A guided tour of the approx 20'x10' patio. Don't laugh-- you could fit an entire New York apartment on it--yesterday.
But first, it being Easter and I'd baked bread, whole-wheat, AP, oats and caraway seeds, I did a couple of deliveries.
Friends next door and across the street got a little care package of sliced bread, warm from the oven, for their toasting pleasure. Excited texts ensued. Just enough for each couple's breakfast.
Then, Easter Bunny work done, I wandered about outside to see spring springing.
Above are the remains of the cherry bush blossoms, where there's going to be edible fruit for me, if the birds and squirrels don't get there first. This cherry bush variety hides the fruit near the branch, under the foliage, so you have to see it from underneath.
The little Japanese maple, whose foliage is a great dye material later on, is opening
Lemon balm everywhere. You can use it in drinks, or for flavor in, say, lemon chicken
The chives are recovering fast from the recent wild pruning when I needed them to make chivyssoise
The honesty plant coming through again in the strawberry pot. Since I planted it in this pot, pretty high up, I've managed to keep it safe from chipmunks.
They used to reach up and bite right through the stems about six inches from the ground, just as they were setting seed, the reason I grew them. They can't reach this high and don't seem to be climbers.
I'm growing them for the lovely silver coin- like seed cases, as dried flowers. Each year I can add a little harvest to the current collection.
So there's spring, the true story of central NJ, brought to you by the observer at Field and Fen. We're not called F and F for nothing!
We had some wild rain weather too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thing to take around warm bread for neighbors!
They're good cooks but don't make bread, so it was nice for them. We often exchange samples!
DeleteIt's so encouraging to see green things growing, even though it's still too cool here for much. Had snow the past couple of days. We're hopeful we can track down enough soil to fill our balcony planters when the time comes and then the chore will be to haul it up the stairs. Might have to take the planters down to the car and fill them there and then haul them one at a time. Where there's a will there's a way! I had hoped there might be some seeds at the grocery store this morning but didn't see any. I would really like to plant some lettuce.
ReplyDeleteSeeds are another thing that's gone scarce. I expect a lot of people are thinking about growing food.
Delete