This time of year I can not get enough of our garden. I could sit in the garden all day if my kids would let me. Nor can I take enough pictures in an attempt to capture the fleeting lush bounty of summer. Yesterday I walked down from morning chores with a pail of milk, and as much produce as I could carry; carrots, kale, swiss chard, Romanesco, thyme, parsley, oregano and basil. Onions and garlic are hanging in the house already. I had pulled out some local Italian beef sausage and cooked some red beans. Put everything together and I made a tasty pot of soup. We ate soup and cornbread for dinner, put six quarts in the freezer and still have enough for a few more meals this week. I've been drying and blanching herbs and picking veggies for each nights dinner. Other than that most of the garden is still in the ground. The green tomatoes are ever so slowly ripening. I've almost been thinking maybe they'd ripen up quicker in the house and then I could start amending and prepping some beds for next year.
When it comes to harvesting I tend to wait until the last minute. Last year we were hacking into the frozen ground trying to get all the carrots and potatoes out. I can't ever seem to tear out the flowers before the ground freezes solid as they just keep blooming until they are frozen and covered with snow. Luckily a lot of what is in the garden just keeps doing better in the cool weather like beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage and romanesco. The peas and beans are slowing down. Some low lying areas have already frosted. Usually their has to be a hard freeze in the twenties before I go out in a last minute dash to save everything.
And on another note; meet Zanzibar, our newest buck. He has a story to go with his introduction, but it is a story for another day. These pictures were taken the day I brought him home. He is already filling out and looking healthier. He handles well and is very sweet.
This time of year I can not get enough of our garden. I could sit in the garden all day if my kids would let me. Nor can I take enough pictures in an attempt to capture the fleeting lush bounty of summer. Yesterday I walked down from morning chores with a pail of milk, and as much produce as I could carry; carrots, kale, swiss chard, Romanesco, thyme, parsley, oregano and basil. Onions and garlic are hanging in the house already. I had pulled out some local Italian beef sausage and cooked some red beans. Put everything together and I made a tasty pot of soup. We ate soup and cornbread for dinner, put six quarts in the freezer and still have enough for a few more meals this week. I've been drying and blanching herbs and picking veggies for each nights dinner. Other than that most of the garden is still in the ground. The green tomatoes are ever so slowly ripening. I've almost been thinking maybe they'd ripen up quicker in the house and then I could start amending and prepping some beds for next year.
When it comes to harvesting I tend to wait until the last minute. Last year we were hacking into the frozen ground trying to get all the carrots and potatoes out. I can't ever seem to tear out the flowers before the ground freezes solid as they just keep blooming until they are frozen and covered with snow. Luckily a lot of what is in the garden just keeps doing better in the cool weather like beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage and romanesco. The peas and beans are slowing down. Some low lying areas have already frosted. Usually their has to be a hard freeze in the twenties before I go out in a last minute dash to save everything.
And on another note; meet Zanzibar, our newest buck. He has a story to go with his introduction, but it is a story for another day. These pictures were taken the day I brought him home. He is already filling out and looking healthier. He handles well and is very sweet.
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