Mr. ew and I threw a birthday party for ourselves last night and I’m not really able to talk about bailouts and bonuses and whatnot today.
So instead, I thought I’d join the spring planting fun and talk about the seeds I bought last week to plant whenever spring comes to MI (Click the picture for the map of Michelle Obama’s garden).
I belong to a CSA that keeps me in veggies from May to October, so most of what I plant is for storage or funky veggies that we won’t get in the CSA. Here’s what I’m planting this year:
Windy Wood Green Okra: This one I’ll have to start inside. I really like okra and understand it has a beautiful flower–so I’m really looking forward to this.
Black Kabouli Bush Garbanzo Beans: I like growing storage beans fresh–they taste better. And black garbanzo beans sounded like fun.
Triple Play Sweet Corn: People say corn is hard but I planted some a few years ago and it did great–my garden is in a really windy spot. It probably helped, too, that I had just dumped a truck full of the town’s great compost in my garden when I planted it. This stuff is multicolored. I guess I was in the mood for funny colored food the day I bought my seeds.
Texas Indian Moschata Squash: I planted buttercup and acorn squash last year–boring squash varietals but I was stuck with them because I put off buying seeds until all the funky squash was gone. This is supposed to be a great keeper like a butternut (I’ve still got some CSA butternut and some of my own buttercup downstairs).
Temuco Quinoa: I’ve been experimenting with grains lately–so when the apocalypse comes I will have experience growing grains in my backyard. Though I never got around to chaffing the amaranth I grew last year (which was a stunningly beautiful plant), so I can’t yet say I know how to chaff grains I’ve grown in my backyard.
Huazontle (Red Aztec Spinach): Okay, I admit I don’t know what to expect from this (I think I bought it because it looks a lot like last year’s bright red Amaranth). You can eat it raw when it’s young or braise the leaves and the seed head later on. It supposedly retains its red color during cooking so it’ll probably make a lovely stew with my black garbanzo beans and tri-colored sweet corn. Tune in in August to hear about my rainbow stew…