Brussels Sprout Soup without the Sprouts

{Four posts in one day, must be a record!} Like most kids, I despised Brussels Sprouts. Now I love them, that burst of flavor, and even the mild bitterness. Bitter is a big gap in our diet, which is unfortunate, since bitter foods are important for our digestive systems. So I grew Brussels Sprouts from …

Winter Beds and Goldenrod

All the seedlings were transplanted into the Winter beds – the beds that will be under the hoop house once we move it from its Summer position, after the tomatoes, peppers and basil are done. These are all under one layer of row cover now (Agribon, from Johnnie’s). A third bed is loaded with kale …

Hoop House Fall Garden / Overwintering Peppers and Herbs

My Fall Garden? I guess most of it looks like my Summer Garden, only inside the hoop house (where it was a balmy 85 F today, contrasting with the 56 F outside). eggplants in hoop house Yesterday I moved most of the (sweet and hot) pepper plants from the outside beds into pots and then …

Tool Shed (in Progress) and Hoop House Doors

Taking advantage of a beautiful Sunday morning some weeks ago, DH and I started building our garden tool shed. We both love this project because (1) it will collect my tools right next to my garden and (2) it makes room for a functional workshop for DH in our old and more “serious” shed – …

Dandelion Tincture (Part 1) and Today’s Harvest

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Tincture wash leaves and roots chop put in jar with its menstruum or solvent, 100 proof alcohol (for the record, I had only 80 proof available, but that should be do) blend to expose more surface are to the solvent wipe ridge of jar, put wax paper over top (as a gasket), …

Dandelion Harvest, Defensive Bees and Garden Blankets

I was bummed to find that there are not a lot of dandelions on our property. One of the first exercises in one of my herbal medicine  books is a dandelion tincture. I had to skip it because I couldn’t find any at hand. Today I went to Amie’s kindergarten school to pull the weeds …

Last Big Harvests and Potting Up

last husk cherries hoop house tomatoes and peppers, and some rhubarb celery and parsley drying (yeah, they got mixed up) other drying herbs (safe, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, lovage) destined for the Excalibur potted up herbs, Amie and DH the Freecycle chipper now works! (just needed some oil and the eviction of a mouse)