My gardening tools are out and ready to use.

Early Spring in New England

It is a chilly, rainy day in New England. Early this morning, I spotted snowflakes as I ambled around my home. Since then, the wet snow has turned into rain and I am heartened by the

My new 50' hose from Lowe's and other irrigation tools

rise in temperature. I’ve been spoiled by the unseasonably warm and sunny week we’ve had, and am I happy to see more green around me. The grasses have come back to life and some of my perennials are beginning to stand up straighter.

Ready to Dive into my Garden

Today’s typical New England early spring weather has not dampened my gardener’s spirit, though. I am still inspired.  My new 50′ hose that I bought from Lowe’s last Tuesday has already watered all of my beds: vegetables, flowers, black current bush, hydrangea bush, rhubarb, chives, and even the greenery around my rock garden. My tools are out of the shed and ready to use.

Fresh chives make a savory addition to a soup or stir fry.

New Life

Though Easter Sunday is still a week away, there are herbs producing an edible harvest. I will throw a handful of chives and savory into this evening’s stir-fry meal.

The garlic is also sprouting, and I will add cloves to future stir fries when they are ripe.  The foliage on my strawberry runners looks promising, too.

Strawberry runners ready to blossom and bear fruit

My garlic patch is sprouting already!

I am looking forward to digging deeper into the dirt and planting more of the food we’ll be eating this summer. In the meantime, I will sip tea, wait for the rain to stop, and plant my sweet peas.

Vegetable Stir Fry with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

Brown rice or whole grain noodles

1 bag of frozen stir fry vegetables

1 container firm Tofu, cubed

Handful of chives and savory, chopped

1 can of pineapple chunks

Sesame oil

Teriyaki sauce

Recipe

1. Defrost vegetables and boil water for rice or noodles.

2. Heat sesame oil in a skillet and cut up chives and savory.

3. Stir chives and savory into pan until they are covered with the oil, then add tofu cubes.

4. Add the defrosted vegetables.

5. Cook rice or noodles as directed.

6. Add pineapple chunks and teriyaki sauce.

7. Keep stirring until the vegetables are soft.

8. Serve stir fried vegetables on top of rice or noodles.

9. Enjoy! Serves 3 or 4.

You are invited to visit my home page and order my book, The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.