Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Will solstice bring summer?
It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t know GardenWorks was having a 30% off sale when I pulled up on Saturday or I would have had more time to rationalize all the “saving money” I could do by purchasing quantity. As it was, I spent another $35 on veggie starts, herbs and seeds to finish off the bulk of my summer planting (and start some winter planting) in anticipation of leaving next week on holidays.
Planting this weekend includes three kinds of cucumbers (my starts from seed died in the wet June we’ve been having), dragon tongue bush beans, basil (start, my seeds aren’t germinating fast enough!), cheddar cauliflower, red-veined sorrel and I put some more sage and parsley starts of my own in pots as well. On my deck I’ve potted some mojito mint as well as an apricot miniature rose which I bought for Brian since he wants to learn about growing roses.
Despite the wet weather we’ve been having, my garden has been very productive thus far, and I am very pleased by the progress of our backyard as a whole. The grass has grown in around the edges, the boxes are overflowing, and there are flowers peeking out everywhere right now: nasturtiums, poppies, borage – with more on the way as my cosmos and summer bulbs start sprouting. (Click the photo to get the full effect of the yard without being there). I really am very pleased at how our hard work has paid off and am moving into maintenance mode as we start to eat quite a lot out of the garden. We picked our first beet on Saturday (a bit bitter, they haven’t gotten enough sun to be really sweet yet), and have pea pods for stirfrys that will soon become peas for eating, lots of greens, and I noticed scapes on my garlic the other day which will soon become pesto.
Not to mention the morels which volunteered in my yard this spring and I finally picked yesterday (after spending a lot of time figuring out how to id them properly) and made a lovely pasta meal out of. I’m hoping that if we do have more rain it will extend their season to mid-July and possibly offer us another small crop – which is at least a side benefit to the grey.
In any event, not being one to complain about the weather, I offer up the following recipe which sure tastes like summer and makes an amazing breakfast addition (not to mention another way to use rhubarb, which I am now in my second crop of).
Raspberries and rhubarb
3/4 pound rhubarb
10 oz. frozen raspberries
1/3 cup apple juice
1/4 cup of honey (or to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
Put it all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, turning down to a simmer afterwards for 10-15 minutes. This is a beautiful topping for yogurt (or icecream), without being too sweet. Enjoy!
Red Cedar 
your garden looks amazing! i’m intrigued by this square foot gardening. is there a particular book you’d recommend?
Hey Christine: This is the book I got – http://www.amazon.ca/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277156529&sr=8-1 – but if you’d like to borrow it I’d be more than happy to lend. I cycle right by your place most days, could easily leave it in your mailbox….
that’d be awesome – thanks!