Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Good Earth




Spring is my favorite season. It is like reading your favorite book over and over. Even if you know how it begins, progresses and eventually ends, it remains a joy to experience, with something new to discover just when you thought you had it all figured out. Allergies not withstanding, it is near bliss being outdoors taking it all in. I love that something new blooms everyday, overpowering the gloomy gray of winter with every possible shade of green imaginable. Did I mention that Spring is my favorite season?
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I am excited to report that a few of those shades of green have started to appear in the Evins Mill garden in the past few days. I do not exaggerate when I say that every single lettuce and green seed we planted is sprouting, as well as a few weeds. We might need some thinning out in there. Green onions are also poking through the ground and have already asked permission to be in a guest's salad dressing or special soup that has yet to be created. They asked me to pass this request along to you.
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Now that we have the first round of seeds up and growing, it is time to get a second round in the ground. Hopefully this will help extend our home grown salad season as long as possible before the heat of summer sets in. Greens and lettuce tend to bolt and go to seed once the hot weather arrives. Also on the slate for this week is to prepare the tomato bed so we can get the first setting of those plants into the ground by the end of the month. Tomatoes, unlike the greens, love the heat and not the chilly nights we are presently experiencing. The Herb Cottage, here in Smithville supplies our organic tomato plants, and its owner Susie Yelverton transplanted just on time.
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I am looking forward to the first plates of freshly cut greens leaving the kitchen for your table. It will not be long now!