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Blanco, Texas : Thyme Traveler : February 2008 : Drought Gardening

Drought Gardening

February 25, Central Texas, 80 degrees in the shade and it's barely past noon! Dry as a bone, no rain in sight, the Blanco River has stopped running over the spillway, and my lettuce has bolted and gone to seed from the heat before we even got to eat any!

All the winter weedlings we like to eat --- parsley, cilantro, and other wild greens --- never even sprouted except for the one patch of garden I watered heavily back in January.

So we are buying lettuce at the store and picking at the old parsley before it, too, goes to seed, but there hasn't been much colour in our winter cooking this year.

Browsing the selection of spring veggie plants in all the nurseries, it's hard not to buy a few 6-paks of Tomatoes or Peppers, but with zero precipitation in the forecast, it seems a total waste of our cistern water to irrigate a garden that won't thrive in the drought.

Even if we do spend enough water to make a crop, every bug in the county will zoom over here to the only green spot for miles, just to get a snack. Besides, plants know the difference between rain and hose water, it's such an uphill battle to keep everything healthy in this kind of weather.

We are taking the opportunity to add as much mulch as we can rake from the forest, and I spend a couple hours each week staying ahead of the weeds, but that's all the work I'm doing this season besides clearing cedar to help prevent fires.

So, Traveler in Thyme doesn't have much of a garden this year, except for the established perennial herbs and shrubs that don't need any extra irrigation. It takes 300 gallons of water to soak our garden patch, and
that's with a thick layer of mulch, but I don't want to use up all our bathing and washing water unless the weatherman can promise us at least 2 inches of rain per month.

And as of today, that doesn't look like it's going to happen anythyme soon.

Thank goodness for Mexican Oregano, Rosemary, and Wild Garlic. We have plenty of those, plus a few Marjoram and Thyme plants in the shady parts of the garden. Texas Pennyroyal, Lemon Balm, and a couple of Cilantro plants are coming up, but only in the shade, though they usually prefer full sun. The Chives didn't even freeze back this year, and going strong, while the Lavender is already starting to bloom.

Verbena are coming up here and there, and lots of dandelions, but my taste for those is very limited so we don't pick many for the table. And over on the trellis, a few brave Kentuck Wonder Green Beans have volunteered from the pods we missed harvesting last season. They are and heirloom variety, so breed true to type.

Last year, we had so many snow peas and green beans we couldn't give them away, but I bet we get real stingy with them this year, and pick every last one!

Now, I know it's almost as cheap to buy organic veggies as to grow them, if you count your labour as anything, so we have resigned ourselves to stocking the freezer and the pantry with store-bought food. Luckily we have enough herbs to flavour our Italian and Mexican dishes, and herbs do give you lots of trace minerals to keep you healthy.

Oregano as a green vegetable? We eat a lot of Lemon Balm, in omelettes, stir-fry, and iced tea, so it never
gets too invasive. And who knew Garlic would grow so rampantly in dry, upland soil? I always thought it was a resident of the ditches and bottomlands. Ours is hot as fire, small and tough, but one little bulb will spice up a whole pot of beans.

~~~Recipe of the Week~~~

Garlic & Lemon Balm Frittatta (Baked Omelette)
~~~Serves 6-8, excellent cold leftovers.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven.

Chop one whole bulb Garlic and a big handfull of Lemon Balm.
Grate 1/4 pound Swiss Cheese.
Gently beat 6 Eggs with 3 TBS. water (do not overbeat or your Frittata will be tough).
Add 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt, 1/2 tsp. Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Ground Sage (or use fresh if you have it).
Fold in veggies and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with additional Paprika for colour.

Lightly grease the hot skillet with a small amount of butter. Pour in egg mixture, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly brown, do not overcook.
Center may not be fully set, but turn off the heat and prop open the oven door a crack, to let the Frittata set up without burning the bottom.

Variations: Thaw 1 pound frozen brocolli, and coat it with 1/4 cup flour before folding into the egg mixture. The flour keeps the veggies from sinking to the bottom of the pan. My sons like crumbled sausage in this
dish.

If you don't have Lemon Balm, use Parsley or Thyme with yummy results. Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese works as well as Swiss, if you prefer.

Eat it warm, or save some for cold leftovers, one of our
favourite lunches.