(First off. What fun to share our garden in The Record newspaper!
Not only did the piece let me do a little showing and telling about a project our family has really enjoyed, but it also gave an opportunity to draw on the knowledge of some super-insightful garden experts: Ivette Soler, the designer behind The Germinatrix blog and author of "The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden"; Eric Firpo, who buys and distributes locally grown produce through Stockton Harvest, and who manages both the new Woodbridge Farmer's Market and the Boggs Tract Community Farm; and Jeff Nelson, owner of Port Stockton Nursery, where we've bought many of our veggies and where - here's a fun fact - we took Alice on one of her first-ever public outings. We had her bundled in a Baby Bjorn. So sweet!
There were a few things that all three sources emphasized: 1. If you're new to edible gardening, try starting with herbs. 2. It's not too late - you still have time to put some summer plants in the ground, and 3. It's not too hard. I hope you'll check the story out!)
There's a certain briny smell, my dad has told me, that takes him by the shoulders and leads him back to the memory of a deli he used to visit with his dad - one where they sold pickles out of a barrel.
I guess I'm describing nostalgia here.
For me, anyway, the bright green crunch of sugar snap peas is a strong tug back to summery childhood. I look for them when I'm feeling a little homesick, even.
Nonetheless, I forgot to add sugar snap peas to my wishlist for our new front yard garden.
Thank goodness my husband remembered.
You can eat sugar snap peas pod and all, but Alice prefers to pop open the pod and dig the peas out. I totally get that.
(P.S. We love sugar snap peas right off the vine, but for an easy chicken and snap pea stir fry recipe, check out The Record).
