Italy was wonderful. The wild plants there are similar to here and I have wonderful pictures of things that will inspire dyeing later this spring. Some of it the stuff you see here, but in a different place you notice them more. The plants around the castle were amazing - old wisteria with trunks 8" thick and climbing three stories up a wall. Cypress trees that look ancient and tower over the castle walls even when you are three or four stories up. Old roses climbing every wall and lemon trees blooming with their sweet scent in the gardens. Olive trees and grapes everywhere in the distance. I was wondering why there were so many piles of olive branches around and being burned - Olives produce only on last year's growth so they keep older growth trimmed back and thinned out. Grapes on the other hand produce on this years growth so they are trimmed way back every fall.
One of the things we did was go to a weekly market in a smaller village - I love farmer's markets and this one was really wonderful. I temporarily went off the diet. I did eat cheese while there and found a wonderful one at the market. The fruits and veggies were so colorful and vibrant. Baby artichokes, fresh asparagus, the best mandarin oranges I have ever had - ever. And I also had a taste of salami and one of proscuitto because I was sure it would be a mortal sin to be in Italy and not eat those things. I discovered that they don't taste the same as my memory of them, can leave it there now without wanting more. Cheese is a little more difficult and I have decided to eat it occasionally - if I find a spectacular one somewhere, or mozzarella in Caprese salad this summer. But only on occasion. Mostly I stuck to veggies there. Riboletta is one of my new favorites that I will be making. It is basiclly reboiled veggies - thick and full of lovely vegetables. Sounds not so great but is truly tasty and wonderful. Oh one more food thing - Spaghetti cooked in chianti is awesome, just saying....
The garden is booming already. The peas are a foot high and appear very happy in their square foot garden space. Doyle had the idea of tucking tomato plants in amoungst them so that by the time the peas are done the tomatoes will have a bit of a head start. We'll see. The garlic is tall - about 18". The two chard plants from last year that did nothing have come back and I pretty much have to pick it daily. I didn't know they would do that but it is a happy discovery. Stuff in the big garden - peppers, squash, cucumbers and eggplant - did not drown and appear, if not happy, at least okay.
