Daffodils for Spring!

There is something about a bouquet of Daffodils that screams EASTER at me. I know we still have another week, but after buying these amazing Daffodils at the Farmers Market yesterday I've been in a mood to decorate eggs and create a brunch menu.

This is the floral shelf I just put up, to help brighten up the space above the table.

Here's a simple drink to try if you want to luxuriate over brunch next sunday (and won't be driving.)

Champagne Orange Spritzer

1 part White Bubbly wine

1 part Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1 piece fruit to garnish

ice

Mix drink, toss over ice is glass, garnish

Enjoy!

Thinning!

Maybe I'm a bleeding heart, but I always find myself resisting to do any thinning. It just seems counter intuitive, after working so hard to provide seedlings with proper soil, light and water, to then kill almost half of what responded to your care and sprouted. But I have learned over the seasons that the plants given enough growing room will be the healthiest and most productive. Over crowding often results in diseases, pests, stunted twisted growth and no fruiting at all, not to mention that they become very dependent on heavy water and fertilizer treatments. And so...

I've sowed three to four seeds per pot, usually two come up per pot, so I choose the weaker ones, the ones with the bent stems, small leaves etc. and then I simply pinch them off with my nails.

They look so much happier already

I sowed the peppers in bigger pots so that I may not have to pot them up at all before they get put into their summer home, thinning is really important for allowing me to do this.

Its tough, I love all babies, but I try to keep in mind that this is all part of the path to loads of home grown vegetables!

The Wonder of Sprouts!

I love seeds. It is amazing that something so small has the potential to create a plant with fruit that contains so many more seeds. I sprouted some of my saved tomato seeds last month, now I am enjoying watching this tender early growth.

Sprouts are weak, small and needy. The seed (and this is an important consideration with especially small seeds like tomato) only has enough energy stored within it to germinate, burst from the casing of the seed, form roots and send leaflets towards the light.

I say leaflets because these first few leaves do not photosynthesize, so they don't feed the plant, they seem instead to serve as a light sensor, directing the seedling towards the light...

...then, when the true leaves begin emerging they are facing the right way. Isn't it cute that tomato seedlings are fuzzy just like their larger plants?

Once the true leaves emerge, the roots start feeding, the stalk gets thicker and the seedling works its way to becoming a large fruit producing plant. This is the case with tomatoes and peppers at least.

These Pea seedlings on my balcony have emerged with true leaves and begin photosynthesizing immediately, and grasses like corn are also way different, but that'll be another post.

A Garlic update

This is how my garlic bed was looking yesterday. There is a little bit of frost damage on the outer leaves but good new growth emanating from their centre (sounds pretty new age, but its true.)

The goal with garlic this time of year is to try to get them to grow as much green tops as possible before they start bulbing, the bigger the tops, the bigger the bulbs, so this is the best time to fertilize with a high N goody, like compost or manure (I did both.) 

When garlic starts bulbing is determined by the variety you grew, so its always good to try to grow local garlic, as its already proven itself to succeed in your area

It's Time!

The Daffodils are finally blooming! They've come up a month later this year than last, but now that they are here everything is ready to burst with growth.

And so are my sprouts, I started my pepper sprouts (I'm trying 8 different varieties of pepper this year) March 5th, and it took them awhile to sprout, Ancho took 17 days, but now they are making true leaves! 

I always started my tomatoes on the Spring Equinox, Basil too, and they have just sprouted as well.

I like to keep my sprouts under lights to keep them from getting leggy, which means long, sprawling and weak. I use 4ft shop lights that I bought at Home Depot for $17, I am using plant bulbs, but I've successfully grown tomatoes using normal fluorescent bulbs before too.

And look what came in the mail yesterday! Seed Potatoes. Last year I planted my potatoes on April 5th, I'm aiming for the same timing this year, I'm just waiting for a dry spell so that the soil isn't so wet when they go in. 

Yay! I love the Spring.

Nettles! and Dandelions! Why not....

A group of wonderful Ladies and myself went out last week to attempt to forage for some Nettle in Pacific Spirit Park, here in Vancouver. We were fortunate to have someone with us with a gift for intuition, especially around herbs. She drove right up and parked beside a large patch of Nettles on her first try, surprising because they were so small, as this spring has been a cold one. 

But we were there and so we clipped the tops off of all the Nettles we could find.

I brought them home and washed them,

Then I packed them into a fine mesh bag and hung them in a window for a few days till they were crispy dry, but still green.

Then I sealed them into this jar to use throughout the year as a tasty and nutitious tea.

Mmmmmmm Nettle tea. 

Then I got to thinking...

Aren't Dandelions as nutritious as Nettle? And they are abundant in my own yard, I don't need to travel, even to a close by city park. And so...

After cleaning and preparing the Dandelion I was surprised how little there actually was

It was barely even noticeable in my pasta sauce, adding just a bit of nice colour. A successful foray into a new food, one that I never thought of as food before, and certainly one that raised even my eyebrows. 

But this day was bound to come.

Nettlefest on Galiano Island

Nettles would likely become  the new trendy superfood if they weren't so abundant, and free to gather, barring the cost of a painful sting. Packed with iron, and vitamins A, C and E, they are used as an antihistamine, a diuretic and show anti-inflammatory properties. They are also tasty, once steamed or blanched they can be used much like spinach, or dry them for a tasty tea.
This weekend Galiano island is celebrating Nettles through their annual Nettlefest, two years ago my experience there was great, the day started with gathering the Nettles...

They are growing everywhere in this disturbed clearing

Back to the hall to do sorting, not how everyone is wearing gloves

Blanching them a few seconds in water removes their sting

Squeezing the water out of the blanched Nettles makes convenient balls to cook with

These can then be chopped and added to things

Like this Nettle Gnocchi baked in tomato sauce

Or these Nettle bread rolls

A plate of Nettle goodnes

Served to everyone who came,

Nettlefest is fun and delicious, and the Galiano community is warm and welcoming. If you are free this weekend, and in the area, I highly recommend stopping by: http://galianofoodprogram.ca/