes this trench method instead because she’s lazy, though you’d hardly think her lazy looking at her garden. She plants her leeks at the bottom of a trench, and then gradually fills it in as the leeks grow. The trench method is a bit more work at planting time, though I do think it makes things a little easier for the rest of the season. Continue reading
In early March I started several kinds of lettuce, red Russian kale, chard, tat soi, and two different packets of mixed greens. I sowed them thickly in big containers, the idea being that I would eat the thinnings while they were in the cold frame, and whatever was left could be planted out in the garden. Now the cold frame is packed with greens that are ready to be transplanted. I’m hoping to get them in the ground this weekend. In the mean time I’ve been going through and snipping off leaves once a week or so, and enjoying the most delicious salads of baby greens. This afternoon I harvested two big handfuls of greens, which we proceeded to eat one leaf at a time, straight out of the salad spinner. This salad is so fresh and delicious, it doesn’t even need any dressing.
forgottenpickles.com 