Vegetables

Now that I have my first layer of preparedness in place—canned goods, supplies, medicines— I'm starting to think about the things I enjoy.

Like coffee. I realized that if we lose power, we won't be able to grind our own coffee. So, I bought a pound of ground coffee and even (gasp!) a jar of instant. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

I'm also thinking a lot about fruits and vegetables. We signed up with Planet Organics a few weeks ago. It is a bit pricey ($32 min order) for a box of organic fruits and vegetables. The quality, though, is really top-notch. Planet Organic delivers on Tuesdays in our neighborhood. I'm thinking they may be able to keep their business up and running during the pandemic: they are selling produce from small, local farms so they won't have the same supply chain issues as the supermarkets.

I also went to Long's Drugs in Rockridge a few days ago. In addition to buying Red Mills polenta and barley to put in my emergency food reserves, I also bought some seeds. I'm not a great gardener and I floundered a bit in front of all my choices. In the end, I choose spinach, peas, zuchini, and parsley. I'm mostly thinking about veggies that I can put in soups and pasta dishes. Note to self: Buy more cans of diced tomatoes to add to my food reserves.

While at Long's, I noticed that the garden section still had pre-started vegetables, mostly lettuces and herbs. I wasn't sure if they would sell these throughout the year.

A few months ago, I threw down some nastursium seeds. They are growing like blazes and they are edible. But, really, how many flowers can you eat? I also have a small lemon tree and a well-established—and mostly neglected—apple treee. I'm going to give the apple tree some attention so that it might produce a better crop next year. Apple pie, anyone? Seriously though, maybe I can trade my apples for some beautiful membrillo (quince) from the garden of the man down the road.