Our First Harvest

Not a whole lot has been going on with our garden lately. It's growing, but I was pretty sure we had awhile before we could eat anything from it. I call it the "Water and Wait" stage. All I really have been doing is watering and waiting for things to grow. Yesterday when I was doing my usual watering I noticed something peeking out from the dirt.  A radish!

Yep! My radishes were finally ready for harvest.  Well, at least some of them were.  

I picked the five biggest ones with their long leafy green parts and thought about what I should make. Now I love radishes, but I have never really cooked with them before. I usually just slice them up and have them in a salad or eat them raw. A couple weeks ago my friend, Rebecca, asked me if the greens of the radishes were eatable and my friend, Chef Gerardo, answered yes, so I figured I would find a recipe for them. I found one on SFGate.com - Radish Leaf PestoCrostini.  

This recipe was a great way for me to use all of the radish plants that I grew. Now before you run out and make this, there is a key phrase in my last sentence - "that I grew."  I was not wildly crazy about this recipe, but since the radishes were from my very own garden, of course I found it delicious. We both did. I wouldn't, however, make this recipe if I had bought the radishes at the store.  It does look amazing, though, doesn't it?

So what about the radishes?  They were very tasty and very mild. These were from the Burpee seeds I had purchased. I like them, but will most likely be try something different next year. I do have quite a few seeds left, so once I pick all these radishes I will plant some more to have later in the season.

There is something really wonderful about picking something from your own garden and having it for dinner. It's very rewarding. Of all the hobbies that I have tried, and there are many, gardening is really something I love. It's really become more than a hobby. Now, it's a part of life.

How Does My Garden Grow?

Right now I would say slowly. Thanks goodness, but even at the slow pace it's going, I am still a busy bee!

We have been having some great weather here in Daly City, especially up near San Bruno Mountain, where Joey and I live. It's been sunny, warm, and not too hot.  About two weeks ago I uncovered our vegetable gardens to see what would happy and so, so good!

I was very worried that once I took off the protective cover the plants would get too cold, but not at all.  If anything, they dry out a lot more quickly than when I had the cover on.  Now I need to give a full water twice a day, when it was just s quick spray before.

My main reason for uncovering the garden was that the beans were clamoring to get out!  I made them trellises with bamboo and twine and they went right up them!

The garden on the left is going to town, with the radishes and daikon taking the lead.  I will be able to harvest my radishes next week, but I just hate to pick them.  They are like my little babies.

The garden on the right is probably doing a bit better than the left, but not much.  The lettuce and carrots are really vibrant and already look delicious.

I think right now, it's just sit, water and wait.  My garden isn't really ready for harvest, yet.  Well, except those radishes. That's fine with me. I have plenty to do with the rest of the yard, which I will talk about later this week.