My office window faces the backyard which is covered in leaves.
Not pretty fall leaves. The crunchy, dried up brown leaves. The ones that crush when you try to rake them. It’s cold, almost arctic (that’s what the news said) and I plan to hibernate for the next 4 months. With food magazines. And coffee. But today the sun was shining and something urged me to go outside. A little brisk air wasn’t going to kill me.
I wandered over to the garden which is a raised bed encased by a rock wall. What a mess. Weeds, leaves, mud… nothing could survive in there.
Until I started to poke around.
I found gorgeous wild mint growing though the cracks…
Strawberry plants bathing in the winter sun. They’re certainly in for a rude awakening …
We didn’t plant tomatoes this year, however there are several growing all over the yard! Big plants too. Perhaps they were a gift from the birds? I noticed them in September but didn’t think they’d make it.
Oregano! My favorite culinary herb. I found them buried underneath the leaves just begging for a turn in the sun. I was happily greeted by their signature scent.
And now I will use them for dinner…
A purple flower…
Oh, and this:
A giant and I mean giant, weed-looking thing that I tried to pull out of the ground. It wouldn’t budge. Then, I tried to dig it out (because slotted spoons work) but that wasn’t successful either. My husband came outside and said, “What the heck are you doing?!” He ran and got me a grown-up shovel.
We found this…
Horseradish! I noticed a distinct smell as we were pulling it out of the ground which by the way, the root was so big it snapped into several stalks. But I didn’t think we had horseradish. I spent the rest of the day dreaming of bloody mary’s.
And finally…
The only thing that makes sense: pumpkin. I grew this pumpkin, my very first one. Our neighbor gave us sprouted seeds and I watched their big yellow flowers bloom all summer. We had so many, I was convinced we’d have our own pumpkin patch. Nope. We got two.
I guess what grows together goes together, even at this time of year!
Happy weekend friends ā„
Comments
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Garden gifts continue to produce when least expected. Love this! Such joy to receive fresh herbs this time of year! I don’t think I would have recognized horseradish. Sadly, I’ve only seen it in a jar.
Emilie says
Traci, I was so happy to find all of these hidden treasures. I am an herb fanatic so to see their fragrant leaves poking through the leaves was such a joy. Sadly, the temperature has dropped significantly. Their days are numbered. So for now, I’m just dreaming about how to use it all up- the horseradish included! Honestly, I would not have recognized it either however that distinct smell gave it away ;)
Pamela Green says
How neat!! I love the wild horseradish!
Emilie says
Thanks Pam! I’m looking forward to playing around with it. If you have any good recipes let me know! :)
Laney (Ortensia Blu) says
Oh your own Secret Garden Emilie (I loved that book)! And just think how wonderful it will be next year after some real TLC…and garden tools:) xo
Emilie says
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that’s for sure… It was such a calm and rewarding way to spend the afternoon. I’m definitely looking forward to next year. This winter is going to kill me. xo
Christine // my natural kitchen says
What a delightful surprise! I’m amazed at all that you had hidden away back there :) That’s such a cute little pumpkin, I’m so tempted to plant my own vegetable garden next year despite my terrible track record with plants. I do have a small cherry tomato in a planter on my porch, and even though we’ve had some frost lately (and then this morning, there were 2-3 inches of snow on the ground!) it looks like it’s actually still alive! Can’t wait to see what you end up making with that horseradish!
Emilie says
Christine, me too. I felt like a kid! We didn’t set up the garden this year because we were in the middle of moving and it was just too hectic. But regardless, I’m an amateur at best. Our neighbors gave us these pumpkin seeds and told us they were very easy to grow. Definitely give them a try. Just a head’s up- they will take over the garden! Happy to hear your tomatoes made it through the snow! Hurry up and throw them in a salad ;)
The Blonde Chef says
How fun to find these little surprises in your backyard! As someone who lives in a City apartment, I am jealous! And totally impressed that you succeeded in growing 2 pumpkins! Well done!
Emilie says
The discoveries were a fabulous find! When we lived in the city, I had an herb garden in a cute wooden box on our window… until the cat peed all over it and ruined everything! And guess what? Now that we have a garden, he pees in that too! Nothing to be jealous about over here ;)
Nancy @ Plus Ate Six says
Horseradish & bloody mary’s? Now you’re talking! I loved this post.
Emilie says
Tell me about it! I read that fresh horseradish is majorly strong so one must experiment, obviously ;) I’d love to have you as a taste tester Nancy! x
Anne says
Some unexpected bonuses – always the best sort. I fear for the poor strawberry plant though. I love that you tried to dig out a mighty horseradish root with a slotted spoon!
Emilie says
I bet this happens to you all the time on the farm. Don’t you still have rhubarb? Oh yeah, and those strawberry plants are really going to get it soon! Hopefully they’ll sprout back up in May. I’ll get my spoon ready ;)
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
Such a joyful post! That you took the time to wander and discover your own back yard, to really see, is fabulous. Can’t wait to see where the horseradish adventure leads!
Emilie says
Thank you Deb. I’m pretty shocked that I actually wandered outside considering how cold it was over the weekend (I’m a sun god) but it was worth it. Not only for the garden discoveries, but for the brisk fresh air! It was a calm and peaceful introduction to our winter garden :)
Emilie says
Surprising isn’t it? I know you like the cold :) Using our heirloom dishes is a real treat! xoxo
Ruby88 says
Ooh, horseradish. Look forward to a recipe with that ingredient. Hope you have something up your sleeve. Beautiful photos as always!
Emilie says
Who knew?! The smell was so familiar but I convinced myself that it wasn’t what I thought. Who has wild horseradish growing in their garden? After some chatting with the neighbors the previous owner had planted some and apparently, it grows like crazy. I could just tell from the mega root- it was the biggest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m definitely excited to experiment with a fresh horseradish recipe :) Thanks Ruby!