I started these plants from seed at the end of July and left them under a fluorescent light with a home-made self-watering system through August, while I was gone (thereby demonstrating to myself that I don't need to hover over my babies). They went into the garden in September, and began producing at the end of December--would probably have produced larger heads if we'd had more winter rain. This is the second crop: lots of stir-fry in our future. I'll cut these off further down the plant--maybe they'll crop again. I've seeded another batch for transplanting in late March. For more than you want to know about broccoli history, lore, and nutrition (lots of Vit A and C, calcium, folic acid, even some protein), go here.
Also in the works: I'm presprouting seed potatoes, have turned over the potato bed, and hope to get potatoes in the ground by the end of the week.
Still no rain--some on the way as a Pacific front comes through this evening, but we're not expecting much. It's going to take several long, strong rains to replenish the ground water and restore the aquifer. Too much residential building in our area, too many wells--aquifer levels are dropping here, and so is the pressure. We're not on the Edwards, but on the Trinity, which (in our area, anyway) has never been very productive.
Hill Country gardeners/locavores, I've been thinking of organizing a Yahoo group for us who are crazy enough to want to try to produce some portion of our food here in the Hill Country, where gardening is a serious challenge. If you're interested, please leave a comment. Or if you know about an ongoing group, let me know.
Book stuff. I'm still editing my way (this is the final pass, I hope) through An Extraordinary Year, which I hope to finish in a couple of weeks--working every day on it. Pitched another mystery project to my editor and am waiting to hear. Times are very tough in the publishing business, so I'll understand if she has to say no and extraordinarily privileged and grateful if she's able to say yes. If it's a yes, you'll be the first to know, I promise. I'm beginning to think book promotion thoughts for the year. Bill is going with me on the April tour: TX, VA, PA, OH, KY, IN. If you're in the neighborhood of one of our stops, please drop in and say hi.
Reading note: In my view, homeland security derives from having enough potatoes.--Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle