How to enjoy a spring feast—it’s right in the garden!

The best part of having a garden is the produce.

Spring salads are wonderful, but the best taste starts right in the garden.

Picking the fruits of your labor and prepping them for a meal is so satisfying. The meals that come straight from the garden are second to none. But before the veggies make it to the kitchen, do you taste a few? Or more? There is always time for a spring feast just about every visit through the garden gate, no matter whether the intention is to pick weeds or peas.

Tender green peas, straight from the pod.

Straight off the stem or vine and into the mouth is one of the benefits of having a garden.

Many of us who pick strawberries have enjoyed the special moment when the first berry of the season, warmed by the sun, is popped into the mouth. There is nothing like it. The same goes for the garden vegetables.

Try a garden feast with sweet, green peas.

Breaking open a pea pod and dropping the peas right onto your tongue is so delicious, it is almost a crime to eat them any other way. Except one: I do enjoy wrapping up some peas inside a couple of spinach leaves—especially tasty after a rain. I tried this for the first time this year when I was harvesting some spinach for a salad. The sweet taste and texture of the garden pea, mixed with the crisp, slightly bitter spinach is worth a try. There isn’t a need for seasoning or dressing. It’s fresh. It’s delicious.

Try a garden feast with spring’s queen of vegetables—asparagus.

Break off an asparagus spear about a ½ inch thick and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. The mix of raw asparagus and the lettuce is a perfect match. It’s a crispy crunch and a blend of green goodness that no smoothie can achieve. Just think of all the immediate benefits of these veggie nutrients streaming into your system.

Try a garden feast with green onions.

Pick the perfect green onion. Wash off any dirt clinging to the roots in the rain barrel with a good shake or two. Enjoy the sweet green goodness. It’s some yummy for the tummy. Tasty! (Remember to kiss only toads after this little feast.)

One of the prints available at my etsy print shop.

The little feasts mentioned are simply a start to eating fresh right in the garden.

As the garden grows more delightful food will be combined or eaten solo—corn on the cob, yum! Need I mention wrapping basil around a black cherry tomato? What about basil around a green or yellow bean? The feast you enjoy right in your garden is the best test of the texture and the flavor of the veggies. It usually inspires a recipe back in the kitchen—because no one can stay in the garden forever. We can only try.