HARVEST IN MAY

         Here we are a month later and it is still cold and rainy. While this spring has been less than thrilling for us, our plants have liked it. Most of the shrubs and perennials I see seem to be thriving.

     Wan and I (actually, more Wan than I) planted our warm weather veggies (tomatoes, cukes, peppers, beans, etc) on Tuesday. On the same day we began to harvest. You will recall that we were able to get many of our cool weather crops in the ground around the first of April. As a result of this early start we are already eating the results.Our heads of broccoli are already larger than my fist, and one of them made it into a pasta sauce this week. We have also pulled radishes and rapini.

Sugar snack peas.

     Plants grown from seed always come up too densely and the books always tell you to thin them. This was a chore I always tried to avoid before I realized that thinning seedlings could become an early harvest. Now I "thin" my spinach and other leafy greens directly into my salad bowl or soup pot. The tiny greens are tender and delicious. At the store you pay extra for baby spinach, after all. Here it is free and you help your other plants grow at the same time. What could be better?