Monday 17 May 2010

Anyone for salad?

Here's the latest from the potager..................................the salad leaves are amazing I am serving my version of a mesclun salad every evening.
The name mesclun comes from Southern French mescla "to mix", I pick a variety of baby salad leaves red and green to which I add add baby spinach leaves & parsley.
However, I fear we may soon be unable to keep on top of them!!

The early and main crop potatoes are also doing well, I spent some time yesterday earthing them up to encourage growth.


There's a very old English proverb that says:
"ne'er cast a clout til May be out"

Wikipedia explains the proverb like this:
Advice not to change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May. May here refers to the common name of the hawthorn bush, whose blossom indicates the arrival of summer, or warmer weather.
I recently listened to a gardening programme on the radio and the expert obviously agrees with the proverb because he said he would not be planting out his courgettes (zucchini) until June 1st.
Our hawthorn bushes are covered in beautiful white blossom and smell heavenly, but even though my cougettes and pumpkins look ready to go in now I think the folklore and the expert probably know best and I'll wait until 1st June too.


12 comments:

  1. I can smell the basil right through the computer screen. Yum.
    I think I will fill a real bed in my garden with lettuces this year. A real iron single bed frame with a box on it.

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  2. Your garden looks lovely, with all those lovely green lettuces coming up! and your basil looks amazing!
    :-)

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  3. We wait until after the full moon in May to plant out tender things like cukes and tomatoes. I'm missing my vegetable beds since we moved, but have a few things growing in pots. Your garden looks so fresh and healthy - can I come pick some of your extra lettuces?

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  4. Maggie, thanks for following my travels. It's good to be home and to be able to check in with you.

    I envy you your garden. It looks wonderful! We're supposed to get temps of 1 here tonight. BRRR!

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  5. I can't take it.
    It's just too much!
    Heaven! You live in a eutopia.
    I remember all the little gardens in France like this, but I never saw one so beautiful. Here I make a salad with a nice mix like this and add fresh strawberries or other fruits w/toasted pecans since I keep plenty in the freezer, and top with a raspberry vinaigrette. I love salads w/fruit. It's nice to even add some grilled chicken for a complete meal. Do you find that the more you pick your greens, the more they produce? It is this way for me here, so I just wondered. Thank you for your lovely photos.

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  6. It must be great too have your own potager and have fresh sald and vegatables every day. Wonderful.

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  7. Maggie, looks as though you are doing quite a nice job, salad fresh from the garden is the best!

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  8. That will be a yummy salad!
    The Hawthornes are in bloom here too - so beautiful!

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  9. Maggie, it looks like you're living the good life there in Normandy! The garden looks wonderful, and I love the pictures of the cows in another post. It brings back one of my favorite memories as a child, of being at my grandparent's house on a little dirt road. All of a sudden I looked out the window and there is a herd of cows walking down the road! They had escaped from their farm, and were leisurely taking a walk! I'll never forget it. So obviously I can't wait to see more cow pictures!

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  10. Oh Maggie...your garden looks divine! I so enjoyed your photos of all the lovely greens! And that basil! Yum.

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  11. Maggie, the garden is flourishing. A cold snap in May ~ I don't think there is a danger of that here. LOL
    It was in the 90s today. :-(
    Enjoy your cool weather. ~ Sarah

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Thanks for stopping by, your visit just made my day!