Hello Spring!
- japa jess
- Mar 20
- 3 min read
March 20, 2026 - Spring Equinox
Morning! Just got in from a run with Kai! We have her on a new training routine (+ some time at doggy camp) which is all helping our family flow. The birds were ACTIVE this morning, wow. Giant flocks were dancing in the sky as we ran by. Felt their magic in my third eye - swooping, swerving, while maintaining unity as a flock. Gorgeous.
The field is becoming more active as well. You know dem weeds are back; chickweed, purple dead nettle, even some lambsquarters in the greenhouse. All edible, btw, and high in nutrients. They are higher in vitamins and minerals than the spinach and kale we have in the greenhouse! Funny eh, we cultivate "superfood" crops, and pull weeds that are the true superfoods. Ah human, when will we learn?
What a blessing to have both, amiright? Fresh, tasty baby spinach and earthy, nutrient-dense purple dead nettle. Weeds are an acquired taste - just like morel mushrooms - earthy flavour, unique texture. Texture is a big difference, I find, between cultivated and wild crops. There are reasons we have bred certain foods to be certain ways. Have you ever tried a wild strawberry? SO seedy, with a wee hint of strawberry. Grateful for our juicy, modern day strawberries.
Jakoby has been busy in the woodshop, making all sorts of beautiful creations. Some for the garden, some for the home.
Spring is a magical time, isn't it? You really feel the planetary shift. The return of light. The return of warmth.
Breathe it in. Soak it up.
We have had a lot of success with our overwintered carrots this season. A couple of the beds are still unearthing crunchy carrots, which feels like a first for us. Typically, the overwintered carrots this time of year are mushy. We usually tarp the beds and let everything mend into the soil. #seeditfeedit
The main reason we believe the carrots overwintered so well this year is actually because of the chickweed! Instead of weeding it out in the fall, we let it grow as a cover crop with the carrots. The chickweed protected the top of the roots all winter, warding off frost damage, and has now been soaking up late winter rain & moisture. The combination of these two benefits has resulted in minimal weather-related rot, and hence, crunchy march carrots.
It's good to go into winter with realistic expectations, especially when temps start hitting -15C... the thought of any crop making it through seems like a far-fetched fantasy. But the garden is resilient, and there are always small miracles unfolding. Those pops of green in late winter are just one of the ways we feel spring's immanent return.
We are finishing up the last of our storage crops as well: squash, potatoes, garlic, onions, tomato paste, cantaloupe...
I used the last of our frozen cantaloupe to make homemade creamsicles. Here's the recipe, if you want to make:
2 C frozen cantaloupe
1/4C maple syrup
1C coconut milk (full fat yeye)
1 inch chunk of ginger (peeled)
Blend all ingredients & pour into popsicle mold.
I don't have a pic because we devoured them...
^ some other kitchen creations I've been up to lately
What have you been cooking lately? Do you find this time of year inspiring? Who's eating their garden weeds?
When the weather is nice, it's easy to be inspired in the garden.. easy to daydream all the garden dreams. And the colder days can be good reality checks - reminders to take rest.
March 28, 2026
I pruned back the hyssop and lemon balm today. Each plant required different styles of pruning. The hyssop required my hand pruners to cut back the woody stems; making cuts just above nice, fresh shoots. It was precise - decisions. The lemon balm was pure muscle - not many decisions. Grab a bunch of dried branches and pull.
The difference comes down to their growing habit. Both are perennial herbs, but one is a woody shrub, and the other is a bushy mound. They both spread by dropping seed everywhere & sprouting new in spring. Lemon balm also slowly spreads outward by widening at the base over time.
These differences make for different shapes, sizes, and hardiness (in the sense of branches… zone speaking they are quite similar ~3-4 up to 9). They also require different pruning techniques. It was fun showing both in the same session. Here’s a video of it:
Anyways, thanks for being here & reading my field notes. If you've made it this far, you're likely a plant lover too. 🤘 keep sowing
:::
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