Spring Harvest

Last spring, I planted two raised veggie beds, in anticipation of having organic produce at my doorstep. But with the cold spring, and non-existent summer we experienced last year (well at least not until September, when summer finally decided to arrive), my veggies did not fare well. The heavy winds shredded the tender leaves of many of the plants and all in all, it was a tragic, disappointing and somewhat expensive experiment. But it sure was pretty when it was freshly planted!! This is the view from our patio of the raised beds.
  

I did my research and planted only hearty vegetables such as zucchini, kale, carrots, broccoli, and a whole swack of herbs-- everything like parsley, cilantro, sage and mints.

After a few weeks, it appeared that the only veggies that would survive the conditions here on Harling Point were kale and my Swiss Chard, which is wonderful and continues to provide leaves all year long. These two plants are clearly bulletproof if you ever want to attempt easy to grow veggies yourself!

But then, a funny thing happened-- I noticed that the cabbages that I had planted had done quite well, and were ready to be harvested. I didn't know that cabbage was a winter harvest (giveaway that I'm a first-timer urban gardener novice??) They were, without question, the BEST cabbages I have ever eaten. In fact, I never knew cabbage could taste so good. I will plant the savoy varietal again, for sure. It was more tender and versatile than the regular cabbage. I had one of each, both pictured below. These ones were not in my veggie beds- I had tucked them into the garden landscape. They are quite beautiful and add edible interest to the landscape.

Another surprise was the tremendous harvest of artichokes we just had. There were more than enough to make a very tasty artichoke heart and spinach dip! (Sorry, I did not take a picture of that-- I should have!!)