Independence Days Update: The World Peas Edition

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

I think I went a little crazy planting peas this year. In the past, I’ve done about a third to half of a 16-foot bed in snap peas a year, which is never quite enough for us to truly revel in peas, but in our limited space, it seemed like all I could manage. I haven’t grown normal peas, the kind with inedible pods, because they didn’t seem like the best use of space. This year, though, I bought some “Little Marvel” shelling peas, because I heard you could grow them in containers, and since I’ve become fond of adding pea tendrils to salads and braises, I figured I’d get dual use out of the plants even if they didn’t produce more than a few tasty meals of peas.

Several weeks ago, at pea planting time, I got a bad case of planting fever, and without thinking, pre-soaked the entire packet of Little Marvels and treated them with legume inoculant. (For the non-gardeners, that’s beneficial bacteria that helps peas, beans and other legumes “fix” nitrogen into the soil, helping both the legumes and the crop you plant there grow better.) And once I’d pre-soaked them, I had to plant them. Oops!

Now I have a half-bed of snap peas, a half bed of regular peas, and two big containers of regular peas. They’re looking good and we will feast upon peas late this spring, which is a wondrous notion. On the other hand, I’m not sure where I’m going to put my chard and kale, since I need to allow room to start beans in early May, and chard and kale–unlike the spinach and arugula I planted in some of the “bean” area–stay in place for a good long time.

Well, we’d wanted to expand our container garden, and I think chard and black dinosaur kale should look quite dramatic in pots (and perhaps out of reach of the rabbits that ate all the dinosaur kale last year) . Hope the friends getting married in the yard this summer don’t mind a backdrop of vegetables!

On to the update…

Plant something: Direct-seeded arugula, Osaka red mustard, mustard spinach, several varieties of lettuce, tatsoi. Transplanted Chinese kale, mizuna, and tatsoi. I’m a bit obsessed with Asian greens, but as an obsession, it could be worse.

Harvest something: Kale, lettuce (overwintered lettuce–I’m not that magical), overwintered cutting celery; pea shoots

Preserve something: Cutting celery

Waste not: Cut up old PJs for dusters. Saved bones for stock. Unfortunately there’s been a bit of food waste this week–discovered some moldy soft goat cheese and some scary chili.

Want not: Nothing unusual.

Eat the food: Made bread for the first time in ages, and it felt great. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. Usually Himself is the bread-baker, but he says that right now it feels like a chore rather than fun, so I’m trying to fill in. Eating our greens and our happy-hen eggs. Made a “basil limeade” base by making a strong basil sun tea.

Support local food systems: Farmer’s market this week, buying still more greens and — oh my heavens — locally made, fair trade, organic chocolate. Obviously not locally raised but it was delicious and we got to support a small local business. Still enjoying eggs from the egg lady.

Skill up: Nothing new.