Salad Days

Wet, cold weather between Christmas and New Year is good for only one thing. The salad garden. Not that I have a dedicated salad garden. Since I inadvertently embraced permaculture, the whole garden is salady. My vision was to replace weeds with things to eat, and so it is...

Parsley, lettuce, coriander all grow in the paths and cracks between the fence and the steps, just as I imagined. I wasn't thinking of dog comfort, but how better to sleep off Christmas lunch than passing out in a bunch of parsley? I've sprinkled various pots and containers with seeds, so I can pop out and fill a bowl with tender greens, not always so tender in the taste department.

Purple mustard adds peppery flavours and a nice colour contrast to the salad du jour.

Freckles is my favourite lettuce. It is so glamorous among its plainer cousins.

Arugula. I know why it's called "rocket" here, but we really should respect its Italian name. Arrruuugggulaaa. Make a speech out of it. It's worthy. I'm experimenting with arugala clear cutting. Going out with the scissors and whacking it off at the knees. Not sure how good the regrowth. Watch this space.

This little beauty survived childhood and became a full-grown lettuce, then started going to seed. The good thing about the older salad greens is their crunch. They are tougher. Not bad tough. Crunchy tough. Good enough to remind me to leave a few to grow older.

Call it lemon spinach, call it sorrel, it's the queen of the salad bowl and can't be beaten for tang, texture, and reliability. Year round in the Wellington garden, it cranks the salad up a few taste notches.

Who knows if the basil will survive the storm. Somehow I think so. It takes a while for basil to germinate and and get established, but it's a trooper once it's out in the garden. It tastes like cloves -- such a wonderful surprise in the mouth when you're really only expecting lettuce.

It's New Year's Eve. So cold we're roasting pork, potatoes and carrots. Sticky ginger cake for dessert. Meanwhile, outside, the lettuces are chilling out. I think I'll turn on the heaters.