Winter’s Gold

Fruta de oro

So far this winter has been a mild one, and today was another in a string of almost summery days. At the Rancho, that feeling has been bolstered by a bumper crop of golden color. Our small lemon tree was heavily laden with fruit and the photograph above is just part of today’s harvest. I’m not sure if these are Meyer lemons but they’re so sweet that they can be eaten out-of-hand. I’ll use some in a vegetable dish that includes carrots, parsnips and garlic; all of them roasted to a savory state of caramelization. Others will give zesty flavor to cupcakes, the thin peels candied and used as a delicious embellishment; I’ll post photos of both dishes later. Now, for more gold …

Pale gold

… our bulbine frutescens waves pale golden clusters in a light breeze. Its blossoms glow in the morning sun, revealing their delicate structures.

Sun shine

From the midst of the lacy foliage of cassias peek brown-eyed golden blooms. Cut way back earlier in the year, these plants are smaller than in the past, with fewer blooms. I’m happy to see them coming back.

Butter cup

Abutilon palmeri, with its velvety-soft grey foliage, is sporting new cups-of-gold … like the nearby cassias, this plant was also cut back … happily, it’s back on the upswing.

Gold puffs

Last, my knife-leaf acacia’s in flower: It’s currently decorated with tiny puffs of gold that contrast appealingly with its triangular blue-green leaves. Winter, for many gardens, is not the most colorful of seasons, but for mine it’s been great … my aloes have been blooming in shades of rust, salmon and red-orange, and now this gold rush. Take your time, Spring!