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One of the first seeds going into the ground

Ever since we started growing our own vegetables, the day the paunchy part of our peas die and go to dinner-heaven has been one to look back on and commemorate. By then the little green tykes have been with us for most of spring: from being one of the first seeds going into the ground when the rest of the sowing still happens inside to the summer’s heat finally crawling in.

Their vines, braided together like an impermeable fabric but badly beaten up by rain and wind, are beginning to give up their fight against decay. For days now, a silent but compelling mantra has been huddling in our heads, slowly expanding to orchestral strength: ‘Make place, make place!’ and ‘Need space, need space!’.

This year’s peas entombment came much later than usual, probably dictated by the fact that this spring started off really warm yet has been dragging its tail. Nevertheless the time has inevitably come to pray goodbye and being the special bunch we feel they are, they deserve a proper sendoff. Every funeral should be a party that celebrates the life of the deceased, so why should theirs be different?

We can happily report that yesterday’s valediction ceremony was memorable, colourful and very tasty. Our thoughts go out to those left behind, their day will soon come up. We also like to give credit to the joyous participation of a sizeable number of saffron threads and the homegrown arugula seedpods that we also payed our last respect to. Their contribution turned out to be an essential part of last night’s event.

The arugula harvest at Les Pierres has mostly been a disappointment this year. Being a cool weather green, the warm start of spring made it bolt and go to seed way too quickly to profit to the utmost from its leaves. Fortunately the delicate blossoms and the immature seed pods as are all edible too, bringing the same peppery dash to a salad or any other choice of dish. While ripened seeds make for an excellent sharp mustard (you need a lot though!), the green seedpods can be enjoyed raw or fermented into a fancy pickle. I’m turning it up a notch this year by also using them to create Rucolino, an arugula flavoured Italian liqueur.

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Susanne
Susanne
4 years ago

Alles heeft tijd nodig, jullie wonen er prachtig!

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