In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

This is my second head of ‘Premium Crop’ broccoli. Despite perfect growing conditions the head is smaller and lighter because of a problem I caused earlier in the season. But it was still delicious cooked and in salads. Several other heads are coming along.

I harvested my first beets this weekend. These Dutch ‘Baby Ball’ beets are from Renee’s Garden. They’re been my go to beet for many years. Though this size is the intention, I find they are still tender and flavorful at a larger size, which inevitably happens. Planting my beet seeds in late September when the soil was still warm resulted in excellent germination and now an early harvest. Note to self.

‘Lollo Rossa’ varieties of lettuce are this year’s lettuce favorites. One is a dark red selection which is stunning as it grows in the winter garden. The chartreuse and deep red contrast on the same leaf make a colorful salad. I’ve rarely been able to grow radicchio here in San Diego so this is my color sub. I believe this one is from Johnny’s.

Several times a week I bag lettuce—usually the mesclun—for friends and family. I also harvested a mound of various lettuces, the first carrot, celery and chard for my son but it was after dark so no photos.

‘Bolero’ carrot and ‘Tango’ celery

I was probably a little hasty going for my second carrot, but I’m anxious for some orange crunch from the garden. I’ve not grown ‘Tango’ celery before and the stalks seem thinner. Johnny’s catalog favors it over some other varieties citing better flavor, more tender stalks that are less fibrous. They also suggest it performs well under the less than ideal growing conditions of heat and moisture stress. I’m pleased with it so far.

Alstroemerias, leucadendron, lantana, feverfew and mustard greens.

And I’ll close with some floral fireworks for January as some dig out from winter storms across the country.