GREENS!

And reds and yellows and oranges too! We got our first greens of the season! One of our farmers has a greenhouse. Combined with the extra warm weather this year she now has an early crop of fresh greens, and the farmer's market is still 4 weeks away. Spinach and rainbow chard were among the items in our pick up this week and they were the prettiest things to my winter weary eyes. I sauteed the chard in butter and olive oil with onions and a little salt and served it up with leftover bison pot roast. I had all but forgotten how creamy and flavorful fresh chard is. Wow! A taste of the market, a taste of things to come.

The weather service is predicting possible record breaking heat this week. We could see 75 degrees in the next day or two, which hasn't happened this time of year since 1902. It's perfect spring weather (if a bit early) and many of the trees already have buds. The crocus are in bloom and I'm expecting to see tulips any day now. Spring fever is setting in and the world is waking up.

So I now have five places to garden this year. Two community garden plots, plots on two different ranches, and a home-owning friend a few blocks away who I convinced to turn her entire back lawn into a garden. Plus I've secured a volunteer spot on one of my favorite local organic farms which I regularly patronize at the market. I guess technically that makes six gardens. I hope to learn a lot.

Tonight I'm going to sit down with some homemade oatmeal cookies, a tall glass of milk, and go through my seed catalog one more time. I have to finalize my order so I can get those seeds in the ground. It's going to be a big year for me!