Adventures in Garden "Greens"

The tenants in our apartment building started our first group garden this year.  Our inaugural planting was April 28th.  Among the first plants we put in were half-a-dozen trays of "mesclun" (mixed greens) from Home Depot.  May 23rd we began harvesting leaves from these to add to the salad on community meal nights. 

Before I picked the greens, I wanted to be able to tell folks what we were eating.  Eventually, I identified them all: Tatsoi, Mizuna, Red Giant Mustard, Red Russian Kale, and Arugula.

The popularity of these unusual greens made me adventurous.  I have already put in some new Arugula from the nursery, which will be ready to begin picking from very soon, and thickly sowed a mixture of "mesclun" seeds that will be ready in a few more weeks.  These include Mizuna, Arugula, and Red Russian Kale, among others. 

The tremendous success of the Tatsoi and Mizuna, both in the garden and on the table, set me off to find out what other delicious greens I have never heard of before. Along with seed for more Tatsoi, I have also ordered:

• Komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach)
• Huazontle (Red Aztec Spinach) (recipe here)
• "Magenta Spreen" Lambsquarters

along with some big frilly lettuces, Natividad (red) and Waldmann's (dark green), and some Persian Garden Cress, Purslane, and White Russian Kale. 

I know the Tatsoi will bolt early in the heat, but it is so delicious I'll take what I can get.  This fall I will plant more Tatsoi; some True Siberian Kale; Mache (aka corn salad, or lamb's lettuce); Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce); Minutina (Erba Stella); and when the tomatoes are done I'll give their trellis over to a Malabar Spinach vine.

The plants we started with have started bolting (sending up flower stalks) but the leaves still taste good, and the flowers are tasty too!  I plan to pull most of the bolting plants this coming Wednesday, though, to make room for planting all those new seeds.  We're going to have a very colorful garden in a couple of months -- and some dining adventures!