Strong to the Finish!

Do you know which month is the hardest to eat from your garden? Most people would say January or February, but it's actually April. If you've ever read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle, she experienced the same dilemma. On February 11th I picked spinach and parsnips. The parsnips made their way into a chicken vegetable stew. The spinach patiently waited several days for an opportunity to be transformed into Gateau de Crepes a la Florentine (thank you Julia!). That just means mound or dome of French pancakes filled with cream cheese, spinach and mushroom sauces. So, as we wind down the 2011 gardening cycle, the spinach helps us stay strong to the finish. Now for a strong start: make seed requests, help plan and plant on the first warm, dry Saturday in March.