The Great Segue

The first spring crop is ready to harvest.  As last year’s garlic finally gives into the irresistible urge to sprout, the next generation is pushing its way up through the mulch, giving us a seamless succession of the most important culinary ingredient in the kitchen.  Garlic is my favorite crop.  It is straightforward, predictable, unencumbered by the often dissembling nature of other crops that demand constant attention.  Unlike other stalwarts of the garden, like tomatoes, garlic will not threaten to succumb to blossom end rot or skip town on the night train of late blight after months of careful tending.  No, it is a true and dependable companion, that follows the circuit of the sun so accurately that there is hardly a need for a calendar to determine the precise day of the year.  

That’s all by way of saying that spring garlic is here to replace the clove we love so well until the new harvest.  We also have some other new arrivals this week:

Horseradish Root – the pungent root that is guaranteed to make your mouth water and clear your sinuses.

Sorrel – the lemony spring tonic for your salads.