A change of Pace

Did you remember to set your clock ahead last night. I did remember, but I overslept anyway. I always look forward to this time of year because I like to have more daylight in the evening. That means more time to be outside and do gardening chores.

I was at one of the garden centers yesterday and was really tempted to buy sweet onion plants. The description sounded a lot like Vidalia onions but of course the seller cannot call them that. I have grown onions before and did enjoy using them. One kind I grew were called Egyptians walking onions. I think the name comes from the fact that from the top of the tall blades a little bud appears which has a lot of new bulbils packed into a tight pod. The weight of it pulls the whole thing down and the little bulbils take root in the soil. I considered them more of a novelty than as a viable onion to use in cooking. Although I did use them as you would use fresh spring onions. My Gardener friend gave me a handful of them from his garden and it was fun to learn about them but I do not plan on growing them again.

What I do plan on growing are heirloom tomatoes and burpless cucumbers. I have the cucumber seeds ready to put in the ground when it gets warmer. They are my favorites to use in making bread and butter pickles. I use the recipe in the University of Georgia book on preserving food. These pickles are favorites of my family and friends. I think the burpless cucumbers make them special as the seeds are very small and do not present a problem in the texture of the finished product.

The heirloom tomato plants I plan on using are coming to me via a Gardener friend who lives near Athens, Ga. Last year I gave her some extra plants I had grown from seed. This year she wants to return the favor so she has ordered heirloom tomato plants from a grower in Alabama. May first is my target date for planting them.

For all of my gardener friends I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the extra time that comes from the time change. If you are in the north and still have snow, then you will have this to look forward to later on. But happy gardening anyway.