Root cellar beginnings

For the past two weeks I've been busy in the kitchen, standing next to a hot stove and preserving much of our garden booty by way of canning.  I've been having a good time and am happy to have the beginnings of a root cellar in our basement.

So far, we have 6 four-ounce jars of pesto, 18 four-ounce jars of peach jam, 13 quarts of peaches (picked by me at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Michigan), 2 quarts of red beets, 4 quarts of whole tomatoes, 2 quarts of diced tomatoes, and 2 quarts of stew fixin's.  The jars of stew fixin's contain celery, tomatoes, carrots, marjoram, thyme, rosemary (all from our garden) and corn sheared from the cob.

Making blueberry jam is on Saturday's agenda.  I hope to end up with at least 15 four-ounce jars when all is said and done.

Over the winter, I plan to monitor the temperature and humidity level in the basement to see if it's possible to store root vegetables down there successfully next year.  I suspect the temperature may be too warm and not humid enough to prevent vegetables from simply shriveling and drying up.  Air circulation will be an issue, too.  More research needs to be done to determine the best area to establish an actuall root cellar to store our fresh produce.  For now, stocking up on our own canned goods, to enjoy in the middle of winter, is a great start.

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Our butterfly bush continues to be an endless source of wonder.  Wednesday morning -wait, who are we kidding?  Wednesday afternoon began with a hummingbird sighting.  Shortly after noon I stepped out on the front porch to enjoy the warmth of the day and read a book.   Just as I turned to my left to look at the butterfly bush a hummingbird came zooming along the side of the house towards the bush, and then happily buzzed around several flower heads to drink the sweet nectar within.  

I'm always amazed whenever I see a hummingbird.  Amazed by their small size, the speed at which their wings flap, the way they move, and by the luxurious metallic sheen of their feathers.  Seeing this little fellow was a perfect way to start the day.

There are always dozens of different types of bees all around the bush, as well as butterflies and moths, but I have never seen this type of butterfly before.  Well, at least not under glass with a pin in its back under the care of a museum staff.

While reading, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a fluttering motion and saw what appeared to be the coloring of a Monarch butterfly.  I set my book down and got up to grab the camera.  What a joy to see this rust-colored beauty.  I believe this is a Great Spangled Fritillary.  At the very least, it most resembles a Great Spangled Fritillary.

Heck, it's 3:58 a.m. and I'm down to 13% battery life.  I'd document my thoughts on where and how to plant tomatoes in next year's garden, and to add several recipes to Wright Garden Recipes, but I much prefer to be sound asleep before the birds start their chatter.  I'll be dreaming of blueberry jam and blueberry pies.



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Bountiful

An edible artist's palette.  Red and golden beets, butternut squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.
The zinnias are from our garden, too.

The tomatoes from L to R are Costoluto Genovese, Mama Leone, Djeena Lee'a Golden, and Black Iceicle.

Once the rind of this watermelon turns golden yellow, it's ready to be eaten.  There are distinctive golden spots on this beauty so the change is underway.  We can hardly wait to taste these baby's. 

Don't let this shape fool you; it's pie.

A tiny muskmelon.  I was so glad to spot this little melon!  The five that have already been harvested
were unbelievably sweet and delicious.

Watermelon, melon, melon.

Wright Gardens profile

Wright Gardens as seen from our kitchen window.

"We might say that the earth has the spirit of growth; that its flesh is the soil."  -- Leonardo da Vinci


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Minnesota Midget

Plump, juicy and, oh, so sweet!  Seeds from this beauty will be saved for planting in next year's garden.

Minnesota Midget Melon

We're swimming in pickles!

Dill, bay leaves, and tarragon from the garden, along with the cucumbers.

Water, vinegar, salt, homegrown garlic, dill, tarragon, bay leaves,
black peppercorns, yellow & brown mustard seeds,
coriander seeds, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

It's difficult to believe that the growing season is nearly over.  In preparation for next year I've been reading a book recently borrowed from the library titled The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds by Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough.  The book includes seed saving tips for 322 vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, trees and shrubs.  For each entry in the book there is a tip for seed collection, seed cleaning and storage, seed treatment (prior to planting), germination (optimal conditions for), and transplanting.  Concise information that will help make me a better gardener.

A detail that will help me this year (and now you, too) is to save seeds from early harvested items versus fruit harvested later in the season.  The logic being that seeds saved from early fruits are more likely to produce early fruit next season, versus fruits that ripen late in the season.  Seems like obvious information but it never occurred to me that there could be that subtle of a difference from seed to seed.

"The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all." -- Wendell Berry




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A basket of nightshade

Yesterday's harvest was plentiful.  We've picked a few tomatoes here and there, but yesterday there were several pounds of tomatoes that were ripe.  The majority of the ripe tomatoes are Costoluto Genovese (the red tomatoes with "cleavage") with a few each of Black Icicle (thin plum shape) and Mama Leone (large red plum shape), and a single Djeena Lee's Golden Girl.  All four are heirloom varieties and, boy, are they scrumptious!

Djeena Lee's Golden Girl has mild acidity with a sweet and slightly fruity flavor.  Costoluto Genovese have a fantastic deep flavor.  Mama Leone tomatoes have a wonderful earthy flavor.  They are a paste tomato so they contain very little seed.  You can make a tomato sandwich with them, using the slices of tomato as the bread.  Tuck a basil leaf and a slice of fresh mozzarella between slices of Mama Leone and you'll have a tasty summer lunch.  Finally, the Black Icicle tomatoes have a robust, almost black pepper, flavor.  The flavor is so rich it is hard to describe.

Included in the harvest were many cucumbers that are the perfect size to be pickled,  jalapeno peppers, green bell peppers and enough celery stalks to include in a pot of turkey soup.  Celery stalks have been picked as we need it.  Otherwise, there are five celery plants growing in the garden.  Gardening makes me so happy!

The melons and squash are coming along wonderfully as well.  A muskmelon or two or three will be fully ripe any day now.  They look so lovely and are beginning to smell great, too.

The watermelon aren't far behind.  Although they are green now, as they begin to ripen the skin will turn a golden yellow.  They'll only be about three pounds as well.

This tiny pie pumpkin looks like a Flamenco dancer to me.

A nifty potters table was given to us by our pal Judy.  It fits perfectly on the side of garage across from the garden bed, between a patch of Lamb's Ear and Queen Anne's Lace.  Thanks, Judy!

Queen Anne's Lace being illuminated by the setting sun.

"All gardening is a landscape painting." -- William Kent

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero


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