Garden Clean Up

Last weekend we cleared the end of the produce out of the garden and it is hard to believe there was still so much happening in the middle of October: Tomatillos, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, eggplant, squash, and pumpkins. You may see some vegetables not listed too!


The basil went into Eggplant Parmesan and there was enough goodies to make two batches, one for dinner and the other for the freezer! The tomatoes are being eaten everyday and the green tomatoes were stored in the refrigerator and will be taken out one or two at a time to ripen. The cherry tomatoes are being eaten like candy and we left two of the bushes up until it freezes.


The variety of vegies left will make at least two good batches of garden sauce. This is basically a spaghetti sauce, but it just depends on what is ripe in the garden what the ingredients will be in the sauce. The one little trick used, though is a piece of fruit. It can be an apple chopped up or a couple of plums added to the sauce that will offer an extra layer of flavor. The pumpkins are being put to good use decorating the farm fences and baking in the oven for pumpkin bread, pie, or cookies.



Once all of the garden goodness was picked and stored away, the tractor came out of the barn and we turned the plants into the soil. We also put some chicken manure and barn litter on the garden to be turned under also. The chickens will work the garden all winter long getting the bugs, weed seeds and any leftover tomatoes they fins! We also add another layer or two of straw and manure from the stalls in throughout the fall and winter to enrich the soil. Now the rains are here and it's time for walnuts!