Breakfast of Champions

For most people (most people I know at least), breakfast is MAYBE a cup of coffee and a granola bar. For me, that ain't gonna cut it. I have to eat breakfast, or I get hangry. If you're like me, and have a bit of space in your city yard, you can solve your hanger with a pinch of know-how and a bit of elbow grease. Let's head out to the garden to see what's for breakfast today!

ORANGES

When we moved into this house, there was already a mature orange tree in the backyard. I know, I know, not everyone starts with an orange tree, but hear me out. While you may not have one already, they are relatively cheap to purchase a grafted orange (or other fruit) tree for your yard. There are dwarf varieties for smaller yards and even patios can support a dwarf, potted fruit tree as long as there is plenty of sun and you are good about watering. Citrus likely won't do well in cooler climates, but apple and plum trees do very well. Juicing apples or oranges for your morning meal is easy when you have so many just outside your back door.

SWISS CHARD

I like Swiss chard. Not everyone does, but I do. It's sweeter than kale and more firm than spinach. Like other leafy greens, chard is pretty easy to grow and doesn't take up much space. I like to plant mine in very early spring (we don't freeze here) to reap the benefits of chard as early in the season as possible. I have found that it doesn't like the heat, so it will bolt on me if I plant them too late.

In case you weren't sure, bolting is when a plant grows really fast to flower and set seeds as fast as possible due to stress. You can tell if a plant has bolted if it has tall, thin stalks and the leaves taste bitter.

CHIVES

Chives are the dainty, tender, delicately flavored member of the onion family. Contrary to popular belief, they are not just baby green onions just as green onions are not just baby onions. They are all different. I know, right? Some people dry their chives, but I prefer them fresh. To me, they lose their crisp flavor when dried. I planted my chives at the same time as my chard, so pretty early in the spring. It was earlier in the spring than people in cold climates could plant, but if you are in a cold climate, start them inside about 6 weeks prior to the last frost before planting outside.

QUAIL EGGS

Quail eggs are tiny, more flavorful versions of chicken eggs. To me, they taste a bit smokey. That's that flavor most people talk about. Most of the time, I do half of the needed volume in quail eggs and half of the needed volume in chicken eggs. That way I get the lightness of the chicken eggs with the delicate smokiness of the quail eggs. Head over to our quail section for more information on the bird babies!