Every spring I get excited about our garden. Then, my true fickle nature sets in.
I’m in when buying seeds and seeds while envisioning salads made of rainbows. Then, I’m out between planting and sprouting. In when the first leaves of kale are smoothie ready. Out waiting for itty bitty peppers and tomatoes to turn red. In again when fixing that first Caprese salad. And, so on. (Luckily, Brian’s steady eddy nature keeps the garden growing in between.)
By October, I’ve lost interest completely.
A combination of fear and laziness (what had I planted and what would I do with it???!!!) had me neglecting these until, um, just yesterday. December 21st – a date when no respectable vegetable should still be hanging out hoping to be picked.
Passing the garden on the way back in after taking another load of flattened cardboard boxes to the curb, curiosity took over and I couldn’t help it. I pulled these up thinking I’d quickly leave them there to compost themselves.
But I was so intrigued by the funky, funky shapes and colors I had to keep and cook them. I thought they were carrots until I got them cleaned up a bit. Parsnips!
I ended up roasting them and making a cashew yogurt dip with the mint that is still spreading and going strong. It was really good. Really.
This late harvest didn’t do much to encourage me to be a more consistent gardener next year.
However, it does make me wonder what else will thrive on neglect?
