April showers & sunshine

Thanks to a bounty of both rain and sunshine the past few days, all of our plants in the kitchen garden couldn't be happier!  Today we're taking you on a mini-tour of the garden, starting with all of the beets, carrots, radishes and turnips that have all popped up in their teeny-tiny glory:       I usually don't like to play favorites, but I can't help it -- sugar snap peas make me absolutely giddy. Next week we will be trellising these gorgeous greens and selectively harvesting pea-shoots for some yummy salads (and making one of my favorite spring culinary creations: Pea Shoot Pesto! Stay tuned for the recipe):The kale and swiss chard are cruisin' right along and seem to grow inches overnight:and our lettuces look like perfect little salads, just waiting to be picked:Did we mention that the potatoes and onions are looking positively radiant? I'll be honest, we're already excited about digging up the potatoes later this summer -- it may in fact be one of the most fun farm activities out there:       ...and last (but certainly not least), the broccoli and cabbage are busy doin' their brassica thing:       Well, there you have it -- a few glimpses of the Kitchen Garden in the midst of all this beautiful spring weather! Of course, none of it could be possible without all of the help from our daily student volunteers -- THANK YOU to everyone (and there are lots of you) who have been lending a hand this season. If you're inspired to join us at one of our daily morning workdays (Monday - Friday, 7am to 8:30am) just shoot me an email: mrr5q@virginia.edu.Thanks for checking in, we hope to see you soon in the garden!