These Herbs are Waking Up

On my daily walk about the yard today, I found these herb friends just coming out of their winter sleep. To my neighbors, most of these guys are weeds but to my family they're superstars of the spring garden, providing cheap and nutritious food and remedies.  

Stinging Nettle, a vitamin and mineral powerhouse, is used in 

infusion (a strong tea infused overnight) for adrenal exhaustion and in tinctures as a 

remedy for allergies. The young tops are tasty steamed or sauteed like spinach.

Young Dandelion leaves will be ready to saute next week.  This one is growing
under greenhouse plastic, so has a head start on those outside the beds.
Rich in minerals, Dandelions give a healthy springtime boost to the liver and
kidneys after a season of rich, warming holiday foods.

Bloody Dock (Rumex sanquineus) is astringent, tonic and a rich source of iron.
Add tender young leaves to salads for a tangy flavor. Due to the
oxalic acid content, avoid Bloody Dock if you have a history of kidney stones.

The first leaf of Victoria Rhubarb unfolds under greenhouse plastic. Challenging to grow in Kansas,
Rhubarb requires adequate sun but needs protection from extreme summer heat. Rhubarb contains
antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and can help maintain regularity and lower cholesterol.
AND - it adds an amazing springtime flavor when mixed into apple or berry crisp!

 Here's one more friend who has grown faithfully in the gardens all winter, even under snow.

Winter Chives - despised by some as a lawn weed - go dormant in the heat of summer,
then begin to grow in late fall as temperatures drop.  They produce tender,
phytonutrient-rich tops for dressings and garnish all winter long
while traditional chives lie dormant underground.

Ready for Spring

My seedlings are growing, we've had some warm days, and I'm itching to play in the dirt!  I love spring planting time; we've kept ourselves busy indoors and out as we dreamed of warmer - and longer - days.

INDOORS:

Our kitchen growing center consists of bargain rack and
shelves from Home Depot, with inexpensive grow mats
and humidity tent from Indoor Gardening Supplies.com.

On the rack, above:  collards, broccoli raab, red mustard, arugula, blue kale, Tuscan black kale, calendula, borage, and lettuces. All of these seedlings are cold-season plants that will be happy outdoors soon after Spring Equinox.

OUTDOORS:

Our perennial onions get a head start at the end of winter with greenhouse plastic
over PVC hoops.  Next week, we'll start harvesting green onions from this bed.

Onions are high in vitamins and phytonutrients for immune-boosting and detoxifying benefits.  Perennial Walking Onions are super easy to grow and multiply quickly; we started this bed 2 years ago with a single clump purchased at the farmers' market. 

Chives grow quickly in late winter weather under an overturned 

aquarium, my substitute for an expensive glass cloche.

Chives are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that promote heart and bone health and fight cancer.  Once established, perennial herbs such as chives are very easy to grow and can be long-lived.  Ours came from my mother's garden, and were started by my grandmother nearly 40 years ago.