May I ?

strawberries are awesome! what a way to start the day. last year we planted eight strawberry plants and I think we got to eat about 10 strawberries all season....but this year is a different story! Nothing like sharing a salad of fresh young greens, green onions, radish and strawberries to accompany an early summer barbeque. yum. 

Fiddleheads!

Fiddlehead ferns refers to the unfurled fronds of a young fern harvested for food consumption. The fiddlehead, or circinate vernation, unrolls as the fern matures and grows due to more growth in the inside of the curl. Fiddleheads are usually located by the bottom of a fern plant.

The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called

 a scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a fiddle. It is also called a crozier, after the cur

ved staff used byshepherds and bishops.

The fiddleheads of certain ferns are eaten as a cooked leaf vegetable; they must be cooked first to remove shikimic acid. The most popular of these are:

• Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, found worldwide
• Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, found in northern regions worldwide, and the central/eastern part of North America
• Cinnamon fern or buckhorn fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, found in the Eastern parts of North America
• Royal fern, Osmunda regalis, found worldwide
• Zenmai or flowering fern, Osmunda japonica, found in East Asia
• Vegetable fern, Athyrium esculentum, found throughout Asia and Oceania

Fiddleheads' ornamental value makes them very expensive in the temperate regions where they are not

 abundant.

Try this one yum! 

1 pound fiddlehead ferns
2 tablespoons olive oil
Butter (optional)
2 cloves finely chopped garlic (optional)¼ cup pancetta or bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes (optional)
Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper

Trim the dark ends from the stems and wash the fiddleheads in a coarse strainer  using a strong stream of water. Place them in a large bowl of water and swirl them  around, rubbing off the thin flakes of chaff on the ferns. Drain and dry in a kitchen  towel, rubbing off any remaining chaff. 

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium – high heat. Add the bacon or pancetta, if using,  and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Add ferns and garlic and cook, covered, for  3 – 4 minutes. Uncover and cook

 for an additional 3 – 4 minutes or until they are  tender but still are slightly crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste and swirl in some  butter if you wish. Serve immediately. 

Rare Bloom

The Dwarf Lake Iris  (Iris lacustris) is a tiny iris species endemic to the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In 1998 it was designated the state wildflower of Michigan, where the vast majority of populations exist. The dwarf lake iris is also found on the Door Peninsula ofWisconsin and the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island in Ontario, as well as on smaller islands in both lakes. Iris lacustris is designated a threatened species by federal, state and provincial laws throughout its range.

and in my garden.

Sound the trumpets!

And we're back! 2009 is gong to be a great year in the garden I can feel it. I thought this was a pretty good sign. I found it on a branch  in the garden. It's an egg case from a praying mantis. They're good for the garden because they eat the caterpillars and beetles that I am not glad to see. 

    You heard right- we've already been out there! Some warm weekend in March we raked out the corners and got most of the leaves out, cleaned up and debris from last fall and winter. Last weekend I mixed some peat and fresh compost into the new area I am planning for greens. Planted arugula, mustard greens, kale, radishes, spinach and snap peas. This year I am using inoculant on the peas and beans? we'll see how that goes. Also I'm not bothering with starting early seeds. I figured for all the trouble I have trying to keep them warm and damp, but not too warm and damp without a proper green house or sunny enough window for that matter and I don't have enough space to set up with lights....not yet anyway...so for now my method is direct seeding and starting trays outside once it gets warmer. For my small garden I figure I can grow enough stuff I like direct with great success and then purchase the few things I can't direct seed or start early enough  like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. I have planned to shuffle the beds around to hopefully fix the mistake I learned last year.  A new corner for the greens that will be much more shaded in the heat of the summer, a sunnier spot for the cucumbers, more room for the squash and melons, more potatoes! Last years favorites, chard, leeks, cabbage, kale; we're also trying some new stuff like broccolini, bush beans, parsnips, turnips, asian greens and winter squash. Since I'm direct seeding I bought a soil thermometer and I'm taking weekly readings to know just when the ground is warm enough to germinate each seed. I'm psyched.