Look at this!!!  We grew carrots in the garden.

 

I’ve never planted carrots before, because I thought that you had to ultra till the soil, like to 12 inches.  Too much trouble when you can buy organic carrots for under two dollars a pound.

 

Well, this year I saw in a seed catalog that some carrots only grow 5 to 6 inches, so I got the seeds for that kind.  The tops grew about 14 inches tall, and underneath:  cute baby carrots.

 

They taste really sweet, and crunch when you bite them.  And the best part is, when you pull them from the ground they give a little “pop.”  

 

So much fun.  I’m doing it again next year.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Today is Flag Day.  

 

If you’d like to know more about Flag Day, and other days on which to fly your flag, go to 

 

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/flag-day  and read all about it.

 

HAPPY FLAG DAY!!!

 

The Cilantro is bolting.  It likes cool weather, and is now going to seed.  This stand is about 6 feet long, and 4 feet high.  

 

The whole plant is edible.  The leaves are called cilantro, and the seeds are coriander.  The flowers are edible too, but I’d rather wait for them to develop into coriander.  We harvest the seeds and grind them in the coffee grinder.  Then add coriander to everything.  

 

Besides being edible, cilantro/coriander is more of a medicine than a food.  And it has been used as such for centuries.  According to the books I have on plants and food, Coriander aids digestion, fights inflammation, and strengthens immunity.  Cilantro and coriander are loaded with potassium, which also improves physical and mental energy.

 

What’s not to like?

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Have you noticed the smell of Sourwood lately?  It is that warm, sweet, (heavy) summer smell.  They are starting to bloom, and we can smell the flowers all along the loop walk.  

 

This one is in my yard, and the flowers haven’t opened yet, but they will soon.  The trees are fairly tall, the leaves are bright green, and the flowers emerge from the tips of the branches, like little fingers sticking out.

 

You know that summer is here when the Sourwood blooms.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

As you can see, this is an exciting time in the garden.  All the cool season crops are producing as they should, and I get so excited when I take my morning walk and see something like this!!!

 

I have 3 broccoli plants, and this one is almost ready to harvest.  When I cut out the crown, the plant will continue to produce little florets all along the stem.  So three plants is enough for months of broccoli.

 

And we love to blanch and freeze the florets, to make broccoli soup in the winter.  Right from our garden.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is just one plant, giant red mustard.  It takes up a lot of space, and we have 6 of them.  So pretty!!!

 

The bottom leaves are about 18 inches long, and as you can see it is getting ready to bolt.  See the little broccoli floret coming out of the center?  They are all in the same family, meaning they all flower like this:  mustard, broccoli, radish, kale, cabbage, turnips, the list goes on.  

 

We will add the upper leaves and florets to salads, and cook the lower leaves for bitter greens.  

 

I will take a wider angle picture of it, so you can see how big it really is.  That’s OK, it likes cool weather, so it won’t be here much longer.  That’s why it’s bolting.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is how all our garden plants look after a couple weeks.  The seedlings just got transplanted into six-packs.  

 

When the cells are full of roots, they will go into the garden, in the spaces where cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbages and mustards were this spring.  There will be lots of room as plants get pulled, and we also have the space where the garlic is growing now.  It will get harvested in early July.  

 

I love that we can grow food in our garden for most of the year.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!! 

 

 

 

Look at this beautiful row of red cabbage.  They are starting to head up.

 

When we cut into the head of cabbage, it is red;  but right now they are the most gorgeous silver and purple.  And when it rains, the water puddles up on the leaves, making them sparkle.

 

All from seeds that I planted.  :)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

The Borage is blooming.  This isn’t a great picture of the flowers, but I love that you can see all those hairs on the leaves and stems.  

 

We love to add the pretty blue flowers to salads, pizzas, etc.  They taste like cucumber.

 

I have read that Borage leaves are edible too, but is that something you want in your mouth?  Nah!!!  We’ll stick to the flowers.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Yoo-hoo!!!  My cauliflower is almost as big as the ones in the grocery store.  OK, maybe the medium size ones.  But isn’t it gorgeous?  

 

You can see that it has outgrown the wrapper leaves, the close up leaves that keep the head protected from the sun.  But I broke one of the larger leaves so that it drapes over the head completely.  Don’t want sunburned cauliflower.  

 

I love cauliflower.  I eat it every day for breakfast.  I add Brussels sprouts and brown rice to a chicken broth base, drop in an egg, and let it cook for 5 minutes.  Egg drop soup, essentially, with rice and vegetables.

 

Tomorrow I can eat cauliflower that grew in my garden.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!