Spring Fever

Posted by Lee McKenzie and Janice Carter

Too much rain and flooding in southern Ontario and colder-than-average temperatures on Vancouver Island have delayed gardening season this year. With springtime finally strutting her stuff, Lee and Janice are anxious to get outdoors and get their hands dirty.

Lee:
I live on Canada’s beautiful west coast where it seldom snows and things stay green all year, so I always feel a little guilty when I complain about the weather. But the cool temperatures and grey skies we’ve had this spring have caused a lot of grumbling among the island’s avid gardeners. Recently, our (im)patience has finally been rewarded with blue skies and warm weather.

Strawberries were one of the first things I planted. Handy Man built this raised bed for me, and this will be the first year we’ve had them in our garden. We’ve also planted rhubarb, so I foresee some yummy pies and fruit crisps later this summer.

Lee’s raised strawberry bed

Janice, I know you’ve had some “interesting” weather as well. What’s happening in your part of the country?

Janice:
“Interesting” is an understatement, Lee. According to the weather pundits, southern Ontario had more rain in April than the entire year before. Well, that may be arguable, but we Canadians do like to tell our weather stories, don’t we? The unusual rainfall sated the rivers, creeks and streams flowing into the Great Lakes which fed into Lake Ontario. Our cottage on Garden Island is situated at the junction of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, and this narrowing caused a lot of flooding. Normally we arrive on the island in early May to plant our veggie gardens but this year, we were unable to reach the island due to this.

Flooding on Garden Island

Those barrels in the photo are holding down the remnants of docks that haven`t (yet) floated away. Fortunately some repair had enabled us to access portions of the dock and we finally got started on our gardens.

Lee:
Omigosh, Janice! The old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” has never been truer. We should never underestimate the power of Mother Nature, should we? So glad to hear your gardens are high and dry again, but I hope there wasn’t too much property damage.

On my side of the country, we’ve been lucky enough to hold onto some of last year’s crops, like this flowering kale.

Last summer’s kale flowering in Lee’s garden

It’s hardy enough to withstand cool west coast winter weather, even a little snow from time to time, and I get to harvest it year round. It flowers in the springtime, and bees—those friendly pollinators—love it! It will soon be replaced with new starts, and I have to say I’ll be a little sad to see the end of all those sunny yellow flowers. We also grow bush beans, beets, potatoes (red and fingerling), tomatoes, onions, peppers, and a variety of lettuces and herbs. I also scatter tomato plants throughout flower beds that get lots of sunshine.

What do you plant in your veggie garden, Janice?

Janice:
We plant the usual kitchen garden veggies too, and I keep my herbs in pots on the cottage deck for easy access. The main garden is in the meadow in the center of the island. As you can see, it`s still a work in progress.

Janice’s garden on Garden Island

Every year we try something new. One of our recent discoveries was tomatillos, which flourished to the point of taking over the whole garden. But roasted, they made great salsa verde and sauce for Las Carnitas, Mexican-style pulled pork. Another year we had poblano peppers. We also like eggplants, though they can be finicky. But full disclosure here, Lee. I`m not the gardener in the family—my husband is and he`s always finding new and exotic plants like haskap berries that produce a blueberry-type fruit. In spite of the late start, I`ve no doubt we`ll have some kind of garden this year.

My sister-in-law, though, not so much. Her garden was a tad too close to the shoreline and I doubt she`ll be able to resurrect it.

A “lakeside” garden

On a final note, we`re still enjoying the daffodils in the meadow—all planted by same Type A husband!

Daffodils in the meadow...a sure sign of spring!

Say, I don`t suppose you`d send along a recipe for that strawberry-rhubarb crumble.

Lee:
I’m happy to share! Scroll down for the recipe for my favorite fruit crisp.

I love your meadow garden, Janice, and especially the daffodils that appear to be growing wild. Sad to see your sister-in-law’s garden, though. That would definitely bring on a bout of spring fever.

My garden is a little more structured than yours, Janice. I love to collect vintage garden ornaments to tuck in odd corners and amongst the plants. The latest addition is this quirky concrete gnome. It might not be easy to see, but he’s feeding a little bird he’s holding in one hand.

Happiness is a vintage garden gnome

And the focal point of our garden is the folly that Handy Man built about eight years ago. We wanted a shady area to sit and entertain, so he designed this based on a photo I had seen in a magazine.

Lee's folly

Janice, I would love to invite you for tea, along with our fellow Heartwarming authors and our wonderful readers. Since that's not possible, I'll share my fruit crisp recipe with all of you.

Lavender-Flavored Fruit Crisp

3 cups blueberries
1 cup cranberries
1/2 to 1 teaspoon food-grade lavender
3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or chopped cashews, thinly sliced almonds, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the blueberries, cranberries, lavender and sugar, and pour the mixture into a lightly buttered 8-inch-square ovenproof pan.

To make the topping, combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar and nuts. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the oatmeal-flour mixture.

Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the fruit.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until filling is bubbly. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Lee’s note: Blueberries and cranberries are chockablock with antioxidants, but any combination of fruit—strawberries and rhubarb or raspberries, blackberries and peaches—is delicious.

Happy reading, everyone! And happy gardening!

Until next time,
Janice and Lee

Janice Carter
@JaniceGCarter
For Love of a Dog
Harlequin Heartwarming, September 2017

Lee McKenzie
www.LeeMcKenzie.com
His Best Friend's Wife
Harlequin Heartwarming, January 2017