Gratitude in the Garden: Giving Thanks for the Fall Bounty
As I write this article, the weather is still warm and we have only had a touch of frost. Our garden is full of fall vegetables: carrots, beets, fennel, celeriac, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and kale. These crops are perfect for a quick stir fry and simmering pots of soup. A friend recently made my husband and I the most beautiful and delicious galette, a delicate veggie filled pie with a crispy crust and roasted carrots, beets, peas and potatoes. Today I will be roasting beets and fennel to freeze for winter use.
The winter squash has been harvested by cutting the stem about an inch from the fruit before being brought into the basement for winter storage. Potatoes are dug, left to dry for a couple hours in the sun and then placed in storage. If left too long in the sun, the skins will turn green making those skins inedible. If you have green skinned potatoes peeking out of your potato garden rows, cover them with soil and wait a couple weeks before digging. They will turn again and be ready for use. Potatoes grow on underground stems called stolons that can reach as far out as 10 inches from the center row. I begin digging gently 12 inches on both sides of the potato row to avoid accidentally stabbing the tubers. If you do stab one, use it right away as injured tubers will rot in storage. I use milk crates for storage and place the spuds in a cool, dark location. Burlap bags work too. A root cellar is the perfect place to hold your potato crop but any cool, damp, dark area will do.
Want to keep your cold hardy plants producing this fall? Try covering them with floating row cover. This product comes in lightweight, which is great in the spring for keeping insect pests off crops and heavier weight. This heavy weight option is perfect for covering crops to extend the garden season. You can also double up the lightweight material. Make sure you cover the edges of the row cover with soil or boards to keep the wind from blowing the cover off the plants. Fabric staples designed just for this purpose work well too. I use overturned buckets to keep the row cover off the plants, especially when the snow starts to fly. You can also purchase hoops for this purpose.
Every year, I marvel at the bounty that comes from a relatively small area of soil. Pausing to give thanks to the land that produces such bounty is part of my yearly garden ritual. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
