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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Friday Favorite: Starting from Seed
There’s nothing I love more than starting my own plants from seed. Partly, I do it to save money. When you have a garden as large as I do, you could easily go bankrupt trying to buy plants. Starting from seed is a great way to get a lot of plants for minimal monetary investment. I also like starting from seed because you can find really interesting varieties.
Take this asparagus for example, it’s ‘Precoce D’Argenteuil’, an old French heirloom which is prized for it’s tastiness. I also started ‘Mary Washington’ asparagus seeds this year as well. (source: Baker Creek)
Not only can you find rare and unique varities, it’s so much fun to watch the life cycle of a plant starting from seed. These tiny asparagus spears make me smile. Even though I know it will be 3 years before I can harvest anything from these plants, when I finally do I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what these plants have seen throughout their lifecycle.
What’s your favorite seedling to see in spring?
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Patiently Waiting
Remember that spinach I sowed in the low tunnel in the garden at the end of March?
I’ve been keeping a keen eye on it waiting for germination. It looks like the two types of soaked seeds germinated a day ahead of the non-soaked seed. Not sure if that makes soaking worth the hassle. I’ll be watching to see if one grows better than the other as well, but I’m guessing they’ll probably be the same.
One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to harvest my first bowl of spinach. As I prepared a frittata this morning I was wishing I had some kind of green to put in it. I used to very much dislike cooked greens, but the more I eat them the more I like them, especially with eggs.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy spinach?
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Choosing the Right Site for Your Garden
This is the first installment in the 5×5 Garden Challenge Series. Every Wednesday I’ll be posting about the challenge, covering topics that will help all the new gardeners get started. If you haven’t heard about the challenge head on over to the 5×5 Challenge Website, we’ll also be putting up a page here that pulls in all the 5×5 Challenge posts.
The first thing to consider when you decide you want to garden is your site. Depending on what you want to grow, you will need to determine if you have full sun, partial sun/shade, or shade. So what do each of these terms mean? Most vegetables appreciate full sun, so finding a full sun location will be the best option. All is not lost if you don’t have full sun, you can still grow vegetables, just not everything you may want to.
FULL SUN: receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. This doesn’t mean that there is sun in this area all day long, there can be some shade during part of the day. Six hours is the minimum amount of sun that most full sun plants will tolerate. Areas that get direct sunlight all day will need watered more often. Some plants can take full sun, but many are fond of some shade as well.
PARTIAL SUN / PARTIAL SHADE: receives 3-6 hours of direct sunlight. Most plants that are labeled partial sun/shade need protection from the hot afternoon sun as they can be sensitive. These plants will often wilt in the heat of the afternoon.
FULL SHADE: less than 3 hours of direct sunlight, generally with some filtered sunlight in addition to this. These plants generally don’t like the hot afternoon sun, so morning sun is best for them.
All sun is not created equal. As a general rule, morning and early afternoon sun are better than late afternoon sun. Often plants will appreciate a little shade in the afternoon, particularly in hot areas and in the heat of the summer. When you are determining the amount of sun you get, keep in mind the time of the year. If it is winter and the sun is low, the shady area will be larger than it will in the summer.
Another thing to consider in your garden placement is the location of any large trees. Large trees will not only cast shade, but they will also send their roots into your garden and suck up your water and nutrients. Back in Ohio we had large trees surrounding our garden and were constantly battling them. It’s not a deal breaker if you have large trees, just be aware that you’ll need to add extra compost and water.
When trying to decide where your garden will be, think about the proximity to the door you use most often. If you have to walk by the garden daily, you’ll be more likely to notice weeds that need pulled and tomatoes that need harvested. Having the garden close at hand will make harvesting and using the vegetables easier.
Plants are pretty resilient and will take less than perfect conditions. Don’t be too worried about making sure you have everything just right. Start with what you can and work from there. If you have full sun, great, if you’re on the border, give it a shot. If you can find a space away from trees, fantastic, if not, give it a try but make sure you watch for dryness and consider fertilizing a little more. Having good soil will help overcome a few of the other negatives, so make sure you focus on that. Next week we’ll talk about getting your garden area ready to plant.
If you’re a new gardener, what questions do you have about where to place your garden? If you’re an experienced gardener, what advice do you have for newbies just trying to figure out where to plant.
