fall garden

its getting cold outside.  too cold infact, for the vegetables

these days are filled with seed collecting, herb drying, carting vegetables around, looking thru cook books for pickle recipes...

leaves are falling off the trees

crispness fills the lungs when we go for walks

Three days ago I pulled out most of my garden.. 

salvaged the tomatoes, zuchs, cukes, squash, corn and the one eggplant!

here's some of the fruits:

nice big brandywine tomato.

 medieval purple carrots and good sized beets.

collecting tomato seeds for next year

 here's how:

saving tomato seeds 

ONE beautyful eggplant!!

I'm not crazy about eggplant, however I think its a beautyful thing to watch grown!

babaganoush or eggplant parmesan?

Onions drying

a pile of tomatoes to turn red...

the red pile will turn into salsa tomoro!

 one batch of canned tomatoes..  

This pure apple juice is from neigbor's apple tree!  

sooo yum. 

I just froze it tho cuz not sure how or if you can can pure apple juice. anyone know?

Ava in the calendula patch.

then we picked all the flowers.

to make salve!

the Corn and calendula princess!

 a bit of summers end chaos in the greenhouse.

drying calendula, peas for seed, cukes waiting to get the seed sucked out, lettuce seeds, tomatoes ready for seed sucking...

exploding seed tomato berries

aka sweet million

I think THIS and THat about this and that...

 I guess this will just be in point form cuz I don't know where to begin - its been too long
I'm not giving up blogging, however neglectful I get!




- Littlest A is standing up by herself!
- she's 10 months
- she'll walk soon

-  too much has been happening.  too much of it not being what I'd planned
-  I am growing in self awareness.
-  Trying to live simply, focus on abundance but not be controlled by want for it



- this year I have about 13 different varieties of Tomatoes growing!
- from black cherrys to grays sweet to cherokee purple to indian stripe... Brandywine and romas...
- my greenhouse is seriously producing things every day.  

- starting to get fruits on the tomato plants!

- My garden this year is all fun!
- Its a mini Mandala (circle) garden!  a series of Keyhole gardens



- and then plants stuffed in every open space too!
- these photos can not describe the thing for how it feels to stand inside...
- but you may get the idea

- this year I mulched the heck out of the garden, dont want weeds and dont wanna water
- lots of mulching with sawdust
-got a big load of half rotten straw from a friend farming family

- I got a job.  Doing Carpentry! building a new hospital in this town
- I can not start the job until I get a drug test confirmed
- I have take TWO tests (requiring a 1.5 hour drive to the city to pee in a cup)
- BOTH tests were "diluted"
- so I can not start work.
- now I need a frickin doctor's note which takes 2 weeks to get into... wow.

- its ever so challenging because money is TIGHT at the moment

HAhaha, this is me in 2009 when I used to be a carpenter type worker!!  before children... and in the mountains...

- but in a way its ok, cus I am enjoying my kiddos more than ever right now.
- this is my affirmation I keep saying daily, trying to believe it:

"I am open and receptive to ALL the good and abundance in the universe! 
 THANK you, life!"

- I have Louise Hay to thank for that one :0)

Helping with the rhubarb cake!  She's ACTUALLY a good helper! already...

- two happy bonneted kids! (one being bitten by a mosquito)
- they take every possible chance to be naked...
- especially in the yard...  and by rivers..  and inside houses.


- my future seems uncertain although we do have big plans for the next couple years.

- one certainty is this:

I will always be on the right path.

...If I choose to believe that I am.

and yes, it IS that simple.

- me in my mid- 20's

- my heart aches for what I used to be and where I used to be. 

- the Yukon in particular.  I had planned to be there right now. 

- although I know that where I am is just as significant to my growth as a beam of light on this planet

- our home, our garden, our small town, our little flat province, our family, our friends : these are growing happy content kids.  

- when I chose to be content and happy with what I have, I truly am.

-If you are wondering what the hell's the somber back story about, that will come later...  when the time's right to share it.

Beet juice smiles

- we are doing the best we can with what we have.  Despite all the shit, I think its pretty good!
- i am grateful for my family.
- and Xavier Rudd.
- and banana ice cream.

What and When to plant things in the North

 guest blogger: Katie English!!

Katie and Derrick Hastings have been organically farming in the Yukon for about 8 years.
I was trying to figure out when to plant what, indoors, so I asked her.
The info I got was too valuable to not share!
So she wrote me this lovely post about planting...

They live very far north - zone 0.

People said things can't be grown organically up there.  To that they said: "look at this wonderful garden produce!"

Remember they are zone zero, so adjust to your zone...
for instance:  if you live in Southern Saskatchewan, you are probably between zone 2 and 3.  So you can do things about 1/2 a week to 1 week earlier!

Here's Katie  (March 21st):

If you are anything like our family then you too are itching to get your hands in the dirt. Up here in Dawson City Yukon we are still seeing temperatures of -37,  lots of sunshine but plenty cold and plenty of snow covering that dirt. That’s okay though there are other ways you can get your spring on and get those hands dirty, like…. 

Starting some seedlings indoors! I know the question for most is what and when to start certain varieties. So I will tell you what our planting schedule is like.

When March rolls around the first thing you should really start thinking about is those leeks and onions, why you could have even started them as early as February…
 
Next for the beginning to the middle of March- Celery, Tomatoes, Peppers and herbs such as Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary and Parsley. 

Some flowers are ready to start now like Lobelia, Hollyhock, Lavender, and Salvia

Mid to end of March- You can still start herbs, Tomato's and peppers (they just wont have as much of a head start) as well it is time to start Eggplants, Snapdragons, petunias and pansy.

Beginning of April - cucumbers, asters, alyssum, chrysanthemum, verbena, poppy.

Mid April - Broccoli, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Kale, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Collards, Lettuce, Melons, Basil, Dill Tarragon, Calendula, Cosmos, Marigolds, Bachelors buttons and Zinnias

End of April/beginning of May- Zucchinis, Squash, more lettuce and greens.



You can direct seed outdoors as soon as the ground can be worked.  Your seeds will instinctively know when they should sprout outside.

Your seedlings need lots of light to grow strong and healthy. If you have a large south facing window this may be enough light to keep your seedlings strong.  If you do not have enough natural sunlight you can consider supplementing with full spectrum lights.  If your plants do not get the light they need in the beginning, they become long and spindly.  This is your plant's attempt to reach out for the light it requires.  Long spindly plants have weak stems and therefore the plant becomes weaker.  However, not all is lost, there are ways to remedy this situation.  You can pot up your plant completely covering the stems, this will help to strengthen the stem and in turn strengthen your plant.

When the days become warm enough you should start bringing your seedlings out during the day to harden them off.  Exposing the plants to natural elements will help prepare them for the day they are to be planted out.   If you do not harden them off, your plants can go in toa a state of shock when you transplant them setting them back a couple of weeks.  Make sure not to plant anything out until after your last frost date.  

Happy Planting!
From the Northern Clan
Katie, Derrick, Autumn, Cecilia and James  

Katie and her blueberry faced daughter on a hike (S.Frisch in back)

 

Check out their Facebook page on which you can purchase some GREAT salves, teas, seeds and oils.

I know the products they make are lovely and effective because 
I have been using them for years.  

The teas are beautyful and a lot of it is homegrown or wild crafted.

Juicing from the Garden - with the toddler!

Today's presents from the garden

Still lots of cucumbers  which are perfect in juice when we have too many!

They just give so so much juice.

Note the heirloom purple dragon carrots!

fun and very tasty!

 heirloom Bassano beets

I almost thought I'd mistaken and planted turnips there...

 but they are sweet like a beet!

Sweet morning smiles!!

 I'm glad we also planted regular beets cuz I really like the purple juice they make!

Beets are a good liver tonic, but only use one or two in a juice. 

bringin in the treasures!

Attie loves helping make juice.
Right from harvesting the veggies to pouring the finished juice into her cup.

I love doing it with her.

 Its fun, she's fully capable and then there's no kid whining at your knees... 

and it helps with her loving to drink it too   :0)

My personal Juicing tips:

- Apples and carrots are necessary
- beets make a good color
- add something green for health
- cucumbers + watermelon give loads of juice
- juice gets your insides moving. like Now.

clean up
- do it immediately after - makes it MUch easier.
- or at least rinse everything out asap.
- pour the juice  (thru a sieve if preferred) into another vessel and wash out the juice catcher immediately
- I scrape all the produce mush into the mush catcher and then fill it with water for the compost, which needs water anyways and makes it easier to clean the mush catcher!

and most of all:



** put ice in your juice!

yummm and health!




Do you have any essential juicing tips?

garden

wow already!

Well, here's what the garden is giving these days:

These zinnias have been brightening my days!

 Here's a massive pumpkin that I Just noticed the other day!  That's what you get when the pumpkin grows in an old composted manure spot!

I'd been waiting all summer to harvest this garlic that my uncle Jim had been saving for years.  

We almost had none cuz I forgot where I planted them last fall and we rototilled over them!!  

Now we have just enough to plant.  3rd week in September.

 Gad ZUCHS.

my measly little saskatch watermelon!

purple dragons in the middle (heirloom)

 Big old Brandywine Tomato

 Gray's Sweet cherry tomato.

Aren't they so pretty!  They grow in Raimbows!!

a butternut and a spaghetti squash. 

growing under a bunch of sunflowers for shade, seemed to work well!

 Doesnt look like much yet, but I am excited for my new comfrey patch!

I hope it just goes nuts next year!  cuz its grreat for the compost.

 Potatoes growing in rotted alfalfa hay...

 I'll let you know how this experiment pans out.

One thing I know is that it needs lots of water.

Whether or not it turns out, it will make a great new garden bed for next year!

Chasing Rio hoping to brush her!  Good luck Attie... 

She is old, but she can speed walk faster than you can run!!

zuch time!

At first there weren't many and I was worried I planted my zuch's to close together... 

but now they are all producing.

tiny zuchinnis turn massive overnight. 

Kind of like finding a wood tick in your dog's ear - all of a sudden there's this Huge thing sitting there!  (haha - sorry for the really gross analogy) 

Didn't think we'd be able to keep on top of them, but we are! and its so exciting!

 

My niece came to visit, she's totally interested in self sufficiency and gardening.

So she was pumped to help me grate these suckers down into edible packages in various stages of cooked and stored product.

She made this gorgeous Chocolate Zuchinni cake.

I'm not going to post the recipe we used, but there are plenty in your cookbooks at home and online!

Lets just say that Dark chocolate chips make it even more scrumptious.

We froze a whole bunch of grated zuch into 2 cup portions 

for all kinds of recipes to be made in mid winter.

Our family has been eating zuchinni in all meals.  I have mastered Zuchinni parmesan.

A big bowl of grated zuchinni in the fridge never did anyone any harm, 

just throw it into any and all meals you are cooking!  

fry up some Zuch with onions and garlic to be blended with tomatoes and added to your canned tomato soup - SO good.

zucchini omelet

zucchini in grilled cheese samwiches

Juiced zucchini

zuchinni smoothies (its a joke, don't try it.)

here's my new baby with her friend.  she was not interested in documenting the garden produce.

she was interested in more milkies and less sun shinning in her face...

and here's a post with Atlin lying beside a huge zuch a couple years ago