May 14, 2020
Look at my beautiful cold frame lettuce. It’s still growing—as it has been so cool here in Maine this spring. But I gathered some lettuce—thinning the clumps to give some plants more room to grow—for my first cold-frame lettuce salad.
To remind, I set up this cold frame in the fall with new compost and seed and cover it for the winter. Left alone, it does its own thing when the longer daylight hours return. I’m still covering it most nights—remember that it SNOWED all day last Saturday, with no accumulation, but…
Here’s my first lettuce, rinsed and headed for the lettuce spinner.
I’m making a lunch salad, of course. And the protein will be one of the cube steaks I keep on hand. These steaks have a lot of flavor, defrost quickly, and cook in a very few minutes—just about two minutes a side, or less, in a hot cast iron frying pan.
Here’s my beautiful salad:
Lettuce from cold frame, sweet red pepper, roasted beets, cucumber, leftover asparagus, carrot, spring onion, red onion, apple, leftover forbidden black rice, cubed steak, olive oil, salt, and dried dill.
The daffodils this year have been glorious. I’ve planted so many now, each year choosing more and different varieties. Some of them are so frilly—they look almost like peonies.
I bring some inside to the kitchen window and so enjoy them there. Here’s the most recent selection.
Tom Jackson’s crew came and cut up the GIANT ash tree that fell over the stone wall property line last fall. It is a monster. I tried through the winter to donate the wood to anyone who would cut it and take it, but had no takers. It is just in a very difficult spot where getting the wood out would be way too hard.
There is a wetland below the stone wall and the tree, which would not allow for any equipment to come in that way.
I really need to get a picture of the daffodils in the little meadow this year. They are so beautiful and continue to naturalize over this area. They brighten the heart and soul, and I look forward to seeing them each year.
I finished hand quilting the big block Galactic wallhanging last night. I’ll trim and put on the binding/hanging sleeve/label today. And yesterday I finished the smaller block version—just two rounds. I love this block and could quite easily go down a rabbit hole with making the big block in a different palate. But I need to move on to the remaining three projects in The Color Collective, season 2, each of which look exciting to make.
And, today, which is THURSDAY already, is going to be much warmer. It is a bright, sunny day with little wind. I’m eager to get out into it.
Louisa Enright's Blog 
I started my Lettuce in February in the house, in a bright warm window….. It is no where as big as yours! we had a frost last week and this monday (ohio) so I’m glad I had not yet transplanted it today we are getting rain and warmer weather so it will be transplanted soon. Disappointed in growing it indoors. I don’t think it transplant that well
Hi there. Thanks for reading my blog and commenting. It’s a beautiful sunny day this morning in Maine. I’ve had a lot of success for many years now with setting up the cold frame in the late fall and seeding it with the lettuce. The lid is just clear plastic as the original glass broke under heavy snow years ago. I weight down the hard plastic (not a tarp) with stones from the garden paths. It all works well, and I always get such a kick each spring when I see the lettuce sprouting green under the lid starting in late February/early March.