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The frost is here and here to stay for many of the nights. Some things are hit too hard by it but other go right on growing. They freeze then thaw and do just fine! The flower harvest continues as does the seed harvest as I search for every last possible bloom that has the tenacity and temerity to got to seed in our short seasons here. But the frost also means the Kale, Chard, and Spinach will be extra sweet and it gives me a bit of extra time in the morning to sip my tea or coffee with a cat curled up in my lap while I wait for the sun to reach each corner of the valley and chase that frost away.  Yepsies! It's frost time and the Dahlias didn't even have a chance to get started! With more frost on the horizon for me it means the probable end for them and the Zinnias but a lot of things aren't bothered by it (until it gets too cold or if it lasts for too long, every plant has its own limit)  I spend most afternoons harvesting flowers, grasses, and all the little odd bits to dry for making beautiful dried flower creations this winter. I gotta snag them and get them hung up before the deep frost decides to take them!  While harvesting all the things, I often find tiny garden helpers like this caterpillar or a grasshopper hiding amongst the foliage. Yes, they eat a little bits of greenery or damage some petals but they have their place and purpose so I either let that stem stay for them and the bees or gently push them off onto another so that they can go about their buggy business! Don't let that frost fool you into thinking the flower days are done! Everything has gotta be tough out here and there are still some beauties for fresh bouquets and a lot are getting dried (like those prickly Echinacea tops and the crisp Paper Daisies) so everyone can enjoy them year-round. Two very different plants. Two identical feelings of abundance. On the left is Broomcorn Millet a grass usually grown for use as a cut flower (you will have seen its flowing heads of drooping heavy grain in the mixed bouquets!) and on the right is Cerinthe or Honeywort a relative of plants like Blue Bells and Comfrey. It too has drooping heavy heads of purple to blue to indigo foliage and blooms. Both heavy armloads came from 2 feet of bed space. Don't let anyone tell you you need large amounts of land, knowledge, or equipment to grow food or flowers. You just need a space to plant some seeds, time to give them to grow, and the energy to give them the care they need to thrive (these need no more than regular irrigation).  The cherry tomato harvest continues and the beans are just getting started! (ignore the tiny ear of corn. it was an experiment that I kind knew the outcome of even before I planted the seeds :) )  Even if I want to stay in and play with the kittens all day long, the harvest must go on. They watch me from their window perches in the bedroom as I go back and forth from plot to plot going about my day and I make sure to sometimes stop and let them smell the rose colored Yarrow.  Hella, the adventure cat, got to join me on a little jaunt up the ridge just across the road from the farm. I often pop up a few deer trails to visit a favorite tree and this time she joined me. I would pause to wait for her to find her own way up downed logs and under low branches until we had to turn home and go back. But at each pause she was right at my heels wanting to smell new smells and see new sights. Who says walks are only for dogs? If you're a gardener, you may recoginize this weedy 'foe'. But did you know it is edible and tasty! It's a native to both North America and Europe from the same plant family as Lamb's Quarters and Spinach. Meet Strawberry Spinach! The leaves are edible either raw or cooked (just like Lamb's Quarters, but these don't get as bitter after they flower) and those red 'fruits' are surprisingly sweet and juicy (kinda like a mix of a delicate strawberry with celery or watermelon) and they have tiny black seeds that give it a pleasing crunch. I'll have a few boxes of those fruity tops available this week if you're feeling adventurous!  Just a perfectly pleasantly warm evening with clear skies that indicate a nighttime frost is on its way. That is what fall is like on the farm. What's available this week?
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AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
December 2021
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