This Morning’s Harvest

A good day already.

I picked up my broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower seedlings yesterday from the Cactus Farmer’s Market. Planted most of the seedlings this morning. The weather is perfect!

cabbage, cauliflower, kale, arugula

Kale in rear of bed (left). Cauliflower and Cabbage to the front (right). That big plant near the bottom left is a volunteer arugula.

I harvested mint, portulaca, and kale from the garden for salads this week. Portulaca (aka purslane) is a fantastic weed in this area. It is a little crunchy and somewhat salty. Good in salads and in smoothies.

Mint, Purslane and Kale from the garden.  Phoenix 24 Aug 2014

Mint, Purslane and Kale from the garden. 24 Aug

Purslane

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a common weed and tasty snack

Purslane at a more mature stage.  This variety has little pink flowers

Purslane at a more mature stage. This variety has little pink flowers

Kale

Kale Seedling

Freshly planted Kale seedling. Aug in Phoenix

It is time to plant Brassicas here in Phoenix!

Brassicas, also known as cruciferous vegetables, include kale, cauliflower, mustard, broccoli. cabbage, brussels sprouts, collard and bok choy.  These are cool weather crops and although it might not be feeling cool yet, this is the time to get them in the ground.

All these plants are part of the Mustard family – a family that I’ve been told is 100% edible.  The name cruciferous refers to the fact that the flowers of the plants in this family have four petals that look like a cross.  Other members of the family that you might be familiar with are radish and arugula.

You can pick up plants at the Cactus (at Highway 51) Farmers Market this Saturday between 7 and 11 am.