New Life!

No other signs of life, still cold out, and this little flower poked its cheery head, with its little, yellow petals, out of the soil a few weeks ago. It almost seemed like it was defying the season, determined to grow despite the weather.

And now more life is springing forth, one of them my Bleeding Heart. I planted it last year, but it wasn't looking very well by the end of summer. I thought I had somehow killed it. And here it is! I love how gardening provides food for my family but love pretty flowers scattered along the path, too.

Cliche as it may sound, it seems like such a miracle, life springing forth from the earth, like our little yellow flower in the cold of winter or vegies from a simple seed. We plant seedling trays pretty much each year, and we still seem to ooh and aah at the first sight of the tiniest, little green.

An "ooh and aah" moment, here! :)

Photo Credit - Lindsey M., you rock girl! (My oldest daughter). :)

The tomatoes are looking pretty good, If they all make it, we should have extras to sell, share, or trade with others. The green peppers took a bit of time to germinate. I wasn't sure if they were going to grow or not, but there are some little sprouts now. The hot peppers are coming along, as well.

We've been able to harvest organically grown pea shoots, lettuce, and radish shoots, all before winter's end, from our little urban homestead.

Radish Shoots

Radish Shoots in Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry.

Moments to Share

Encouraging Moment:

This Woman Started A Farmer's Market For Low-Income Neighborhoods
This woman started growing fresh produce in her backyard so low income families have access to clean, healthy food
Posted by NowThis on Saturday, March 5, 2016

Family Moment:

My daughter "helping" my son do push-ups. 

We live in a crazy household. Loads of fun with this Half-Dozen!

Start small and grow.

Before and After.

Things are "growing" along in our little corner of the world.

My sweet husband brought home some pansies for me a few days ago. He just does that sort of thing, is thoughtful in ways that I'm afraid I lack.

So here is the "Before and After" of our growing adventure.

Pea Shoots - BEFORE

Pea Shoots - Midterm :)

Pea Shoots - AFTER

The great thing about pea shoots is they're very easy to grow, and these have already been given a "haircut" (harvested) three times. They just re-grow! Easy food.

And this is how we used our pea shoots, in a yummy salmon sandwich with cheddar cheese. Pea shoots could also be referred to as microgreens. They're harvested before the actual vegetable, in this case a pea pod, develops. Super good for you and full of phytonutrients and chlorophyll.

AND........I splurged and bought a metal shelving unit from Lowe's. It's in my bedroom and makes everything so cozy. These shelves are great for making use of vertical space, and my sweet girls bought a grow light to add to the setup. It's been great fun to increase my little urban garden.

Lettuce - BEFORE

Lettuce - AFTER

We have plans to use this in taco salad tonight. While I was taking "lettuce" pictures, my son thought I was photo-bombing his lunch session, so this was his funny reaction. This is just one of the many faces that fill my life with joy. 

                            

The Habanero and Jalapeno peppers have sprouted. Yesiree! Looking forward to some hot-n-spicy salsa. Well I guess that's it for now. I've just planted radish microgreens. Will document more of that sometime. Start small and grow. It's great to be able to provide at least a little good, clean food for my family. Looking forward to more growing to share with my sweet man and the "Half Dozen" that fill my days.....with so much!

Dawn