Independence Days Update: Indian Summer
Sharon September 21st, 2009
We had a slight dance with frost on Friday and Saturday nights, and to my immense relief, we had none on the ground, although a bit on the windshield. I’m simply not ready to be done with the tomatoes – I *still* haven’t done my corn marathon, since Selene kidded on the day allotted to it last week (it is planned for tomorrow, and I fully expect Maia to kid tomorrow, of course 
). And the tomatoes are still trickling in, I haven’t harvested the tomatillos yet, and I’ve got a late planting of greenbeans that should make it harvesting size yet…so at this point I’m grateful that the forecast is for a week of lovely Indian summer weather – warm days, cool nights, no frost.
It was a glorious holiday weekend for us – we had guests both nights, delicious food (we did vegan Mexican the first night, and the tamale pie and the “round challah with cinnamon-sugar swirl, basically “challah as giant cinnamon bun” really were great), lots of laughter and fun, great singing and every other imaginable pleasure. On the second night, my friend Alexandra’s 90+ year old grandmother made it to our home (this was something of a big deal), and got to pet a 4 day old goat kid, as well as a salamander the kids brought in for the creek, and the whole thing was utterly delightful.
My favorite part of the weekend was that Eric read Haftorah (the reading from prophets done after the Torah reading) in front of a packed synagogue of people on the second morning. This was something of a big deal because he’s only just started chanting Haftorah after a 26 year break , since his bar mitzvah again – this was his third time. It was an honor to be asked, and he has a lovely voice that shows itself well in the acoustics of our shul. My husband is a modest guy, not at all prone to arrogance, but enough people praised his clarity and voice that he’s starting to believe that it isn’t just because I’m his wife that I’m incredibly impressed with him.
Despite the preparation for the holidays and the new baby (who is doing extremely well – she is the cutest imaginable thing, and so friendly), we did get some canning and gardening done last week, but I admit, I’m looking forward to having a few bright days between now and Yom Kippur to harvest and preserve the summer things – while some years our last frost date has been as late as the end of October, this has been a cool year, and I’m simply not counting on anything after October 1.
Once October starts, I’m going to enter into raised bed building in earnest for next year – and planning the expanded herb gardens. We’ve also got some new fencing and mowing to do as well to get ready for sheep. I’m trying to decide if our family can pull off a trip to Rhinebeck, to the sheep and wool festival in October – Eric isn’t exactly enthusiastic about his wife with money near a giant festival of sheep, yarn, fleece and associated products (he has told me that he’s going to frisk me and take all my cash and credit away before we go) but since we’re looking to get sheep, I’ve almost got him resigned to the fact that this trip must be entirely necessary .
As much as I always regret frost, I do find that I really enjoy the “frost preserving” – that is, putting up the last stuff on the vine. I love making things out of green tomatoes, that over-ripe cucumber that was hidden under the leaves, and all the other things that one finds and needs to preserve at the end of the season. I find it fascinating and creative to put up the odds and ends, plus, I could live on green tomato pickles .
Ok, onwards:
Plant something: – I transplanted a few starts, and planted some arugula, but that’s about it.
Harvest something: Cucumbers, summer squash, beets, beans, peppermint, hickory nuts, wild grapes (still too early, really, but we ate them ), onions, potatoes, turnips, broccoli, chard, carrots, eggs, milk, goldenrod, plantain, peppers, eggplant, cabbage.
Preserve something: Canned tomatoes, canned salsa, dried tomatoes, dried sweet peppers, made cheese, made lemon pickles, made kimchi.
Waste Not: Made lemon pickles with some of the overgrown cukes, and fed giant summer squash to the chickens (I step on them first). Otherwise, just the normal things – not going places, not buying stuff, composting, feeding scraps to animals.
Want Not: Can’t think of anything.
Eat the Food: Besides cinnabun challah, which was not local but was awesome ; the tamale pie with sauteed sweet potatoes and caramelized onions were really good, so was the yellow tomato and tomatillo salsa with rau rom (I was out of cilantro). Second night the baked apples stuffed with cranberries were really good (although the apples themselves were not the best bakers), as were the coconut-lime mashed sweet potatoes.
Build community Food Systems: I’ve got a couple of things in the works, but nothing right this week. Independence Days should be in my hands sometime this week, which means some good stuff.
How about you?
Sharon
- Independence Days Challenge
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We had another super-intense catch-up canning weekend, and our kitchen was full as we canned with our friend whose kitchen is being renovated and 2 other friends who wanted to learn to can. See more here:http://inthepurplehouse.blogspot.com/2009/09/independence-days-challenge-week-21.html
Plant: STILL nothing planted, but continued cleaning out the beds and preparing for fall planting; noticed more “volunteers” (peppermint is recovering from its near-death experience; basil self-seeded all over the bed, and the oregano and tarragon are trying to take over the world).
Harvest: peppers, basil, oregano, tarragon, okra, peas, eggplant, green tomatoes
Preserve: dried peppers; canned peas
Waste Not: *Pulled 2-liter bottles from the recycling bin, cleaned them up and used them for emergency water storage. Got some nice 1-gallon juice containers from my brother, also for water. *Discovered that my chickens LOVE giant okra, as long as I hack the pods open for them. *Cut up old flannel baby blanket for “family” wipes; haven’t gotten around to sewing them yet. *The usual recycling, clothesline usage, limited a/c, etc.
Want Not/Prep/Store: *Replenished stock of sugar, flour and grits. *Picked up some extra pillows to store for unexpected company. *Picked up a 10-pack of soap to be used for laundry detergent, shampoo, etc. *Cleaned out a closet and found: a bunch of fabric to be used for curtains, cloth TP, costumes, etc.; 2 stereo systems, 2 enormous stuffed animals and 3 lamps (still in moving boxes –we’ve been in this house 2½ years), all to be donated. *We no longer have any sort of TV service (it’s been about a month) and every week, the kids are less interested in watching the movies/cartoons we have/borrow from the library. They’re far more interested in working in the garden with me and just playing outside. This may very well be in the Top 5 of preps that we’ve made so far; I wish we hadn’t waited as long as we did. :/
Community Food System: Continued sharing the pea harvest. The same friend who picked peas with me brought me a bag of scuppernongs from her yard. Mmmm! She’s also interested in learning to pressure can; she’s the 2nd person in 2 weeks who’s asked me to show them how to can, so while I’m no expert, I may invite some friends over for an informal food preservation workshop.
Eat the Food: *Tinkered with my normal bread recipe and LOVE the result – a much more sandwich-friendly slice.
*Ate many more meatless meals than normal for us, with no complaining from the ranks. *Made beef roast from the local cow in the freezer, and in the process achieved gravy nirvana. Seriously, the best gravy I have ever made in my life, and maybe ever will make. And since I’m the only person in the house who eats gravy … it’s mine. ALL MINE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
This is our weekly update. I didn’t make it to the garden as much as I would have liked this week.
Plant Something—nothing planted
Harvest Something—Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, okra, green onions, onions, rosemary, figs
Preserve—I made up 6 pounds of black beans and froze about 5 pounds
Prep/Storage—We added cheese, chocolate chips, and pasta to storage. I did a little weeding.
Reduce Waste—Made tomato juice for my dad to use up a lot of tomatoes at once. Brought back recyclables from Memphis so that they wouldn’t end up in the trash. Used leftovers while there. Packed lunches for our trip rather than going out to eat for lunch. I’ve noticed so many more people picnicking at rest areas in recent times.
Building Community Food Systems—I’m planning a canning class, mozzarella and yogurt class, and couponing class.
Eat the food—Ahh, to have a husband that brings me fresh figs in the morning! Having a few ripened figs while in Memphis was the highlight of the food this week for me.
I made some yummy cilantro rice and we devoured it before I could get a photo for the blog. The basic recipe is—2 c. cooked basmati rice, 1 small bunch of cilantro chopped, 3 T. coconut oil, 1 T. lime, salt and pepper. We ate ours with black beans, homemade salsa, and sweet potatoes on the side.
Planted peas, beets. Late, but that’s how it is.
Harvested grapes, sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, kale, blackberries (yay, Daughter!), cabbage, yellow zucchini, beets, green zucchini, turnips, turnip greens, kohlrabi, chard, bok choi, radishes, beans, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, chicken eggs, duck eggs.
Dried apples, tomatoes and beans, canned tomatoes and applesauce, strung leather britches (beans), and wrapped and stored apples. Started fifteen gallons of grape wine (including pulp, so make that eight to ten gallons we hope to bottle — still, that’s ambitious for us!). Our method with tomatoes is to cut the outer slices off all the way round, and these, with the skins on and salted and spiced, go into the solar dryer. The rest of the now-naked tomato goes into the canning pot.
Converting garden waste into compost now — corn stalks for example are going into the shredder. One corn patch got past us while we were eating out of the other one, and all those ears are going over the fence, where they keep the poultry almighty busy!
Sold chicken eggs and gave away lots of veggies.
100 foot diet: from frozen: rhubarb, chicken. From home canned: blackberry jam. From the land: apples, duck and chicken eggs, bok choi, turnip greens, potatoes, zucchini, elephant garlic, blackberries, cabbage, onions, green beans, basil, chives, onions, cucumbers, eggplant. 100 mile diet: wheat, oats, rye, spelt. 1000+ mile diet: Some corn chips. Successful purists we’re not!
39F this morning. Built our first fire in the woodstove.
Plant something: My hubby transplanted some Brassica seedlings over the weekend.
Harvest something: Summer garden had a late start so we are just starting to get some produce now. Some plants just hung on through the heat and are now starting to bloom. Harvested a few tomatoes and looking forward to some eggplants. Tiny peppers have set. Loofah, okra, and tomatoes are blooming. We won’t get frost until January probably, so we’ll have a nice fall season.
Preserve something: canned Asian pear butter, froze bananas (fresh and overripe), strained Asian pear vinegar, bottled pear and apple and prickly pear vinegars.
Waste Not: salvaged two cases of bananas from local convenience store, picked pomegranates from a stranger’s tree (after asking permission), picked up coffee grounds and hay from broken bales for the compost pile.
Want Not: avoiding any more stocking up until (if!) we get moved.
Eat the Food: eating lots of bananas, CSA share, etc.
Build community Food Systems: took a jar of pomegranate jelly to woman who let me pick her fruit, shared case of salvaged bananas at Really, Really FREE Market Saturday, bought used containers to give away lots of my vinegar to CSA friends to encourage them to make their own.
Yasher koach, Eric! And yasher koach Sharon for getting so much done in the midst of holiday prep. I finished my green bean pickles. And that’s pretty much it.
Plant: No
Harvest: Tomatoes, one last cucumber, thyme.
Preserve: Froze peaches.
Waste Not: Updated storage log.
Want Not: Bulk organic fair trade coffee and organic fair trade sugar (we don’t use all that much sugar – way less than 10# a year, so I’m going to bite the budgetary bullet); pumpkin beer (my choice year around but only available seasonally); got a copy of the Seedstarter’s Handbook at a library book sale and a small clock from Goodwill to replace one my partner knocked off a shelf (he claims he’ll fix it, but his record on repair promises is not the greatest or promptest) .
Community: Shopped the farmer’s market and another library book sale. My assistant brought me lavender and jelly jars in anticipation of lavender jelly.
Eat: A weekend of very satisfying meals: Baked chile rellenos (recipe now tweaked to perfection) with spanish rice and roast tomatillo salsa; homemade pizza; local raviolis on top of sauteed beet greens, topped with tomato and garlic saute.
In Maine we actually got a freeze Saturday night. Very unusual. But we have a rule of thumb here. The second frost/freeze is about 2 weeks from the first. The third about a week from the second. Then they come frequently. Since the ground is still nice and warm until the third frost, it is just a matter of throwing an old sheet over the tomatos, cukes, beans, squash, etc. The plants stay quite cosy. It can be removed the next day. I use one of those floating row covers with rocks or pieces of wood on the edges to keep it from blowing. Then I just leave it on and it makes a bit of a greenhouse. The only thing that hasn’t worked is the basil. It can’t take anything.
Oh, and I bought a copy of a book that Aaron Newton wrote with some ex-academic in upstate New York. Maybe you know her?
Plant something: fennel, sprouts.
Harvest something: endive, silverbeet (aka chard), tuscan kale, one (delicious) strawberry.
Preserve something: not this week.
Prep & storage: restocked on vegetarian oyster sauce.
Build community food networks: discussed organic food growing with my in-laws.
Reduce waste: scored lovely planter pots and a slightly battered garden bench from our neighbours; converted leftovers & freezer pastry sheets into ‘party food’; had the sense to cut up an old t-shirt when cleaning the fridge rather than using commercial wipes (this is not second nature yet); plus usual composting & recycling. Made soup with stale bread & tired veggies from the fridge clean-out.
Eat the food: We were visiting my in-laws half the week, so ate out more than usual. When we were at home I made carrot & raisin muffins; chickpea, pumpkin & spinach curry & rice with home-made chutney; and Tuscan white bean & bread soup with greens (adapted from Paula Wolferts’s ‘Mediterranean Grains and Greens’ – delicious!). I baked the leftover curry in pasty as ‘curry puffs’ for a family gathering on Sunday.
No frosts for a week, and the bush beans I planted out under glass seem to be doing okay. I’m going to take a gamble next week and sneak a dwarf tomato seedling out under a cloche in a pot……first sacrificial victim to the frost, maybe.
We’ve had very little rain also, and I’ve had to start watering the garden – can’t remember having to do this in September before. Since it appears a drought is coming, I’m going to try and get as much planted early as possible. When we have a summer drought here, it becomes impossible to get any new seedlings or direct sown seed established, but spring plantings still survive okay if watered.
Plant: Two rhubarb plants, transplanted a pile of self sown lettuce seedlings (since any lettuce seed I’ve planted myself has not sprouted). Also what I think is some self sown beets. On the windowsill, I’ve sown more tomatoes, peppers, chili, cauli, brocolli, lettuce, basil, leeks, elecampagne, breadseed poppy, hyssop, lovage. Weeded two raised beds, to the chicken’s delight, ready for sowing radish, leeks, parsnips and carrots. (People tend to think of parsnips as a winter crop, but I find that they also grow very well if planted in spring and harvested in early summer).
Harvest: Last of the brocolli and cauliflour. Parsnips, carrots. Salvaging some of the gone to seed kale and kohl rabi. Oodles of eggs.
Preserve: Nope.
Reduce waste: Failed miserably this week. The darn Australian ants are back so some food wastage occurred before we spotted them. (They’re very nasty smelling and tasting ants so you can’t just flick them off your food). Had to throw out some lovely foccacia bread, and a lot of brown sugar that was stored in what I thought was an ant proof tin.
Community: Arranged to trade eggs for brocolli seedlings.
Prep/storage: Stocked up on free range bacon and venison sausages from the farmer’s market.
Eat the food: Home made pizza has become a weekly event. I’m having some success with cutting down the amount of meat used so we’re eating things that require little or no meat like pizza, pumpkin macaroni cheese, soup, quiche.
Mine is here
http://kirbanita.typepad.com/take_joy/2009/09/independence-days-update.html
but I haven’t accomplished much at all this week. Mostly I watched it rain . . .
Its been a crazy week here, so not too much has happened.
plant something: do mums count?
harvest something: the last of the tomatoes, chard, beets, potatoes, apples
preserve something: orange marmalade (long story), potatoes, chicken broth
waste not: saved all boxes from hubby’s business to go underneath new beds I’m building
want not: bought 2 pallets of cinder blocks for above referenced new beds
community systems: not so much
eat the food; lots of apples this week so apple crisp, apple crumb bars and pancakes with apples on top, brisket with potatoes from sister in law’s garden
I decided that writing this down here with you every week helps me to recognize and keep track of what got accomplished… something I often lose sight of… Thank you for giving us the space and encouragement to do so.
Planted Something: Nothing planted just yet this week, but picked up some chard seeds and recommendation to toss down some dill seed from neighbor biodynamic farmer.
Harvested Something: Picked beans, beans and more beans! (BIG beans at that). Tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash and lotsa beets
Preserved Stuff: 24 quarts of Dilly Beans, 5 quarts of beets, 8 quarts of pickled zucchini and a big jar of pickled duck eggs.
I have a mini vacation at the end of this week, but upon my return have arrangements made for multi-farm cider pressing, salsa making, wine and juicing parties.
Storage: Did massive inventory this week of pantry, root cellar, cases of foods I’ve canned so far. Recommending the homestead consider separate food preservation/baking kitchen and additional pantry be completed by next fall. Will look at drawing up plans and suggestions for staff/owner.
Waste Reduction: Visiting canine killed our momma duck this week just in front of nest containing 16 duck eggs. No neighbors had incubators so we tested and cooked eggs. Huge morning period for homestead as we lost both our ducks within a 48 hour time span.
Building Community Food Systems: I’ve been busy in this area! I visited two sister farms who have animals integrated into their systems – namely goats, ducks, chickens, cows, etc. to see how their systems function. Made arrangements to apprentice throughout Fall with biodynamic farm with goat herd. Also, working with local volunteer network for our homestead to participate more widely with other community groups/networks/systems throughout Winter season to make sure there are enough resources available.
Networking, networking and more networking.
Eat: Oh goodness yes… at least once a day!
I would add that I am also making a list of what contributions I would like to make here during my stay so that I can try to manage my remaining time here, especially through the holidays and New Year.
Thanks!
Hi Sharon,
We’ve had 4.5 inches of rain in the last couple of days, plus there is more rain in the forecast for the coming week. I thought I was going to have to take a dinghy to feed the chickens. We moved their tractor to higher ground.
Plant something: Nothing
Harvest something: Tomatoes, okra, sweet red peppers, apples, green beans.
Preserve something: Canned 19 quarts of green beans
Waste Not: The usual recycling and composting.
Want Not: Added 25lb. Of sugar and 2 g. of white vinegar and 1 bottle of balsamic vinegar to the pantry. Grocery prices seem to be creeping up in our area. I’m reviewing the Sunday circulars on line and focusing on the loss leaders.
Eat the Food: mashed potatoes (Kennebec), fried okra, red cornfield peas, apple pound cake, pear relish
Build Community Food Systems: Nothing this week
No, I didn’t stop doing the various things, just stopped writing about them because of taking the AIP course at the exact time of year when I am the busiest. That’s done now, and I’m back. Here’s what happened in the past week in suburban St. Louis, MO.
Planted: crimson clover seeds, in a bed that will become a path between two garden areas. Hoping to keep some worse stuff like quackgrass out. Got the seeds down just in time … it’s pouring rain as I type. Also potted up four seedlings of jiao-gu-lan (an herb) that I grew from seed this summer. It’s perennial but not hardy here so I’ll keep them as container plants.
Harvested: green beans, yard-long beans, carrots, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, collards, kale, sage, parsley, cutting celery, thyme, oregano, lavender, calendula, raspberries
Preserved: processed some of the tomatoes into tomato sauce, stored frozen, per Joan Gussow’s method. Lavender, sage, calendula, hot peppers, by drying. Plums, made into wine.
Waste not: the 28 pound box of plums and a 20 pound bag of white rice (both purchased from our Zen Center, which had bought them for the Labor Day weekend fund-raising food booth we run, but rain and cool weather dampened sales). Three wool blankets and a Coleman brand cooler, which the DH found in his mom’s basement and she gave to us.
Want not: the 20 pound bag of rice will become part of our food storage. We’ll get 8 to 9 gallons of wine out of the plums, more wine than we’ll drink in a year (excess to use as gifts!).
Community food systems: writing column on veggies to plant during October and November for our Zen Center’s semimonthly publication.
Eat: drinking the first of last year’s batch of elderberry wine, homegrown (by me) and homemade (by the DH); excellent!! I made a carrot cake from scratch, using my homegrown carrots, for my DH’s birthday; it turned out great!! Eating a lot of potatoes and beans with shiitake mushrooms, all homegrown, with a variety of seasonings depending on what the DH feels like using, most of which I’ve grown. The DH cooked collard greens in the tomato water left from the tomato sauce preparation. The tomato water tasted much better than I expected – rather sweet, actually – and it was one of the better batches of cooked greens I’ve eaten.
Plant something: – transplanted some kale and parsley (that should’ve been transplanted weeks ago). planted endive, spinach, daikon, turnips for greens
Harvest something: chinese cabbage, kale, mizuna, and other greens, nardello peppers, baby bell peppers,potatoes (sweet and white) , lots of cherry tomatoes still, hubbard squash, delicata squash, daikon, snow peas (a few handfuls), okra
Preserve something: made sauerkraut using asian greens and a beautiful kimchi using red nardello peppers, white daikon and red and green radish, and asian greens. also dried more okra and nardello peppers and froze tomato sauce.
Waste Not: the usual. I have discontinued my weekly trips to the city (since Jan). With food storage in place and a healthy garden, there is little need for major shopping – just milk, eggs, and butter. (still wishing for chickens and goats).
Want Not: stocked up on rolled oats, barley, and white basmati rice.
Eat the Food: pan fried okra with peppers, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and parmesan all cooked on the stovetop. easy and delicious.
Build community Food Systems: traded for some collard plants. played music at the local farmers market on Saturday.
had a self imposed disaster – forgot to close the garden gate and so naturally the deer chomped on everything – my lovely tomatoes – broke the stems on the pumpkin vines – what a disapointment. But there is still beans and fennel and hopefully brussel sprouts.
planted garlic
Got back from my week in Vermont with a 24 of Vermont-brewed organic beer in my trunk, a new (smaller! more useful!) kayak on top, and about five gallons of ripe tomatoes to be preserved. I also got my thirty pounds of grass-fed beef on Tuesday. So I got out the pressure-canner and put up some really delicious chili meat (great for sloppy joes as well) and spaghetti sauce with meat, using the tomato pulp I froze before I went away.
I’m not going to have many green tomatoes this year at the end of September. But I will have a bumper crop of tomatillos — salsa verde here we come! I think I’ll try some fermented pickles with them too.
Details of the week here: http://smallvictoriesgreen.wetpaint.com/page/Sept+21+09
harvested: tomatoes, eggplant, mint, winter squash(pathetic, sigh), corn at my friend’s house
waste not: fed aging tomatoes, bread frozen too long to the chickens- they appreciate it!
preserved: sun-dried tomatoes, mint, made eggplant parmesan and froze it, corn, froze some celery
build community: swapped tomatoes for corn, celery and an artichoke! Swapped garlic for more eggplant.
1. Plant something: Planted the last of the Dutch Corn Salad plants I started; Planted Garlic; Planted Garlic in the community garden as well
2. Harvest something: Basil, Tomatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Pumpkins; Out of the community garden- Tomatoes, cucumber,
3. Preserve something: Pickled Hungarian wax peppers; Pureed and froze pumpkin
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Don’t know if it counts but I got a replacement for my beloved commuter mug through eBay. Used some old recycling bins as planters;
5. Preparation and Storage: Made a couple of planting beds for next season, converted some recycling bins into planters (when the city changed to different service the Garbage company said to keep your old bins, for free! Never had a use for them until I started thinking about it. Found some old Milk Crates to use to store crap; Figured out a plan to make a green house using the Canopy frame I have with no top for, I will make it moveable
6. Build Community Food Systems: Took this weeks donation of food from the community garden to the food bank- Tomatoes, cucumbers
7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new)-Ate pickled cherry tomatoes and onions, Pickled Hungarian Wax Peppers; Started eating the food in the freezer- ate Game hens and corn (from last year)
I can’t wait for a holiday, but in the mean time, I will just scan your insightful words.
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