What's Blooming?

There's a lot that's green in my garden, and I'm thinking that it would be a perfect weekend to plant a few more items as well as getting out there for "the BIG weeding". In some ways I suppose the spring-weed is cathardic. You pull and pull all of those unwanted plants and overgrown areas to expose beautiful, black, rich soil only to later have it fill in with bits of color, fragrance and delight!

I stepped out this afternoon and realized how badly I need to weed, but also took stock of a few things.

I knew the one gooseberry plant was coming along quite nicely. It's snuggled up to the house and already has berries the size of my pinky finger. Bet we'll be eating gooseberries by early June!

Next I went to check on the current bush and found it pretty loaded.

Of course there are plenty of flowers blooming including the chive blossoms. I LOVE making chive blossom vinegar in the spring and love topping salads with the beautiful leaves as well. This area is in front of our fence along a path. It was an area that my husband didn't like to mow and I didn't care what was planted there so long as it didn't look overgrown and unkempt. It finally looks filled in and full of several goodies including gooseberries, raspberries, chives, alpine strawberries and many types of flowers.

My spouse always complains that several of my gardens are too "jungle-like" but I actually don't mind them being filled in. This is part of my herb garden which has many types of gourmet and medicinal herbs. It came along quite nicely this year with the mild winter. Originally we filled it in with some flowers, but i may move them out for more herb space!

How does your spouse feel about your gardens? 

What Can I Do With Chive Blossoms?

Today I walked out into the garden and found blossoms on my chives. They make the garden look so pretty and add the burst of early spring color that's otherwise missing in a sea of "shades of green"... Most people miss though that chive blossoms are also a tasty treat ~ They are strongly flavored though, so a little goes a L-O-N-G way... Here are a couple of my favorite things to do with chive blossoms.

CHIVE BLOSSOM VINEGAR
(a great gift as well as a wonderful treat!)
2 cups white vinegar

2 cups fresh chive blossoms

Bring vinegar to a near boil and pour over the chive blossoms. Let stand in large glass bowl or bottle in a cool, dark place for one week. Strain the vinegar and discard blossoms.

Serve as a herbed vinegar & oil dressing or transfer to pretty bottles adding a fresh chive blossom of sprig of fresh chives to each bottle.

CHIVE BLOSSOM OMELET
4 fresh eggs 4 tablespoons sour cream pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives 2 tablespoon unsalted butter 12 rinsed & dry chive blossoms
Lightly beat eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, parsley and chives. Preheat omelet pan and melt butter. Pour in egg mixture and leave undisturbed until omelet begins to set. Lower heat and, tipping pan slightly, lift edges to let uncooked egg run underneath. When omelet is firm, sprinkle with chive blossoms and fold in half.

CHIVE BLOSSOM SALAD WITH MUSHROOMS (although chive blossoms make an excellent addition to ANY salad!)

1 pound fresh raw mushrooms (I like a variety for a fuller taste, but the original recipe called for white mushrooms! Maybe use seasonal Morels too...)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
About 12 chive blossoms
1/3 cup chopped chives
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Wipe the dirt off the mushrooms with paper towels. Slice the mushrooms and arrange them on a serving platter. Drizzle the oil over the top. Sprinkle the mushrooms with blossoms and chives and season with salt and pepper.

A variation on this would be to slightly saute the mushrooms and sprinkle with a goat cheese or other farmers cheese too!

... Don't miss out on a seasonal treat. Use what Mother Nature gives you to adorn your plate, tempt your palate and please your tummy!