Mustard Snow Cones anyone? (posted yesterday really, but I accidently saved rather than posted..?)

It seems that the Minnesota snow decided to follow me because tonight/tomorrow morning Memphis is expected to have snow and sleet enough to close things down.

Snow fell just before I left earlier in the week and I was amazed to see all the tatsoi mustard, collards, regular mustard, broccoli, peas, pak choy, little beet seedlings and chard babies all still doing fine despite my negligence of not covering them before I left.


So.... I'm thinking about not covering them again.

A little gamble. But I'm a gambling woman!

I like my tough little plants.  Sort of slow growing in the winter but I planted a bunch so I can take a little from each.

Tatsoi mustard and so tasty!  Beautiful rosettes! I planted them all too close and had to heavily thin and they are doing ok with it despite this weather!

It's just as pretty as an orchid isn't it?  Pak choy turned out to be so much fun and they say it's cut and come again...  had it in soup yesterday, put it in a little too early and so it got a little mushy, but still A+ to me for getting my veggies!

It's weird seeing pak choy bolt in the winter, but sort of uplifting that something is working so hard to flower/seed in this weather.  Hardy things.

PS update: no snow/sleet thus far, yeah! NPR and their bad weather forecasting

Holiday Haiku

Not wanting to take a full hiatus for the holidays, I will be composing haikus everyday until things get a little CALMer.

My recent travelings have brought me to snowier regions and the barren land of my sister's home (she's not a gardener either) and I have a serious bent to want to "help" her become one.  Her husband and I scheme to try easy things like beans and cucumbers to entice her and if they want to be a little more attentive, maybe some 'maters.

Sometimes I wonder if I lived in a truly northern, snow-nasty locale (it's only pretty for me for the first 10 minutes in the cold) if I would enjoy the nature imposed garden vacation and be better at planning for the spring garden rather than trying to garden all winter just to make it "challenging."  I think I'd probably just be miserable and whine and attempt to grow things indoors or work on getting that greenhouse in a hurry!

Anyways, haiku time, baby:

Still drunk on summer,
tea steeped from August's bounty.
Winter's not so bad.