Saturday, May 22, 2010

Wabbit Food

I know it seems pitifully late to many of you gardeners, but I finally got a nice cutting of salad greens for the first time today.

This is the bed of greens I started under a cold frame on April 11th this year. We had many, many nights of hard frost after that, and I finally took the cold frame off on May 15th. (The blank spot on the left end of the bed was French Breakfast radishes that have already been consumed with gusto. I replanted more there yesterday.)

I've been snitching spinach leaves for a while now but today was the first time I cut lettuce and arugula, too.

Now I've got to get some yummy dressings made up and ready in the refrig. During the summer months, we usually eat one big salad a day.

12 comments:

Val said...

I love salads. I could eat one a day too. Your garden is beautiful.

Katidids said...

Beautiful! Ours are just now ready. The cold frame really makes a difference.

fiona@fionacampbell.ca said...

Looks gorgeous! And so yummy! I'm thinking cold frames might be the way to go next year. At least that'll keep the birds away... no offense to Tattie, of course.

Unknown said...

If it makes you feel better, you're way ahead of me - and I'm in CT!
I'm hoping to be able to set up a cold frame (or better yet, a hoop house!) withing the next couple of years, I'm just trying to work out the logistics.

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! We just had our last frost last week too, so don't feel bad. No cold frames here, so I just got my stuff in the garden. Some of it was looking a bit peeked yesterday, we will see how the next few days of warm weather and sunshine do for it. Enjoy the salad!!

Erin said...

I love everything about salad, and I especially love looking at it freshly cut from the garden, yum! It's definitely one thing I could not do without in the garden, and it's so dependable and beautiful!

Patty said...

Way to go!! If that's pittifully late, then the rest of us are very pittiful indeed! :) Can I come over!? ;)

You Can Call Me Jane said...

It's lovely. Self-control is hard to come by when those little leaves are sprouting and our tummies are hungry for green. Way to go:-).

Mama Pea said...

Hey, Valerie - Thank you! But I'm always a little impatient until everything starts growing. Then I really like the way the garden looks!

Hi, Katie - Don't those first greens of the season taste sooo good?!

Hey, Fiona - Isn't that the way? If it isn't frost, it's birds, or hail, or chipmunks, or cut worms! Why do we keep at this??

Hi, Alison - Oh, a hoop house would be so nice. Maybe then I could grow enough tomatoes to can!

Hey, Stephanie - Yeah, that ol' transplant shock always takes a toll on the little plants. But they always perk up within a couple of days. Thanks for your kind words.

Hi, Erin - I know! I think the different colored lettuces are as pretty as flowers in the garden. And so-o-o-o good for us!

Hey, Patty - I couldn't have had the salad harvest this early if it wasn't for the use of the cold frame this year. (But you've been busy building rabbit cages so you get many, many points for that!!)

Hi,ThyHand - Yup, I think we really neeeed the greens this time of year. (That's why I'm baking so many rhubarb desserts right now . . . we neeeed rhubarb as a spring tonic!! I'd better eat a lot of those greens to balance the desserts, huh?)

RuthieJ said...

Your lettuce looks so beautiful! My lettuce has just started to sprout, but I'm guessing I'll see some real progress with the warm temps predicted for us this next week.

Melissa said...

What kind of spinach do you plant? I usually plant bloomsdale long standing, but this year I tried a hybrid and so far it's not that great. Your garden is beautiful. I especially love the poppies! NEver knew they would grow up there:) Happy gardening!

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Ruthie - We're having splashes of really hot weather (80 out in the sun this morn) so I'm thinking I should put my shade cloth cover on my main lettuce bed today. Geesh, feast or famine, eh?

Hey, Melissa - I've planted Bloomsdale for years, too, but last year tried Samish and loved it. I prefer a smooth-leaved spinach and Samish seems to do it for me. Have also had good luck with it not bolting too soon. We eat A LOT of fresh spinach so it's a main crop for us.