The Beets are Here! The Beets are Here!

Yesterday I picked a bunch of beets from our raised bed vegetable gardens.  I am still waiting for the heirloom multi-colored beets to grow a bit larger.  But for now these will do just fine.  I made a wonderful beet salad; you can find the recipe on my cooking blog.

Winter Harvest

Last night I picked these goodies from my raised beds.

Arugula, Cilantro, Green Leaf Lettuce, Green Onions, Oak Leaf Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Sorrel, Spinach, and Watercress.  Beets are still too small to pull.  I have however been cutting a few of their leaves from the outer edges to steam for beet greens.

 I had harvested many of these same crops for Thanksgiving dinner.  I am surprised that more was ready so soon after picking them.  We did have some nice rain around Thanksgiving and then last week we had temperatures in the high 80's and even one day reached up to 91!  Gotta love Southern California.  A gardener's paradise.

The Colors of Winter in Southern California

Sharing a few photos I took today in the backyard. Weather is warming up again, 73 today but the nights are cool at 46 degrees. The ground is still wet from the recent rains. This weekend will be in the low 80's.

Liquidambar styraciflua or more commonly known as Sweetgum

Cookie Crumble amongst the leaves

Aloes beginning to bloom. The hummingbirds are loving the nectar now with so few blooms around the garden.

My newest food blog,

If you have some time check out my newest food blog. I decided I needed a place to place my photos of my cooking adventures. I hope to add many interesting recipes using herbs and vegetables from my garden.  A Table for Rue, please