Fingerling potatoes
In the heat, I unearthed these fingerling potatoes, some looking oddly mutated and already sprouting. Possibly in protest of having to emerge from the cool underground into the hot sun. The sprouted ones, specifically. They were closer to the surface, partially exposed. I didn’t hill up the dirt well enough. Was that the reason?
We ate the odd-looking ones, alongside our London Broil, but not the sprouted ones. Aren’t they poisonous by then? They must be, they floated in water. Just like bad eggs.
The purple ones were very interesting. They travelled quite a distance away from the mother plants, sprouting new stems, even out of the bed, and were still sporting fresh purplish green leaves and flowers. They were planted at the same time as the others, in March. I’m letting them grow a little longer, just to see what will happen. Is there such a thing as a perennial, spreading potato?
I also harvested Red Russian kale and Senposai, a Japanese hybrid of Komatsuna and cabbage, complete with enough caterpillar holes to prove they haven’t been sprayed with pesticide.
I should talk more about these greens. Such remarkable greens, refusing to bolt while the others gave up a while ago. They were added into the spring roll filling. Unconventional, yes, but healthy (except for the deep-frying part) and a way to hide greens so the boys wouldn’t complain.
Have you ever enjoyed spring rolls the Vietnamese way? Wrapped in lettuce leaves, mint leaves added, dipped in nuoc cham? Once you go that route, it’d be hard to do it any other way. Besides, how are you going to get rid of all your mints?
And then there was this interesting leaf vegetable. Moringa Oleifera. I didn’t think I would get anything going with my 3-year old seeds, so I scattered them willy-nilly. Lo and behold, I got myself a little Moringa forest.
I should talk more about this plant. Did you know its leaves contain more protein than yogurt at the same weight? No wonder it’s also called “Miracle Tree.”
I added them to this pretty salad, with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and goat cheese, dressed in a simple vinaigrette.
The taste of the leaves, raw, is hard to describe. Not unpleasant, but there is a detectable bite or heat to them, and chewiness. They might taste better cooked. I’ll let you know.
I’m saving the best for last. I picked the beginning of my summer produce. Just the beginning …
Meanwhile, my friend Linda and her husband Ed, sent me these photos of their garden, oh … sometime last month, when my plants were so pathetic. Probably to make me
And at the time, I was envious, especially of the cucumbers, that were already fruiting.
But just a few days ago, I looked at my own cucumber plants and saw this, yay! Cucumber cooler on my mind.
The Novice Gardener 