Cilantro

Finally have my cilantro back! I didn't bother to plant any early because the stuff is a weed and I thought some would be coming up around here, but it never appeared. I must have done too good of a job at seed gathering last fall. Anyway, I have 2 little patches now and one more that has just been planted. 

The other day, a customer was befuddled because she had bought a cilantro plant somewhere and it just went to seed. Cilantro will do that. In order to keep a steady supply, you need to plant it every 2-3 weeks ... and even then, it probably won't do anything if it is really hot. Last summer I planted some at the end of June and it didn't even bother to come up until late August! Seems weird to me given it's popularity as a salsa ingredient, but that is how it is. 

To save it for those yummy late July salsas, just chop it up, put it in ice cube trays, put a little water on top and freeze! Don't throw away those stems! They are the most flavorful part :)

Have you heard about all the health benefits this stuff has? It helps take heavy metals out of your body, balances cholesterol, balances blood sugar, anti-oxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, stress release, protects against salmonella, prevents UTI's ... No wonder I'm prone to craving salsa!

I'll have it at the markets this week!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Feb. 1st and I Planted Garden!

The local news stations are all abuzz about how on February 1st last year we got a big blizzard. Today it was in the 60s and beautiful. I walked by one of my garden beds today and saw this!

I picked a large leaf of red lettuce and ate it. It tasted so good! Since the lettuce thought it was warm enough to rejuvenate itself, I decided to check the soil temp under my covered hoop. It was 50 degrees. Early crops  like lettuce and beets only need 40 degrees to germinate. Looks like we've got a window of a few more days of 50s and 60s and even then the highs are still in the 40s at the end of the 7 day forecast.

When I first moved here 30 years ago, I started working for a very wise old country woman. She always told me, "Sue, plant lettuce the first time it thaws in January. If doesn't make it, you won't be out much. But if it does, you will be SOOO happy!"

So with Lelia's words ringing in my ears, I decided it was time to plant the covered hoop. I put in onions, peas, beets, lettuce, kohlrabi, spinach, radishes and three different types of lettuce. I couldn't find my carrot seed. I thought I had some, but I must have planted it all last year. Gonna have to make a point of getting some for the next time I get a little crazy.

Then later I decided to go for a scavenger hunt to see what else is growing. There's quite a bit of kale coming back from last year.

My blackberries and garlic have never died back and they are on the north side of the house!

Parsley is looking good.

... and so is the thyme.

I found this cilantro under a piece of plastic.

The rosemary on the south side of the house is doing fantastic! Of course, it has had a little bit of help.

I covered the rosemary with some old clear refrigerator  drawers and plastic last fall.

The catnip looks a little nipped, but it's still green.

And there's even a bit of spinach.

Most everything out there is pretty small, but if I needed to, I think I could come up with a good sized salad. Add in a tomato from the indoor garden and we could eat pretty good!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue