This is the time of year when we, in south-central Indiana, dream of the garden in full production, and all we are able to harvest right now are a few paltry things, such as celery and - for some strange reason - cilantro. Sure we have some storage veggies on hand too, such as sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic (I won't bother to mention the 6 tiny nubs of potatoes that we have left since we've had to resort to buying potatoes from the store), and some dried, frozen, and canned veggies that we busted our butts to process in the heat of the summer and early fall. But, all in all, not the fresh off the plant bounty that we get so spoiled eating in the warmer months. I really can't complain since those are more than most folks can harvest from their gardens or retrieve from their freezers, root cellars, and pantries.
The fun, however, is in the planning. Some people peak at their gardening excitement at this stage, in fact, and it's all downhill from here on end. We've had some gardening catalogs trickle through already that have tickled our fancies. The Cook's Garden has a new look...finally! But, dh is waiting for his all-time favorite Johnny's Selected Seeds. He never orders anything until he's consulted Johnny's and see what they have to offer.
We haven't decided yet on what new veggie we'll grow this year. Last year, the patty pan squashes and the edamame were huge hits. The okra, not so much. Thank goodness we only got one plant of that from a local nursery, May's Greenhouse. We also only tried one flat of celery from the same local nursery and that turned out to be a great gamble, so I think we'll definitely be doing more of those.
I would give my left arm to be able to grow a mango tree, but if that means having to move to FL or CA, or worse, AZ, TX, or MS, then I guess I'll have to settle for occasional splurges at our health food store, Bloomingfoods
I'm trying to convince dh to get another lime plant. Our key lime (see photo above) produced the cutest, tastiest little limes this year, and I made some delectable lime crescents with them. It really was heaven on earth, and better than any fictitious nirvana.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
