Are You Making a To-Do List?

The idea of spring showing up has seemed like it would be some kind of a miracle. We got buried under about seven feet of snow this winter, and endured one cold snap after another, but finally the days are warming and the white stuff is gradually disintegrating.

There's still plenty of snow and I’d much prefer to be outdoors doing some work, but in lieu of having actual ground to walk on, here I am indoors planning things to do this gardening season. I’m making a list.

First thing on the list is kale. I was thinking it would be fun to make a garden border out of kale and edible flowers. The way we grow kale is to plant it once and then let it to reseed itself. This means the row stays put. Kale leaves can be picked when needed, including in winter if you can get to it through the snow. Kale usually looks fine all by itself, but I’m thinking a few flowers would both look nice and take it out of the realm of monoculture.

Snow is receding and perennial onions are there for the picking.

The next item on the list involves daffodils. They grow very well here and the clumps have gotten very thick. The bulbs are toxic so none are ever lost to our fat and sassy squirrel population. Last year I started dividing them up, but there are plenty more to do. I’d be happy to share some if you live nearby.

Item three is a new stone wall started last year. Dry stacking stone walls is a favorite thing to do, and I can’t wait to get started.

Another item on the agenda is something new to learn about. We’ve decided to raise some chickens. This is a first, a whole new adventure as neither of us has done this before. We can’t wait to get started and we’ll let you know what happens.

The annual load of organic manure from grass fed cows will be arriving as soon as the ground firms up. There will be compost piles to build. Some of the manure will need to be wheelbarrowed out to the orchard for building compost piles there.

A sign of spring- daffodils ready to bloom.

There’s some landscaping to do by the pond. Another place to make a compost pile as it's on the list for planting a willow and some native flowering plants.

Gil has already seeded the cold frames full of salad plants after the winter ones got used up, and they have started to grow. Seeds for other crops are started indoors.

Looks like it will be a busy gardening season this year. It will be great to get out there and do stuff. The more I think about it, the longer my list gets! -jmm

Spring Pickin's

The trees still have no leaves, and some nights are still cold, close to freezing. The last of the snow has only recently melted, and in some areas there is still frost in the ground.

Crocus flowers are coming into bloom, and daffodils will soon follow. Even with these signs of spring it’s too early by weeks or months for garden veggies to be ready to eat.

But, there are a few things out there in the garden that are ready for eating now. And those are:

Chives. Only a few inches tall, they can be cut near to the ground, and new growth will soon follow. Finely chopped, chives are perfect to sprinkle onto green salads, omelets, sandwiches, stews, soups, and so on for fresh spring green color and some nutritional enhancement. They are perennial plants, and once planted will serve you for entire growing seasons for many years.

Perennial onions. As soon as the green tops start growing they can be harvested. If your crop is small, pick sparingly so that some of them can go to seed and renew the patch. Slice thinly, using the white bulb and all of the green top. The root end can be tucked back into the dirt in case it might like to grow a new top. Use perennial onions the same as chives, sprinkled on just about any entree or salad. They can be cooked; if you run out of the bulb type of onion, they are a fine substitute.

Upland cress. Upland cress has a wonderful and vibrant peppery flavor and can be grown like a weed. We let them seed themselves around the edges of garden rows, and throughout the salad garden. Pick a few leaves from each plant and mince them using a chef'’s knife. Upland cress is a delightful addition to a salad or a sandwich, and can be sprinkled on other foods as well.

Kale is starting to regrow and will soon be pickable. Our warm winters no longer preserve the plants. Kale can be harvested continuously until spring if winter stays cold. Our new crazy winter weather causes them to begin to rot instead. In spring, kale begins to revive and grow new tops. Kale can be minced finely and used in salads, but is at its best steamed or added to a stew or soup. We allow kale to seed itself in order to start new plants. Our kale patch is not rotated like most other garden plants and each plant is allowed to regrow in spring until it dies out.

Parsnips are another springtime food, pickable as soon as the frost lets go of them. Roasted whole, or cut into matchsticks and sautéed in butter, they have a wonderful and unique flavor and are a true sign of spring. Parsnips are a long-season grower. Plant seeds in late spring and leave the plants in the ground all through winter. If allowed to go to seed, they will self seed prolifically.

The earliest harvestables are a true joy after a long winter of relying on stored and supermarket fare. They are welcome additions to the leafy greens in the cold frames. -jmm

Kale

At our local Hannaford supermarket one day, I happened to overhear the following interchange:

“I'm doing a lot more with kale these days”.

“Really? Kale?”

“Yeah, we love it. We're going to try growing it”.

“Oh?”

“It's really good, you should try it!”

It’s the second voice in this conversation, the questioning one that we are most familiar with in regards to kale. Although it is a staple vegetable for us, it is still not well known. Another familiar comment is: “My husband (or kids/sister/boyfriend/etc) won’t eat any of the strong vegetables”. Strange for us to hear, because kale eaten at the right time of year is not a strong flavor at all, but is actually sweet.

Last year's kale ready to go to seed

We unequivocally love kale, and for many reasons. It’s simple to grow, can be harvested almost year round, stores on the stalk, reseeds itself, and has nearly endless cooking options.

Besides all of its other qualities, kale is one of the most beautiful of the veggie garden plants. There are three basic varieties, and we grow two of them. One is a plant that covers itself in fat, frilly blue-green leaves. The other has purple veined flat leaves shaped somewhat like large oak leaves with slightly frilled edges.

Kale is a brassica, a plant family that includes cabbage, broccoli, and collards. The brassicas are said to provide antioxidants which are wonderful for your health. In doing a little research, I found a website that elaborates on the health benefits of kale including that it may be a cancer preventative; "Kale is an especially rich source of glucosinolates, and once kale is eaten and digested, these glucosinolates can be converted by the body into cancer preventive compounds." The site is here: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=38&tname=foodspice

Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower are crops we sometimes grow, but they are grown for one harvest and then the plant stems are pulled and composted. Kale, on the other hand is used by harvesting only a handful of leaves at a time. It is very hardy and lasts through the winter. We have dug through three feet of snow to grab a handful of kale. No storage needed!

Although it can be picked and eaten at any time, kale has a lovely sweet flavor after a hard frost. This is when it is at its best. It is such a delicacy that we typically ignore it throughout the growing season and then feast on it as far into winter as it lasts.

By spring, the main stems of the plants have been picked at until they are nearly leafless. Some of the rugged looking stalks begin to sprout new leaves, while others have died out and are then pulled up for compost.

Now, in May before most of the garden is planted, the over-wintered stems have leafed out and the new leaves can be picked and eaten. Seed heads are forming, and this is yet another benefit of this plant. As a biennial it goes to seed in its second year. The seeds fall to the ground and new plants start up. If it weren’t for slugs who love baby kale, we might be overrun with it.

Simple to grow, seeds itself, overwinters, sweetens when chilled, and pops back up in spring. What could be better? If only the rest of the garden were so easy...! -jmm

Kale Slaw

The easiest ways to serve kale are to steam it, or to tear the leaves into little bits and add them to a green salad. Kale can also be added to just about anything you are cooking: potato salad, stews, soups, stir fries, mashed potatoes, etcetera. Here is an especially tasty way to prepare it using Gil’s special Ginger Dressing.

Combine in a large bowl:

2 cups kale, ribs removed, sliced thin crosswise & cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup red mustard leaves, sliced thin crosswise & cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup chives, cut into 1" lengths

1 med carrot, coarsely grated

1/2 cup raisins

Ginger Dressing

4 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup organic mayonnaise

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Heat the sesame oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Turn down to medium low, then add the grated ginger. Saute until the flavors absorb (4-5  minutes). Remove from heat. Add vinegar, honey, lime juice and pepper. Stir until blended. Place the mayonnaise into a bowl, then stir in the blended mixture. Add about 1/4 cup of the dressing to the kale mixture and mix well. Add more as needed to taste. -G.H.  

What's Happening Now

The closet is so full of squash we’ve had to move our shoes out of there. Potatoes and newspapers are layered in brown paper bags on the floor of the root cellar. The freezer is filled to capacity with green beans, beef, cranberries, beets, beef, peas, greens, more beef, tomato sauce, strawberries and rhubarb. And beef.

So, you might think the gardening is over, right? Au contraire! The gardening is still a plethora in the happening (editors note- please accept that sentence as some kind of plethoretic poetry. If you happen to know my husband, feel free to ask. -jmm)

It's fall planting time. Yes, it's fall, and yes, I said planting. This is the time to plant garlic and to spread seeds into the cold frames. Eating from the garden year round means fall is both harvest and planting time.

Two kinds of kale

Garlic is essential to our cooking; we use it in almost everything. It needs at least a two-month cold spell for the individual cloves to grow and multiply, and here in Maine we can pretty much count on at least a few chilly months. Last weekend we planted 50 cloves that will be ready to harvest next July. After the ground freezes we'll cover the garlic row with straw. 

Our kale row is looking terrific. Kale is a very hardy green that is perfectly fine left in the garden all winter.  After a frost it develops a wonderfully sweet flavor. We brush off the winter snow and pick it to use in stir fries or soups, or steam it as a side dish. Its a favorite winter veggie for us.

Theres a whole lot going on with the cold frames right now. They've been set up for our winter veggies. We've blogged about our cold frames before; they're an integral part of our gardening experience. Click on "Cold Frame" in the side column to read those posts.

Lettuce planted in August has been used up. More lettuce was planted in September and it should be ready in December. Claytonia is now tender sprouts and will be ready to eat in December. Mache was planted in August and will be ready to eat in a couple of weeks. Beet greens and spinach are growing and will be used in salads and as cooked greens through winter. And spinach planted this month will over-winter and be ready to eat in spring.

As we pick these veggies spaces in the cold frames open up. We'll fill them in with more mache, spinach and arugula. These will be ready in early spring when seeds for the summer garden are being put into peat pots. Fall is a great time to be outdoors. Tending the cold frames is no chore at all considering the joys of being able to eat fresh-picked greens all winter long. -G.H.