Garden Hiatus

What could possibly be more therapeutic than gardening?  Ahhh, the feel and smell of fresh dirt.  The knowing that soon cute sprouts will be popping up and making new life.  And the satisfaction that my produce will be far less pricey than the store-bought variety!  Pure pleasure!

Tonight I decided to take a break from my writing and studies and RELAX!  I had prepped my garden spot a couple weeks ago, but have not been able to commit time to dig and sow my seeds.  I felt guilty just thinking about it.  One of my garden areas is already established (I got to it before the chaos began).  In that spot I have:

• Beef Steak Tomatoes (they survived the winter!)
• Roma & Grape Tomatoes (gifts from my compost)
• Basil
• Thai Basil
• Parsley, curly & Italian (I enjoy both!)
• Lemon Thyme
• Romaine Lettuce
• Rosemary
• Mint (in a POT)
• Lavendar
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapenos

Tonight I planted the following (so excited!):

• Purple Carrots
• Beets
• Mizuna (I have recipes for this great green, too) 
• Pole Green Beans
• Purple Lettuce
• Golden Carrots
• Cilantro
• Fennel
• Mammoth Dill
• Varieties of Sunflowers (so pretty cut and they feed my finches!)

We'll see how my garden grows!  Send me well wishes and love for my babies.  I'll be sure to whip you something up with my bounty if you come for a visit!   I hope you decide to plant your garden.  My book of choice is Mel Bartholomew's Square Food Gardening and my favorite helpful website is the classic Farmer's Almanac.  

Cheers to Dirty Nails~

Wendy Jo

Mizuna Madness

I can't get enough of this green! Too bad you cannot find it in every market. You often find it hidden in "Mixed Greens," but it's rare to find it on its own. Mizuna is packed with Vitamin A, Folate, and other fabulous phytochemicals (cancer fighting chemicals) such as glucosinolates. For those of us in San Diego, Mizuna grows year round! Inspired to try something new tonight I pulled out my goodie bag from the CSA and prepared sauteed carrots over mizuna with herbed goat cheese! WOW! I pulled an orange from my tree and squeezed out some juice and topped it off with a splash of olive oil! Get inspired by fabulous flavors and the world is yours!