The Last of the Rocket

In a snippet from a television show a few years back, I learned that rocket (or arugula, or rucola in the U.S.) can be found growing in the wild in many places across the country, and is little more than a weed. Little more than a tasty, tasty weed. Considering I am very good at growing weeds in the garden anyway, I entered rocket on the list of things to try my hand at in my vegetable patch. Indeed, it grew, and it was good.

Last night, I gathered the last of the spring rocket. It was beginning to bolt and turn to seed, so it was time to harvest it all. It's amazing to me that this salad leaf, which is so expensive to buy, can be grown with such ease and in such abundance. It begins to sprout only a few days after planting, and is ready to have the first leaves picked after only a few weeks. Their are different varieties to grow, but all have been just as easy and full of the wonderful peppery nutty taste that fresh rocket should have.

We shall be having salads with everything for the next few days in order to work our way through the basket-full that was gathered. Then, whenever the rain stops, I'll plant the next batch of seeds so we can be munching on fresh, peppery greens through to the end of summer.