Thin out, But Don't Throw Out

And so it begins. Things are popping up in the garden and now all the work, and fun, really starts.

And just about now, you can see the kerfuffle I've made of sowing seeds--one or two or eleven-teen to a hole. And so now, like my Hubby's hair after a long winter cooped up with me, It's time to thin out...

Because this just can't happen...

Somewhere along the road, napping in and out of science classes, I think I caught the phrase, "two objects cannot occupy the same space." Or maybe I learned that from watching TV... But it sounds right, because one of these radishes is going to starve out the other one, or they are both going to remain pathetic little twigs, but it's improbable that the two will become the fat radishes I want them to be.

So one must be picked. And that's my hardest job.

Or it was, because I have always hated waste.

And then I realized... Unless it was a rhubarb, I could probably eat the leaves of whatever plant I was growing. And then I smacked myself on the forehead for ALL the times I had thrown away those thinned out little plants. And, dang near gave myself a concussion...

But had the wherewith all to go inside and check out a few recipes. And there are SO many.

Rutabaga greens are a fantastic way to add potassium to your diet. Throw them in a salad raw, or saute them up a bit, though you'll lose more nutrients that way.

Radish greens I have had once before, though I never linked "thinnings" as potential food before, just "after the fact, harvested leaves." Radish greens are excellent and a bit peppery, like mild arugula, maybe? I've sauteed them with onions and garlic in a smidgen of olive oil and tossed them into a pasta (made from tofu, but don't let that lose you) with sliced radishes and a smattering of Parmesan, salt and pepper. SO GOOD.

But here are a few others to try:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5620696_use-radish-greens.html

And they all sound pretty good to me....

So these pathetic little seedlings were rinsed off in my garden hod...

And are about to become a yummy spicy stir fry!

Waste not want not! Just think of the possibilities! Snap pea tendrils, spinach shoots, carrot greens....

What have you tried with your veggie tops and thinnings?!??

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