Fenton Friday: Spinach - Two Ways

Lamb's Quarter aka Wild Spinach

I didn't spend too much time at the garden plot this week as it rained most of the days. I went over today and did a bit of weeding and discovered that I was growing a good crop of Lamb's Quarters.  I know this wild green is being grown by someone else in the community gardens, so it must have seeded over from their plot. I had never eaten it before, so I tried a raw leaf - meh. Then, I picked a few bunches and brought them home with the Asparagus I harvested to add to a pasta dish. I blanched the Lamb's Quarters and Asparagus first, then tossed in some butter and Parmesan cheeses with the rotini pasta. Pretty good!

You can read more about Lamb's Quarters in the November 2016 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Spinach Salad

Earlier this week, I harvested a bag fill of 'Bloomsdale' Spinach to make a lunch salad. On that base, I chopped up an apple, threw in a handful of dried cranberries, and drizzled on bleu cheese dressing. Yum!

Elsewhere in the garden, the edible Peas and the Sweet Pea flowers look ready to produce any day now. Tiny Strawberry fruits are forming and the Cilantro has really taken off. The Beets are still too small to harvest, but I dug another batch of Radishes and should really plant another round in that spot before the summer heat sets in.

In a week or so, I'll start to transition to warm season crops. I am really looking forward to trying out some heirloom Watermelon and Squash seeds I got at this year's Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges!

What are you harvesting this month in your edible garden? 

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.