Tag: garden

homesteading, in the kitchen

Harvest Review

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The garden suffered this summer from the weather and neglect. I didn’t make it out as often as I might have to really maximize production. I should be grateful we didn’t have a scorcher of a summer; I barely watered and things still limped along, more or less. On the other hand, I did assemble a checklist early in the year to guide me through the various harvests so I would know how much of what I was planning on putting by for winter. I may have only coaxed three whole carrots out of the garden this year, but I’ve …

homesteading, Seasons

I Cannot Tell a Lie

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Look what our cherry tree did this summer! It’s been one of those rare occasions when a kitchen scale would have been helpful. Since we don’t have one, I’ve no idea how much fruit our tree produced this year. We’ve eaten lots of cherries, and there are two bags in the freezer all ready to be converted into cherry cobbler. I even borrowed the neighbor’s ladder only once, leaving everything I couldn’t reach on my own for the birds … and I still feel like I came out ahead. Save

homesteading, Seasons

Spring’s Toll

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Spring in these parts has been… well, to say “atypical” is to be nice about it. “Worst spring ever” is a more common description. Cooler than normal. Wetter than usual. Snow pack is something like 39,000% of normal. Some of this I haven’t really objected to, much. Yes, I’ve been a bit cranky that we still can’t reliably picnic on Wednesdays, but, as a person whose brain shuts off when it gets hot, I can’t say that the temperatures that only sometimes make it to 70 degrees have really bothered me. It’s been nice not really thinking much about watering …

Seasons

Finally, Some Spring!

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The sun came out today. It actually got warm. Spring may finally come to the Northwest. The cherry tree is blooming nicely. Hopefully some of these will turn into cherries that I get to eat before the birds find them all. It’s time to cut the grass in the back yard, but these little daisies are just so happy, I can’t quite bring myself to do it. Need to, though – the established grass is shading the new growth. Although, maybe I shouldn’t on the grounds that the new seedlings will need less supplemental water if they are shaded… The …

homesteading, Seasons

Getting Greener

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It’s the second sunny day in a row and I’ve spent parts of both days puttering in the garden(s). I’ve given up on growing foxgloves from seed and have finally just bought potted foxgloves and planted them in front of the front fence, with a couple of pansies. With any luck, they’ll fill in (maybe if I don’t plant the seeds but let them do it on their own I’ll get a whole row of foxgloves). Not sure how I’ll keep the neighborhood kids from grabbing the flower stalks and beating each other with them… The backyard is all cleaned …