Arugula is the Most Satisfying Herb

The Carolina silver bell is blooming. I think many of us walk past this little tree and think nothing of it until the first week of May when the bells appear.
That white wisteria that was clipped to with in a second of its death a few years ago by a well meaning, but sadly plant uninformed gardener is back and glorious - it used to climb the chimney of the carriage house, now it trails along almost the entire length of the back fence. It forms a nice backdrop for our little orchard in the corner.
The herb garden is florishing. I've been enjoying the oregano in salads. The oregano in the front triangle came from Kirk's backyard planted by the previous owner named Gay. I don't know the variety; it's very pungent and has larger leaves than the Greek oregano between the sage and thyme. I cooked roasted potatoes and turnips with it I use a big handful of oregano, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, little rocksalt and freshly ground pepper. Pretty darn good. I'm still looking for more sorrel seeds, I know I can get them online but I keep thinking one of these seed racks around will have it. Whole Foods didn't but I got more arugula seeds. I thing I'll reseed arugula again In the Chris plot. We just got back from my sister Becky's in Kingston PA- my 40th Sem reunion and all. Beck has pots of arugula in her yard we both agreed that it is our favorite salad green. I noticed some fennel volunteers in the Chris plot I hoped for some and left the fennel marker to remind me to look for it.

The markers.

last spring In pottery. I focused on making markers for the herb garden. I had a few different designs that I played with. One was actually a princess pancake mold turned upside down the princess head bent around a chopstick. It kind of looks like some kind of frilly tulip, I liked them and might make some more. Many of the basil markers, the rosemary and lemon thyme are this design. I used a cookie cutter that I bought at the National Building Museum of the Alvar Aalto iconic shape form from his vase, it reminded me of Sonya's apartment. The markers in the front for marjoram, tarragon, parlsey and lemon thyme are this design. I've made flat tiles with this cutter before, this time I painted the tiles with underglaze and did sgrafitto carving of the herb names and made post holders with flat pieces of clay on the back. My writing technique in a work in progress. I also had a coquille shell cookie cutter that to which I added a clay stake, the fennel marker is of this design. Then Eva who was teaching the class at the time came in with a Lee Valley tool catalog she was always bringing in catalogs for project idea. I found this set of letters that were supposed to be to make "stone" markers out of cement. I bought a set. They work great with clay. I've been looking around for some other fonts. I haven't had great luck with rubber stamp letters they make marks that are too shallow. The mint and oregano markers are from this set. The epazote marker is too but with this I bent it so it is free standing. I particularly like that glaze. If only I kept the glaze journal that everyone suggests one day I'll start.
The radicchio in the Chris plot has been great in salads. I seeded a row thickly so I can have thinnings for salad, this coming week I'll start. I've been thinning the red russian kale, when it's small it's nice in salad but it's getting to the stir fry size. The borage leaves are getting big. It's really orplific this year. The salads that I've been making have been a conglomeration of tastes from the cucumbery borage, lemony tart sorrel, mellow sage and sharp radicchio, dandelion, and arugula punctuated with violets and Egyptial walking onions. I even had some radish thinnings this week. sometimes I add some mint for a different taste. I can't wait for the thyme to be more developed. I love it with chicken. I've even been enjoying the lemon thyme ( used to think that it tasted like lemon fresh Pledge) it doesn't really. On Friday it will be time so do some serious weeding in the Chris plot.
The Turnips are approaching thinning size in the Elliot plot. I need to space out the Formida lettuce a bit. I will eventuall put tomatoes at this end of that plot but the tomatoes in my back yard are still pretty small maybe 5" tall.
I started flats of basil, Thai basil, lovage and parsley last week and the're all up in the green house in my back yard.
The strawberries are coming in in a big way in the Elliot plot. I put salt hay around them. Last year they disappeared and I think they may have rotted before I got to picking them this way the fruit is off of the soil. The salt hay has an added benefit of being a great mulch it blocks the weeds, doesnt seed and is in nice short pieces so it's easy to work it around plants. I get it at Primax in Glenside.
I need to bring my saw the next time I go down there a cut the suckers that are growing from the root stalk of the sour cherrys. I'll use the cuttings for stakes in my plots. they can be braided when they're young enough. I't also getting time to prune the kiwis. I keep thinking that I could make baskets with kiwi vines or something woven.

I discovered that Georgia is an asparagus hunting poodle.