In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Broccoli season follows on the heels of the cauliflower bounty. I’ve put off harvesting the broccoli, allowing the heads to enlarge, but not separate. Though the crowns are 8-9 inches across, they are much lighter this year.

We’ve only had one inch of rain since October 1. Usually December and January bring the best storms with rain seeping deep in the beds. Last year we had 15 inches of rain and the raised beds required very little supplemental irrigation during the winter season.

This year my favorite method for cooked purple ‘Graffiti’ cauliflower is lightly roasted but with a new angle. Small flowerlets are tossed in olive oil then put a few at a time in a seasoned bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mix. A drizzle of olive oil is the final step before roasting.

The winter garden provides an immense variety of options for salads. The purple cauliflower always punches things up a notch.

A Tuscan kale salad made with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and a lemon juice -EVOO, garlicky dressing makes a weekly appearance at lunch.

I have about thirty heads of lettuce maturing now and so I’m regularly delivering garden gift trays to neighbors. I’ve stepped up the pace since we’ve had three days with temperatures in the low 80’s which prompts bolting. Thankfully, today begins a cooling trend with a string of storms bringing much needed rain.

This is today’s harvest of ‘Golden Sweet’ snow peas. There would be more but our Brittany, Lucy loves the snow peas. Any errant vines and snow peas are hers. She hangs out by the trellis waiting for her due. At almost 17 years, she’s earned them after many years of chasing birds out of the garden and catching an occasional mouse.

We harvest a few ‘Satsuma’ tangerines for lunch every day. Another twenty or so remain on the small tree and we’ll miss their sweet, juiciness until they show up again in late November.

Our strawberry guava tree sports an unseasonable harvest of almost golf-ball sized fruit—a couple each day. The fruit is particularly luscious with few seeds. For some reason, they’re mostly near the top of the 10 foot tall tree. It’s worth getting the step-stool to harvest.

Another January delight is the bromeliad ‘Queen’s Tears.’ The inflorescences open and dance about as ballerinas. These will open soon. See another photo of ‘Queen’s Tears.

Have I reiterated how much I relish the winter garden in So Cal?

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Email address and website URL are optional. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.