out of our back yard

we note the change of seasons with the passing of one vege to another.

the red silverbeet wants to set seed, i cut it back daily, fighting nature with the gardener's sword. but as it finishes the broad beans begin: early on in the season you can eat the young broad bean like you might a french bean- sliced, steamed...
my first lot of rocket is rapidly starting to flower. i let it; i want to collect its seed. likewise the coriander. we've already munched our first lot of lettuce that were nursed through the winter under a cloche.
the potatoes and yams pop their heads up, the tomatoes and courgettes have started flowering, and the shallots are setting their flower buds too. the carrots are fattening as are the apples on monty's surprise. the branches of both the olive and the feijoa are filled with flowers, anticipation is high. and, we're still picking lemons (we've been rationing ourselves a bit there- p has plans to make another batch of confit de citron again that will hopefully see us through till next season).

the chickens vary in productivity. cher, of course, gives an egg every day. the silkies, ever broody, spend hours on the nest, but like their silver sisters, are lucky to produce an egg every second day. which is a shame, as we were doing a roaring trade with those precious blue eggs...

we inspected the strawberries again tonight- oh la la. it's going to be a fight with the birds for those! and the raspberries!

i'm still sewing seeds- sorrel, thyme and spaghetti squash more recently, and waiting on others... i surf the internet, obsessed now with seed buying. trying to find rare and heritage seeds that have higher nutrient yield per plant... purple podded red peas, purple moari potatoes, italian broccoli, red and welsh onions, chinese bokchoi...

and i can't turn down any plants either! i came home last week to a bag of sprouted potatoes in a bag on my doorstep- a gift from a neighbour... a chap across the road pops his head over the gate- fancy any cherry tomatoes?, and despite already having 14 plants in 2 different varieties i say yes. and yes to mizuna seedlings, and yes to asparagus seeds, and yes to cabbage seedlings (i can make saukraut!) i've planted my spare courgette and i'm eyeing up a spot for my spare pumpkin too.

not to mention the front lawn!
long has been the debate of vege production on the front lawn. i'm quite keen on digging the lot up and putting in a cereal crop- like quinoa... p reckons it's madness. we've already planted a feijoa and a cherry tree there; i snuck in some cabbages, and it turns out the only place to put the gifted potatoes will be on the front lawn as well... and what about those asparagus p is so keen on?!

it's all very exciting. there is nothing sharing a meal in the garden, in the last of the day's sun, that came from the garden. we look over each other's shoulders at the meals to come.

these are the joys of spring in the republic.
xx
mama b