Here comes spring, merrily along, and with very generous help from the Rosedale Healthy Kids Initiative and Kansas City Community Gardens, I have my very first garden plot.
What am I planting this year? Green beans - my very favorite - heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, and sweet basil. At home, on my balcony, I have the beginnings of a very happy container garden, the contents of which are (so far) mint, cilantro, garlic, thyme, a MexiBell pepper plant and a “Garden Salsa” pepper plant. Oh - and a “surprise” pot of mixed herbs which I’m very excited about.
Perhaps it’s because I’m still somewhat new to getting my own hands in the dirt, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly plants grow - and how quickly they can shrink away, due to bugs or disease. And those basil seeds, so tiny next to the green bean seeds! It’s kind of incredible that they don’t just disappear beneath the earth, but instead shoot forth into sweet-smelling delights.
Last year when I was baking pies for the market, I felt so fortunate to be able to sneak out to my mother’s herb garden. I’ve lost count the number of times I relied on thyme (no pun intended) to add a hint of depth to my simple dishes.
What I’m looking forward to most this summer? Making one of my favorite savory pies - Tomato Corn Dinner Pie - with the Arkansas Travelers from my community garden patch, fresh corn and eggs from the market, and thyme from my balcony garden.
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