The best news from the garden this week is the rain. Tropical storm Delores will deliver at least two inches over three days. At this writing, Sunday night we are near 1.75 inches. 

Recent transplants luxuriate in the well-watered soil. Newly emerged seedlings have an easy start. The trees and perennials are refreshed. 

Rain barrels have captured about 300 gallons of water for use in the garden. They are nearly full as I write.

Last night I was thankful that herbs are always at the ready. I dashed out in the rain and snipped some basil for dinner. 

The basil is perennial, refreshed in the spring with compost for a flush of growth. Anyone can grow mint. Thyme was my grandmother’s favorite herb and also mine if not edged out by rosemary. Sage delights, while oregano awaits a larger pot to take off. The tarragon responded to recent pruning. I don’t dry or freeze these since most are there for me year-round.

Here’s last night’s dinner underway, fried rice made with a remainder of winter vegetables–red cabbage and carrots. Some beets and more carrots still linger in my produce drawer.

Another gather-up-the-remnants salad–baby kale, red romaine lettuce, golden beets, celery with purchased purple peppers and garlic and herb chevre.

The usual harvests at this time–lettuce, arugula and strawberries escaped capture by the camera but were nonetheless welcome harvests. More strawberry guavas too. 

The last kale salad from the winter crop but the Tuscan baby leaf kale is ready to harvest this week. 

And, of course, flowers and foliage sparkle after the rain.