Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has cabbage, onions, garlic, the last of the pumpkins, kohlrabi, rutabaga, carrots, beets, black radishes, and the last of the winter tomatoes. Field Notes. As many of you already know my husband, Ken died on December 19, 2017. Prior blog entries describe his illness and death and the obituary is posted as well. This was a difficult harvest from the root cellar for me as I thought …
We have been experiencing cold temperatures over weeks – too long for a cold snap, or a cold spell, it’s a cold stretch! During this stretch what is my first thought once the sun is out, the wind dies down and it climbs UP to minus ten degrees? FILL THE WOOD RACKS! First I sought out my enthusiastic trainer, Oscar. Then I hauled in wood to fill the cooks stove wood rack …
We sprout grain for the poultry. Ken build trays with screens on the bottom to fit bread racks. With this cold, the entry temperature fell below freezing. So I emptied the rack. I moved the sprouts inside the house to the tub room – warmer and more moist They seem to be growing more slowly, but are doing fine!
With Ken out of town I thought it would be fun to surprise him upon return with the Christmas tree cut, set up and decorated. I figured I was up to the challenge of doing it alone – and I was right. What an adventure! First I got a rope ( my sister – in- law’s excellent suggestion), and a bow saw and the longer sturdier sled. Then I looked at trees. …
Part of raising pork is rendering lard. Well rendered lard is a wonderful fat. One can use less than most oils and it takes heat well. It is marvelous in making pastry, especially pie crust. One heats the fat at a low temperature; some people use a crock pot or a simmer burner. We use the oven. Once the fat reaches 255 degrees any water or liquid has evaporated and the fat is pure. …
Greetings from the Garden! This CSA box has onions, garlic, winter tomatoes, squash, the last of the sweet potatoes, winter kohlrabi, beets, and cabbage. Field Notes. We are glad to see the snow; it will act as an insulating blanket and slow the descent of the frost into the ground. It also provides a check against erosion and will provide moisture to the soil. Seed inventory is done, and next we hit the seed catalogs. …
Each season Ken and I look for an early snowfall. If we are lucky cold follows snow and the snow continues to pile up. While this does not make everyone happy, gardeners rejoice. Why? The snow acts a s a blanket to insulate the ground, and slow the frost creeping down, The warmer soil means microbes stay closer to the surface and the earth’s warmth can actually slowly melt the snow from below so good …
Each year around Thanksgiving Ken and I discuss our season to plan how to improve in the coming year. We also discuss what we should grow more of and what we should grow less of in the next season. After that I do the seed inventory to see what viable seed we still have from the prior season. Then I start to go through seed catalogs. I try to get the orders in early …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has onions, garlic, winter squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage, celery root, carrots, black radishes, rutabagas, winter tomatoes, and greens Field Notes. We have some greens in hoopettes in the garden, and we will see just how they do! This has been a season of extremes – 80 in October and a low of 5 in early November and this week may see the 60’s! Ken has moved poultry …
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here
