Raise your hand if you love your garden!

Mine is being surprisingly forgiving. After two years of nearly complete neglect, I am beginning the rather daunting task of clean-up/edging/weeding/re-planting, etc! It is a fascinating process to watch the rather organic evolution of the shape and composition of beds and planting areas as we get to know each other better. Who knew that chervil would absolutely thrive in a newly partially shaded bed (the neighbor's tree has grown big enough in the last year or so to hang over the fence and block the sun), and I'm amazed at where I find borage and parsley and oregano spontaneously showing up. So many things have overwintered - the arugula, cicely and johny-jump-ups are all blooming so profusely, I can hardly bear to pull them out so that I can plant my spring crop of vegetables.

After getting a bundle of strawberries planted in a new bed, I had to tear myself away and address the making of dinner (another long-neglected activity). The sorrel and chives were so prolific and lush, I decided that Jerry Traunfeld's "Spring Sorrel and Chive Soup", from The Herbfarm Cookbook (*best* cookbook ever!) must be part of the menu. I had boiled a chicken carcass earlier in the week for stock so it was just a matter of saute-ing some onions and mushrooms and then pureeing the hot soup with the greens -

If you get your soup temperature right - not quite boiling, but hot enough to wilt the greens - you get a bright emerald liquid that is savory and tart and full of springy-goodness. (My stock was a bit too hot here - the green begins to dull when cooked. Still yummy.)

Unfortunately, it was near-dark after cleaning up from dinner, so I got to address the taming of the studio instead. Glad to say that progress was visibly made. Still quite a ways to go, but I am feeling a bit less overwhelmed today.

And tomorrow, I get to 'play' out in my gardens some more!