Growing Greens

It has been a soggy spring and has rained all night - a sound that typically lulls me to sleep.

Yes! I'm one of those people that you put in the passager seat of a vehicle during a rain shower and soon they drift off to sleep during your conversation. I'm also one of those people that takes great comfort in sleeping in a tent with rain softly coming down around her. 

 But this is not a night for sleep!

Why?

Because traffic in our area has been diverted by a major highway being closed down. Therefore,  all night, traffic is moving through.

Since I'm awake I decided to write about upcoming events. My husband states we're going to hit some garage sales in our area once they open in a few hours.   That is fine where I am concerned as I'm always looking for something for the garden. 

But that got me to thinking about traffic and transportation in general.

In the United States, most food is transported by truck. Transportation is the farm-to-table food chain link. So, if you have room - why not grow your own food? Why not help yourself out?

I live in a small community and there are 11 homes on our block and while many of my neighbors enjoy gardening there are only 3 homes that grow their own produce. I just want you to be aware that you don’t need to have a large space to grow your own greens.

Greens are generally the easiest crop for the home gardener to grow and prepare.

1. Prepare the Site by loosening the soil or you can drop some dirt in a small box-like I did here.
2.  Plant Seeds. Greens can be sown in the ground as soon as they can be worked in early spring. Plant seeds 1/2" deep.
3.  Cultivate Greens.  When seedlings sprout, thin plants to one every 8". I call this picking out.
4.  Harvest Greens.

Here are two of my favorite ways to use our garden lettuce.

• 
  
• Toss lettuce, dried cranberries, feta cheese, apple, and walnuts in a container
• In a separate container mix vinegar, honey, mustard, and pepper ( optional) until well blended.
• Gradually add the mixture to the tossed items.

I also like lettuce mixed with light mayo, tomato, and a small pinch of sugar.