We Grew Food

Last year we were new to our house and excited to garden! I didn't want to lose momentum even though we had moderate success last year. I learned what "bolting" means, and to try to avoid it. This year we planted kale, and a broccoli/cauliflower hybrid, and both have been a bust so far (I'm thinking bugs, and cats and too much sun are to blame?). We did put in some Thumbelina Carrots, and were able to pull them a couple of weeks ago, to great success! We went with the shorter variety since our raised bed is quite shallow. The girls made quick work of pulling them up, after we had watched and watched them grow for the past 2 months, their little heads peaking out of the soil most recently. We washed them, tasted them, and they were great!

Penny took a few to preschool in her lunchbox, to show her friends and teachers the next day (Lulu was a bit more skeptical, as you can see, above). The rest were roasted and thrown into this yummy pasta dinner.

Even if we only grow one or two things a year, it's nice for the girls to see a tiny bit of where their food comes from. I'm also looking forward to some trips to U-Pick farms around Portland this Summer! Lord knows these girls like to collect things in a bucket. We also planted mint, which is doing really well, and found some raspberry bushes on the side of our house that give us dessert each evening! This holds special feelings for me as we used to have raspberry bushes in the yard of our childhood home and growing up, my dad would send us out with a bowl each evening to collect them. They were his absolute favorite.

It might not be too late to plant some other things this season, right? Maybe we'll go back to herbs, as I seem to use them constantly when they're available, and they're available as long as I can keep up with the watering. Maybe some girls in swimsuits will help me get that job done, too :).