the back 40 Jan. 7, 2007

Walla walla onions over-wintering. Walla walla onions over-wintering. Walla walla onions over-wintering. Garlic planted here after midnight, under the full moon, just after the Winter Solstice. A little late in the season, perhaps, but I didn't get it until December. There's two kinds -- an Italian and a Vietnamese -- from a friend's farm out in Lobster Creek. It won't be enough for distributing to the CSAs this summer but if it does well it will produce enough for planting larger patches for planting Fall '08. Different varieties of the same vegetable can perform differently under different circumstances, so having more than one variety going at once increases the chances of plump harvests.   Stellaria media, aka "chickweed"! This comes up by itself round these parts. It is a highly nutritious wild green, used culinarily (for salad) and medicinally. According to Richo Cech, in Making Plant Medicine: "Chickweed is a nourishing tonic for improving overall energy levels. The herb has an alkalinizing effect on the blood and is used to treat hyperacidity of diet (generally caused by insufficient intake fo fresh greens and grains). [Which is what we need at this time of year! -KtS] The herb helps speed fat metabolism and can be a useful tool for weight reduction programs. The fresh herb is also an excellent hen feed, increasing egg size, overall production, and improving the nutritional value of the eggs."