Bay Meadows

Thanks to everyone who attended the December’s DIG IT class! We had a Winter Gardening Q&A session with Mike the Gardener and Stefani Bittner, co-owner of Star Apple Edible Gardens. There were lots of great questions and we talked about winter harvests, tea plants, favorite cookbooks, and more! We also did a little day dreaming about what to plant in the spring and everyone went home with a bouquet of flowers from the garden, not to mention some beautiful veggies and herbs. In the picture below, spot the swiss chard, celery, collards, red russian kale, rainbow lacinato kale, snow peas, chervil, lavender, sweet marjoram, and edible nasturtium and calendula flowers!

Next DIG IT Class: Composting 101
Saturday, January 3rd, 1-2PM

Start the New Year right by joining us for the first DIG IT class of 2015 – Kitchen Composting 101! Stefani Bittner will return to give a primer on everything you need to know about composting your kitchen scraps, the world of worms, ideal composting conditions, and more. Gardeners of all ages are welcome and refreshments will be served, so please feel free to bring friends, family, and all your composting questions!

Fruit Trees in Persimmon Park

As many of you have noticed, there are several fruit trees in the community garden at Persimmon Park, including pluots, pears, plums, apples, and (of course!) persimmons. But at this time of year, you should be excited about citrus trees. We have several lemon trees that are enjoying all of this rain and are starting to produce fruit. Stop by the garden and watch as the lemons ripen from green to yellow – they should be ready to pick in January!

What Else Loves Growing in Cold Winter Rains?

It may surprise you that there are lots of vegetables and herbs that love this colder, wetter weather. In the picture above, you’ll see some big, beautiful heads of speckled radicchio, frilly green frisee, tender red and green lettuces, hearty romaines, pretty strawberry blonde calendula (the petals are edible!), chervil (parsley’s mild flavored cousin), and a Vietnamese herb called Kinh Gioi or Vietnamese Balm. Kinh Gioi is an incredible herb that everyone should try – it has a lemon flavor that’s great for teas, but also compliments soups and chicken dishes.

We hope that everyone has a safe and happy holidays! Enjoy some good food, time with friends and family, and we’ll see you in the garden in 2015!

Photo Credits Star Apple Edible Gardens