Notes from a Neophyte: The Darling Buds of May

I forgot. And as I was swearing and hastily putting straw around my newly transplanted tomato plants to protect them from a freak late frost, Mark reminded me that this was the sort of thing I was supposed to be keeping record of with this here blog o' mine. You see, I'm still new to this gardening thing. I'm also new to this blog thing, meaning that I still get anxious about sitting down to write even the most informal bits. Though I'm thoroughly garden and food literate, I'm working toward translating my bookish ways into what some might call horse sense, screwing up and succeeding all the while. So, I'm introducing Notes from a Neophyte, my weekly record of lessons learned and tricks tried. Here's what the rough winds shook up for me this month:

---Perennials really DO come back. THANK YOU Chocolate Peppermint and Egyptian Walking Onion for joining us again this year.

---The bathtub seed-starting apparatus worked like a charm. Almost too good,really. I couldn't wait to get the transplants in the ground. I was a real pain for a few weeks there.

---You too can build an earthen oven. It is SO much fun to play in the mud. However, Murphy's Law dictates that it will rain on each and every opportune day for you fire it up.

---Rototillers be damned, I love my Garden Claw. I surface tilled 250 square feet, working in all kinds of yummy humus. It took me several hours, but I felt like She-Ra, Princess of Petroleum-Free Power when I was done.

---May 15th: After a few solid days of 80 degree weather, I transplanted the Tomatoes, Eggplant and Peppers. Cherubim and Seraphim rejoiced on high.

---May 17th: I was inconveniently reminded that Frost Free Dates are mere guidelines. Luckily Mark and I had plenty of straw on hand. It worked in a pinch for quick cover, but next year I'm keeping a sheet of Reemay on hand instead. (No matter what Mark says!)

---Starting seeds in eggcrates sure is swell. In fact, garden lore dictates that you just plant the cardboard cups right out in your dirt. Just ask my Milk Maid Nasturtiums. They really admired the work of the critter who DUG THEM UP overnight. No joke, whatever animal it was left everything else intact. My newspaper pots were (luckily) untouched. But apparently cardboard=smorgasbord. Don't say I didn't warn you.

16 Blood Oranges, 7 Lemons and 10 Limes

So, you have about two dozen miscellaneous citrus fruits on your counter, poised to harden and rot if you leave them to be used casually over the week. What would a good Green do?

Mark's solution:
SURPLUS CITRUS CEBICHE

So....flipping....good. Though he'll hate me for saying it, my husband's palate has a certain Yogi Bear flair to it. It is as though he is always following his nose along some path to amazing food that nobody else can detect. Quite often this path happens to run between our house and the fish market. So, Cebiche was his plan for the citrus. All it took was 8 hours, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1thinly sliced red onion, about 2 lbs of assorted seafood (we used Flounder, Swordfish and Shinnecock Bay Scallops). With enough juice to cover, some patience, Coarse Salt and Cilantro, this turned out to be great on day one and even better on day two.

Using slices of Savoy Cabbage, Fennel, Cubanelle Peppers and Purple Spear Onions, I fired up the grill and made a slaw of sorts to serve on the side. As a diner's luck would have it, the slaw turned out to be a better match for our Cebiche than the traditional corn chips.

Katie's Solution:

The "when life hands you lemons, why bother with lemonade?" MARGARITA

The best margarita I've ever had (ok, margaritas for crying out loud) were served forth at Oba! Restaurante in Portland's Pearl District. Ditching the textbook Lime, these puppies danced with the flavors of Prickly Pear and Blood Orange. Giving the circumstances, I probably danced too. Needless to say, I wanted to try to recreate the feeling at home. Using the same mix of Blood Orange, Lime and Lemon Juices, all we needed was a dash of sweetener and a splash of Patron Silver. Oba! Salud!