menu for April 19th, 2025

Sayuri’s note

We have finally started planting again. When I was weeding this week, I saw that Japanese Kerria and German irises are blooming. It is nostalgic for me. My grandpa often transplanted Japanese Kerria in his garden. They have dark yellow flowers like small pom-poms. We see them growing wild in the woods in Japan. Selu gave me the plants for my birthday a few years ago. We had a lot of irises along the edge of the garden at my house in Japan and I often brought cut flowers to my classroom for decoration when I was a kid. I love the dark purple and white colors. 

We are a little bit behind gardening this year but my “little babies" are growing in the house and I will transplant them in the garden soon. The weather has been like a roller coaster. It feels like we can experience all four seasons in a week. I was worrying about the potatoes that we planted in March but they are finally popping out! Whew! We just had the first full moon after the spring equinox on April 12th, called a “pink moon,” and a freeze warning the next morning. I saw thornless blackberries blooming in the garden already, and I always remember the song called Blackberry Blossom that the kids used to play. Even in cold weather, garlic chives and green onions survive. They are full of energy and taste best this time of the year. 

Speaking of the “pink moon”, the moon is not pink. I learned that because phlox blooms around this time of year, Native American people call the full moon in April a “pink moon”. There were beautiful pink cherry blossoms blooming in late March too. We have cherry blossoms everywhere in Japan. I miss seeing them so much that Joe and I went to the University of North Georgia to see them this spring. Japan sent cherry blossoms to the U.S. in 1912 and the U.S. sent dogwoods in return. My grandpa planted a dogwood tree in our garden in Japan so I saw it blooming every year, but I had no idea back then that it was a symbol of the U.S. and Japan’s friendship with them then. We saw where they were planted in Japan and I always thought they looked beautiful and wonderful, so I was amazed when I saw them blooming wild in the woods here. The dogwood grows slowly, but strongly, so their flowers symbolize strength, endurance, rebirth, resurrection, and purity. I hope the world can endure adversity and be resurrected like dogwood to make peace. 

Let’s enjoy the garden dinner together tonight!

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