The Sugar Snap peas are so tall at this point that even with Gabe on my shoulders they're still peaking out over his head. They've produced a bounty of delicious peas, made all the more sweet by the memories of Gabe planting them with me. For those of you with toddlers you also know how hard it can be to get them to eat greens, and seeing Gabe demolish peas in the garden is a welcome sight indeed.
This morning was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Gabe and I were planting peas in the garden. The weather is so nice at this point that the Mouse Trap needs to be opened during the day to keep from cooking the greens. I've already cooked them a little leading them to be a little bitter, but I hope the cold works that out of them.
Gabe and I were two peas in a pod this morning as we worked on making holes and plunking peas into them. This year I'm growing two tall varieties Tall Telephone and Sugar Snap as well as two bush varieties Lincoln and Oregon Sugar Pod II. Last year's inter planting with the crops that will replace the peas in the summer worked so well that I've planted a much larger space with hundreds of plants. I plan to have the winter squash take over their row come summer.
I will be the first to admit that Gabe slowed down the process immensely, and every single moment was a delight. Here he's helping me push down the dibble to make holes for the peas. Every time I repositioned it he'd grunt "PUSH!" and we'd make a new hole.
After we'd get the holes in I'd hand him a pea and tell him where it'd go. He'd eventually get them all on his own, but this process involved more teamwork and was more fun for me. I absolutely loved that Gabe exclaimed, "We do good teamwork!" about half way through the planting and again several times after that.
I never imagined that he'd have the dexterity he has at his age. He only missed a couple times in hundreds of pea drops.
He was so intent here and melted my heart by saying, "I'm a good good planter daddy." To which I said, "Yes you are, you're a good good planter."
More Dibble work in the raised bed, please ignore the muddy support structure that was bent by the crazy winter snows.
Gabe did a great job here of stretching out to get the peas in the raised bed, and listened very well about not stepping in it.
For the sugar snap peas I wanted to do some bamboo supports as well as using the metal so Gabe and I worked to push them into the raised bed together.
I was happy all day after this wonderful morning shared with Gabe and Mommy in the garden!
Gabe said, "I like this game daddy. I'm going to go get more sticks." after we finished.
So he did, and pushed them in all by himself...
A hug for mommy and his baby sister and we were ready for daycare and work. Now we just have to hold on for a couple months until the yummy peas arrive!
This root has been hanging out in the ground all winter long with its buddies. With the warm weather we've had I was able to pull it out today. The little side root tasted amazing, and the main root was quite good as well though a little tougher. We ate this one raw, and I look forward to eating more cooked as spring continues to roll on.
This winter has been the harshest I've ever had in my decade plus in Massachusetts, and the amount of snow has been unreal. On February 4th I unburied the solar pod from another foot of snow and all but given up on anything surviving in it, as temperatures had dropped to -6 degrees F the previous week. My goal was simply to keep it clear of snow so I could use it again in the spring to jump start some plants. I certainly couldn't check the plants inside, as the pod was frozen shut. Even if I had been able to open it, there was the danger of snow falling in and preventing me from shutting it again. But the weather was nice again today and the snow has melted down, so I decided I would open it up a crack to see the pile of mush I was certain the greens had become.
I was greeted by a blast of steamy warm air and a tropical smell when I opened the solar pod just a couple inches. Once my glasses unfogged I could see that all the plants had made it through, with the kale doing particularly well. There was damage on a number of leaves, and some dead leaves in the mix, but they were in the minority. I picked a kale leaf to see how the taste had held up and it was heavenly. 
At this point I can unequivocally call the solar pod a success. The fact that it protected the plants through a low of -6 degrees F and sustained single digit weather really impressed me. It wasn't cheap or easy to build, and certainly didn't deliver a bounty of produce. Still, the new year's harvest was succulent with unrivaled flavor, and I plan to go grab another round sometime this week. 
They said on the radio that flat roofs are in danger of collapsing under the weight today, because it is raining, and the snow is soaking up the rain like a sponge. Chris, wisely, removed the 28 accumulated inched from the sun room roof yesterday, as another foot was beginning to fall. We're not as worried about the deck. . . or rather, we're both secretly hoping that the snow will squash it. Hopefully the rest of the roof will be able to withstand the load.
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