Quote of the Day: Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd
Even in the dead of winter, the products of our labor were good. From the freezer we could choose broccoli or cauliflower, peas or beans or corn, anytime we pleased. In spring, we often had them all together in orgies of vegetable soups meant to clear the freezer for the next round. Though certainly we were well-fed, and spiritually content at living from our own labors, the broccoli, peas, beans, cauliflower, and corn came to have a certain sameness about them, a predictable ready-on-demand sort of quality that robbed us of much of the joy of them. The seasons were all flattened out, and one sitting to the table came to seem just like another.
Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd in Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill
I’ve talked about learning to live seasonally many times before. This time of the year it becomes increasingly difficult. As I sow the seeds for broccoli, cauliflower, peppers and tomatoes, my mind turns to freshly picked summer vegetables once again.
The beauty of learning to eat seasonally, however, is that you learn about so many new and interesting things you can eat. In my journey to eat more seasonally I’ve discovered things like: sprouting broccoli, mache, endive, parsnip, bok choi, and so many more. Meals are so much more interesting when you’re not eating the same thing over and over again.
The majority of the vegetable consumed each week here at Chiot’s Run are root vegetables that have been stored in the cellar. There is always sauerkraut in the fridge as well. Even though I love carrots, celeriac, rutabaga and sweet potatoes, my stomach has moved on to freshly plucked produce.
I still freeze a few small containers of peas for winter soups and I can some crushes tomatoes for sauces as well. Other than that, there is not much preservation going on in my kitchen any more. Each year our diet becomes more and more diverse thanks to our efforts to live seasonally. Next year at this time, I will be harvesting chard and spinach from my greenhouse, which will fill the gap between winter and spring quite nicely and give us a little bit of a break from all those root vegetables!
If you could only choose one vegetable or fruit to preserve each year, which would it be?
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The Evening Walk
Mr Chiots and I have always enjoyed taking evening walks. We’ve always enjoyed it, we loved walking the streets of the various cities, towns, and neighborhoods we’ve lived in. Here in Maine, we’ve been hiking the different trails on our property.
Typically we leave about an hour before dusk and try to make it back before dark. The other night it was pretty dark when we were on our way back, we had lingered watching the sunset over the wetlands. On our way back, you could only really see Lucy when she was standing on the snow. We always have flashlights just in case we end up staying out too long.
There’s something so relaxing about walking at this time of night, it’s certainly a great way to leave work behind and relax before bed!
What’s your favorite activity for relaxing in the evening (other than gardening of course)?
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Quote of the Day: Linda Joan Smith
A garden’s formality, informality, sense of place, cultural leanings, and general atmosphere arise as much from it’s structural elements as from its plants or ornament. A picket fence sets a different mood than a palisade of heavy timbers or a 10-foot screen of bamboo. A pebbled path imparts a different ton form that of a straightaway of mortared slate. A trellis in an elaborate chinoiserie pattern says different things about the garden–and the gardener–than a simple plant ladder of branches pruned from the orchard and cobbled together with nails and twine. All communicate a message about who we are, what we like, where we come from, and in what realm our passions lie.
Linda Joan Smith (Smith & Hawken Garden Structures)
Back in Ohio I had figured out the level of formality that fit with our garden and space. I’m still trying to work it out here. While I’d love to have something a little more formal, this place seems to lend itself more towards a relaxed feel. While I’m out working in the garden I spent time imagining what different types of paths I’d like to use, what material I’d like my fencing to be made out of, and what I want my next chicken coop to look like. There certainly is a lot of thinking to do, it’s a good thing I don’t have to decide any time soon!
How would describe your garden: formal, informal, relaxed, etc?
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Quote of the Day: Spring had really come
“Spring had really come.
The south opened like a mouth. It blew one long breath, humid and warm, and flowers quivered inside the seeds, and the round earth began to ripen like fruit.”
Jean Giono (found in Provence: A Country Almanac)
It’s certainly starting to feel like spring outside. Yesterday was warm and sunny, I spent most of the day outside working in the potager. If you remember, I showed you what it looked like last fall.
This spring, it’s finally starting to take shape. Over the winter, I decided to divide the garden into four sections on the diagonal. Since our back door opens up to the corner of the garden, that seemed to make to most sense. When you come out the back door, you’ll be looking straight down the main path of the garden. Yesterday, I started making the pathways and the central feature.
Instead of having the pathways intersect in the middle, I figured a large circle with a garden in the middle would visual interest. Tomato stakes were put in the four corners of the garden with twine strung between them to mark my two main garden paths. To make the circular path and garden, I put a stake where the two main strings intersected, then I used the rope with a stick trick to make the circle.
It actually worked quite well, the circle is as good as it can get. Since there is an abundance of rocks here, I decided a rock border would be a nice way to hold back the soil in the slightly raised circular bed. I’m still on the fence about lining the main walkways with stones as well. The walkways will be covered with wood chips for now, perhaps I’ll use crushed limestone in the future.
I have a lovely trellis that will go in the middle of the circle, I didn’t install it as I’ll need a helping hand. Mr Chiots was busy putting up firewood all day. Instead, I started planting the beds with vegetables. After much deliberation, I settled on rows that followed the central curve.
While I have a hoop house of spinach, fall planted garlic bulbs, and a few overwintering perennials that are hindering the completion of the walkways, it is starting to look nice. The top of the garden dries out faster than the lower portion, so were also a few sections that were still too wet to work in, those will be finished up when things dry out. This view below is the view from the back door, as you can see, dividing the garden on the diagonal was a great idea!
I even had time to plant yesterday. The circle in the middle was planted in: ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Winter Density’ lettuce, along with ‘Scarlet Frill’ Mustard. In one of the triangles I planted two rows of ‘Windsor Broad’ fava beans with a cover crop of ‘Idagold’ mustard interplanted between them. In front of the beans by the walkway there is one row of ‘Green Fortune’ pak choi and ‘Bowles’ Black’ pansy. The small area in front of the low tunnel was planted in ‘French Breakfast’ radishes. (click on variety names for seed source). It certainly feels good to tuck a few more seeds in the ground.
Has spring officially arrived in your garden yet? Or are you lucky like Maybelline to not have any “off seasons” in the garden?
If you’re interested in making your kitchen garden a little more designed & formal, check out these books. They’re full of lovely images and layout plans to help you create a stunning potager:
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Quote of the Day: Laura Ingalls Wilder
All around the little house, in the Big Woods, there were little sounds of falling snow, and from the eaves there was the drip, drip of the melting icicles.
In just a little while the trees would be putting out their baby leaves, all the rosy and yellow pale green, and there would be wild flowers and birds in the woods.
Then there would be no more stories by the fire at night, but all day long Laura and Mary would run and play among the trees, for it would be spring.
Laura Ingalls Wilder from (Little House in the Big Woods).
It won’t be long my friends, until it’s time to spend every waking moment working in the garden. Until then, I’m trying to enjoy some relaxing. Every day I grow a little more excited, my gloves are itching to get dirty.
Have spring chores already taken over your days or is your garden still asleep?
