Bounty

Somehow J. and I have never signed up for a CSA before this season.  With everything we have been growing (or trying to grow) on our own, it seemed a bit redundant.  Late-autumn on our little corner lot doesn't give us much more than kale and leeks though so it was a delight to pick up an assorted abundance of fresh, good old-fashioned, farmed raised produce.  

Thank you Big Lick Farm!

Mash Up

The quinces that I was lucky enough to secure from a neighbor have been sitting outside the back door waiting to be put to use.  It just never seemed like a good time and I couldn't really decide what to do with them.  Because a few of them were beginning to rot, I finally put the excuses aside and made an effort to do something with  them.  Last night, twelve were converted to Quince Membrillo.

The basics...

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Leave for Later

The first (and second) frost has come and gone, and we were left with loads and loads of unripe tomatoes.  I collected fourteen pounds and pickled five of those pounds.  The Dilled Green Tomatoes were quite straightforward to prepare, and assuming their tasty, I'll likely make them again.

Charity

What does one do with thirty-five pounds of quince?  

I'm considering:

Beef and Quince Tajine

Quince Slab Pie

Tunisian Lamb and Quince Stew

Quince Vodka

Persian Quince Jam with Cardamom and Rosewater

Sugar Quince Cubes

While I decide, we'll enjoy the simple delight of their very fragrant aroma.

Preservation

can 8 quarts of tomatoes (from our very own garden)*

*As previously noted, like the days leading up to the last event, I'm going to make more time for getting [party and non-party related] stuff done by keeping my posts minimal, and I'm hoping to maintain momentum by focusing on what's already done.

Time's Up

harvest black beans*

It's less than two weeks until the next wedding celebration.  The summer edition was pretty, damn fantastic, and I'm so looking forward to what (and who) the autumn ado will bring.

*Like the days leading up to the last event, I'm going to make more time for getting [party and non-party related] stuff done by keeping my posts minimal, and I'm hoping to maintain momentum by focusing on what's already done.

Itty Bitty

Our Evergreen Huckleberries have a lot of growing to do before they look as mighty as the wild ones all over Carter Lake Campground.  

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Home Run

It's a little alarming when zucchinis grow to the size of tee ball bats while your back is turned.  When this happens, as it always does... bake.  

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One In One

I'm not sure how long it will be before the tomatoes are ripe, but I do know that we're only a week away from the arrival of my family for a week-long Oregon adventure.  Hip-hip-hurray!

"Pulled Out a Plum"

A kind neighbor offered up a tree full of plums ripe for the picking, from which I was able to procure two and a half gallons of delicious plums weighing in at about seventeen pounds.

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Sharing Is Caring

Although I envision the possibility of one day making money and maybe even turning a profit from our small-scale agricultural endeavors, I'm currently enjoying giving away surplus to my neighbors.  We've already shared flower seeds, tomato starts, and eggs.  As anticipated, the simple act of sharing builds community and brings people together.  Since meeting one of my neighbors last week, I've already bumped into her around town twice.  I'm pretty sure that we ran into each other all the time before, but I had no idea that she was my neighbor.

Do you know your neighbors?

Getting Started

Our seed starting set-up is makeshift, but it totally beats last year's attempt, which was a total failure.  Even in a sunroom, sunlight is not direct, or consistent, enough to give plants a solid start.  We just have the one light now, but next year, I hope to have a set up similar to the illustration in Mother Earth News' Best Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors.  A friend suggested that we put an oscillating fan on the tiny plants so that they grow strong as they resist the breeze.  So far, that seems to be working well.

Apparently, peat pots aren't ideal.  Only a few brave broccoli seem to be surviving.  The kale gave up right away and none of the peppers have even made an appearance.

I've read that dixie cups work well so we'll likely try those next time.  For now, the tomatoes are growing like gangbusters.

P.S. SproutRobot tells you what and when to plant based on your zip code.  

No Time Flat

Because I remember my mom making the cutest little arrangements with corn stalks, I thought that (prior to composting) I too would give it a try.

Probably everyone who has every made a similar gathering of stalks knows that you have to make a giant structure or else secure the stalks to something stable.  Day-after-day of rain along with a tiny wind gust wilted and then toppled my meek collection.

As it turns out, my mom had a secret trick for keeping it all upright.  She jams a shovel into the ground and uses that as a foundation of sorts.  A shovel handle would have been far to obvious for my Oregon garden's puny (not Midwest worthy) corn harvest.  Instead, I used two-foot lengths of rebar that we had on hand from dismantling our trellis frames.

Still meek and puny but not flat.

Small Batches, or, Harvest Shrinky Dinks

12 september 2012 . wednesday . (day nine hundred eighty-nine)

Because the tomatoes are ripening at such a slow pace this year, I've opted to dry rather than can the surplus.  

16 september 2012 . sunday . (day nine hundred eighty-six)

I've never actually tried to make anything using dried tomatoes,* but they're supposed to be quite versatile (as paste or sauce, in soups or stews, etc).  We'll see.

*They're always eaten up far too quickly as snacks.  Mmm...