Salad Days

The salad days of fall are in full swing in my garden.  The bed of mixed lettuces is thriving, and we have a salad every night now.  The leaves are so tender that I must take extra care not to bruise them when I wash off any grit!  Fresh chard leaves (from the ONE plant that survived) fit in perfectly.

Here you see freshly washed and spun lettuces, the 4x3 bed where they grew (more than enough for two and for occasional gatherings), plus my first ever fennel and celery salad from that beautiful fennel you saw in the last post.  It was spectacular:  very mild and crunchy and fresh tasting.

There is not much else going on in the gardens.  The tide came up around the beds during the storm, but the soil was already saturated, so I am not seeing any signs of salt injury.  The hens (and new pullets) remain on strike due to short daylight hours and fall molting.  I am starting to really miss fresh eggs, so I hope the new girls, Petronella and Frederica, get in gear soon and don't wait till spring.  All in all, it is a lovely fall in the gardens and coops.