Some of my vegetable garden selections are a happy coincidence of inherent, commendable qualities and swoon-worthy beauty. Golden Sweet Snow Peas, Romanesco, ‘Jacaranda’ broccoli and purple cauliflower come to mind.

The snow pea vines are reaching for the sky and especially productive this year. I’ve grown this snow pea for over fifteen years from my saved seed. I shared my seed with San Diego Seed Company which now offers it—just in time for those who plant their snow peas in March.

And here’s the rhapsodic description from Baker Creek. “More than a novelty, this variety produces flat pods that are a beautiful, bright lemon-yellow, great in stir-fries. Tall 6-foot vines with purple flowers. Collected from a market in India; rare and tasty.” Spot on description. It is also available from Johnny’s Seeds.

I used the last three fridge-stored ‘Dorsett Golden’ apples from last fall, cooked as an oatmeal topping. The late spring crop looks promising, apparently undaunted by our recent marble-sized hail.

Like most gardeners during the harvest season, the genesis of dinner plans comes from a whimsical pass through the garden or an urgent need to use something already harvested. My take on a chicken caesar salad was prompted by romaine lettuce damaged by the hail and Romanesco awaiting use. Celery is abundant in the garden now and the latter half of a sourdough loaf from a neighbor languished in the freezer.

When I made an Asian Beef Stew topped with sauteed snow peas it was easy to grab a handful of scallions from the garden. I did succession plantings so I have various sizes. They’re all trending toward spring onions now which makes them even more useful.

With the last two Romanesco harvested, the cauliflower bed is cleared. I kept the larger head and bequeathed the smaller one to a foodie friend.

Even as I upload these photos of a generous patch of species freesia, the fragrance memory surges. I knew the now departed gardener who planted these, likely about seventy years ago. They remain in the parkway, reappearing every February for the sensory delight of those passing by and a reminder for me of a garden friend.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

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