We got our first snow this weekend - just a dusting. Some parts of southern Vermont got several inches, though, and this cold Sunday morning sure felt like winter. It's just now November, and I don't feel at all ready for the long dark months ahead. Neither are the gardens, which still have raspberries, carrots, beets, and brussel sprouts to pick. I guess we'd better get at it.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Reflections
Several weeks ago, I visited my brother in the Northeast Kingdom and we took our kids out on the Clyde River. It was warm enough for T-shirts and the sun reflected the full-color foliage onto the water. We quietly floated along, hoping to see deer, not needing to paddle as the current carried our boats downstream. Peace.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The Year of the Cucumber
Last week we picked more cucumbers. This wouldn't be a big deal except ... it's October. Kevin's hide-the-stump raised bed of cucumbers brought forth an amazing number of cukes this year. For once we had more than we could eat, and we canned some pickles. I love cucumbers and have always scoffed at pickles - I'd rather eat them fresh. But, this year my sister Mary came over and walked Kevin and I though the pickling basics, guided by mom's old recipes. We probably could have figured it out on our own, but I loved working on this project with Mary. It made me think about how well-worn recipes are a passport through time. In time I might forget this year's abundance of cucumbers, but the recipes help the remembering.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tomatoes
A good pick. |
We had a good year for tomatoes. That's probably partly due to the fact that we planted two dozen plants, and got them in relatively early. Sunny weather helped, too. Many gardeneres I talked to struggled with their tomatoes, this year, though, so I'm not sure why we got lucky. But I'm not questioning it. There's nothing better than fresh tomato sandwiches and I ate them all summer, often with basil leaves for lettuce. We had far too many cherry tomatoes and gave away as many as we could. I skipped the salsa this year and canned tomato sauce. When January rolls around, I hope I can call up the smell-memory of these plants and let it carry me through to another spring.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Let the Berries Begin
It's that time again - berry season! The red raspberries have been abundant, but we usually pick and eat these since there are far more blackberries. Amazingly enough, there's no way you could eat all the blackberries ... although Oliver tries.
We pick and can the blackberries, turning them into pie filling. We use a recipe that includes a mysterious white powder we get from some Amish folks in upstate NY. Weird, huh? It's quite a process, but when you're eating fresh blackberry pie in January, it's worth it. We start by picking and freezing the berries as they ripen so that we have enough in a batch to can at least a dozen jars at a time. There's no way I'm canning every day or every other day! It's a good process and one we've worked to perfect over time, but it does mean some extra steps.
It goes like this:
Pick berries - possibly the hardest part. Thus, I leave it to Kevin.
Hand wash and spin dry.
Freeze berries by spreading them on cookie sheets. Once frozen, we bag them in gallon-sized bags.
Wait for an opportune time and then can like crazy.
The canning is fun, but you've got to thaw the berries, so the timing can be tricky. Although it's a lot of work, there's an amazing feeling that comes at the end of it all when you see the jars lined up, hot and popping, along the countertop.
Red raspberries from the backyard. |
It's that time again - berry season! The red raspberries have been abundant, but we usually pick and eat these since there are far more blackberries. Amazingly enough, there's no way you could eat all the blackberries ... although Oliver tries.
We pick and can the blackberries, turning them into pie filling. We use a recipe that includes a mysterious white powder we get from some Amish folks in upstate NY. Weird, huh? It's quite a process, but when you're eating fresh blackberry pie in January, it's worth it. We start by picking and freezing the berries as they ripen so that we have enough in a batch to can at least a dozen jars at a time. There's no way I'm canning every day or every other day! It's a good process and one we've worked to perfect over time, but it does mean some extra steps.
It goes like this:
Pick berries - possibly the hardest part. Thus, I leave it to Kevin.
Hand wash and spin dry.
Freeze berries by spreading them on cookie sheets. Once frozen, we bag them in gallon-sized bags.
Wait for an opportune time and then can like crazy.
The canning is fun, but you've got to thaw the berries, so the timing can be tricky. Although it's a lot of work, there's an amazing feeling that comes at the end of it all when you see the jars lined up, hot and popping, along the countertop.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Weeding
I find weeding therapeutic. It requires little thought, and my mind can wander to the thorny topics I often avoid. Although I'm never truly finished the garden weeding, cleaning up a patch or getting to the end of a row feels like a real accomplishment. For whatever reason, it feels to me more meaningful than paying the bills, sweeping the floor or folding socks. Maybe it's just being outside.
Weeding carrots, though, is tricky. The seedlings are so small, so delicate, so fragile. I can't help but see the metaphor for children. The early months and years when they're so susceptible to everything is when we may forget to weed, or do it indescriminately. And even with the greatest care and attention you'll often damage them, or sadly, lose one altogether.
A seriously weedy bed of carrots. |
I find weeding therapeutic. It requires little thought, and my mind can wander to the thorny topics I often avoid. Although I'm never truly finished the garden weeding, cleaning up a patch or getting to the end of a row feels like a real accomplishment. For whatever reason, it feels to me more meaningful than paying the bills, sweeping the floor or folding socks. Maybe it's just being outside.
Weeding carrots, though, is tricky. The seedlings are so small, so delicate, so fragile. I can't help but see the metaphor for children. The early months and years when they're so susceptible to everything is when we may forget to weed, or do it indescriminately. And even with the greatest care and attention you'll often damage them, or sadly, lose one altogether.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Ka-Bloom!
We are about to go to full bloom in the backyard. The black-eyed Susans have started to open, and we've also got bee balm, daisies, phlox, and daylillies galore. The hydrangea and one of the clematis are still going at it, and we planted nastutiums in the raised bed this year, which are lovely orange, red and yellow. The riot of color out-paces the weeds, and I could spend hours in the swing watching birds enjoy the black raspberries.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Bluepink
Our hydrangea is going crazy this year - another garden plant that didn't mind the wet spring, I guess. The bush has spread quite a bit and is loaded with blooms, top to bottom. You can tell that our soil must sit right on the border of acid and base as no two flowers are the same color, and many are variegated. I suppose we could easily push it into solid blue, but I sort of like the delicate variations on blue and pink and purple. It can't make up it's mind, and I don't mind a bit.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Early Belle of the Ball
One of our three clematis plants is blooming - the magenta one on the shed. The flower beds aren't very colorful right now, we're in a pre-blooming state for many of the flowers. This lady, however, is like a guest who arrived early to the ball ... no one else is dressed yet, we are all still waiting for the hair stylist, and you can't help but gawk a bit at her blazing entrance.
I eagerly await the rest of the color in the gardens. The daisies are slowly unfurling and one of the varieties of dwarf daylillies we bought last year are blooming. It's funny how much of gardening is thoughtful bloom-time. We need some early bloomers to keep this poor clematis company.
Ranunculaceae |
One of our three clematis plants is blooming - the magenta one on the shed. The flower beds aren't very colorful right now, we're in a pre-blooming state for many of the flowers. This lady, however, is like a guest who arrived early to the ball ... no one else is dressed yet, we are all still waiting for the hair stylist, and you can't help but gawk a bit at her blazing entrance.
I eagerly await the rest of the color in the gardens. The daisies are slowly unfurling and one of the varieties of dwarf daylillies we bought last year are blooming. It's funny how much of gardening is thoughtful bloom-time. We need some early bloomers to keep this poor clematis company.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Baby Jay
Baby Blue Jay |
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Seriously spring
We have six or eight varieties of iris. This one smells like grape soda. |
Most mornings I sit out on our front porch with a cup of coffee and enjoy a quiet moment. Today I can smell the flowering shrub we've got alongside the house, it's in full bloom and buzzing with bees. Porch coffee means summer to me, and when I find myself on the border of spring and summer I am reluctant to step into the next season. Stay awhile, spring. What's your hurry?
Other signs of spring - irises blooming and strawberries ripening. All the berries seem to be faring well after the soggy spring. Earlier this week, Oliver and I sat in the tall grass by the fence and picked the tiny, wild strawberries that grow in our yard. They're super big this year - maybe the size of a small marble. Still small, but oh, so sweet. And it was a special moment, with him in my lap, me feeding him these tiny berries ... I couldn't help but think about the fleeting quality of spring, of strawberries, and of children. Blink and they're gone by you.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Garden Gifts
One of the things I love about our gardens is that many of the plants were gifts, trades or things we dug up along the roadside. I suppose I'm frugal by nature, and I'm certainly frugal about nature. We are always trying to give away plants that have overrun our small spaces, and the bounty always returns somehow.
Kevin's sister gave us a small chunk of a bleeding heart plant that grew beside their doorstep. I'd always admired their big bushy plant and was psyched to take some home after one trip out to visit. In later years, we found that their plant died. Maybe during an upcoming trip, we'll take a slip back to them ...
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Lady's Mantle
We've gotten so much rain this spring that I find myself staring at the Lady's Mantle a lot. It's lovely leaves catch the raindrops and it actually looks better when it's covered in shiny droplets. We got a couple of these plants from a friend and I love them. They are a fascinating bright, light green and the leaf shape makes for a really interesting contrast in the gardens. It turns out that it's an herb that can "adjust hormonal imbalances" ... go figure. I also found that people used to collect the water from the leaves, calling it "celestial water, and used it in alchemy. Legend has it that the leaves were used to adorn the Virgin Mary. All I know is that it doesn't mind the rain, which makes it pretty magical to me.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Spring Green
Maple tree on Barlow Street. |
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Rain and Flooding
The baseball fields at St. Albans Town park. |
This has been an exceptionally wet, cold, rainy spring in Vermont. Recent rains have brought the lake to record levels and it's currently at 103 feet above sea level, an all-time high for the state. Many roads all around the state are closed, and flood waters are lapping at the feet of lots of homes and camps. I took these photos at St. Albans Bay on April 29, and since then we've gotten another three days of rain with another three to come. There was a massive mudslide in Highgate and there are fears that the Route 2 causeway could erode. It's a historic weather event, and I hope it ends soon.
Boating on the fields. |
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wildflower walk
Dicentra cucullaria |
At left is a flower that I've seen quite a lot, but I don't know what it is. I guess I need a wildflower identification guide. Some of the flowers are white, some blush pink. The leaves have an interesting three-lobed shape that makes them easily identified ... if one only knew their name!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Glory of the Snow
Chionodoxa |
Plant a Seed
Gardening is my way to meditate. I love the physical work, and while I'm doing it I often find myself musing about the metaphors and connections gardening has to the rest of life. For example - it's just about time to start some seeds indoors in preparation for spring planting. Watching indoor-sown seeds gives you the chance to closely watch the process of germination and first growth. This always makes me think about how ideas are often planted as seeds and some germinate into something wonderful while others never see the light of day. Often when you're trying to teach someone something or convince someone of something, you're best to plant the seeds, provide the water and light needed and perhaps throw in some bullshit for fertilizer. You may wonder later why the idea never took root. And I sometimes wonder about that with the spring seeds I plant. Give them all the same soil, water, light and fertilizer and yet there's never 100 percent germination. Some things we don't control. What a lesson.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Helping Hands
Helping hands. |
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Emerald Isle
I just got back from my annual trip to North Carolina. It's a wonderful get-away, mostly spent soaking up sun and talking with Kim and the ladies. The older I get the more I feel like winter steals your soul and summer gives it back. This year, we came back to cold, gray, windy weather that has persisted. This weekend is the Maple Festival and you need your hat and mittens to enjoy it. Warmer weather has got to be coming, but it still seems far away.
Friday, March 25, 2011
First Green!
Breaking down the snowbanks. |
The weather has finally started to turn the corner toward spring. Last weekend (March 19-20) we had a couple of strong-sun days that, while not exactly warm, reminded you that spring is coming. We went outside --- of course --- and worked on relocating the snowpiles so that they would melt faster. This is something I remember doing as a kid and I never really enjoyed it but Oliver totally "dug" it. It felt good to stand in the sun and soak it up, and it felt even better when I noticed the first spring bulbs producing tiny tips of green-yellow that you only see in new plant growth. I had really thought it was too early for the daffodils, crocuses and narcissus. I love that they are more optimistic than I.
Spring optimism. |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Big Snow
Enjoying the snow ... |
Yesterday we got hit with the fifth largest snowstorm in Vermont's history. We got somewhere between one and two feet of snow and the blowing and drifting conditions made for treacherous driving. We stayed home and tried not to let cabin fever totally take us over ... but it was close. I don't know if I can reasonably hope that this is our last big snowstorm. It's early in March, so it's likely we'll get another one. But boy, oh boy do I want spring to arrive. For whatever reason I'm finding this winter more difficult than usual and I don't know what to do other than dream idly of the afternoons when I can come home, chuck the work bags, and head out to the playground with Oliver. Yes, we play in the snow, but I'm dreaming of a green springtime ...
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Warm Spell
Yesterday we hit 52 degrees. It's amazing how warm 52 feels in February. In September, 52 is terribly cold. Right now, it feels tropical. The warm, sunny afternoon melted a ton of snow and the snowbanks have receded enough that we're no longer taking our lives into our hands to pull out of the blind withe alley that is our driveway. I know it can't last, in fact it has already turned cold and windy and we're back to forecasts full of snowstorms. But, it's a sign of things to come and it warms the very cockles of my heart.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Heavy Lifting
We just got a couple of big snowstorms, the last one dumping a load of heavy, wet snow that made our total on the ground somewhere in the neighborhood of two feet. There's nowhere left to put the snow in our front yard. The piles that line the sidewalk are three to four feet high and we've carved out a couple of caves for Oliver. I've watched a pair of cardinals at our feeder, though, and see sunlight earlier and earlier each day. I find that I enjoy winter in February much more than in December just because I know we're on the downhill side of the season.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Snow cones
Snowy coneflower. |
While we were in the backyard, I looked over the flower heads that are visible through the snowbanks and noticed something I didn't recognize right away. I had forgotten that we got several bunches of purple coneflower from a good friend of mine during our plant-swap party last summer. We got a big rainstorm during the party and so we did a lot of swapping in hurried trips to and from the backyard and we mainly sat on the front porch and drank wine. No wonder I'd forgotten the coneflower!
But it's got a distinctive spiky head and after looking dumbly at it for a moment or two, I thought --- coneflower! I've always wanted some and Lynne has it in abundance so it made for a good swap. Not only is the flower hardy, long-blooming and lovely for arrangements, it's also an herbal remedy. Echinacea seems to be everywhere these days, most people taking it in pill form to help fight colds and flus. Coneflower was used by Native American tribes in the Great Plains to treat lots of things including sore throats, toothaches, tonsillitis and lymph diseases. I love the thought that something so lovely in the garden can have such a potent health benefit as well. I might even try making some of ours into tea to give it a try.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Room with a View
A view from the access road at Mt. Philo. |
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