Coffee, Trout & Tomatoes

Not a recipe. This is where I have my first sips of coffee in the morning. I no longer dare put off checking the greenhouse. I’m out of bed and in the seedling house around 5 am these days. I take my cup of coffee with me. The heater is turned back to 1 or sometimes off depending on how warm it is outside. This morning I looked over the plants carefully. The peppers’ cotyledons are a bit yellow and it’s too early in their lives for that. I’ll let them dry out from yesterday’s watering while the seaweed tea brews. They need a good cup of tea. The cauliflower survivors (in case I didn’t already tell you, I forgot to turn the heat on one night) are bouncing back. Cauliflower is the wimpiest cold weather crop I grow. The next batch of Pac Choi, which I’ll sell most of in the gh, filled its tray over night. Gonzales and Ruby Red Perfection cabbage look fantastic.

Then I leave the seedling house, coffee in hand, to walk to the pond. I normally leave the dogs in the house this early in the morning. Their obnoxious barking would wake Taylor. I ask you, does anyone want a grumpy teenager up at 5 am when it’s avoidable? Morning is not her best time of day. Leaving the dogs in has another advantage. If I’m quiet I can sometimes watch the wild ducks or bittern at the pond. The bittern walks the edge of the water to hunt small fish. I’ve yet to see either this year. The rainbow trout are waiting near the surface for their breakfast. When the floating food hits the water they start rolling. I think they’ve satisfied their winter hunger. They’re rolling now, not attacking their food.

This morning the chickadees were calling, a partridge drummed not too far away, and a woodpecker tapped out a loud Morse code message to other woodpeckers in the area. The sun was above the horizon but still peaking through the trees. I love the very early sunrise we’re blessed with in Washington county. We see the sun before the rest of the nation. And then it’s back to the house to read blogs while I finish my coffee.