The bastard snail

It's not much of a quote, I'll admit, but sometimes the best things are the most simple. It's truthful though; there was a little snail and he did get thrown over the fence.

Over the weekend I've been attending to my garden; I've been so busy with work, and it's been bloody cold, so I've left it to its own devices for a week. Bad move G-dog. It seems a little bastard snail moved in and was feasting on my produce. He's made a mighty mess of my cabbages...Ok, so I might be embellishing a little; the mess isn't so mighty at all, but that little fucker has been chomping away on my cabbages so I made him fly...over the fence.

I'm pleased to say that everything else is looking pretty good though, healthy and bastard snail free...now.

For winter I planted things that I'll use in soups mainly: Cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, brown onions, brussel sprouts, dwarf French beans and broccolini. All things that will survive and thrive in the current weather conditions and all are going well besides the cabbage which is feeling a little abused right now...You know the bastard snail situation.

I harvested some broccolini and spinach today and will be using that in a potato and broccoli soup with some onions, parmesan cheese, garlic and spices combined with a low-salt chicken stock which I think should be pretty good. I plan to serve it with crusty bread slathered with butter. That sounds like a good plan right?

I say it a lot but, growing my own food is so rewarding; those who do it will know what I mean.

So much satisfaction comes from seeing things sprout up from the ground and develop into something edible and then, when cooking with the produce and eating the end result, that satisfaction deepens. I have to augment what I grow with market-bought produce but I don't mind, it's still pleasing to eat foods that contain my home-grown food and the market produce combined.

So what's up folks? What have you grown for yourself and eaten and do you get the same enjoyment from it as I do? Have you had bastard snails and had to fling them over the fence? What gardening did you do over the weekend, if any? Feel free to share in the comments section.