First Harvests

Spring has been pretty glorious this year. Rain enough to spur everything to green, sun enough to open the blooms. There have been a number of hailstorms, but it seems our house has been spared. Thank you, Thor!

I planted the strawberries by the fence last year. They struggled in the summer heat and I feared they wouldn't survive the winter, but they came back strong this spring and look here! First harvest. 

Home gardening has taught me how different a food is on a small scale, as opposed to the huge vegetables from commercial farms that we get in the grocery store. They're little things, less vividly red, more irregular and bumpy. 

All of that, but so sweet and delicious. I think as my tulips die back I'm going to plant a dozen more up along the fence. 

The purple chive blossoms are from a plant that's now in its third year.  I had no idea they were perennial. It's a big lovely spray of oniony stalks. The blossoms are tasty infused into oil or vinegar; I made two batches of both. (This is actually the third time I've harvested chive blossoms.)

Chive blossom vinegar is a gorgeous pink-purple. I used a splash of it in the peanut sauce for the sesame tofu noodles I made for dinner a while ago... and that is officially the most hippie thing I have ever written. 

To make chive blossom vinegar or oil: 

Snip off the blooms only for a lighter, more flowery flavor; leave a couple of inches of stem for a stronger, more onion flavor. Soak the blooms in cool water for half an hour or so to rid them of dirt and tiny critters, then shake out the moisture (a salad spinner would be good  for this, but not having one, I make do with tossing them around in a colander), then let them dry on a paper towel.

Isn't it pretty?

In a glass jar, pack the blossoms lightly and pour the oil or vinegar over them until covered. I used up the rest of a white wine vinegar bottle for this, but I'd imagine the regular white vinegar would do nicely. For the oil, I used extra virgin olive, the kind I use for pretty much everything. 

Store in a cool, dry place for a week or two. Clean a pretty glass jar for the final product, and strain out the chive blossoms. Done! 

It's a new moon tomorrow. New moons are about new beginnings, setting intentions, making promises. I know what mine is for the summer! I've been on the "eat whatever I want without thinking about it at all" diet, with predictable consequences. I wanted to lose twenty pounds this year. Only twenty-eight to go. 

Sigh.

It's been such a long and lovely spring that it seems like it should be summer already. Hard to believe it's still two weeks away!