Are you ready for it?
Spring is on its way as Mother Earth gently awakens.
Today is one of those odd warm February days. The sun is shining and it could be mistaken for April, unless you wander into the shade. At this late stage of winter I like to start dreaming up my kitchen garden for the spring to come.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully expecting snow in March, after all, Imbolc (Feb 1st, St. Brigid’s day) was sunny and legend would have it that the Cailleach was out collecting her firewood that day so she could extend winter a little longer. It’s not the time to go wild with your seeds either, but I have allowed myself a few purchases and a preliminary sowing of padróns from the Real Seed Co.
There are lots of wee purple crocus heads bobbing around in the garden on almost impossibly fragile, sylph-like bodies yet they are hardy enough to withstand the cold and rain we’ve had here in the shire of late. The fennel, bronze fennel, lemon balm and mint look like they’ve made it too and the sage and rosemary barely took notice of the winter. Now spring has been suggested, the rosemary is budding up, ready to burst into delicate lilac flowers which I love to take a few of for a dressing on the first of the season's salads.
The swiss chard has recovered too, with the red and yellow jewel stems shining at me through the patio door as I write this. The artichokes are looking good and we may even have a ceremonial spear of purple sprouting broccoli! Broccoli is my favourite vegetable to eat but I have thus far found brassicas virtually impossible to grow, save a brief success with PSB and Brussels sprouts in 2015. This may be due to my aversion to their pests, or that the slugs love them so much that they get to the plants before me. The latter was certainly the case with the few psb seedlings I got from our local plant sale in the summer. I popped them in on the off chance they would turn into something and the slugs had eaten all but one by the next day. That hardy one has taken a few twists and turns but it is sprouting now and it will be entirely worth making hollandaise for.
The simple joys of washing the pots and the greenhouse with warm soapy water await me this afternoon (I use an organic castile soap, then the grey water can go back to the earth). Then when the weather turns it is back to the drawing board (seed box and Marc Diacono’s Veg Patch.) This year I’ve gone for lots of new varieties of familiar, well loved veg. We have two new apple trees too but I haven’t thought of flowers for now, apart from the Cosmos seed we saved last year. I’m hoping to add borage and cornflowers to the list and I am pleased to see that the calendula has self-seeded around the rhubarb that is just starting to make a re-appearance.
I will pop a few more garlics in soon, the overwintered ones are looking lovely but they could do with having a few more friends. The garlic from last season is still going strong in the kitchen and it would be great to become self-sufficient in garlic again next year. For shallots, I’m not sure. Last seasons’ were a disappointment but they keep calling me back with their promise of French cuisine.
I’d also like to dip a toe into dehydrating herbs for tea this year, and maybe even some apple slices if we’re lucky enough to get fruit from the big tree. Let me know if you have any tips for this below as it's a new realm of preserving for us.
Going outside, with the sun on my face, talking to the plants and the promise of a good dinner to come are simple joys that I can’t take for granted. I am grateful to the land and what she gives to us. I wish you peace as winter lifts.