Magnolia Sugar Snap Pea

I absolutely love the look of this sugar snap pea. A sucker for anything purple, when I read in the Adaptive Seeds catalogue that the pods were purple, I had to grow them and see for myself.

The flowers are sweet too. I'm usually not a fan of pink, but I like the two shades of pink here. The banner (that's the top part of the flower) is a light blush. The wings (the two petals underneath the banner) are a dark dusty rose hue. And the keel (the 5th petal in between the wings) is a bluish purple which you can see in the flower on the left.

The pods are longer and not as fat as the Cascadia variety. But I do like how nutty the flavor is. Maybe a little more water on the irrigation front will help.

I'm super excited these came through for me. I can't wait to include them in a summery Asian noodle salad. Yum!

Hurry up and grow!

Right after the 4th of July, I start to panic over how well my veggies are growing. Mainly, I am freaking out that the plants aren't big enough nor do they seem to be growing vigorously either. Melodrama kicks in and I'm ruling out producing a single tomato this summer.

I fall into this pattern every year, and somehow I end up with a decent amount of veggies to pick from the garden. Although, I am still a little worried about the tomatoes.

I was relieved to finally see the Kew Blue pole beans and the Sugar Magnolia snap peas are twirling and twining up their bamboo trellises.

 

Looking at my tomatoes, I noticed my Estonian Yellow Cherry has tiny fruits starting. Yay! I still have a ton more floweres, but hopefully the warmer weather this week will help. 

Green but promising!

I harvested some Apollo broccoli last week and missed one. I snapped it off, leaving a long stem on it. I'm always a little intimidated by eating raw broccoli since it is usually tasteless (from the grocery store) or way too bitter (waiting too long to pick it). It was so sweeet! The ends are great snacking and the florets--the little flowers we eat--had just the right amount of spice.

Sorry this is blurry, but I polished it off right after I took the photo. Oops!

The next post I'm planning is all about cucubits--cucumbers and squash...  

Kohlrabi Part II

Summer has finally arrived in Seattle! Nothing says summer more than grilling in the warm evening sun.

We had kalbi from Bob's--our butcher down the street. Kalbi is Korean marinated short ribs and the ones from Bob's are quite good.

I peeled and sliced them and tossed them in  a few shakes of Old Bay seasoning (I would have used Lawry's season salt--one of my guilty pleasures). I grilled them for about 5 minutes on each side to keep their crunchy quality.

Here are the two side by side on the grill. Tasty!

I'm at the point now where we need to finish the kohlrabi patch so I can plant something else. I'm looking forward to planting eggplant and cucumbers now that the heat of summer is here to stay for awhile. I plan on letting a couple of kohlrabi go to seed out of curiosity. I did that with parnips (which has been quite the adventure!). More on that later... 

Lettuce Link

I have been offering up my lettuce to friends who have the same problem I do. Too much lettuce and not enough meals in the day to have salad. I contemplated sneaking it onto my friends' doorsteps, but it would take them less than three guesses who it came from. Not a risk I was willing to take.

What should I do with 15 extra heads of lettuce? I had heard of Lettuce Link who encourages p-patchers and home gardeners to grow an extra row for food banks and meal programs. Since my eyes are bigger than my garden and stomach, I never seem to have a problem growing more.

Under the frequently asked questions, I found a link to where I could take my lettuce. The table showed what food bank takes what type of produce and the hours they are open. The Food Bank at St. Mary's is close to me and they take lettuce. And they are open daily for donations. When I arrived, they were busy sorting food and eagerly took the lettuce off my hands. They asked what p-patch it came from, and I was proud to say it was from home!

So, if you're in the same boat as me. Don't be sneaky--whether it be lettuce or zucchini (really, no one wants that on their doorstep baking in the sun--especially a south facing one like mine!). Harvest it, wash it, and bag it up for someone who will truly appreciate it.

Dilly dally

My dill 'Tetra' was pretty slow to start this season. My impatience got the better of me at the farmers' market and couldn't resist picking up a mini pack of pickling dill seedlings from Stoney Plains. Plus, I was able to share them with friends--the perfect excuse.

Now as these seedlings are starting to bolt, the 'Tetra' is ready. Plus, I have another random crop from a seed packet I picked up at Floriade (check out my other blog here). Plenty of dill to go around!

Herbs are an easy way to break into kitchen gardening. They don't require a lot of space or maintenance. And they're a great way to brighten up your recipes.

My sandwich with Loki lox and cream cheese garnished with freshly picked dill. Simple, easy, delish!

Kohlrabi 'Kolibri'

This was my first year growing kohlrabi. I chose 'Kolibri' for it's flatter shape and purple bulb. I had no idea what to expect, but figured I'd give it a shot. One misconception I had was I thought the edible part grew underground like a turnip. I thought I had to sink the starts way down deep as I do if my kale starts are too big. I wasn't able to plant them that way. The starts were more stubborn than me so I let them have their way and hoped for the best. Once they were in the ground, I didn't have to do much to them except make sure the soil stayed moist. I real no fuss crop!

I was pleased to see attractive kohlrabi is. I like how the purple globes and midribs play off the Allium cristophii. I planted this batch furthest away from the house and out of view from the rest of the garden. Next year I will plant them closer to my purple sage.

I harvested my first round from the plot a couple of nights ago. What a beauty! As I carried them into the house, my neighbor warned me about them getting pithy and if they aren't adequately watered, they'll have a more concentrated mustard taste. I asked how he likes to eat them. "Raw with mustard!" he replied with a smile. Not exactly the flavor I was after. I wanted a crunchy refreshing side dish to my fish tacos.

Only having had green kohlrabi in a local Vietnamese restaurant a few times, I wasn't sure how quickly it would cook or how well it soaks up flavors. I peeled and diced it, sauteed it my cast iron pan with olive oil, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. I halved some grape tomatoes and smashed them with my hands before adding them to the mix. I added some cilantro ('Standby' from my garden as well!) to the pan at the very end. The whole dish start to finish took about ten minutes.

Easy growing! Easy cooking!

Gutter Gardens

I was super lucky to experience Floriade last month. Floriade is the World Horticulture Expo and happens once every 10 years in the Netherlands. This time Venlo is the host city; located within the Linburg province and close to the German border. The festivities go through October.

I know the Netherlands has a reputation for horticulture excellence, but I had no idea until I arrived in person.

This expo goes well beyond tulips and daffodils. Everything from whimsical spaces with fire breathing dragons to voices in the forest to gardens showcasing edibles. And cultural experiences from countries all over the world from Chile to China.

There's a trend to maximize growing space by going vertical called "gutter gardening."The idea was well executed at the Floriade by mixing wall sculptures with rustic troughs.

I really like this look. Some of the troughs have a small wall behind them while others are more "see through." Though this garden featured succulents and grasses, this concept can be used for lettuces, micro greens, strawberries, and herbs.

They've even included a wood burning fireplace for cooking. The ultimate dream of taking your veggies straight from the garden and grilling within minutes of harvesting. Fresh!