05/25/2026
There is much joy to be experienced in the late spring jardin of the Illinois Country. The fits and starts of the early garden season are giving way to the timeless rhythm of French kitchen gardens of late spring. The garden is still providing fine harvests of beets, kale, peas, and radishes while the garden transitions to late spring plantings of beans, peppers, and summer squash. The European alpine strawberries and native dewberries are setting fruit, while the ripening of native currants and gooseberries is on the horizon. Earlier plantings of cabbages, carrots, leeks, lettuce, onions, and spinach are continuing to mature under these cooler temperatures and occasional showers. Other garden tasks are also underway, such as the recent cool weather-fueled strong growth the French heritage espaliered apple trees that now require a light pruning to bring the trees back into form and an emergency repair of the netting and wire supports of the wild grapes.
In all of this activity, one cannot fail to feel an ethereal presence in these centuries-old tasks of the women of le Pays des Illinois. Their spirit can be felt in these simple seasonal garden efforts, conducted with an appreciation of the beauty that can be created while providing the necessary sustenance needed for their families to survive in this new world.
Photos CK
