Fall here seems to have come and gone again in about one day this year! Temps went right from warm (in the 80's F, above normal for summer here) to hard freezes and snowstorms in a few days. Making it a bit of a race to get all the food possible preserved before everything froze solid. It looked like the scene above for only about one day before more snow erased all the hints of yellow and gold around my house.
Despite the issues with my garden this year, I did get a good harvest of some things. Like carrots. Lots of carrots, in all kinds of colors.
Also a good crop of onions and leaks, though sadly my pesky voles munched through almost all my garlic. A few peas, and a few green beans which was really exciting since I have planted green beans for three years and always ended up with them being killed by frost about the time they would flower. I also harvested plenty of my reliable frost hardy crops like beets, chard, kale, and other greens.
I found wild elderberries and picked a whole box.
Turning them into quite a bit of juice which is now canned and should last me most of the year.
I made several batches of sauerkraut.
Picked wild rosehips and dried them.
Picked many boxes of apples, off a tree that I'd never seen produce anything before, and made apple sauce. Along with quite a few pies, apple crisp, etc. It seems all the wild berry and fruit bushes produced record crops this year which was great for me.
Which also turned into lots of piles of dishes. I'm so glad I have a double sink in my tiny house!
I got a few potatoes, though most of them did not grow this movie. But again, the ones I did get were all kinds of pretty colors!
Lots of herbs from the flower boxes around the house which I picked and dried for use throughout the winter.
As I wrapped up the garden, I started leaving the gates open in my fence, and it didn't take more than a few hours for the deer to arrive and explore what they could maybe still much on.
And then there have been quite a few more snow storms. The 7 inches above came down in one night!
At this point it just feels like winter here, even though most of the snows have come and gone again down around my house. The mountains are keeping their snow at the higher elevations. What's fall like in your area right now?
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteYour harvest always reminds me of simpler times although living off the land is anything but simple it is just more appealing to me. Fall in Pa is as you know, up and down in temps. One day it's balmy and warm enough to wear shorts and the next its cold and windy. Then back to warm again. Today it rained A LOT and of course with all the leaves on the ground, there were several fender-benders on the way to the office. When I left to come home it was like a summer evening just dark much sooner. I love winter and snow and cold and the stillness of a fresh snowfall; It's the long nights and short days I could do without. May I ask about your lids/tops for your sauerkraut jars? TYFS another small piece of your life. Getting closer to our THOW build every week!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The setup I've started using for most fermenting is these little silicone nipples that fit any standard mason jar.
Deletehttp://amzn.to/2kpkare
And with these glass weights under the lid.
http://amzn.to/2BNeCen
Did you ever try winter sowing? There's a group on Facebook for it.
ReplyDeleteNot in my area. 700+ inches of snow last year, at least 450 inches average. :)
DeleteWhat's the wire going to your roof for ?
ReplyDeleteI believe that's the wire going to her solar panels but I might be wrong
DeleteYou got it! That's the power coming in from the solar panels.
DeleteOh, i love this post so very much. beautiful pictures, such gorgeous abundance from your gardens, and your prose swept me along. thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletep.s. i'm one of those readers, like you, who prefers photos and written words to video, (although your videos are wonderful, too). even if these posts are not the most popular, know that they are enjoyed!
DeleteLooks like you've had a good garden this year and glad to see you canning.
ReplyDeleteI live in NE Florida and fall just started last week but like the last two years it will probably be unseasonably short, like 3 weeks, then right into winter. Hurricane IRMA took a toll on my trees with 3 of then down and truck loads of broken branches. At $1000 per tree for removal I can live with no more storms.
Love your photo's, have a safe and toasty warm winter inside with your fireplace! :-)
here in hamburg, germany, we still having around 10°c - right now sunny skies with a orcan coming along! the leaves are falling down, still nice colours of yellow, red, green & already brown ones...
ReplyDeleteI am so sad about your garlic! This is such a long time commitment to plant them and lose them like this. I have squirrel problems and just lots ton of broccolli because they just break the leaves, munch on the stems and abandon it, basically killing the plant and wasting my leaves. This is so annoying!! I am surprised your critter munches through garlic, though!
ReplyDeleteBut on the other hand your last harvest looks insanely good! How do you store your roots like beets and carrots and onions for longer? Do you have a dark box? Do you cook your greens right away or do you freeze them? So many questions!
I admire your knowledge and courage to go pick wild fruits. It is a great thing to do indeed, but not being born in a cold country I guess I cannot differentiate the edible ones from the more toxic ones.
Here in the south of Quebec fall is usually cold and humid, but this year it basically feels like a cooler summer. It extended the harvest season for longer and despite us having our first frost at the expected date it was basically a frozen dew, so no much damage.
Thanks. I pickle a lot of things like beets. And the carrots and onions I don't have great storage for, but I eat them all up before they go bad.
DeleteGetting ready to head home from work on my sportster. Short sleeves :-) Charlotte area.
ReplyDeleteHey, I just saw your videos about a month ago. I meant to comment but didn't have time. Anyway: I think you're an amazing person, and an inspiration! I've often fantasized of living off grid. But, alas, still working my corporate job. Do you ever want to get married? Just curious. Alright, take care
ReplyDelete-Zach
Wonderful work and videos, thanks so much. As a wildlife photographer, I am sure you love nature and the value of keeping things native. I am an invasive plants specialist and if that is either moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) or Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) hanging out of your pots, you may want to make other choices. Just by gardening, and bringing a vehicle in and out to a place like that regularly can change it irrevocably and create a lot of work for you when you realize it has gotten loose. Look carefully where you are discarding garden waste, and in your "lawn" as small pieces of these plants can break off and grow. Learn your native vs non-native plants, as the native ones are the foundation for all those lovely animals you are photographing. Unfortunately, this is one of those things that does not seem like a problem to most people until they realize what they have done once the plants have spread...by then removal is a huge job. This issue needs amazing artists like you to help get the word out. This does not mean all non-natives are a problem, most are not, but certainly do a little googling about every new species you bring in to see if it has been found to be a problem in your area, and in other areas of similar climates. Cheers, keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAnother one who loves posts and photos! I would sure like to see a post about how you make sauerkraut. I saw you have some glass discs and flexible lids. What's your success/loss percentage? I've been buying German sauerkraut in foil packages, made traditionally (salt, no vinegar), but I'm sure they have had to be heated to be packaged and sold. I'd be so interested in trying the real thing in jars like you are doing. If you do share, thank you in advance! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll try to cover that eventually. I make sauerkraut with just cabbage and salt. The setup I've started using for most fermenting is these little silicone nipples that fit any standard mason jar.
Deletehttp://amzn.to/2kpkare
And with these glass weights under the lid.
http://amzn.to/2BNeCen
I've never lost any yet.
I guess you must have good pure bacteria in your mountain air to have never lost any--or maybe it's all in your skills! Thank you for the links. I will try to find those in my area to avoid the high shipping charges. Look forward to (maybe) reading more about your tips eventually. Thank you again. :)
DeleteYes, yes, on the sauerkraut! I tried last year, guess I did not squeeze hard enough, and/or the kitchen was not warm enough to allow fermentation. It was edible but not great. This year seems to be going better....
ReplyDeleteGreat! I'm glad to hear it's working better this time around.
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