Tribute to Crimson Clover

This weekend I composted the last of the crimson clover. I discovered this plant two years ago when I learned about cover crops, and I've grown to love it more and more each changing season. If it has any negative trait, I have yet to discover it. It is altogether helpful, wholesome, benevolent. The seed is inexpensive and can be purchased at most local garden stores or from mail order seed catalogs. In the fall, after harvesting summer crops, we toss it onto the bare soil and gently work it in with a fork, or not, depending on how much time we have. The seed sprouts and establishes roots, hunkering down for a long winter's dormancy. It tolerates our mild winters with a bit of wilting, then grows vigorously through early spring, cheering us with new growth when most everything else is still sleeping.  All this time, it captures nitrogen from the air and fixes it into the soil where other plants can make use of it. It provides fresh nutritious greens for the chickens, and thus nutritious eggs for us. It also keeps our soil from eroding and washing away with the winter rains, and prevents weeds from invading. In April and May, the vibrant crimson flowers bloom, offering food for the bees and beauty for the people. And finally, before planting our summer crops, we add it to the compost, where it becomes organic matter to feed the soil once more. So much goodness from such a humble plant. Thank you crimson clover!

Greens!

After a long dark cold rainy winter, there's nothing like hearty garden fresh greens to lighten and enliven the body and spirit. We used to have trouble this time of year using up all of our greens, but we're getting more savvy about sneaking them into every meal. Spinach in the smoothies for breakfast, spicy mesclun and lettuce on the sandwiches for lunch, heaping bowls of salad for dinner. Our favorite way to dress up the salad these days is to mix a little vinegar or lemon juice with olive oil, drizzle over the greens, slice whatever fruit we have around (apples, oranges, mango, pear, any dried fruit), add some toasted nuts or seeds, a few radishes or green onions or chives...divine!  Greens and eggs go great together--scrambles and fritatas and stratas. Lasagna and pasta are always improved with some spinach or arugula thrown in. And burritos! We love greens, cilantro, scallions in our burritos and quesadillas.

Living in our wet climate means we share our greens with the slugs.Washing the lettuce is not a task for
the squeamish or faint of heart. I always end up with a sink full of gray slimy little globules...and they still give me the heeby jeebies. At least the chickens appreciate them.

 The spinach in the middle there is "Beaujolais" from Uprising Seeds and is heavenly. So tender and sweet.

The greens on the left are our very favorite mix--the organic Spicy Mesclun Mix from Irish Eyes. I just pulled up our first batch that was going to seed and have a new set popping up now.

Any other ideas out there for incorporating spring's bounty of greens into our meals?

Around the garden

Farmama has invited us to share in a new Thursday tradition of "Around the Farm" posts, so here's mine!

So many blooms in the garden right now, so I'll dedicate this post to flowers. 

Lovely lupine

 Lilacs

Rhododendron

 Iris

 So many blues and lavenders this time of year...appropriate for the cool wet weather of spring.

Lessons

We've done a lot of experimenting with the garden this year, and we've been rewarded with plenty of lessons. Many of them have been frustrating, disappointing, dare I say heartbreaking?

For instance, we learned that mesh bird netting does not keep chickens out of the broccoli patch. In a few short minutes, our happy hens reduced months of planting, watering, nurturing, transplanting, and hoping to this: 

 

Well, I suppose the chickens enjoyed their feast, and the eggs were a little more nutritious that day I'm sure. After fuming and moping for I while, I did some research to see if there might be time for second-chance broccoli this year--I've always just started one batch early in the spring. I found some information about direct sowing broccoli, and apparently in our area it can be done through July. So I pulled out the devastated plants and tried sowing some seeds directly into the patch. Another experiment! We'll see how it works out. (And the chickens have earned themselves confinement to the coop/fenced run till our seedlings grow up a bit. We hate not letting them out every day, but we haven't come up with a better way to keep the plants safe.)

Lesson 2: Slugs don't mind sharp gravel at all. Our hoop house is sitting on our gravel patio area, and seemed like a fine place for our tender seedlings to hang out till the weather warms. Until these guys found them:

When I am tempted to think of myself too highly as a benevolent, non-violent, forgiving human being, I only need to have a run-in with the slugs (or aphids) to quickly prove my violent and hateful tendencies. I suppose they need to eat too. I just wish they didn't so fancy our lovely young pepper plants.

And this is what happened after we moved them back inside under the lights, thinking we had removed all the slugs. They are sneaky stowaways. We had to throw out a good number of these peppers because the damage was just too severe. Luckily we planted a lot more than we need (though we were hoping to have more to share). Next year we'll try to rig up something to keep the seedlings off the ground, and experiment with less slug-friendly containers and trays. 

Other experiments have led to happier lessons. Our front yard raised beds have been thriving. The peas we planted are going crazy. I've been reading an old organic agriculture classic called The Soil and Health by Sir Albert Howard, and he really likes humus. It is fascinating to see the difference in my own yard between the weak and spindly plants that grow in our depleted clay soil, and then to compare these to the lush abundance of the plants growing in a bed with plentiful organic matter.

And no aphids or slugs yet (knock on wood)!! I planted a few zinnias in the beds, too, and we have winter squash and cucumber seedlings just about ready to plant out this weekend. Hooray for humus!

A restorative walk in the forest

Today we ventured out for a hike up Hamilton Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge. It was a celebration of life and health, for we have been SICK.  Pneumonia, bronchitis, high fevers, horrible coughs, too many trips to the doctor. Thankfully, we are in the process of convalescence now, gradually recovering our stamina, feeling our energy return.

 

I am so grateful for the restorative energy of the forest. The fragrance of the cedars and firs, the silence and birdsong, the myriad shades of green, the sprightly flowers blooming, and all the leaves and shoots and tendrils bursting forth with spring life.

 

 And finally the mighty force of Hardy Falls, full of spring rains. These trips to the forest have been few and far between in the last two years. When we find the time, and the dry weather, and the health and energy to take them now, it feels like a real miracle.  Thank you Hamilton Mountain!

Wishing you, too, a restorative walk in the woods in the week ahead.

Strawberry Pants

I made another pair of those great  Anna Maria Horner Quick Change Trousers for my own little one recently and finally had some sunshine for a test run today. I think they get a passing mark. How can you go wrong with strawberries?