Yup, Its October.

Brrrrr, was it cold today in New England.  There was some frost had, and most people awoke to find the heat on this morning.  This weather had me craving something warm and spicy, so I am belly up to the Mac with a steaming bowl of chili out of the slow-cooker, and a bottle of pumkin ale.  Autumn does bring good things.

Speaking of good things, I would like to say that Steve Jobs was such a special guy.  I am a relatively new Apple user, but now that I have gone Mac, I will never go back.  I appreciate my laptop and iPod every day for their friendliness, convenience, and the pleasure that they bring.  Thank you Mr. Jobs for your dedication, and vision of our future.

Lastly, the garden is such a disappointment.  EVERYTHING is being eaten by rodents.  Greens, winter squash, root vegetables, tomatoes.  Everything.  Everything but the hot peppers.  We are seriously considering getting a cat folks, it is that bad.  I essentially do not have a garden to harvest, and so have not many pleasantries to post.

I have been sneaking in some blog reading here and there, and I see you are all having better luck than I, lol, - thank goodness!  Stay warm and happy gardening.

Seasonal Cooking

I went to a couple of farm stands today to supplement what I have coming in from the garden.  We picked up some raw milk, corn, fennel, a head of lettuce, and watermelon.  I was thumbing through cookbooks this afternoon trying to decide what to cook up, but I just couldn't find what I was after.  So I just winged it.  I find myself cooking like this more and more often- using meals had elsewhere or a recipe as a springboard for a new off-the-hip dish.  Today this what went in the pan (the pictures are nothing fancy, just shot straight from the cooking vessel before my battery died):

Carrots, fingerling potatoes, fennel, and sweet onion with 4 oz diced raw bacon, all tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, the roasted at 400 degrees .  Topped with fennel fronds and dill:

Corn (3 ears, grilled), 4 oz diced bacon (cooked), 1/2 sweet onion (sauteed in bacon fat), a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, raw cream, basil, salt and pepper......kind of a creamed corn/succotash inspired dish:

Obviously I was in the mood for bacon.  :)

Raspberries, pea greens, green beans, peppers, and potatoes are about all I have coming in from the garden these days.   No complaints there!

The Power is ON!

I had been preparing to be out power for another 3-4 days, but were graced with an earlier 'on' time over night.  I am thankful to have it back, but am thinking of the thousands of people on wells who are still waiting.  It will be a long week for many.

We had never gone longer than 1/2 a day without power since living in this house, so 3 days was a learning experience.  It was not so bad since we were well prepared and had generator to run the fridge & chest freezer on as to not lose all the meat and perishables.  Yesterday I did need to go out and refill our water jugs for flushing & washing; I also brought some dirty dishes to a friend's house to wash.

It is good to be back.

Still off grid....

We have been without power (and running water) since yesterday morning.   I am sitting in my favorite book store's parking lot taking advantage of their wi-fi.  The winds were not as bad as expected, so nothing more than limbs and leaves down in the yard.  I did however have to rip out the tomatoes in order to take down the cages in the afternoon, the winds were just too strong.

On a sad note, our favorite town beach area was hit hard, the road that runs along the beach is destroyed.  I don't know that it will ever be a town beach again.  This ocean front area extends into an Audubon sanctuary where we are able to walk on one end (no sun bathing/swimming allowed), and on the opposite end of the beach were small lots full of trailers and campers during the summer.  Below is what used to be the road running along the beach:

Lobster traps (and lobster) litter the beach along with washed up sea stars, mussels, clams, crabs, and exhausted, tattered birds.......there was lots of debris, including a section of walkway 

which had to have traveled quite a distance to end up where it did. 

All in all we fared well in the storm, but seeing the wreckage left behind this morning, and all the washed up sea creatures made us all a bit teary eyed.  We cherish this beautiful place and it's inhabitants so much, it is hard to see the destruction Mother Nature leaves in her wake.

C'mon Irene!

Seriously.   This waiting and watching hyped weather forecasts gets old quick.  We might get a hurricane, or maybe a tropical storm.  Maybe a tornado.  Either way the threat of rain and high winds = power outage in my tree-heavy region.  And that also means no well pump.

BUT- I get better equipped every hurricane season and thankfully we have never gone more than a day without power.  If we happen to get hit with lots of downed trees we will be fine for a few days.  This storm is different though.  Down here flashlights and D batteries don't disappear until the last minute in a typical hurricane watch.  This time however, they were cleaned out yesterday morning.  Shelves are wiped clean already, things will be grim for those waiting until tomorrow to stock up.

My thoughts are going out to all of those down south who will bear the brunt of Irene's fury.  Also to those boaters and coastal dwellers that are facing massive loss with the forecasted storm surge.  My mind keeps thinking of the erosion about to occur to so many beloved beaches.  Stay safe everyone, and lets hope this turns into another 'miss' for the Atlantic coast.

Wow, I can not believe how long it has been since I last posted.  Yes, the garden is still growing.  Recently the potatoes were harvested, but I did not bother weighing them.  I am happy with my stash in the pantry......some of the fingerlings were nibbled by rodents, but all in all there was little loss.  The sweet potatoes are looking decent, I yanked one the other day just to check on how they were doing.

The Fairytale eggplant I agonized over- so pleased with the variety

 even though I don't like who owns the patent.

The cooler temps are a welcome change, some pea greens and lettuces are germinating and I am really looking forward to home grown greens again.  There are a few pumpkins and squash to look forward to as well.

Summer salad with peppers, tomatoes, and herbs from the garden.

We have been busy here, busy but well.  Hard to believe summer is just about over, we did not get enough beach days in this year.  Blogging has been on hold but I know I will become a regular again when our new fall routine settles in.  Yesterday morning I watched a chipmunk clime up a tomato cage, drop a perfectly ripe juliet to the ground, scamper down to retrieve it, and then bound across the lawn with gusto.  Now I know why my tomatoes seem to have petered out.  No petering, they are just being harvested by chipmunks.

A garden wonder - a true 'cherry tomato!

HAPPY GARDENING!

The Beginnings of Summer in the Garden

How appropriate, that just after the solstice, the first cherry tomato and squash of the year are ripe for the picking.  (Also, only 3 robins remain in the nest, they have begun to fledge!  This is making me nervous with the dogs and all, I will need to be vigilant over the next week or so.)

Today's Harvest:

The bottom leaves are getting quite yellow on my Sungold plant, so I gave the bed a sprinkle of slow release organic fertilizer, and the yellowing plant a shot of fish emulsion.  Hopefully that will supply enough nutrients to correct the problem and keep the plants healthy as they put on their new growth.

HAPPY GARDENING, SUMMER STYLE!

This just in....more trouble ahead for small farms.

NOFA/MASS ACTION ALERT

SAY NO TO THE NLGMA   SHUT DOWN THE     "National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement" (NLGMA)  BEFORE IT SHUTS DOWN SMALL/MEDIUM FARMS Remember the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that passed last year? We won a hard fought battle, securing appropriate food safety rules for small-to-midsized farms and processors producing fresh and healthy food for local and regional markets.  This law will be implemented by one of the agencies with food safety authority - the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Now, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, an agency with no food safety expertise or authority, is proposing to establish a set of food safety regulations for leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, and cabbage) growers and handlers who sell into the wholesale market, called the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (NLGMA). The most powerful "Big Ag" players in the leafy green industry are pushing the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (NLGMA).   The sellers, processors, or distributors that sign on to the rule will require that the farmers they purchase from comply with its standards. The rule adds a second and conflicting layer of food safety standards and audits on top of FDA food safety rules. HOW TO COMMENT: USDA is seeking written comments from the public on the NLGMA proposal by July 28th.   Write USDA today to urge them to reject this proposal.       (CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A COMMENT TO USDA) Here are some suggested points to make:  I oppose the creation of a National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement, which I believe to be the wrong approach to address food safety concerns. The Agricultural Marketing Service is not a food safety agency.   It is bad public policy to create food safety regulations in order to address the "marketing" goal of increasing consumer confidence in the safety of leafy greens.    Food safety policies should be driven by science, not by marketing problems. The NLGMA, as proposed, would give the large conventional produce industry the ability to use its own world view to dictate farming practices.   Small scale and organic farmers would have a very small voice in the standard-setting process. The NLGMA is modeled on state food safety agreements in California and Arizona.   In those examples, the conventional produce industry has pushed through food safety regulations that are biased against organic and small-scale farmers, have led to the destruction of wildlife habitat and discouraged good conservation practices on farms.   Diversified farming operations with complex rotations have been shown to be beneficial to the environment.    Yet crop-by-crop food safety regulations, such as the NLGMA, are an economic disaster for diversified farming operations, and are biased toward large mono-cultural operations.   For a farmer with 40 crops on 100 acres to comply with 40 different food safety regulations is prohibitively burdensome.  Crop specific food safety regulations, such as NLGMA, will drive farmers out of environmentally sensitive diversified crop production, and toward chemical-intensive mono-cultural operations.  This is counter to the goals of food safety and more environmentally sound agriculture. The Food and Drug Administration is currently writing regulations to establish food safety standards for produce.   Why is AMS proposing to establish standards that conflict with or duplicate the FDA standards, with the conventional leafy greens handlers in the drivers' seat? The NLGMA is a disaster waiting to happen, for farmers, consumers, the environment, and ultimately for food safety.   Also see the Action and Alert Comment Form from theNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition - (NSAC) For more information on this action alert, or about NOFA/Mass Policy and Social Action, please contact Jack Kittredge, Policy Director - 978-355-2853, or jack@nofamass.org.

Still here....

Whew, has life been moving by in a flash these last couple of weeks.  The weather has much improved, and the garden is growing taller and greener by the day.  I am still trying to catch up with the weeding!  I have a few friends looking over my shoulder while I am out there with hose and weed bucket:

There is no vacancy in that robin's nest!  I found an egg in my garden under a tall oak tree a number of weeks ago, and I relocated it to the eggs in the nest pictured above in hopes it would be viable.  It felt warm and heavy so I was hopeful.  (I know birds sometimes kick out an egg on purpose, and that is what I figured Mama Robin would do if the one I added was dud.)  I checked under the magnolia tree that holds this nest daily for any 'discards' and never saw any.   There are 5 babes in that nest so I have a feeling the egg transfer was a success.  Baby birds are just so darn cute, and I must say that these chicks are much quieter than the house wrens in the bird house out back.  What a racket they make!

I have been terrible about posting updates on the garden.  The tomatoes are full of fruit and are stretching towards the sun (pictured below).  Cucumbers and zucchini are growing on the vines, while the winter squash, beans, and eggplant are just beginning to flower.  (A varietal note - Magda are winning the squash race and almost ready to harvest, with Partenon not far behind.  Black Beauty is slow to go compared to it's squash mates.)  I was surprised to see a few small peppers on the bushes while watering today, the last time I noticed them they were just setting fruit.

My potato onions have fallen and are dying back quickly, so early compared to a standard variety onion.  Some of the garlic is coming close to maturity as well, I am anxious to harvest and gain some bed space for fall greens.

The fruit season is progressing nicely as well.  The apples are sizing up, blueberries & currants are starting to turn,  and brambles are flowering and setting fruit, though strawberries are of coarse the current stars.  We went picking on Father's Day and there is some jam cooling on the counter, and about 20 more pounds of berries waiting for me in the fridge.  Yikes!

Off to finish putting together the potato salad for dinner, 

can't wait for those new potatoes to start coming in.  

Happy gardening everyone!

The Dreaded Bolt.

The wide swings and temperature have arrived in New England.  These swings along with the accompanying heat wave cause much stress to the vegetable garden.  The tomatoes in bloom this week will likely not set, and the lettuce and greens will likely bolt.  Not so great news all around.

This year I have two beds under shade cloth, and I have been watering the lettuce daily.  So far there are no flower/seed stalks going up, but I have not been able to sample the lettuce to see if the bitterness has increased.  Brassicas and cilantro have however bolted under the cloth.

The 'Slobolt' lettuce seed I ordered has offered zero germination so I can't count on that one getting me through the summer.  I do have other supposed heat tolerant mixes to sow for summer and fall cutting as soon as I make some room.  It seems as though starting the seedlings under fewer hours of light may lengthen the number of days until bolting occurs.  (Just how does one accomplish this without grow lights in the basement though?)  Maybe sow them in trays or lettuce boxes on a shady porch?

Interestingly enough I have noticed another benefit from using shade cloth this year, it seems to be keeping the little green worms of my asian greens and mesclun mix.  From now on I will keep shade cloth over those greens even in cooler weather.

So here is my question for all of you, what varieties of lettuce and or greens do find to be tolerant of longer days, higher temperatures, and large fluctuations?  Do you have any tricks that seem to help prolong your harvest season?