June Harvest Totals

Asterisk denotes foraged item.

• Basil (purple): 2 g
• Beets (mixed): 57 g
• Calendula: 14 g
• Carrots (mixed): 91 g
• Chamomile: 50 g
• Dill: 36 g
• Haskap Berries: 160 g
• Hyssop: 39 g
• Kale (Red Russian): 76 g
• Lemon Balm: 7 g
• Mint (Mojito): 5 g
• Mint (Peppermint): 11 g
• Mint (Pineapple): 11 g
• *Orach: 115 g
• Orach: 96 g
• Pansies: 2 g
• Peas (Amish Snap): 84 g
• Raspberries: 15 g
• Rhubarb: 37 g
• Sage: 4 g
• Saskatoon Berries: 3147 g
• Spinach: 43 g
• Strawberries: 21 g
• Tarragon: 14 g
• Thyme: 2 g

Total: 4.2 kg

This June seemed to have less going on in the garden for some reason. Last year I got more peas, more rhubarb, I remembered to pick the wild asparagus, and just overall I got about two kilos more from the garden and the wild. I'm not sure what's going on with my rhubarb - I guess it's having an off year. Last year I harvested nearly a kilogram from it in June, but this year just a a few little stalks! I'm going to give it more fertilizer in the fall this year and see if that helps kickstart it for the spring. It also got pretty choked in with weeds, so maybe I didn't get to those in time.

I suspected the peas would be a smaller harvest this year, because I was very picky about the seed I was saving from the Amish Snap Peas I've been planting and saving for over 5 seasons now. They were starting to look quite a bit different from what I remember receiving from Seed Savers Exchange almost six years ago. I kept only 15 seeds from last year because I only wanted seeds from pods that produced at least three seeds per pod, and looked smooth and round - identical to what I received when I purchased them. I also held off on harvesting some of the most beautiful pods growing from them because I want to make sure that my seed is excellent for the years to come. I can't save seeds from many things because my garden is too small, but legumes, and a few other things are possible so I want to do the best job I can with stewarding those varieties.

Despite the lack of rhubarb, the berries this month have been fantastic. I've never seen saskatoons, or raspberries the size I've been picking this month. Raspberries were just beginning to ripen, but they were all enormous and so heavy the branches on my little bushes were all falling over! The wild saskatoons this here were also gigantic. Our bowl full of them looked more like cranberries or grapes. I have some cultivated saskatoons in my freezer from last year, and these are almost double their size, when it's usually the other way around!

There is also a lot of promise still out there in the garden. My tomato plants are getting big, and many have already set quite a bit of fruit which I wait for with great anticipation! I've got loads of sun chokes, the quinoa is about to flower, and the beans are climbing high! I also have a bed of the healthiest looking brassicas I've ever grown, so those are making me pretty happy each time I step out into the garden. All in all it's been a decent month for harvesting, but I look forward to the major bounty that is to come as summer reaches its fullness.

May Harvest Totals

Asterisk Denotes Foraged Item

• Chamomile: 9 g
• *Dandelion Greens: 394 g
• *Dandelion Petals: 120 g
• Douglas Fir Cones: 120 g
• Green Garlic: 12 g
• Lemon Balm: 7 g
• Lettuce (Volunteer): 6 g
• *Lilac Flowers: 482 g
• Mint (Mojito): 8 g
• Mixed Greens: 145 g
• Pansies: 3 g
• Pea Shoots: 10 g
• Rhubarb: 151 g
• Sage: 1 g
• Strawberries: 11 g
• Tarragon: 2 g
• Thyme: 1 g
• *Wild Lettuce: 180 g

Total: 1.662 kg

This month was an interesting one for me, because usually the bulk of what I harvest in May is wild Asparagus, and this time for some reason I never made it out to my spot to gather any.  Initially the smaller harvest total was a bit discouraging, because ideally I'd like my self sufficiency to increase over time.  However, when I looked at last year's harvest total and subtracted what was asparagus, I found that this year I'd quadrupled my non-asparagus harvest!  The other thing that amazed me was that last year my "May" totals were actually April and May combined.  This year we were able to gather enough earlier that I tallied everything up for March and April's harvest so this year is already bringing in a more plentiful and diverse harvest.

One of the most interesting new things added to my spring harvest totals are these Douglas fir cones (pictured below).  I picked these while they were still green, and they have the most beautiful aroma.  I'd seen a few people posting on Instagram that they were using them for flavouring, so I decided to blend them up into a flavoured sugar.  They have the most beautiful aroma and a bright citrus/crabapple taste with forest notes that is really hard to describe.  I'm imagining making Christmas cookies this winter from sugar flavoured with a Christmas tree!  I also think these would make an incredible sorbet flavour too so I'm hoping to get out before they mature too much and gather some more to experiment with.

What are you harvesting these days?  Leave me a note in the comments and I'd love to hear how this spring of gardening and/or foraging is going for you!

Wild Lettuce Soup

Wild lettuce is something I've been foraging this year that's new to me.  I noticed a whole bunch of it popping up last year, but only recognized what it was when it was about three feet tall, flowering, and too bitter to imagine eating.  This spring when the snow finally melted, I noticed several of these little rosettes, and it occurred to me that the leaves looked almost like skinny lettuce.  I threw a few photos up on one of the amazingly helpful Plant Identification groups on Facebook, and did a bit of googling, and realized that their resemblance to lettuce was because they were!  The following hints about how to identify wild lettuce are not comprehensive enough to guarantee what you've found.  Before eating any wild plant please do your research and make sure you know what you are eating.  There's no good reason to risk eating something that you are not 100% sure of.

This wild member of the lactuca family is the ancestor of the lettuce you see in the grocery store. You want to make sure you harvest it young, because otherwise it becomes too bitter.  Look for lush leaves coming up in a rosette, with somewhat wavy and possibly even slightly prickly edges. The midrib of each leaf should have some prickles forming on the back.  One of the most telltale signs is a milky sap when you break off a leaf.

Milky sap is usually an indicator that the plant is something you shouldn't be eating, but notable exceptions include wild lettuce, and also the dandelion.  These bitter spring greens are the perfect thing to eat after a winter of rich and heavy food.  I think that is one of the beautiful things about seasonal eating.  

Wild lettuce is, in fact, very bitter.  It goes even beyond most kales I've eaten, and some people will have a very hard time eating it.  While you could include it in your spring salad mix, I find it more palatable cooked.  The soup below was a really nice way to eat these greens, and the bitterness balanced out the richness of the other ingredients beautifully.  If you still find them too bitter try leaving it to eat until the next day.  When I ate the leftovers I found the flavour had completely mellowed and was even more delicious.

Wild Lettuce and Bacon Soup

If you still like the look of this recipe but can't find any wild lettuce, swap it out for kale or another strong and bitter green that you have on hand.

• One large onion
• Two cloves garlic
• 5 - 6 slices bacon
• 4 - 5 Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 - 3 cups wild lettuce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups milk
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Paprika
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt
• 1 tbsp lemon Juice

1. Melt the butter in the bottom of your pot, and as it heats mince the onion.  Sauté until translucent.  Mince the garlic and add.
2. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.  
3. While the bacon is cooking, chop the potatoes into small, bite sized pieces.  Add them into the pot and sauté briefly.
4. Cover everything with water and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
5. Pour in milk, and add spices in the amounts that you like.  Bring back to temperature, and chop the wild lettuce.  Throw it in and put the lid on for a few minutes.  Once the greens are steamed slightly stir them in.  
6. When the lettuce is just wilted add the lemon juice and taste to see if you need to adjust your spices.  When you are happy with everything it is ready to enjoy!

Growing Pea Shoots and a Couple Ways to Eat Them

They are rising in popularity these days - and have long been popular with some cultures outside North America - but pea shoots still aren't something you find on your average grocery store shelf.  I've snipped a few here and there from the peas I've grown, but this year I tried growing them in flats kind of like you would with micro greens and I'm not sure why I didn't start doing this earlier!  

Growing pea shoots this way you have all the deliciousness of fresh peas without waiting until the pods are ready to harvest.  I can't believe I didn't start doing this earlier!  

The variety I used (linked above) is an heirloom pea that actually has beautiful red flowers if you let it grow longer.  It is known for its' strong, succulent tendrils which is why it is a great candidate for growing in this way. All you need to do is fill a flat tray like the seed starting tray in the photo below (linked above) almost to the top with a good quality potting soil suitable for growing vegetables (I used promix and I've linked it above as well although I will say I've seen it cheaper elsewhere).  Scatter the pea seeds on top.  You can crowd them in pretty closely because you're going to cut them when they are only a few inches high so you don't have to really worry about them competing for nutrients.  Cover them with a bit more soil, and then water thoroughly, but not to the point of creating a swamp.  

After you've got them planted the upkeep is really simple.  Just make sure to keep it moist without letting it get waterlogged.  You really won't need to water much as there is no drainage, but you do need to keep the seeds moist so that they actually sprout.  Once they are around six inches tall you can harvest them at any time, but don't let them get too much longer or they will be a bit tough.  Use these as you would use any other spring green - in salads, as part of a sandwich filling, in a frittata - you name it!  Here are a few things that I've been making recently to give you a few ideas.

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Pea Shoot Green Sauce

Ingredients

• Pea Shoots
• Green Garlic, or 1 Garlic Clove
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Olive Oil

Takes 15 min, serves 6.

Instructions

1. Put pea shoots, green garlic, juice of half a lemon (go easy here as it can be overpowering and you'll have a chance to add more later), teaspoon of salt (again, you'll have the chance to add more later if you need to), and enough olive oil to make it liquid enough to blend in a blender or food processor. Pea shoots are soft enough that a mortar and pestle would work as well, but it would take longer.
2. Blend until you like the consistency. I keep mine chunkier because I like to spread it on toast (adding a fried egg on top is an incredible idea as well).
3. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil until you like the taste and texture. Spread it on toast, use it as a dip, or put it on a burger - the options are endless!

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Ginger Miso Sautéed Pea Shoots

Ingredients

• Large Bunch of Pea Shoots (overesimate as they shrink down quite a bit with cooking)
• Small thumb of Ginger, minced
• 1 tsp Miso Paste
• Butter or Olive Oil for Sautéing

Takes 15 min, serves 2-4 Depending on the amount of pea shoots. Estimate 1 large handful per person..

Instructions

1. Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat.
2. Whisk the ginger and miso into the butter until it blends into a sauce.
3. Arange sliced mozzarella and tomato on flatbread. Place back in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Add the pea shoots and sauté until wilted, but not mushy.

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March and April Harvest Totals

Shoes available here.

March and April Harvest Totals

Asterisk denotes foraged item.

• Bunching Onion: 24 g
• Carrots (Danvers): 802 g
• *Dandelion (Greens): 74 g
• *Dandelion (Roots): 14 g
• Kale (Russian Red): 1 g
• Kale (Winterbor): 22g
• Pea Shoots: 93 g
• Sunchokes: 2354 g

Total: 3.384 kg

I think it is amazing that I am able to do a substantial harvest total update a full month earlier than last season.  I remember it being particularly cold, and although we had a somewhat delayed beginning to spring this year as well the temperatures seem to be right back on track for everything.  A lot of the substantial stuff on this list was overwintered in the garden from last season.  If you can do that, it can be pretty handy in early spring when you're wishing for fresh veggies!

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