Spring is right around the corner!
Spring is right around the corner!
Well the snow we had came and melted already, one of the many great benefits of living here in the P.N.W. Since it was now "safe" I ventured out to Walmart on a mission for...bananas. I was greeted by some seed potatoes and onion sets as soon as I got in the store. I have never tried buying starts like these before so I thought I would give it a try. The package says we can plant them in this region in March! The regular mouth canning lids were back in stock so I bought 5 boxes, though I considered buying all of them, still no wide mouth ones though. They did have bananas but there were a lot of empty freezer cases. I also got my hands on the last dehydrator on the shelf.
I'm a little excited about the dehydrator for a few reasons. It is another form of preserving foods from the garden. It is especially important to find other methods to preserve the produce when canning lids and freezer space are limited. I look forward to fruit rolls and dried fruits, I love snacking on those. I also want to dry some foraged mushrooms, homegrown herbs, veggies, tomatoes, garlic and onions for making powders, homemade pasta and croutons, just to name a few off the top of my head. As you can tell, I am not wasting any time getting ready for the harvest season.
Speaking of harvesting, I was able to harvest my very own broccoli for dinner. O.K. they were not the biggest heads, more like florets, but they were delicious and if you cook and eat the leaves they are pretty tasty and make up for the lack of big bunches florets. It was the first time my broccoli didn't bolt (or flower) on me. I also harvested some lentils that I sprouted on the counter for about a week. These go great on sandwiches when the lettuce isn't coming in fast enough. I like that they add some nutrition, flavor and crunch.
Another project that I started working on is called "chitting" sweet potatoes. This means that I am trying to sprout some roots on them. I have them sitting in front of a window in some mason jars with toothpicks stuck in them. They have already started growing some roots. These little roots just tickle that warm fuzzy feeling inside. I feel a little accomplished, excited, and hopeful for spring to arrive. I also wanted to say thank you for all the support and feedback I have been getting from my readers out there. If you like what you are reading please share this blog with someone else you think might enjoy it too. Comment on my Facebook page and tell me what you want to hear more about and feel free to ask me questions you might have. When my Facebook reaches 100 followers I think I'll do a random draw prize giveaway to be thankful and celebrate!
-Claude Monet