Started planning for spring planting

Leek and onion (walla walla) seedlings were planted on March 23, 2008, followed by a few freezing nights. I hope that they can survive.

Here is a pic of the veggies we had on March 9. All fresh from our garden.

In order to get ready for spring planting, we decided to pull the winter crops out. Parsnips and leeks become our regular dinner items: roasted root veggies, parsnip puree, leek risotto...plus our arugula salad with radishes and carrots, all from the garden...yum!

On Saturday (Mar 29), Mark went to get truck load of mushroom manure for our urban farm. On the same day, we have hail. Temperature still remains low during late March. It feels like below zero at night.

Sprouting Hops

Well, I noticed the hops a few days ago. Trying to push through the soil. Here they are; it's truly Spring when the hops start showing up. These are Cascade.

This is the first inch of about 30 feet of vine. They climb up to the railing of our patio, and then across the front of it. The cones are harvested at the end of August, dried, and vacu packed for the freezer.

I usually get about 60 ounce bags. I use them for aroma additions late in the boil, and also for dry hopping kegs while serving.