Today's garden pics

Hellebore in our shadiest patch

Sweet, sweet Daphne

One of the Daffy's

Borage growing with the spring salad greens

We have had an unseasonably warm week and a very dry winter with no significant rain since November.  It is lovely to enjoy the sun but we need the rain.  Hoping for spring showers~

Planting!

Not today but yesterday, I started my summer seeds.
Tomatoes
   Riesentraube an old German heirloom was offered in Philadelphia by the mid-1800's. The sweet red 1 oz fruit grow in large custers and the name means "Giant bunch of grapes" in German. Large plants with massive yields. Indeterminate.

   St.Pierre beautiful French heirloom. The tender fruits have a rich, full flavor and are large in siz, great for canning or fresh eating. They are deep red and excellent producers, even in bad conditions. Popular in Europe. Indeterminate.

Peppers 
   Padron Pimientos de Padron are amazingly tasty, tiny fresh peppers originally from a medieval town in Galicia, northwest Spain. Fried and sprinkled with sea salt, they have a delicious flavor and most are mild. But every once in a while you will bit into a spicy pepper.
   Topepo Rosso This Italian heirloom produces tasty, blood red, round pimento-type peppers that are very sweet. The flesh is very thick and crisp. Short, compact plants produce huge yields; great fresh or cooked. A wonderful specialty variety that has many uses.


Eggplant 
    Violetta Lunga Long Purple. 65-70 days Long, somewhat narrow 8 inch rustic purple eggplant. Grown all over Italy. Classic rich eggplant taste.

Cabbage 
   Early Jersey Wakefield  First grown in the U.S. by Francis Brill of Jersey City, New Jersey in 1840, The earliest market variety. Conical, solid, tightly folded heads.    I hope I haven't planted these too late.

Onion
   White Lisbon Scallions, mild and sweet.  I don't usually have good luck with any onions, but I keep trying.

All of these are in little paper cups and under a heat/sun lamp.

Hurray! Here we go again.  I hope I have better luck with tomatoes this year.  The whole area here had bad luck with tomatoes.

Parsnips seeded, renovations go on

This past weekend besides watching a great football game... We looked at bamboo flooring samples and entry doors.  Funny how renovating one thing in your house leads to another!  I will try to get photos up next weekend.

The daffodils and tulips are breaking ground so I put stakes around each spot so the dogs won't sleep or walk on them. The daphne is blooming. It is really happy in its spot. In one of my raised beds I put in a row of parsnips.  I hear they hard to start; we shall see.  I have become very fond of them.  The peas are popping up but the favas haven't made their appearance yet.  The Detroit Red beets are coming up.  Another of my favorite root crops. 

I love roasted beets, at least roasted "my" way. I usually make several portions at one time.  They are deeply flavored and are wonderful to have stashed in the fridge.

Roasted Beets

Cut the tops and rootlets off youngish beets. Scrub clean and slice into bits about and inch (bite sized!).  Put in a baking dish that covers tightly or use a foil packet. Add olive oil, chopped garlic and fresh or dried basil (obviously fresh is best but in the off seasons I add my home grown and dried basil).   Bake at 350 degrees until tender.  This does depend on the tenderness of the beets but a good 40 minutes is a good approximation.  Cool.  Add salt, pepper and any good vinegar to taste. 

favas and peas

Planted Italian seed producer's, Pagano, favas (Grano Bianco) this past weekend.  The area planted is probably 5x5 ft.  It is late for our area and favas are usually planted in fall.  If the weather cooperates, I'll have favas.  If not, I will work them into the soil as green manure late this spring. 

For several years I planted saved fava seed but last year's crop not only produced poorly, but it seems the seed either evolved or regressed into a different variety. They were inferior.  Hence, purchasing new seeds. Unfortunately, I was too busy to get into my garden and plant in fall.

I also planted a whole bed, 4x8 ft., of all my left over, various, peas.  I figure if I get peas, well and good.  If not, or if not soon enough, I will turn these into green manure as well.

For once, it is really alright if these plantings don't do well.  My raised beds had very few worms last year.  I am hoping the green manure will help. So, if I turn them under I will grow worms instead!