In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

We’re rolling from broccoli season into cauliflower season. The first DePurple cauliflower has been harvested. The color on the plant against the blue-green leaves is dreamy.

The winter garden seems slow this year or my impatience obscures my memory of January other years. Growth of most vegetables slows dramatically in December. Now, mid-January as days lengthen gradually I can see new growth with the carrots and beets. Lettuce and spinach plants are sizing up. Celery thrives in the cool and does well even in the darkest month. The artichoke plants prepare for spring and are about three feet tall. Sweet peas climb the trellis with abandon.

I harvested the last of the broccoli. The quality of last year’s frozen broccoli was very nice and welcome through the year. Much of the above will go into the freezer.

Now the wait for side shoots. I’ll fertilize with a liquid seaweed-fish fertilizer this week to prompt production. I also have bare ground where the Jacaranda broccoli resided so there are opportunities there. Maybe some flowers—Iceland poppies or blue flax—along with more lettuce.

Though these are gifted persimmons, I would plant a tree if I had some open ground. Fuyu persimmons on the left and Hachiya on the right. My grandmother made persimmon cookies and persimmon bread around the holidays from the Hachiyas.

I can still see the fruit hanging on bare trees like ornaments—a childhood memory.

We picked the first of the Satsuma tangerines last week. They are few but sumptuous—juicy and sweet.

And following the color harmonies of the season, the church entry bouquet: alstroemeria, Mexican marigold, watsonia and lime green coleonema.

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