September Harvest

It’s harvest time, and now that I’ve shown you the macrocosm of the organic farm around me, I’ll share some of my favorite things happening in my own modern micro homestead. First off, there is the rainbow of potatoes the kids and I dug up the other evening. I tried to plant the most colorful array possible, and cram them into a fairly small area. It seems the gophers thought this patch of potatoes was for sharing, but I still brought in a good amount. I seem to have a lot of greens, gourds and potatoes in the garden this year and each is enjoyable enough in its own way to make up for the other crops that didn’t ride out the extended Spring and short Summer.

Our scarecrow has enjoyed this growing season of watching all the comings and goings of the farmers and protecting our own garden space from birds. I am realizing I will need to figure out some manner of slug scarecrow for next year. Those little gastropods seemed to cavort and feast right under his nose without any sign of intimidation or remorse for their ways.

After growing a whole patch of them the last couple of years, my one pumpkin may sound rather uneventful, but I am excited as a kid at Halloween every time I spy it growing more orange and more beautiful every day.

My kids and I had a good evening of potato digging. Maybe it’s because it feels so much like digging for buried treasure, but it’s an agricultural activity I always know I can get them to stay with me on until the end. In spite of the gophers, we hauled in a good two boxes full.

I was surprised to find a few fat carrots while weeding. I thought they were a lost cause to the slugs, but apparently some made it through.

The chickens are enjoying the farm, although they began roaming a little too boldly and will have to spend more time in their spacious greenhouse turned chicken run until I figure out a solution. Ms. Frizzle and her three adopted Rhode Island Red chicks are doing quite well and everyone is enjoying a smorgasbord of groundfall fruit.

The quail are fat and sassy, and enjoying daily treats of kale and blackberries. They make the most delighted little noises when they go about munching on these. I am really enjoying their eggs too. We used some for raw quail egg sushi at a dinner with some friends the other week, and they were rich and flavorful. I’ve also been cracking them into soups as poached eggs and my friend tried soaking them in black tea and salt for another tasty morsel.

My 10 gallons of hard cider is fermenting away, making those wonderful little “bloop” sounds through the air locks.

Late night and early morning canning sessions have been productive. I now have applesauce, dilly beans, and corn relish to add to my soon to be pantry downstairs, along with the summer jams.

And, at the end of busy days, I am enjoying taking some quiet moments to sit in my newly created outdoor living room / greenhouse. My idea is that it gets pretty warm in there on sunny winter days, and I can go out and read or play my banjo and shed my winter blues by hanging with the greens.

With the seasons shifting and mornings getting quite chilly, and it is a good feeling to be getting ready for Winter.