Notes from the Lake

The cooler and wetter winter we are experiencing took me by surprise. A mild, wet winter was predicted, so I took a few gambles…and lost. I decided to plant some citrus trees in the spa gardens last summer. Several lemon and Kaffir lime trees over wintered beautifully last year so I embraced the idea of global warming and planted some iffy things. They look pretty sad but may still survive.  I am leaving them as is until they send out new foliage and then will trim based on where they leaf out. We experienced a few nights with lows of 13 and 16 degrees. Even with covers the citrus trees burned badly.

One thing that has been amazing this winter is Marathon broccoli. The heads of broccoli are large, so dark green they are almost purple and the flavor is surprisingly sweet and delicious. Our winters have been so warm and dry for the last few years that I stopped planting Brussels sprouts and cabbage since they need consistent cool temperatures to produce well. They were a waste of garden space for me. This year they would have been great.

I roasted half of the head and made a broccoli and carrot salad with the other half. Both meals were wonderful. This broccoli will certainly be planted again next year.

Many gardeners remove broccoli plants immediately after harvesting the main stalk. If you leave them in the garden the plants will continue to put on new smaller side shoots for several weeks. I can cut four to five side shoots a week from each plant so I get more broccoli from the side shoot harvest than from the main head. Harvest them before the flowers start to open to ensure continued production.

I tried several new mustard green varieties this year. Red mustard has beautiful purple leaves that would look good as a backdrop to flowers. I am planning to use it with yellow and purple “Patricia” pansies. Oh, and it tastes great too! I experimented with green and red lacy leaved mustards also.

I remember having mustard greens as a child and did not care for them. These new varieties are much milder tasting and I am enjoying experimenting with them in the kitchen.

Mizuna is an Asian type mustard that I have grown and used for many years. It is one of my favorite additions to salads when the leaves and small and tender. Mibuna is a related variety that I tried for the first time this year and it is excellent for stir fries and sautéing.

My favorite new mustard is Tendergreen. It is a cross between spinach and mustard and has the sweetness of spinach and just a hint of the sharper mustard taste. It is wonderful in Saag, an Indian curried greens dish. This is going to find a place in my garden every year from now on.

I filmed a segment on mustard greens for Central Texas Gardener and will include a link to the show and some mustard recipes for you when production is completed.