Harvest

October has rolled in with a bit of Indian Summer and now that we are creeping into mid October, the cold frosty air is moving in too, which means one thing: Harvest.

It's a surreal and somewhat romantic/depressing feeling going out to the gardens right now. Surreal because it seems like yesterday the garden was green and luscious and now the vines are dying and brown leaving the fruit behind. It's romantic in the way Ms. Havisham's story is romantic and depressing because I have to put the garden to bed now.

The reward however is the bounty squash, beans carrots, parsnips and pumpkins to carry us through the first few months of winter.

A September to Remember

It has been more than a month since I last posted. We spent much of the month of August preparing for our wedding at Snow Meadow Farm on September 4th. The gardens were in full bloom, blossom and fruit for the day and were a huge hit. Some party goers even feasted on some of its deliciousness. We've spent september eating greens, leeks, tomatoes, carrots, parsnips, squash, beans, radishes, celery, cucumbers, and on and on and on. I even sent party goers packing with zucchini bread made from the zucchini grown in the Warehouse Gardens.

Thank you blog readers for being patient with my lack of updates.

Potato & leek soup for a rainy day!

Yesterday we received some MUCH needed rain. It was a steady rain here in Durham from around 9Am to about 8PM. We received a touch over two inches. There aren't many puddles either, which tells me it soaked nicely into the terra firma and now it's not as firma. Our grass also needed some help too. We wouldn't care as much about the grass but we have our guests coming a week from Saturday for the big day.

There's nothing better on a dark, cool day than the aroma of soup from the dutch oven filling the entire house. We used our first leeks from the garden and more potatoes too. It was delicious and there's plenty of left overs.

The other night we pulled three ears of corn, so now (except for the onions and the butternut squash) the garden is fully operational for eating.

I LOVE this time of year!

Happy eating!
--Annie

Hello from space!

Check it out you can see my gardens from space!!

Apologies Blog World

I apologize to my blog readers - my efforts have been elsewhere. Our nuptials are quickly creeping up on Snow Meadow Farm and there has been a lot to do around the farm in preparation. I haven't neglected my gardens at all!

You should see the pumpkins. They are going from green to orange and I can count nine of them. The one variety that grows orange is getting so big, I might have to enroll in a fair contest.

We started to enjoy tomatoes and I am not sure how many more green beans we can eat. I have a drawer in the 'fridge filled with cucumbers and I am going to attempt to get dill today at the Farmer's Marker - wish me luck!

We have potatoes! Red potatoes. The gold didn't really work out. So far we have made oven roasted potatoes and potato salad with our harvest. One row has already been removed and I planted parsnips to be dug next spring. Once my nephew comes out to the farm to help me dig out the remaining two rows of potatoes, I will prepare the rows for garlic. I plan on planting a crap-load of garlic as we use it so often. The garlic doesn't go into the ground until October, but I will have the beds prepared and ready. Conveniently located next to the parsnips for easy location after the snow melt.

In other news, the zucchini has slowed down - PHEW! I get one or two a week now. Much more manageable. The celery isn't doing as awesome as I thought it was on track to do but I haven't given up on it.

Again, I apologize for my absence.

Happy EATING! 'TIS THE SEASON!!!!
--Annie

As God As My Witness...

I shall never go hungry again.

I pulled up my first carrot last week. Unlike Miss Scarlet, I did not vomit. But in her defense it wasn't a rotten carrot nor had Sherman just blasted through my town.

The dill crisis was abated for the time being, thanks to Skip down in Alewife Cove. Prior to Skip's rescue, it was looking rather grim. I had gone to the Farmer's Market in the morning - literally 20 minutes after it had opened - and you'd think that I was at Toys R Us on Christmas Eve looking for the last Princess Unicorn ("Her horn will pierce the sky!"). Everyone was frantic for dill and there wasn't a single sprig to be found it had all sold immediately. That will teach me to enjoy my leisurely drive to the market. I need to put my armor and go to battle! Next, year I will solve this issue by planting my own dill.

Tomatoes are starting to turn red and we've had a couple of early ones. The corn is almost ready - a couple more weeks. I planted broccoli which will be ready in either 40 or 60 days depending on the variety.

The real story, however, has been the rain. We haven't had a single day of rain this summer - which is GREAT for outdoor activities and feelin' some summatime. BUT for the plants, grass, and flowers, it has been a struggle. It seemed as though each and EVERY thunderstorm that went through missed us only by a mile or two. BUT finally, last night at around 7 PM we were in the t'storm's path. We had two 10 minute downpours. Not the soaking rain that we'd like but beggars can't be choosers and I was begging. I think the potatoes say THANK YOU!

Soured

All these pickling cucumbers and no dill to be found anywhere....ANYWHERE. I know, I know, a major oversight in not growing my own dill - next year!

Ugh, I NEED DILL!

--Annie

Reflecting on July

As the sands of July come to an end, there were CERTAINLY some lessons learned.

1) squash needs more room.
2) read up on potatoes.
3) plant corn about 4" deep next year for more supportive root base
4) invest in sturdy tomato holders - the standard metal ones are way too flimsy; splurging on fancy ones next year.
5) pumpkins get really really big, be prepared for hit.
6) grow greens vs. lettuce.
7) watermelon is super cool.
8) more carrots/parsnips
9) give each cucumber plant more room so one can see inside its vines.
10) gardening is a LOT of work, but the rewards are starting to be delicious.

--Annie

July - A Photo Journal

Pickles and a Bittersweet Storm

On Tuesday I jarred my first pickles, EVER, ever in my life. Pickles are another food (in addition to pesto) that I love and I crave, but only dill pickles and they can't be too vinegary. In fact, I love kosher dill pickles and I came to learn that there isn't any vinegar in those pickles at all. Which is why I think I like them best and they have a fresh flavor to them. I hope this attempt works because there's nothing better than the snap of fresh pickle in your mouth. Salty and delicious.

Wednesday night featured some MUCH needed rain for the gardens. However, the storm couldn't just bring rain, it had to bring crazy winds as well. In the next county over three confirmed tornadoes touches down within an hour. For you mid-westerners reading this blog, you're like - yeah, big deal? But in Maine, it's fairly rare. Though oddly enough, increasingly more common.

When the brunt of the storm passed, I took Oslo out for a walk to survey any damage and there were some small branches down, but nothing major. However, the next morning I went into the garden to find my tomatoes knocked over, 2/3 of the corn lying on its side and nearly all of my potatoes on their sides as well.

The tomatoes are getting a bit big for their cylindrical supports so I tapped some wood supports in the bottom to hold them. The tomatoes are huge and heavy (still green). I dodged that bullet.

After reading up on the corn, I don't think I planted the seeds deep enough - though the package from Johnny's said 2" deep (which is what I planted them at), the recommendation from my research is more like 4". The roots of the corn go out and not down, so with such tall stalks they need a deeper base. It was recommended that I give them a dirt base at present, which is what I did on each and they are all upright again, however, I am crossing my fingers that they will weather the next storms.

The potatoes I tried to get them upright. I don't know about them. I really don't. I think at this point I am just going to hope for the best. I pulled a sacrificial plant out of the ground to see what on Earth was happening down there. This is all so new to me that I wanted to be sure stuff was actually happening. I am excited about them and they also take up a lot of room in the garden not to be doing anything. But they are, kind of. There was one potato, the size of a marble and the other were the size of the top of my pinky finger. I don't know. Live and let live, potatoes!

Finally, I am sharing pictures of the watermelon and the butternut squash.


Happy eating and growing,
--Annie

Bees, bugs and caterpillars

The bees are in the garden like crazy, doing their thing. It's great. The buzzing sound while weeding this morning was therapeutic. I have a small cucumber beetle epidemic and I have found two potato bugs. I did some research on getting rid of them and it appears there is one "solution" that takes care of both and can be bought for about $16 and is organic and all-natural.

I am confused on hilling the potatoes. I think they need to be hilled again. How much green should be out of the top? Anyone? Anyone?

Also, I've looked at other people's squash plants - summer and winter - and why are mine SO gigantic???? I am wondering if the chicken poo we scattered earlier in the spring worked like steroids. They are seriously out of control. I keep cutting them back so I can actually get into the garden.

I have my first sign of watermelon fruit. It is the size of a large marble. I am very excited about this.

The cucumbers are kind of a mess. Part of the plants are trellising and part are bushing out at the bottom and I am having a difficult time figuring out what is what and if there's any fruit in there. I did eat my first pickling cucumber on Saturday which means I need to get some pickle jars asap and figure out how to do this pickling thing - also a first. I LOVE PICKLES! But only the kosher dill kind (extra garlic). Does anyone have any good recipes for brine?

The tomato plants looks like small trees. They are huge. I cut those back as well so they did not fall over. Seriously, the garden is on steroids.

And finally, the monarch caterpillars are arriving - about a month early (as everything this year). For those of you unfamiliar, they are white/black/yellow. They turn into those fantastic orange butterflies. They LOVE milkweed and we have so much here at Snow Meadow Farm. It keeps popping up like mad in the Warehouse Gardens as well. This morning I found a bunch. Mostly tiny little babies, the size of inch worms but I found one fat juicy one that I jarred for my nephew who will come out to the farm and "conveniently" find it for his bug house.

Why jar these creatures, you ask? To watch them eat and eat and eat then spin its chrysalis, which starts out green with the most fantastic gold line that runs around the entire thing...and then the entire thing turn translucent and you can see the butterfly through the chrysalis. It then bursts open and cleans its damp wings. The butterfly is so new to the world you can hold it for some time before it flies away. It's really a spectacular process. Charlie and I have been on the hunt for a year now and Auntie finally came through!

Coffee break is over. I need to get back at it before the storms come this afternoon. YAY RAIN!

Happy growing and eating,
--Annie

From the Kitchen at SMF

Sauteed, grilled, baked, with pasta, in stir fry ... I am running out of ways to prepare zucchini. And then it occurred to me, what about the delectable treat that pairs oh so well with a cup of joe in the morning: zucchini bread. I ended up making four loaves today. I would like to add that it's nearly 90 degrees out. Somehow, even with the oven set to 325 degrees, it is still cooler indoors. Anyways, I plan to give a few loaves away and freeze the others. I have to admit, it's pretty gosh darn, good.

Once the last few loaves were cooking, I delved into pesto. The basil needed to be trimmed back significantly so that it didn't go to seed, as did the Italian flat-leaf parsley. Pesto is something I've been making for years. For a long time my friend Laura's dad used to grow a large basil patch specifically for me called "Annie's Basil". For those of you reading who don't know me well, I am an absolute NUT for pesto. I could eat it every day, all year around.

I can't really share my recipe because I am at the point where I just eye-ball everything. The following are the ingredients you'll need. I find, like anything, the best flavors come from the best ingredients. It's why I splurged on the Parmesan and olive oil. The garlic was also purchased today - next year the Warehouse will hopefully be producing its own garlic. I find a food processor is the fastest way to make a nice creamy pesto, but I've also done it the old fashioned way too with a mortar & pestle. When we lived in Norway (the country), the Scandos don't really roll in the direction of giant appliances in the kitchen, but the mortar/pestle combo worked well, in fact it gets more of the oils out of the herbs that the food processors does not, which means a bigger flavor.



And this is what it will look like:



The following is my favorite pesto-meal served hot or cold. It's simple: pasta mixed with pesto and fresh diced (room temp) tomatoes on top. In fact, that's what's for dinner tonight at Snow Meadow Farm. But pesto is also great on fish (grilled salmon, specifically), steak, and sometimes I mix it with mayo and spread it on a turkey sandwich (don't skimp on the quality of the bread for this particular sandwich. You must honor the pesto).

I hope you blog readers are eating as well as I am. We're just beginning!
Happy eating and growing,
--Annie

Feeling neighborly.

These first couple pictures have nothing to do with the Warehouse Gardens, they are just two spectacular photos taken on Saturday evening. Looking from the front of the house, a rainbow hung over the front field, and looking over the barn the sky looked as though it was on fire. This spectacular sunset (after a much needed rain) came and went in a matter of five minutes. Delightful.

As promised the first acorn squash is doing sooo well! We also have apples!


And finally, I packaged some greens and zucchini for the neighbors. You'll recall our big garden is technically not on our land (see May entry "Serfs up"). This neighbor blesses my garden each time he drives by it, I think I should give him some goodies so he'll continue to bless it, let me use the space and it's just the neighborly thing to do!


Happy eating! If you're hungry for greens or zucchini give me a shout!
--Annie

And I have the tan to prove it.

My Farmer's tan is really kicking into high gear. We've had an unusually hot and sunny summer. I am not complaining. And as a result, my work in the garden has been done under tremendously hot and sunny conditions as well. So now I am sporting some interesting tan lines.

It's been a while since my last post because not much has really changed - lots of lettuce and the zucchinis keep a'comin'. I have eaten all of the first round of radishes and the second wave should be up soon.

New fruits and veggies to add to the edible list are jalapeños.

Finally, and I'll take a picture later today, the acorn squash that actually looks like an acorn squash - dark green and oh so delicious. It has inspired me to begin my research on storage. If you have any recommendations on how to store the following, let me know:

winter squash: butternut and acorn
potatoes: gold and red norland
onions: mostly yellow, a few red
carrots
fennel (not sure if that's even storable?)
parsnips

Summer eating has really gone from 0 to 60. Love every minute of it!
--Annie

From OUR FARM to the table

This is what it's all about. In the basket is today's bounty (if only you could smell the basil, blog readers!):


Tonight's menu: Turkey panini with green lettuce, havarti and a basil-aioli served with lightly sauteed zucchini with lemon and a butterhead, arugula and radish salad tossed with the simple, yet age-old combination of EVOO and Balsamic.

Even Oz likes the garden:


This blog post is also a special thanks to my dad who came and watered the garden on Sunday, while I was in Vancouver. We are amidst a serious heat-wave in Maine. It's warmer here in Durham than it is my Costa Rican hometown, Montezuma. Everything would have dried terribly had he not come. He also tied up the celery and took care of attending to the small details of the garden. He did not go home empty handed: radishes and the first zucchini from the Warehouse. So, thanks Dad!

No garden predators did any damage while I was away. A huge fear, now relieved. Also, of note, the pumpkins are getting more out of control each day. They are like Audry from little Shop of Horrors. The little kinky twirls that I found so endearing and wonderful a few weeks ago, are now lassoing the nearby onion. Oy, live and learn.

Again, this is what it's all about! Happy eating :)

--Annie

It's not a fruitless attempt

This week we've mulched and brought the weeds down quite a bit. We saw the doe with her fawn. We've eaten greens every night this week from the Warehouse Gardens. The fruit is beginning to come to life. Below are photos of said fruit.

I am going to Vancouver tomorrow for five days. My Dad and his assistant Carlos are coming to water while we are away and hopefully the deer won't attack while Oslo and I are gone.

Happy growing growing growing!
--Annie
Zucchini

Fennel

Celery

Pumpkin

Tomato

Acorn Squash

Radish

Deer hunter

Jalapeño Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Perhaps not "knee high" but close to it.

In Illinois there is a saying, "Knee high by the Fourth of July." This of course is referring to the progress of the corn stalks. The corn in the Warehouse Gardens are not going to be knee high this Fourth of July but certainly mid to upper-shin high. I'd say that's pretty good for only planting a few weeks ago.

Today I noticed that I can see the beautiful bright red of the radish coming up through the earth. They aren't ready to be eaten quite yet, but soon. Very soon. I also noticed two zucchini fruit the size of my thumb starting to grow. ...and the magnitude of the pumpkin plants continues to overwhelm and amaze me.

I pruned the tomato plants today and did some weeding as well.

For the first time living at Snow Meadow Farm, I saw a deer through my bedroom window. If only it were November and not June. I quickly rounded Oslo out to chase the deer back into the woods. Success. Little did I know, a tag-team effort can be confirmed. In the dense fog, this night, Oslo and I chased another deer (a partner in crime) across the drive through the field and it too entered the woods and out of sight.

I hadn't seen the deer or sign of deer in days. Wishful thinking. I am meeting Matt in Vancouver for four days this Friday. I am nervous to leave the gardens unattended for so long without my flat-coated warrior to protect our land. A perfect time to test the validity of coyote urine.

Finally, tonight was evening four of fresh greens from the garden for dinner. This time served with Arctic Char. Crispy, flavorful and delicious.

Happy growing, eating and abating,
--Annie

More fence, more weeds, more slugs & snails

I raised the fence on the two smaller beds today. Not sure what I am attempting to do here, but, for my own peace of mind I will have done everything I could to keep the gardens safe.

I also weeded the smaller beds. It had been a while. It actually wasn't too bad. My rototiller guy isn't just good-looking, he's also good at what he does apparently.

My first failure in the garden is in the form of red onions. I started out with several plants (on a second attempt) and now am down to about five. The yellow onions, on the other hand are looks quite strong. I am not sure what happened. The snails might have mowed them down, who knows? Perhaps the cut worms? Not sure why whatever it was is completely opposed to yellow onions (fingers crossed!).

Both the red and gold potatoes needed to be hilled and so I did that as well. The instructions from Johnny's Select said that I will probably need to hill them 2-3 times to prevent the potatoes from "greening". If the potato is green, it is rendered inedible. I do NOT want that because I LOVE potatoes.

The pumpkins are still on a tear. It will be interesting to see where I manage to put the arms of these plants. They are pretty incredible. I also love the spirals that come off of them. So unique and beautiful.

Aside from the demise of the red onions (eh, they make me burby anyways), everything else is looking healthy and strong. I am debating what to plant where the red onions were. Suggestions?

A humbling day,
--Annie

The First Harvest

Last night I had Social Club over to the farm for dinner. I was able to provide a salad of greens from the garden. I harvested arugula, red leaf and green leaf lettuces for the salad, which I tossed with a homemade shallot-Parmesan vinaigrette. Delicious.

Happy growing and now for certain, happy eating,
--Annie