Pea shoots grow up!

I sowed some peas in the spring so that I could eat delicious, tender pea shoots with my salads and in stir fries.  I sowed them in the new herb border, as it didn't have much in at the time.  I was very logical and popped the peas into the soil in amongst the onion sets I'd bought for a bargain price of 90pence the bag.

It was great to walk out and snip a few inches of succulent green shoot and tendrils to add to my oft-served avocado salad.

Then we went away for a week.  Then it rained.  And rained.  And rained.  And the pea shoots shot up, entwining themselves around the onion leaves, if, indeed, they are called leaves.  Good point, that - does anyone know what the green shoots that arise from an onion are called?  They appear to perform the function of a leaf, yet are not what one would commonly recognise as a leaf.  Interesting.

However, back to the shooting pea shoots ... white flowers appeared in no time at all, the red splashes you can see are the pelargoniums behind them, on the patio! 

Then the cutest, tiniest peas thrust away the white flowers, and I picked the tiny pods and ate them like mangetout - so sweet, and crisp - delicious. 

I've allowed the rest to swell - all the rain in our hose-pipe banned area is doing a wonderful job for them!  Now I crop a handful of peas every now and then, and this makes up for the fact that I no longer have the pea shoots on my salads:-)

overnight frost, such beauty, vegetable garden

There was a hard, overnight frost a couple of days ago, so I took my little camera out into the back garden to investigate the beauty that ice brings.

As you can see, the sky was coolly attractive, with the sun disguised as the moon behind the banks of clouds.

My eye was taken with the stark beauty of the fennel seed heads, rimed with glittery frost.  Spiky yet rounded.  Dead, yet they had provided life for next season.  Please excuse my gloved digits at the left - it was tricky to isolate one head!

The glowing vibrancy of the rainbow chard was simply stunning.  Although leaves which are caught by the frost become inedible, it will send out fresh leaves for me to harvest on milder days throughout the winter.  I hope you didn't pull all yours up!

The tough leaves of the bay tree can withstand most things.  The arid days of summer, and the frosty times of winter leave it pretty much unharmed.

It's a slow-growing shrub, but well worth having in the garden to add a leaf or two to casseroles and curries.

The thyme looks so delicate and dainty with its white frosting.  Another herb which survives drought and frost in equal measure, and proves invaluable in everyday cooking.

The rosemary is the other herb which looks extra attractive when rimed with frost.  Each of those firm, narrow leaves sparkles individually in the early light.  Again, it withstands the dry summers and cold winters without complaining.

 The red onions I sowed last year are looking a little sorry for themselves, but I hope they will recover and continue to grow.  Time will tell, but my fingers are crossed.

It's good to get out in the garden to keep abreast of what's happening whilst I'm warm inside the house.

I hate to tempt fate, but I think I'm getting the hang of the new method of importing photos.  Who say's you can't teach an old dog new tricks????  Oh, I forgot, I taught myself!

Keep snug and away from bugs!