Michael Jackson aside, this weather has not been conducive to my motivation. I'm sure many of you can relate. However, I have to count my blessings as I hear reports of the winter weather my friends and family in the Twin Cities are experiencing (complete university closures in late April?!?). At least our snow isn't sticking around- and Matt and I have the opportunity to refresh ourselves every time we step into our own little oasis (aka: the greenhouse). With our milder temperatures and the extended daylight, we aren't needing to heat it during the day at all- in fact, we have to run the occasional fan! Our "peak" temperature this spring hit 120 degrees, which gives our chilly outdoor garden fits of jealousy. We don't tell the overwintered garlic about all the greens and the neon chard- everyone's got their limits, you know?
Inside the greenhouse, though, things are different. No frosty resentment here- and the bright, beautiful Swiss Chard seems to be loving the conditions, whatever they are. (Just in case you're interested, chard makes a great substitution for cooked greens in most recipes- pastas, soups, casseroles- and it is consistently on those super-food lists you can find.) Barbara Kingsolver once said that if she were only allowed to grow one vegetable, this would be it- and I'm inclined to agree with her.
In other rafty news, our lettuce count is running a bit low this week (due to increased interest- wow, you guys!), but don't you worry- our rafts are full and our harvest is looking great for next week- and even better for the following week. We've had to start shading the little basils and arugulas (too much light!), but they're promising to be delicious! Look for them on our lists in the coming weeks.
So our offerings this week are:
In other rafty news, our lettuce count is running a bit low this week (due to increased interest- wow, you guys!), but don't you worry- our rafts are full and our harvest is looking great for next week- and even better for the following week. We've had to start shading the little basils and arugulas (too much light!), but they're promising to be delicious! Look for them on our lists in the coming weeks.
So our offerings this week are:
- Swiss Chard! (Want to try it without the pressure of cooking something new at home? Head over Cafe Soeurette and order some Rainbow Chard Fettuccine!)
- Parsley
- Celery
- Watercress (try it on your sandwich, you won't regret it!)
- Limited lettuce
