Garden Greens

It's about 44 degrees, windy and raining right now, so it's a good day to remember that it IS almost summer. We have a hearty greens bed that has weathered some good cold frosts in the month since I planted it. The peas were doing great until the darn ground squirrel came and mowed them down.That's despite 2 layers of fencing. Grrrrr.

The "weeds" this year are largely edible mustards that planted themselves last year when things went to seed; I wasn't really paying that much attention. But the edible weeds have been handy, because the ground squirrel avoids anything in the brassica family, and I'm trying to use them as cover for the surviving pea plants. We'll see.



But for now, we are almost to the buy-no-more-imported-greens stage, which is great. We'll get more things planted soon. Even Bean (shown here "helping" a few days ago when the weather didn't require winter jackets) is enjoying eating cooked greens. Mmm!

Hot Cold Remedy

Even though I am feeling a bit better lately, this 2-week-long cold is still kicking my backside. Waaaay too much, ah, fluid in places it should not be. Ears, nose, lungs- ugh. I don't normally take many cold medications, but those avenues are definitely closed with baby-to-be sharing this body with me.

So, I'm trying to remember other good remedies, things I sometimes do and tend to forget later.

Like this:

Nope, not hiding my head in despair. Inhaling steam! Thyme-scented steam, in this case. I've used it before; it has anti-spasmodic qualities to prevent dry coughs and is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is not recommended for medicinal use internally in pregancy, which is why I'm not drinking it or using essential oil. But I'm desperate to get rid of this cough/snot issue, which is also not likely good for baby. The coughing wakes up baby-to-be at night, I think... more kicking at times that were usually quiet before.

More for my own records than anything: remember the power of steam and herbs!

Oh, Deer.

This is a picture of our front door, taken a couple weeks ago when the cucumber vines were "small." We do not plant many ornamentals around here; it's usually pretty utilitarian, but beautiful nonetheless.

So, what does such a door say to you? Welcome? Gardeners live here?

Apparently, to the neighborhood deer, it says something entirely different:


The cucumber vine, which has gotten much loving attention and was producing many cucumbers, is now about half the size it was this morning. It's too dark (and disheartening) to take a picture now. Suffice it to say, cucumbers are missing.

I do beseech the damn deer: WHY eat prickly cucumber vines and tomato greenery (green tomatos included?) WHY graze so close to our house when there's tons of other green stuff to eat out there? WHY?

The deer have no comment thus far.

Produce

We're finally reaching the time for harvest of actual PRODUCE around here. We've had wonderful greens for months now. I haven't purchased lettuce or kale since May, all praise the absent groundsquirrels!

I really love growing greens, because the whole darn plant is edible; no wasted effort on inedible stalks, etc. Sometimes tomatoes and other plants seems like such a waste of good biomass! But I must admit that picking the first ripe tomatoes or zucchini has the thrill of an actual, hardwon product; it's SOMETHING. We've been gathering a few peas, small tomatoes and even cucumbers from a climbing plant that wants to take over our entire doorstep. It's great!

And so, the other day, I realized that even if I'm not participating in the One Local Summer project (just no time to plan and document my less-than-inspiring local meals), I DO have something local to show. May I present to you: TWO LOCAL SALADS!

Tada! A selection of fresh greens, veggies and even eggs, all collected that very day on our own property. Yes, the harvest is sweet! More to come...

Greens = Gorgeous

I love having a good variety of greens in a garden. I think even the color and texture of humble chard is stunning! I usually just steam it and eat it plain; we’re simple foodies around here. We’re getting a few good kale plants to add to the steamed mix, plus a bit of tatsoi, arugula and some mustard greens. Why is it that hot, spicy things grow best and fastest in my gardens?

The new raised bed garden is doing very well. Remember when I got excited about this? It’s much more impressive now. I am no good at thinning, but I am trying to strike a balance between pinching out leaf lettuce from crowded plants and letting a few make big heads.

I wonder what it is about thinning that bugs me? I think I’m fairly conservative in the garden; ie don’t want to take something before it’s time, don’t want to cut all of a certain plant; want to save some for later. Then it may get eaten by critters or go bitter, but gosh darnit, I still have some left! Maybe it’s a fear of scarcity and pruning back too severely. I dunno... but it probably applies to my house clutter, too. Hmmm. Maybe even my head- too much stuff in here, things I should just let go so there's more room for the good stuff to grow. Ah, lessons from the garden.

(Lutsen considers becoming an herbivore)

But for now, I’m doing my best to keep up with this patch of abundant greens and enjoying the lush salads and nutritious steamed greens. I can FEEL those nutrients working!

Gifts from the Ground

We have some early-July abundance here:



The greens bed today. Groundsquirrel attacks have tapered off, at least in this bed. I planted it very densely to see what would grow well there in this first year. The peas WERE happy; they're struggling back after being nibbled. I'm trying to do some "in-place" succesion planting (harvest of early-season greens "releases" other crowded plants that can mature later, ideally). Chard is a clear winner right now. Blushed Butter Cos and Forrellenschluss are the most sucessful lettuces. Thanks to WF for starting some of these heads as plugs indoors a while back.


Irises rising above their chicken-protection fence. This does not protect them from the deer, who have enjoyed some tasty iris entrees lately. But these are hardy irises that keep blooming; bulbs given to me by MIL Donna. Thanks, Donna!


An unexpected gift: wild strawberries! We discovered them in full ripeness yesterday during a hike around the old pasture/field. I've never seen them set fruit like this before; not sure if we were just missing the peak or if this is an especially good year. It's a very ground-based picking experience: you have to sit down and just start looking carefully. I even "met" an anthill a bit more closely than I (or the ants!) would have liked, but it was worth it. I woke up dreaming about this breakfast, and by noon and some careful picking, I had it! Mmmm..... very grateful for such bounty hiding in the wilds of the place!

Spermophilus doesn’t love us!

(OK, what sort of google hits will I get with a title like that!?)

So. We have a little issue with some spermophilus franklinii. Now, now, don’t get all embarrassed: this is still a clean blog. (I love scientific names!) I’m talking about the Franklin’s Ground Squirrel, who has risen again for a summer of destruction.

I’m actually quite tired of hearing this:
A squirrel ate your lettuce? Are you sure it wasn’t a deer?

Yes, I’m sure. The gardens are all intensively fenced to 6 feet, but the holes are fairly big, allowing the “spermophilus” (translation from greek/latin: seed-loving, genus name for ground squirrels) to sneak in and chow down. I know we need to get out the chicken wire (about ¼ mile of it, likely) and do a second layer, but sheesh. That’s a lot of work.

What’s weird is that these little critters (warning; study skins at that link) are not REALLY supposed to be that common around here, but we know we have a bumper crop. A few years ago, we spotted a pregnant female, then later, 5 adorable babies popping their heads out of the burrow. Sure, cute until the wholesale destruction of peas and squash and lettuce begins!

And I’m not crazy; it IS indeed a squirrel (with effective sper...oh, never mind) eating our produce.

We need to get tough. Any non-lethal control ideas out there?

Garden Raid

So, the new little raised bed has been doing nicely. We got these perfect little radishes and bits of cress the other day (WF said: They look like they should be in a catalog!") and some of the lettuces heads are/were (like that foreshadowing, there?) really doing well. The peas have their own fence already, and it generally made us feel more caught up and productive in our gardening plans and tasks.

We should not be so hasty. Today, something got in a mowed down a big portion of what's in there! GRRRrrrrr. I got home after dark and haven't gone out to view the damage, but it sounds like the dreaded ground squirrels may be waking up from their long hibernation. Darn those critters! We'll need to fence the garden MORE (It's already got 6 ft deer fencing) because the holes are big enough for nibbling critters to get through.) Not sure if it will happen tomorrow before we head out on a rare road trip, but we'll try.

We're headed to the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, which has been a fun event in past years that we've attended. Lots of classes, speakers and even good food and music. WF's not inclined toward TOO much recreation, but if it's for a good cause... More when we're back!

Life!

Yes, indeed, there is still some life over here!

And some lovely new greens sprouting in the lovely new raised bed WF built from salvaged douglas fir (through a friend's "urban logging" company). We've had a LOT of rain, which is good for the overall drought, but has become a wee bit tedious for outdoor time. This was a brief window this evening; more storms are predicted tomorrow.

But trying to stay postive in the face of some stress. One FUN accomplishment last week was hitting the 200 mile mark in my record of miles run and walked since January 1st! I don't usually have enough online time to check in, but the original idea for tracking and having set 100-mile goals was from Rachel at yarnagogo and runagogo. I actually met a new local running partner through her San Francisco based site... fun.

With that, I need to get to sleep so as to be somewhat awake for the standard early Wednesday morning run tomorrow. Peace!

Garden 'n Chicken Check-in

So, the blog has strayed lately to personal and "people" topics, without much chicken or garden content- hmm. Partly that's because it feels like we're never home, not doing much bonding (or harvesting!) in the garden or observing the quiet puttering ways of poultry. WF just finished unloading manure in the dark and rain; such is the life of a two-jobs-in-town and too-much-traveling existence right now.

Looking back at the calendar, I confirmed that I haven't spent two continuous days here since June- always work or travel or family events happening. But "the farm" (as WF's sister delights in saying- we can't quite bring ourselves to call it that yet) is still here, carrying on in the face our town-based distractions!

The young chicks are now over 3 months old: still a long ways from laying eggs (T-mins first egg is December 1st or so) but not really looking like babies anymore.



Here they are inspecting the adult tractor (they have their own new tractor, expertly, if painstakingly, built by WF) and learning to mix with the big hens (and rooster). All 8 are still with us, but the two roosters are starting to look a bit tasty, ahem. We're still not seasoned with the butchering thing, but WF thinks he could do the deed when needed. Still, anyone need a young rooster?

The "old chickens" are currently molting, so there are not many eggs. But each hen who grows back enough feathers avoids this winter's stewpot, so I'm silently cheering them on!

The garden still has plenty of old stuff; dry beans were hastily harvested at twilight today, and we're hoping the beets and carrots can get through the predicted SNOW tonight- we'll finish harvest this weekend. There have been some lovely potatos, thanks to WF. Garlic has been planted. A few tomato vines still hang in the garage with tiny grape tomatoes, slowly ripening. My doorstep kale garden has been ravaged by deer (some of it was actually TOUCHING the house: they have no shame!) but there's some hope of carrying that through for a little longer, providing a few green treats for the chickens later in cold fall.

The rain is falling right now and temps are dropping, so we'll see what the world looks like in the morning! Stay warm!

(non-loading picture of cozy warm stove here)
First fire, October 4th or so-?

Frosty!

The Tomato Harvest, in various stages of ripeness. The cats are fairly mystified about this new addition to their sunning window, but the humans hope for a few more (indoor) garden-ripe tomatoes.

We had the first killing frost on Saturday night, the day of a beautiful sunny Harvestfest in town. We covered diligently, but some leaves still got it. Then Sunday night FELT warmer in the evening, so we got a bit lax, and that night the temps plunged even further. Tomatoes did survive, but we took that as our clue to harvest, fast. Our garden suffered a bit this year from over-scheduled tenders: somehow it got away from us. But there were still WF-sized "Peace Vine" plants, with beautiful little 6 and 8 packs of grape-sized tomatoes, ripening in sequence.



Now, what to do with the abundance? Simple snacking seems somehow overly indulgent or not quite "long range thinking" enough, but it's what we're doing right now! Bittersweet, to enjoy such a summer taste with a Fall chill in the air...

One Local Lunch

We’re back, Bill is feeling better, thanks, chickens are fine, and I have family history and old farm questions rattling around in my head, waiting for a moment to sit down and process. Soon! But right now I have only the brain-space for this late post.

Liz at Pocket Farm has been running the One Local Summer initiative, a great idea that I haven’t really embraced on this blog. She recently wondered why some people didn’t join. I responded with what I hope was not a too-testy comment, listing my excuses: working in town too much, commuting, busy with other stuff, not a fancy cook, no time to really plan out my meals and document them, still try to shop and eat local, grow lots of our own food, etc.

A little while later, I realized that I was eating a nearly all-local lunch, left over from the last night’s dinner, crafted in our standard weekday style: cook some stuff and throw it together, add flavorings and go.



Grown at home: Tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, beets, beet greens (0 miles, before trip to work)

Added for flavor: Cheese, flax seed and nutritional yeast, (all bulk, from local co-op, 12 miles- true, not grown locally, but…)

Served: In handy work travel-ware (sometimes in a stainless container, much better)
Eaten: At desk, in presence of too many files and other desk detritus.


Ahem. I DO think eating local is extremely important, and it’s becoming more second nature for me as time goes along. I’m still not as pure as WF (who refuses to ever eat New Zealand apples), but I’m getting better. This year we celebrated our first tomato purchases of the year: from a local farmer, who grows them in a greenhouse and gets ripe ones earlier than we can at home. It did feel good to ENJOY those tomatoes, to feel a sense of seasonal celebration, a little produce thrill when new things come onto our plates at the right time of year.

I’m happy to see more people embracing this idea, hearing stories on NPR (which SHOULD have quoted Liz), seeing more interest in local signage at the co-op, etc. Keep it up, those of you with the energy and skill for posting your dinners: I’ll enjoy my little local lunch “jumble” quietly over here.

Instructions

To the person who got here by googling “learn frolic” and also “how to frolic step-by-step”:

Moths, butchering, global warming!! Wheeee!! Feeling the frolic yet? While I’m a bit concerned that you’ve had to google such a spontaneous thing (wonder if you found anything more instructive out there?), I don’t think you’ve been well served by these recent entries.

I will attempt to increase the frolic factor from now on. Do recall, however, my decidedly archaic usage of the word as a “rural work party, perpetuating community.” There’s certainly been plenty of “raising” work around here lately!!


I also maintain that a front-step garden full off nippy cress, curvy tatsoi and voluptuous radishes on May 25th in northern MN is pretty darn frolicsome! Makes ME want to dance around and celebrate spring and almost-summer, that’s for sure. Now to tackle the other, only recently dried raised beds so I can regale you with later pictures of produce!


Mmmm, cress! And kale! This bed was planted April 8th and has never had a cover, just the warm house to protect it. Crazy, eh?

WF got more earnest about planning the "big" gardens last night, and Schroeder was happy to lend a hand... as, um, a paperweight! Yeah! She's a very fluffy paperweight, prone to excessive shedding.


The hens have been getting a bit of exploration time, and are plotting their next frolic-some activity, to be documented later. Deep in thought on the compost pile:




The hen on the right is the only one who didn't need a saddle during the great over-roostered plague of 2005-2006. She's tough and MEANS BUSINESS. Wonder what she's plotting?

Cycle of Seasons

Ah, the circle of life and harvest and replanting...



While I was spending too much time on the computer the other day (ahem), WF brought me this plate: All products of our garden last year! The carrots have been in slumbering in sawdust, and the garlic has been hanging out in the basement. Look at the size of that thing: that’s ONE clove! I love that variety- easy to peel. WF’s more of the garlic-grower, but I believe it’s Elephant something, a variety he’s been replanting from year to year for the past few years. Both the carrots and the garlic are getting a bit past their prime now in March, but still good enough to use. It is a nice feeling to still be eating from our gardens when we haven’t even SEEN them in a couple months…deep under the snow as they are.



We’re also slowly finishing our various seed orders, starting the cycle anew. WF’s been consulting the “Seed to Seed” book by Suzanne Ashworth more lately, trying to figure out which seeds we’ve saved in past years (somewhat haphazardly, in my case) will get us through this year. How many years do they last? What’s the cross-pollination story? We had the world’s most productive kale plant last year- it actually over-wintered from two years ago, and started setting seeds in early July. We were still gathering pods through September. We saved them diligently, but now read that there might have been too much cross-pollination (those freewheeling plants!) going on in that garden… kale and mustard greens and arugula and all sorts of things. I wouldn’t mind it if gave us some sort of super-brassica adapted to our garden, but I’m afraid that’s not how the greens genes (hee- Remember Mr. Green Jeans?) work. Guess we’ll plant and wait and see!!

And at the risk of setting a cat picture precedent…


Schroeder has carefully inspected the mid-winter produce and pronounced it… not as exciting as chicken. We’ll be cooking chicken (or maybe salmon) again soon, right?

Beet-icide

There's STILL no camera charger (darn that household black hole), so I've been browsing through my memory stick for something timely. NEED PICTURES. Can't always be forcing depressing text. Or so says my blog self-editor. Most of the very recent photos are on the home computer (where I am not), so this is a retrospective to the GREEN part of the year. Remember that time?

Why we did NOT have 30 lbs of beets this year, ala Liz.



The salvaged remnants were delicious, and the greens (mmmm, greens) were really great. There's something in our not-very-well-fertilized historic garden plot's soil that beets love. But of course, there's something ELSE in that garden plot (something that somehow evaded Miss Lutsen's best mousing efforts) that also loves beets. We left these big beautiful Chioggas in the garden just a bit too long into the fall, hoping they'd dry a bit and harden off well for root cellar/sawdust storage. Out of that entire effort, I got about 5 that were perfect enough to store (any hole in the skin leads to weird dessication in the sawdust). If you look close, you can see the actual teeth marks!



Live and learn. I'm happy to say that the carrots were safer from the little chewers (if not the slugs, ug). We stored enough in sawdust that we are STILL eating them this week. Can't complain about the carrots- good stuff.

Some other good stuff that wasn't bothered by much except wandering chickens was TATSOI. Mmmm. A very pretty green bouquet. I harvested this one in early November, I think. I definitely plan to get some started as soon as the soil thaws. Again, let's all remember: GREEN! It will come again! Getting excited for the upcoming seed order. Fedco, here I come!