After an initially sleepy start, my strawberries are starting to waken in their little bed behind our house. Even the transplants I culled from the edges of the lawn, beneath the porch steps, under the hose reel – anywhere their adventurous rhizomes led them – have taken and are bearing flowers.
Soon the race will be on . . . will it be strawberry shortcake for us, or a berry buffet for the slugs, rabbits, and ground hogs who are keeping tabs on those pretty white-and-yellow flowers as eagerly as I am?
If you don’t have a strawberry bed but want to sample the delights of straight-from-the-row berries, why not plan a visit to a pick-your-own farm? An expedition to pick your own strawberries (or asparagus or rhubarb or whatever else is currently in season) is a great way to spend a nice spring day. Many of these farms also offer packaged goods like honey or cheese, and some even have cozy cafes where you can have a snack or a meal after you dust the earth off your hands and load your bounty into the car.
But what to do with all those strawberries? How about strawberry jam, strawberry pie, or strawberry breakfast smoothies? You’ll think of something!
What could be more “local” than your own backyard? Short of growing your own garden inside your house — which, of course, is not without the realm of possibility, given the huge selection of food plants now available that are suitable for container growing — the backyard garden is the extreme version of the locavore’s domain.
Whether you’re looking to save some money on groceries, take control over what goes into and onto your produce, or just want to green up your thumbs a bit, vegetable gardening makes a lot of sense for those of us who are trying to incorporate more local, seasonal foods into our diet.
If you’re an experienced gardener, you’re probably well on your way, with early-season crops like lettuces and peas already snug in their beds. But it’s not too late to break ground and plant a successful vegetable and herb garden, even if the only green thing you’ve ever grown before is mold on the unidentifiable leftovers in the back of your fridge.
There are plenty of books out there that offer excellent, practical advice on how to get started. Take a trip to the library or bookstore and start browsing. But better yet, find an experienced gardener who’s willing to take you under his or her wing. Nothing beats a helping hand with a green thumb!
Spring has finally arrived in the Northeast! How do I know? Well, there are a number of unmistakable signs: $4.00 cauliflower in the local market, fliers for community gardens are popping up everywhere, and the fruit trees in my yard have burst into riotous bloom.
Talking a walk around my backyard the other evening, I was amazed at how quickly the apple trees had sprung their buds. Seems like just yesterday, literally, they were dormant and gray. The branches are now loaded with leaves and blossoms, and bumblebees were braving the twilight to investigate. Humans aren’t the only creatures that welcome the heralds of spring!
The blueberry bushes, on the other hand, are not as prolifically florid as the apple trees, I’m sorry to say. We had a great crop last summer, but this summer may prove to be an off year. I was happy to see that the most productive bushes were nicely budded, though. Five different varieties of blueberries growing in a row, and the most productive are bushes producing big, juicy berries that are ideal for fruit salads and pancakes — and birds. Before we know it, there will be nascent berries where the flower buds are now. I’m already dreaming of pancakes.
If you have a small patch of sunny soil in your yard, and live in a climate that experiences temperature in the thirties for at least a month and a half out of the year, I highly recommend putting in a few blueberry bushes. You don’t get much more local than your own backyard, and you can be in complete control of what goes into the soil and onto the plants.
Considering the harvest they yield, blueberry bushes are fantantastically low maintenance, and blueberries, at only 80 calories a cup, are considered an antioxidant Superfood and a Superfood for the brain. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, and they may even help slow age-related mental decline and stave off urinary-tract infections.
In the Northeast, you can expect to harvest your blueberries in early July, but that may change due to weather conditions. Generally speaking, though, the Fourth of July is a great time to plan for blueberry desserts.
Happy spring!
3 Comments