It was such a pleasure to sink one's hands into the warm earth,
to feel at one's fingertips the possibilities of the new season.
to feel at one's fingertips the possibilities of the new season.
~ Kate Morton, The
Forgotten Garden
Back in January, I began the One
Page a Day Challenge and immediately threw away my quill. Now in April,
I’m participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge and prepping for a
Wilderness Writers’ Retreat. I need ink,
a stiff drink and therapy.
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I
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f gardening
is art, then my canvas is in desperate need of new paints and brushstrokes.
Contrary
to what you may think, I don’t resent the long winter we've had, I really don’t!
First of all, I look forward to the coming
humidity and high temperatures as much as I looked forward to having my wisdom
teeth yanked out of my jaws.
But now my
farmer/gardener fingers are getting itchy.
To play in the dirt. To plant
some seeds. To enjoy the peace and tranquility
that comes from the caress of delicious black soil over bare feet and
work-stained hands. To feel a light,
warm spring breeze. To listen and coo to
the birds that dance and sing around the bird bath.
To grow my
own herbs, vegetables, and fruit and eat with the seasons.
G is for
Gardens
The only
other activity that gives me greater joy than playing in the dirt of my garden
is writing. So I garden and then write
about it. I write in my garden, beside
it, looking down from my home office at it.
Best of
both worlds.
Sunday, I
planted the first seeds: the Calendula flower.
Which to my surprise, is also known as the common marigold, or pot marigold.
Wiki says
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| Image credit: Wikipedia |
Pot marigold florets are considered edible. They are often used to add color to salads, or added to dishes as a garnish and in lieu of saffron. The leaves are edible but are often not palatable. They have a history of use as a potherb and in salads.
Flowers were used in ancient Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.[3] Many of these uses persist today. They are also used to make oil that protects the skin.
So I did
some more digging. (See what I did there?) And
found out that the marigolds I planted last year and that saved copious seeds
from are known as French
marigolds:
.JPG) |
| Image credit: Wikipedia |
Used mainly as an edging plant on herbaceous borders, it is a low-growing plant with flowers of blended red and yellow in most varieties. French marigolds are commonly planted in butterfly gardens as a nectar source.Medicinally, many cultures use infusions from dried leaves or florets
Note the
difference: Calendula is edible; the French marigold apparently is not. Maybe I should make a sign for my garden that
says that.
How
Green Does Your Garden Grow?
I do blame
Old Man Winter for preventing me from planting my precious Sugar Snaps. I may still try to plant some anyway for the
sweet pea shoots ~ they make a delicious salad.
Speaking
of salad, I have already planned out my greens for the year. They don’t all start with G…actually, none of
them do, but they are all greens:
Argula ~ last
year, this took off like a doped up runner.
The package says to resow throughout the season, but I never had
to. I would cut some leaves for dinner,
and almost the next day, a new batch would spring up.
Collards ~
no self-respecting Southern garden would go without growing collards. Granted, we almost make it nutritionally
neutral by cooking them in bacon fat.
Still awesome. And still counts
as a green. That is all.
Endive ~
have never planted this, so we’ll see what comes up. Literally.
Kale ~ I
love kale. That is all. I planted some last year and it never
sprouted. So will try again this year.
Spinach ~
Dad loved Popeye and would always remind us kids that we needed to eat our
spinach to grow strong like Popeye. And
then he would flex his bicep (which actually was impressive) and we would roll
our eyes and say we didn’t want muscles like that. Today, I love spinach ~ it’s full of calcium
and protein. Especially good for those
of us who are dairy intolerant.
Watercress
~ I’m still searching for seeds for this.
It used to grow wild in the cow pasture out back, but I haven’t seen it
lately. Makes great tea sandwiches.
The great
thing about most greens, they like cooler weather. So when that last frost shows up in May (you
think I’m kidding ~ this is Virginia, people!), I won’t have to worry too much.
Oremus pro invicem,
~
Mikaela
What
greens are you planting? What are you
favorite greens to eat? If you would like some French marigold seeds (organic and non-GMO), comment below and then email me your mailing address.
