The snow has pretty much melted, the mud is drying up, and the Dutch chives (above) are poking through the soil. Must be spring!!
We had a lovely spring sign-up meeting in the Battlefords on Sunday afternoon — with thanks to Jen and Andrew, our hosts, and all who were able to attend! It’s always energizing to hear of your enthusiasm for good vegetables, and exciting to hear your ideas for the coming season. Thanks to member requests and fellow gardeners’ rave reviews at Seedy Saturday events, we’re hoping to try a few new things this year: curly kale (provided we can find seed), a slower-to-bolt spinach (lorelei), and filet beans (comtesse de chamborg). We’re also going to give bok choy another go — with seed that we saved from last year’s plants, many of which bolted before we realized it was time to harvest them.
I can’t wait to get started! As soon as the greenhouse gets going for the season (this weekend, I believe) I will be in there starting our pepper plants — both Red Bell and Hot Hungarian Wax. Garlic will probably be going into the ground within the next couple weeks, after which we’ll get the tomatoes seeded in the greenhouse before heading to Saskatoon at the end of the month for our first-ever Saskatoon sign-up meeting. We can feel the busy season drawing near!
It will be a little while yet though before we are able to enjoy spring greens. In the meantime, let’s continue to make the most of those roots! This month’s order is down the the bare bones: potatoes, carrots, and beets — with a few bonus heads of garlic thrown in, thanks to the wonderful garlic storage space we’ve been able to make use of at Judy’s sister Betty’s place up the hill.
Here is a salad recipe from Amy Jo Ehman’s Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens that is just perfect for this time of year:
Vinegret
2 potatoes
2 beets
2 carrots
2-3 pickles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vinegar (optional)
salt and pepper
Boil potatoes, beets, and carrots until cooked. Drain, cool, and peel. Mix vegetables with pickles, onion, oil, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Largo Farm 