Garden Veggies

I was asked about what is the easiest thing to grow. I think the cucumbers and the sugar snap peas are the easiest. Sugar snap or snow peas can be planted a few weeks before the last frost date for your area (I think you can plant anytime in April through beginning of May for northern Utah). The cucumbers and peas need something to climb on. Radishes are nice to grow because they grow really fast. This year we are planting rows of radishes with carrots planted in the same row in between each radish. The carrots grow slowly and the radishes are nearly done by the time the carrots start. This makes better use of space. We are trying spinach and leaf lettuce for the first time. I planted the seed about two and a half weeks ago and the leaves are already about an inch. It will probably be another 2-3 weeks before we harvest any of these. Tomatoes and peppers are by far the hardest. They are more labor intensive especially if you start from seed. For first timers buy the plants that are at least 6 inches tall. They need lots of fertilizer but the effort is well worth it. I have never liked tomatoes until I grew my own. They just aren't the same thing. My favorite meal last year was a salad of just tomato, cucumber and basil. Add a little red wine or balsamic vinegar and olive oil and voila! That meal is at least 2-3 months away for me though. We are also trying cilantro and green onions. I am thinking salsa! Okay, I am making myself hungry. Good luck!

It's About Time!

Yeah, I have been away for awhile. Lots has happened but mainly we have been sick. I was sick a while back and when I finally got caught up, Charles got sick. Then I got sick again. After being out of commission for five days I went back to work yesterday but barely made it thought the day. Then Charles had LASIX surgery on his eyes this morning. It went well and we are now really behind. The azaleas are in full bloom along with the four foot high weeds standing next to the bushes. Logan is in day camp for spring break, starting soccer, and is generally bored while Charles and I are alternating being passed out on the couch with trying to catch up. The house is in complete disarray and I am procrastinating getting my drivers safety course started (did I mention I got a ticket for going out the "in" at a rural truck stop near one of my patients?).

I am also starting a campaign to improve the nutrition of my son's school lunch program. He wont eat the lunch except pizza day but I was appalled at the selection of food offered to students and staff. The day I visited was chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuit and choice of canned green beans, bowl of iceberg lettuce, or canned fruit. Most skipped the semi green veggies and fruit and paid extra for the potato chips. His school offers more types of ice cream you can buy a la carte than healthy food. The school district is even registered with a nutrition website that is a "virtual cafeteria" and lists the real menu. You get a green light for picking the good foods and a yellow light for picking the bad foods. Unfortunately the school doesn't even offer any green light items except canned fruit, iceberg lettuce, canned corn, and canned green beans. That is it for the whole weeks menu. Pretty sad I think. That is why so many kids in his school are overweight. The teachers wont even eat there because they are afraid of gaining weight!

I am also trying to get the garden started but I have a slow start. We are doing all the things we did before but now we have added strawberries, kale, onions, sugar snap peas (here's to you Karen!), peppers, radishes, carrots and cilantro. I have lots more to do in the garden and I am glad for the nice weather! And there will now be a vegetable garden at the White House! I will write again when I wake from my next coma and will hopefully have something interesting to say!