High Anxiety

Here comes spring! Well, not yet, but it is getting closer and now that I have announced, in a very public way, my intention to build an herb garden out of a mound of dirt in my backyard, I'm getting a bit anxious. Holy what to plant, Batman!

I am ordering seeds today to start in my fantastic southern exposure window. My dad says anything can grow in a window like this. Ummm, not my experience thus far. (Not sure when The Grinch showed up!) Let's hope my green thumb just needs some outside sunshine and nice weather to fully blossom!

This spring in particular seems so full of possibilities. I hope I am right.

Seeds & Plants for Gourmet Gardeners

Received my first catalog this weekend and I am more excited about this than I thought I would be. (As comfortable as I am with all things web, I still like to sit with a cup of tea and thumb through a magazine or catalog. Computers, Kindles, Androids, etc. just don't provide the same satisfaction.) Anyway, lest I digress -- seed catalogs are here!

One thing I noticed is that it's easy to get distracted by the vibrant photographs of bright orange carrots and stunning asparagus plants, especially when they have exotic names like "Purple Passion," "Imperial Star," and "Napoli". I can just imagine the satisfaction of cooking an amazing array of photography-ready meals that, of course, taste as divine as they look. Reality? Not too sure about that -- I suggested to my husband today that perhaps we enroll in a cooking class. I'm thinking Italian Cooking as it seems like it would go well with herbs grown in our garden.

Sounds great (and perhaps fodder for another blog?!?!) but I think for this garden to ever see the light of day I must stay focused. Herbs. An herb garden. Nothing more, nothing less. A single garden that if all goes well can be the start of a set of garden plans that will remake my yard and summer table. That statement alone overwhelms me, one of the many reasons I have committed to starting simple.

Since Keeping it Simple is the mission I'm considering buying a pre-made collection of herbs to help streamline the what to plant conversation I'm having in my head. I came across one in this catalog that could work: The Cook's Garden Cupboard which includes favorites like basil, chives, and oregano. I think I'd like to add more to the plan -- including non-kitchen herbs that provide robust fragrance in the garden -- but a pre-selected pack may be a good start.

I'm working hard to stay focused on Spring. I'm impressed that the catalogs tagline says Seeds and Plants for Gourmet Gardeners. Even if it's just a tagline, it makes me happy to think of myself among that group. Can't wait for the rest of my catalogs!

Waiting for the future to see what it will bring. A few things, however, are certain -- Spring will arrive, time will march on, and the circle of life will continue. A miracle if ever there was one...

To Heirloom or Not to Heirloom? That is the Question.

So my seed catalogs have not yet arrived and with another snowstorm looming for the east coast, it is a bit difficult to stay focused on gardening. Of course, enter my adorable husband and his penchant for cooking up homemade tomato sauce (gravy to my Italian friends) on a cold day to get me thinking about a bountiful harvest of tomatoes from the veggie garden (plans are getting big!) along with parsley, oregano, and thyme.

For some reason, I want to avoid BURPEE seeds. I have no idea why -- just seems so commercialized -- I was hoping for some heirloom tomato seeds and organically produced herbs rather than what I can pick up at Home Depot. Is there a difference? I have no idea -- but I'm sure to be inspired by the catalog cover artwork alone!

Just wondering -- In our search for organic are we really looking for something else? A return to simpler times perhaps. Too bad we can't buy that in the supermarket...

So What's That All About?

So yes, this year I am finally going to put in the herb garden. Here's a picture of it in its current state -- not too impressive under the snow, I know. I just read Martha's (if you have to ask, this is not the blog for you) calendar for January, and among the many things she is doing one is perusing seed catalogs and getting ready for spring. What a great way to spend a cold winters afternoon she says. Agreed. So here I am writing a blogpost about what I soon hope to be doing -- perusing seed catalogs and planning my herb garden.

"I miss seeing the green grass," my daughter said to me out of nowhere this morning. For once, I agree with that statement.