Tonight I was doing some "dreaming" about what I could do next year with the HUGE back yard behind my new little house ... the thought of having to mow lawns doesn't give me any feelings of enthusiasm ... so, I was thinking about gardens ...Vegetable ... flower ...meditative ... I'll have room for lots ...
As I was doing some reading about possible veggies that I could plant and tend I discovered something I never knew before:
The first frozen vegetable was the humble asparagus that was harvested by Romans and carried up into the Alps where it was buried in the snow to preserve it throughout the year as a delightful fresh treat.
Smart folks those Romans ... rhubarb and asparagus are definitely on my "to plant list" ... and if Ms H's little new potatoes that we had for dinner last night (harvested from her garden as we moved from Minnedosa) are any indication, we WILL be planting potatoes again too ...
4 comments:
Hi Shawn:
I'm a big fan of home gardens, but just a few words of advice:
Despite the lure of asparagus, it takes 3-5 years to properly produce, and it's very high maintenance (try to get it from a farmers' market, where someone else has done all the work); rhubarb, on the other hand will produce fast, take over your space, and be as much of a glut on the market with your friends as the ever-dangerous zucchini!
Potatoes -- now you're talking! High yield, low maintenance, and the best thing for bringing neglected ground back under cultivation (you have to turn it by hand at least twice a year).
Good luck with the garden -- it's a very rewarding exercise (I hope my Irish ancestry doesn't appear to bias the above).
John.
P.S. I really hope you are watching Jon Stewart's Daily Show this week. His presentation of the "Bush Legacy" is fabulous.
J.
My God man....you know the history of asparagus? You cease to amaze me.
Cease to amaze??
Or in your shock did you leave out the 'never' ???
Long ago my friend, I was told by a wise old mentor to read widely and to read far far far beyond 'just churchy stuff' ... you learn many wonderful things that way and encounter some incredible writing ...
the down side is that the world has too many luddites who fear knowledge and enlightenment and view folks like me as a threat ...
*sigh* ... such is life ... I'll think of them NEXT year while Ms H and I are planting our gardens ...
John
ONE can NEVER have TOO much rhubarb!!
We planted rhubarb in EVERY yard we've occupied, and I'm sure the plants we left behind in Bella Coola are still there ...
I have a delightful recipe for rhubarb pie that has been passed down in my family that is utterly DELICIOUS ... and the bonus is - you can even make it with mid-summer stalks !!
So, rhubarb is a given ... and I don't mind the work for asparagus nor the waiting ... in the meantime, the farmers' market folks will get to know me !!
Trust me old friend ... we'll talk ... the best gardeners are those who have friends who garden ... wisdom is to be shared ...
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