In the Forecast? More Weeding and Deck Maintenance

I've taken a few days to work on our decks. I know this should be done earlier in the spring, but farming and gardening always seem to get in the way. Don't judge. The front deck is made of redwood and seems to need lots of upkeep every year.

First, I just washed it with plain water, using my little pressure washer. There was lots of debris stuck between the boards - twigs, small rocks, leaves - so I took an old butter knife out and pried that gunk out as well as I could. Some pebbles are still wedged in. Then I scrubbed the boards with a deck cleaning solution, letting it sit for a bit. You're supposed to keep it damp, and since Mother Nature decided to send me sprinkles, having it dry out wasn't a problem. After pressure washing again, it looks like a new deck. After it's dried sufficiently, I'll give it a good coat of linseed oil so it will repel water and get deadly slick again when it rains. I hope the birds that use it for target practice will resist for the next few days. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing some spot cleaning before oiling.

The back deck is made from Trex, and only required pressure washing. I wish the front deck was the same, but it's still in good enough shape that we won't replace it.

Today I was back in the garden, doing yet more weeding. It seems that not all of those darn tree seeds had sprouted. There are tons more that popped up while I was having fun with the decks. I also seeded more radishes as the first batches were finished. I did leave a few to go to seed. They have a pretty, rather small, pink flower. I also put in a few more parsley plants (they were on sale at the greenhouse), having decided the two I had weren't going to be enough. And that's because I found this recipe to help use up some of my volunteer cilantro. (I've been chopping the tops of those, in a probably vain attempt to prevent them flowering and going to seed so fast).

Cilantro/Parsley Dressing

1/2 C fresh parsley

1/2 C fresh cilantro

1/4 small red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 Tbl lime juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Mix all together in processor or high speed blender. Toss with salad.

This dressing is designed to go with a Swiss chard salad of one bunch rainbow chard, chopped; two carrots, chopped; fifteen cherry tomatoes, halved; and half a red cabbage, chopped.

I haven't yet made that salad, because my red cabbages are far from ready, as are my carrots and cherry tomatoes. And I forgot to purchase a red cabbage and carrots last time I was in town. I did use the dressing on a salad of chopped chard, beet tops, radishes, craisons, and toasted walnuts. It was so good that I've made the dressing again to share with my daughter (which will happen when I remember to take it to town with me). It is a thick dressing, very much like a pesto. I believe it would be good with cooked pasta, or in a sandwich with roast beef, corned beef or chicken.

I do have a nice crop of rainbow Swiss chard. Chard is wonderful as it's very slow to bolt. I don't bother putting in spinach any more. I've used chard in the past in a vegetarian lasagna, but wanted a quicker, easier, non-cooked way to enjoy it, so went searching for recipes. I can recommend this one with enthusiasm. It's light, tasty, and healthy.

Apple/Walnut Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad

Dressing:

1/2 Tbl honey or maple syrup

2 Tbl cider vinegar

3 Tbl olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

Salad:

4 C rainbow chard, chiffonaded

2 medium apples, cored and sliced thin

1 stalk celery, sliced thin

1/2 small onion, sliced thin (or 4 scallions)

1/2 C toasted walnuts, chopped

Toss the first four ingredients together, then add the dressing and toss again. Sprinkle the nuts on top when serving.

Half of this salad did make it to town with me for my daughter. I had two meals of the other half. I used maple syrup in the dressing, but will use honey next time. I left the skins on the apples, and soaked them for a bit in water with Fruit-Fresh to prevent browning. I drained them well before adding to the salad. I'm growing celery this year, so snitched a few outer stalks (they're still really skinny) and chopped their leaves with them. And of course I used green onions from the garden, too. To chiffonade the chard, stack several leaves together, roll them up tightly, and slice thin. The ribs/stalks/stems also get sliced up and added. (My "green" onions were actually red onions I thinned from the row. I really like the flavor of red onions a lot.)

I do believe my corn will be waist-high on the Fourth of July. That doesn't rhyme at all, and I don't care. Anyway, it apparently really likes the weather so far this year. I have flowers on the peas, tomatoes, and the potatoes. There are a couple of summer squash out there, too. I haven't looked real close at the beans. Things are flourishing and I'm happy.