What a gorgeous morning we had here today!  Nigel was still sleeping so I snuck out for a walk around the farm.  Looking for newsletter inspiration and some good photos, I found plenty of both!  The orchard is relatively close to the house, so I tend to hit it first.  My love of trees and forests compels me to wander in amongst the trees, where I find myself lost in the citrus and astonished by the beauty of the cherry blossoms.  

On my way to the orchard I stopped to check out the Lemon Verbena which months ago was trimmed back to the ground.  From afar it looks like rows of dead bushes, but when I got in close I found the first small leaves popping out.  Lemon Verbena has such a powerful citrus scent even those tiny leaves tell you "Yes I am a mighty leaf!".  These amazing plants assure me that in no time at all what looks like dead bushes now, will become lush, green and fragrant, ready to flavor our salads, teas and Thai-like dishes.

I wanted to check out how the new plantings are faring.  Hard to believe it was the week before last that we had extra help in the field working on the transplanter to get plants in the ground.  Since most of last week it rained, we didn't have to irrigate much.  It also means the farm is muddy and wet again so we'll have to wait a bit longer to get out there to plant more.   Nigel is quite happy with how the chards are looking!

Favas and peas are getting close.  I found lots of beautiful flowers out in the fava field and the small field of peas right next to it.  I recently had a dish with fava leaves and I thought they were quite delicious.  Coincidentally, I was looking through a new cookbook I was gifted and found a recipe for a salad made with Fava Greens.  I wonder how many of you have enjoyed fava greens?  Perhaps we should add them to the box lineup?