Hot times in winter

Last fall, I built a hot house out of straw, manure, compost, plastic and pipe.  Now I am reaping the rewards.  I know I am not the only one who craves something fresh and green in the winter.

This morning it was barely above freezing, but with the solar window, I thought that it would be warm enough in the hotbox for the tissues in the chard to be enough above freezing for harvest (thus giving me crisp greens, not frozen soft greens.)  And I was right.

Knife and bag in hand, I made my way to the garden and began cutting the bigger leaves of chard, making sure to leave 1-2 small leaves on each plant for growth and photosynthesis.  This time of year you can clearly see why it is called silverbeet in other parts of the world; large beet like roots were sticking out of the ground.

I ended up with just about a pound of chard after trimming off the larger stems and what is more, I have lots of greens to satisfy that need for green.  Sure, I could go to the store and buy chard ($3 for a bunch of conventional at a local grocery so maybe $10 for a pound of organic rainbow chard) but I like the idea that I am able to do this myself.

I am already in the planning stages for the garden...I think I am going to start some seeds in the house here soon and move the transplants out to the hot house as soon as possible.  Primarily, I will be putting hardy greens out now, but come late February when the sun starts becoming a bit more reliable, maybe some peas and carrots...I can't wait.

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