In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

In the first week of spring, an artichoke is ready to harvest. Violetta, an heirloom from Northern Italy is slightly smaller and ready later than the ‘Green Globe’ artichoke. We find it especially tender and flavorful. This year our ‘Green Globe’ is slower since we replaced the plants..

The first two ‘Seascape’ strawberries were ready to harvest yesterday. One went in my mouth before I thought to snap a photo. Small garden, small harvests, big joy.

I decided to cut the arugula flowers before a soaking rain expecled later today. For now, they’re on the kitchen counter in a small glass, counting as a bouquet. Soon, the flowers will go in a salad and a handful dropped off to a friend.

Lettuce is abundant now and harvested as needed. Most days I have a salad at lunch so additions of calendula petals and violas with a side of pansies awaits me this week.

Here’s a recent salad—this one featuring slivers of kumquats and diagonal sliced purple carrots topping garden lettuce. Oh and broccoli side shoots which have exceeded my expectations.

The ‘Bolero’ carrots have been especially nice this year—good-sized and sweet. I was more patient in sowing carrot seed this season and less thinning was required.

With spring unfurled in my garden, I made a sampler bouquet. Here find ‘White Lion’ daffodil, calla lily, native coral bells and lupine, Spanish bluebells, ranunculus, sweet peas, cerinthe, alstroemerias all stitched together with feverfew.

It is a glorious time in my garden now but I am sobered by the thought of the flowers that will not bloom in Ukraine this spring.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

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