Mary, Mary...How does your garden grow? And a side of Kohlrabi.

This is my first year trying to grow a garden. In past years, I've been known to kill even the hardiest of cacti. You know - the ones that can survive even the toughest droughts. What possessed me to decide to grow a garden? Pregnancy hormones. Last summer, when I was pregnant, the idea was of waltzing into the backyard to pick my own herbs and vegetables seemed almost romantic.

So my husband, Ryan, incorporated the garden into our giant backyard renovation. He's a handyman, do-it-yourself, contractor by profession kind of guy. Once he built me the garden plot, there was no turning back!

I didn't dare take on this task alone - I enlisted the help of my fabulous mother-in-law aka Green Thumb Extraordinaire. Really, her garden looks like a giant, edible, tropical rainforest. I must say it was such a great feeling getting my hands all covered in dirt. I later learned that gardening is very good for mental health - I'm reading The Primal Connection, by Mark Sisson. An excellent read, though I haven't finished it yet.

We set up soaker hoses, despite my mother-in-law's warning, and put them on timers to avoid me having to stand out there every day and water away. I've successfully harvested lots of rapini and green peas. However, the things I was most excited about, were all of the greens - collard greens, swiss chard, kale, lettuce blend, and a few types of cabbage. They never really took. Soaker hoses suck...lesson learned! We've wised up and are using a proper sprinkler now, and I'm hoping that I can still salvage the veggies.

Speaking of veggies, I happened upon some purple kohlrabi at a farmer's market this past weekend. Boy, is it ever pretty! (Yes, I find vegetables pretty now.) If you haven't tried it, you must! It's a recent addition to my growing kid-friendly vegetable arsenal. Reminiscent of broccoli, but more subtle. It boasts high levels of potassium, Vitamin C and fibre.

My favorite way to eat kohlrabi is steamed. Here's how: Steamed Kohlrabi Ingredients 3 - 5 Kohlrabi Olive Oil, to taste Sea Salt, to taste - Peel and chop into 1 inch chunks

- Steam until soft enough to poke with a fork (approx 8 - 10 minutes)

- Drizzle with olive oil & sea salt, to taste

That's not even really a recipe. I tried following a fancy recipe once that roasted the kohlrabi with mustard and other herbs and spices. It was crap. Oh well...THIS tastes good, I promise.

Oh - and if it happens to come with the greens attached, steam those up too! Or better yet, saute them in some bacon fat. Now my mouth is watering...time to go eat! By the way...If you've got any gardening tips for this first-timer, I'd love to hear them!