I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!
Today's harvest, about 50 Italian prunes, 2 big tomatoes, a couple of little ones (including one green one that got knocked off the vine), a little cucumber that the plant died on (death by chicken), another handful of green beans, and my very first broccoli. I also got brave and cut some grown chard. I am going to saute it. It is generally treated as an ornamental around here, but it does so well I decided it was time to try cooking it myself. I have had baby chard in salads and I've eaten it in soups, but I've been ridiculous about eating it any other way.
I am going to freeze the Italian prunes. The nice lady at Throwback at Trapper Creek told me how she freezes hers and I will use that method. I just really don't feel like canning and this way I won't be adding any extra sugar.
This was part of my mother's corn harvest. She didn't take care of it at all, basically planted it and forgot it and since it didn't rain more than twice this summer, her lack of watering majorly stunted it. Yet it's a testament to her soil that it still produced some tasty kernals (we ate it for lunch) even if the ears were tiny. If it hadn't we would have just tossed it to the chickens.
This is my first year gardening in this climate since, oh, maybe 1989, other than fruit harvest, and while I gardened at the other house, we always had our first killing frost before October. The only things I ever saw there were pears and apples after September. The difference between a climate in the foothills of Mt. Baker and a maritime climate are quite wonderful to me.
I've definitely got some changes I will make next year if we are still living here, or ideas for whatever house we end up buying if we sell the old house and can buy before spring. It will be in this climate no matter where we buy, pretty much. Most of the houses on smaller lots in this town tend to have the best sun in their front yards. I have no issue with mixing vegetables in all the flowerbeds if that is my only way to do it. It is actually becoming quite common to see front yard gardens here these days. They are usually in raised beds, but they are there.
My biggest thing is to get the stuff into the ground sooner than June instead of letting it languish in pots, then putting it in the ground and hoping really hard. I knew better than this, but um...well, we all get lazy or sick or keep putting it off and these things happen. It just can't happen next year if I want to plant enough green beans for the year.
I also will have some diatomaceous earth on hand to deal with the slugs and I absolutely will not listen to my mother about using straw mulch. All that was in the rains of spring was perfect slug habitat and they decimated my cauliflower crop to the point that I didn't get to harvest any of it.
I need to keep my seeds in one location so that I am not frantically searching for them a month or two later when I am ready to plant them. I swear I lost my packets of green bean seeds no less than five times (bought more twice) and ended up planting starts instead, which is why I don't have any to preserve this year as they were close to sold out when I got the ones I have and so I only have had enough for about 2 meals a week.
So basically, the last week of April and the first week of May, I need to be organized, not get sick, and not get lazy. And also hope for a somewhat cooler, but still hot, July.
My First October Harvest
October 3rd, 2012 at 11:20 pm
October 3rd, 2012 at 11:59 pm 1349308774
October 4th, 2012 at 01:03 am 1349312610
Is the other house listed for sale now?
October 4th, 2012 at 01:09 am 1349312980
October 4th, 2012 at 11:58 am 1349351892
October 4th, 2012 at 11:38 pm 1349393885
October 6th, 2012 at 01:31 am 1349487108
She made her family's favorite Bread Pudding by saute onion in an oven proof pan, adding a small amt of minced garlic & remove from heat. Meanwhile, quickly brighten chopped kale , next beat egg yolks & vanilla. Use 3 C dry bread or toast torn in chunks & add tempered egg to warm milk to soak up all the liquid. Add the saute onion, garlic & kale. I'd add grated cheese mixture yellow & Parmesan and return all to that oven proof pan initially used to saute. She created a topping with a mixture of cheese which would be a 2nd helping here. Cover with foil and bake 350. removing cover final 15 minutes to 'crisp'
Healthy greens, stash of stale bread, eggs & another opportunity to use up a combination of small, frozen cheese nubs...what do you think?