When I was young and growing up in California my mother and I planted a wonderful vegetable garden. We grew carrots, Indian corn, artichokes, and pumpkins. I loved the satisfaction that came from pulling up a carrot straight from the ground and popping it into my mouth. I spent hours pretending to be Laura from Little House On The Prairie making corn husk dolls. Beyond our vegetable garden we had many different fruits, plums, strawberries, guava, lemons, kumquats and loquats!
Nowadays, with the strong appreciation of fresh from the garden goods that my mother imbued in me, I try to keep a few herbs growing in my apartment windowsill, but of course I miss the bountiful garden of my childhood. So I was excited when my boyfriend asked if I wanted to work with him on a vegetable garden at his place. Of course I did!
He has four main planters in which we put...
Spinach, kale, chard, and lettuce
basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, and sage
Carrots, onions, garlic, chives, turnips, and radishes.
Tomatoes, peas, cucumber, raspberries, and strawberries!
And now, the lettuce and greens box, which had grown at almost a startlingly fast rate, was ready to be harvested for the first time! We went out and picked a collection of all the different kinds of leaves, which we washed, tossed with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and served in a truly delicious and simple salad. The flavors in fresh from your garden vegetables are often so much more intense, every mouthful was a bit of a surprise!
To accompany the salad my boyfriend made a fantastic and very pretty caprese salad with some heirloom yellow tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and more balsamic and olive oil.
I can't wait until it's time to harvest some other parts of the garden!
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