Cold Roof Garden: 45 Degrees F in Chicago May 23

90+ degrees on May 20. And three days later today's late-morning temp was 45. The winds made the feel-like temp 34, according to a local weather site. Chilly!

Time to make stock.

The swift 45-degree shift in actual temperature upends any idea of a normal Chicago spring, where coolish air gradually leads us into summer. Up on the roof, the tomatoes, planted weeks early in the heat, strained at their stakes in the cold wet wind.

The cool-loving arugula was perky.

 

Standing strong: eggplant and peppers, planted a couple days ago.

I went up in shorts, undaunted, to plant these seedlings, left to the wayside during our early tomato frenzy.

 Got the tatsoi and mustard into these SIPs from Menards in record time (too cold to make a pic).

Came back down with a load of rooftop cholorphyll to toss for lunch. Big bowls of it every day.

Worked.

And bashed some fermented veggies with Bruce, Art, and Carl, Carl enjoying stock tailings and cabbage leaves for lunch.