Exciting, I know!
Waiting for garlic to sprout in front bed, onions to sprout in back left bed, accompanied by some cover crop thrown in, leeks & chard in the back right bed
Below is what I love about fall, the ornamental grasses take on a neat glow with the winter sun.
This was the 15 minutes I spent "contemplating" what to do first.
It was quite nice outside, temps around 60ยบ and the sun finally came out after 2 weeks!
Below, I can't remember what this is - some sort of impulse buy, but I do believe it needs to come in the house.
Geraniums were cut way down about 6 weeks ago, and showing lots of new growth so they will be coming inside as well this week. This will be the 2nd winter that I brought this pot inside.
Apparently I haven't been using this chair & patio often enough, the cosmos have claimed it!
The 1st pea blossom of fall! These are the edible podded variety, Oregon Sugar Pod II, I am done with shelling peas, we never get enough to save for winter. I only have one bed of them, but there's only 3 of us so I hope to have at least enough to freeze for winter stir-frys.
Below, cauliflower not doing anything yet... and Brussels Sprouts (yuck!), just growing for some fall height interest in the beds and for the experience? LOL
A little corner of the greens bed is all scallions and parsley, I use this corner of the bed for cooking all winter long! Just seeded some more scallions today. Parsley does EXTREMELY well here all winter, last year I had some parsley that was 3 feet tall and not bolting! Bonus is that I don't have to share it with the Black Swallowtail caterpillars in the fall & winter.
Today's harvest: Pak Choy, Piracicaba Broccoli, Lettuce, a few remaining raspberries, and grabbed some rosemary, thyme, parsley & marjoram for tonight's dinner... I'll find out shortly how many uninvited dinner guests are in the broccolini.
Finn took a photo of me preparing "the bird" tonight - he was up close but I told him "get out of here, nobody wants to look at raw poultry"... apparently he took a photo anyway!
This is the earliest I have ever gotten a seed catalog for the next year. Give me a break, at least for awhile! I threw it on the stack of magazines still waiting to be read from this summer when I was too busy!
See, I really DO have a garden - I'm not a "poser", it's just not doing anything right now. I will be excited when I see more blossoms on those peas, however. It's always iffy in the fall - if it doesn't get too cold we'll have a better crop than spring with no pests or fungus or yucky stuff, but if we get a really cold spell - it was all for nothing. That's what happened last year!
I may have mentioned it, too lazy to look back - but last night we had country fried steak, mashed potatoes (ours!) & gravy and the boys ate like Minnesota farm kids! Each had 2 helpings and 2 glasses of milk. I'm afraid to think what it will be like when they are teenagers.
I purposely withheld snacks today thinking they might do the same tonight and eat some of our fresh broccoli, there isn't much, but I don't expect they would eat more than a little piece.
Tonight is chicken on the rotisserie, rubbed with fresh herbs and garlic, fresh broccoli, and standard box rice... I'm hoping to make chicken soup with all the leftovers tomorrow, a whole bird is kind of overkill for the 3 of us!
Oh that looks delicious! I should get to the store and buy a chicken for supper tonight. I love a good chicken.
ReplyDeleteMy gardens are a disgrace because I haven't even bothered to clean them out for winter. It actually helps keep the nutrients in the soil and keeps the cats out of the soil if I leave all the old plants in over winter but I always feel so lazy doing it.
Mmm, we're having roast chicken this evening too! Wow, great minds must think alike- with herbs harvested from the front porch. It's in the oven now. Mmmm.. There are 5 of us but I still make sure we get more than one meal from a chicken, even if it's just making stock from the bones. It all counts. Oh, and yeah, have fun when they're teens. Ian and I went shopping for more jeans for him yesterday (can you say ANOTHER growth spurt!) and even though we had lunch before we left- we had to stop for a snack for him because he thought he was wasting away. LOL!! Teenage boys!
ReplyDeleteJudy
What I wouldn't give for my kids to eat like yours do!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know if you'd come back my way after leaving your comment just now, but thank you and guess what...we sold $460.00 of keychains this weekend!! Not too shabby.
Hey, those beds look pretty darn good to me! Ours are just plain old Dead and Deader. Well, I think there is still some parsley out there.
ReplyDeleteYou did good Erin! And your chicken looks like a magazine ad! We are having crummy ole pizza because I'm feeling lazy.
I raised a teenage GIRL who ate us out of house and home for a period . . . and stayed thin as a rail during the time. I can't imagine the appetites of two teenage boys.
ReplyDeleteYour dinner looked delish! Our good neighbors brought over venison today and we had venison chops for our main meal. I was proud of our plates . . . venison from behind our land, green beans, pickled beets and mashed potatoes from our garden.
Did you see the picture of my garden beds posted this morning? We should do a side-by-side of my garden today and yours! Night and day difference. Sure you really want to move up north??
I laughed when I read about the brussel sprouts. You don't like them? LOL. I love the taste, roasted in the oven or in the skillet with some olive oil. Yum.
ReplyDeleteThat chicken looks amazing!
What a great harvest!!
Sparkless, just saw your post - I see what you mean about the cats! Glad you figured out the knitting too!
ReplyDeleteJudy, I sent my hubby an email telling him he will need a raise!
Ribbit, that's amazing!
APG, crummy pizza sounds good too!
mama pea, honestly, I WANT the break that winter gives, I feel like a failure if I want to take time off here!
meemsnyc, NO brussels sprouts LOL!
@ everyone... right after cleaning up after dinner, I felt the need to take a hot bath, afterwards am feeling that characteristic "ache" of coming down with something, ugh! So far I'm thinking either flu or a cold... hope it's just a cold! I'll know in the a.m. for sure, right now can't even look at my knitting and am going to curl up under a blanket on the couch, it's only 7:30 pm so that's pretty bad for me! Looks like I'll take the day off again tomorrow LOL
Uh-oh. The other day I thought it was Loch that was going to get hit with the germies. Now it sounds like you've taken the hit for him.
ReplyDeleteYou'd BETTER take the day off tomorrow until you're sure you're feeling okay. Can't have you down and out. Take care of yourself, m'dear!
Ugh, I don't like brussel sprouts either. Blech!
ReplyDeleteWhere have I been??????? I'm such a fair-weather blogger these days! Awful.
ReplyDeleteFirst - That was desert storm 1? You haven't changed a bit. When was the last time you put on a uniform?
Second - how do you like the piracicaba broccoli? That chicken looks delicious by the way.
Third - you are like the sock queen these days. I love it!
Wow-I don't think I could ever get used to gardening as late as you do. I wouldn't have a CLUE what to do. Everything looks good-I just LOVE your sitting area. We're ripping out our old covered deck area--I think you need to come up here and arrange my seating area. Love the grasses!
ReplyDeleteDinner looks scrumptious--I feel lazy, I just reheated take out pizza. Bad Bad wife!
:)
Uh-oh- hope you are not down and out today!!!
ReplyDeleteThat citrus is AMAZING, I am quite jealous! Must be a mandarin of some sort?
Peas, what a tease you are to us Northerners Erin. ;)
I have peas growing in my raised bed and the garden has broccoli and cabbage. Not sure they will make it but they are growing really well. It is my first time having any decent fall garden. At first the bugs were bad (which is why I don't usually fall garden) but now there aren't any and it is SO nice!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with yours, it all looks great.
Your garden makes me sigh. Mine is all done, zipped up, closed down. I know that means snow, it is a'comin. Aren't your peas lovely? And what a yummy dinner! It's all a lot of work, but worth it.
ReplyDelete