In the Chinese Calendar, the New Year, which arrives four to eight weeks after the winter solstice, marks the beginning of spring. (That’s late January to mid Feburary for you Westerners.) That makes sense to us, because in North Carolina, it’s time to plant potatoes, lettuce, greens, onions, peas, and cabbages and their kin. We planted lettuce, turnip greens, red and white onions, sugar snaps, broccoil, cabbage, radishes, and carrots in raised beds. The potatoes go in "bins," chickenwire cages lined with newspaper and filled with topsoil and compost. As the plants grow taller they can be covered with more dirt.
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One of our two potato bins. We plated red in one, white in the other, and as ususal I have forgotten which bin is which. It ain’t pretty, but it works. |
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Our rosemary bush, which began life four years ago in a small pot and now threatens to annex a neighboring county. Apparently I will have to eat more rosemary, but that’s a hardship I think I can live with. |
Meanwhile I have finished my winter woodworking project, a table to hold our stereo system. It is poplar, finished with milk paint, which is entirely non-toxic and very easy to work with. I am not happy with the wooden drawer handles and will probably replace them with green milk glass.
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The stereo table, poplar with a milk paint finish. A bigger image is also available. |
The reference to Chinese New Year was not entirely random; we have a party every year and cook outrageous quantities of Chinese food. I did not take any pictures, sorry. Maybe next year.