Wrapping Up for Winter

Did a bunch of work in the yard today including flipping the rain barrel so it wouldn't fill & freeze.

Obligatory before shot:

We harvested what we could of the parsley and kale before pulling everything up and turning in the leaves.

I know that kale and parsley could have survived til next year but we're going to most likely be turning in a lot of things to the beds and it's not like they were hard to grow.
The cauliflowers found in the centers of the plants weren't even big enough for a snack.

Tiny

Less Tiny

We already have two big mason jars of dried parsley, a large container in the freezer of frozen parsley... so hopefully we can find this fresh bunch a home with friends.

What was left of the parsley.

And of course, the obligatory after shots:

Shed & compost piles

Trellis tied for wind stability

Lonely potted calendula.

Closer shot so you can see, the new compost pile is off to a good start.

Learning from 2012

We learned quite a few things this year:

• I don't actually have the time or desire to keep track of seeding/transplanting/harvesting every week on top of watering and weeding.
• I don't mind drying/freezing/canning our produce and would much rather have a big harvest to store than a continuous trickle that will most likely get wilty and gross before we eat it
• We don't need half as many varieties and would probably be much better off planting more of what we'll definitely eat
• The seedlings were leggy because they didn't get enough light
• The transplants did poorly because they were not properly hardened off
• The garden in general did poorly because the soil's still terrible and we didn't water nearly enough
• The front lawn is a waste of space(even tiny as it is) an no one wants to mow it even if the mower were working

What did you learn this year?

I cannot live on bread alone... I also need books.

I just finished reading "Made from Scratch" by Jenna Woginrich at at the very back was questions to the author  I'd just like to quote from it for a second here:

"Can you give readers your best advice for attaining self-sufficiency? What is your kernel of wisdom for a beginner?

The best advice I can give is to start small, and not let those small changes in your lifestyle feel small. Changing your life takes time, research, energy, and effort. But changing your light bulbs, grocery bag contents, and library books are great ways to get started."

In the tradition of Miss. Worinrich I decided to do something small and positive today. I made bread.

 The one at the back is whole grain baked in a loaf pan. It has with whole grains in it like those fancy twelve grain breads so it looks a bit odd. The two smaller loaves in the front are seasoned with garlic and herbs and braided for pulling apart and eating with a saucy dinner. :)

What's your favourite no microwave, no electric mixer, old school recipe?

Frankenstorm

Other than the power going out for a few hours and the kale plants getting a little beat up we survived the tail end of Sandy with no trouble.

I hope you and yours are also safe and sound.

A Pepper of a Different Colour.

So you've seen this pic already... but something happened.

Key pepper at bottom, other two in later pic.

This pepper started changing colour! This is it two days ago:

top

bottom

And this is it yesterday along with the other two circled above:

This tells me that the pepper seeds I got can and will produce red peppers if the right conditions are met. Next year a focus on proper pepper care plus plastic sheeting should produce a plentiful assortment of peppers.