It's Done

All the raised beds are planted with their winter crops, I’ve gotten several perennial flowers in the ground, and all the bulbs planted (I think - there might be one more shipment coming). The last two weekends have been rough, full of hard work and sore muscles.

The chickens got a lot of new stuff in the compost pile, so much that Molly got up into it and couldn’t figure out how to get back out.

I made tomato paste with all the last tomatoes. I started with a full trug of fruit and ended up with one ice cube tray full of paste for the freezer. You cook it until it’s brick red and most of the moisture has baked away, which takes a full day. (First, you’ve got to cook them down a bit with salt, then put them through the food mill, then decant the puree into some sort of long shallow dish, then into the oven at 225 for hours.)

We’ve had some chilly nights; one morning it was 42 degrees, so I’m glad to have everything tucked in and covered with fleece. Still, going to be hot and windy today, which makes us worry about fire. Cal Fire has been amazing this summer, putting fires out so quickly, and they have not be overwhelmed as in past summers. But fall is a new challenge, because it just gets drier and drier around here - no rain usually until November.

The flowers are really glorious right now, and we’re enjoying watching the pollinators cruise from blossom to blossom. These flowers will all last until the first true frost.

I found a lot of basil under the cherry tomatoes (I had forgotten that I planted it there!) so I was able to make yet one more last pesto for the freezer. Half of the last batch of sweet peppers will be cooked tonight in a sort of Italian skillet dish, and the other half will be roasted for the freezer. Tomorrow night I’ll be making a mixed winter squash soup. The last batch of hot peppers has been strung up to dry, and with that, we put the summer garden to bed. I’m looking forward to the first snap peas and kale, but until then, we’ll just sit tight and enjoy the flowers.

The Big Switch

We’re deep into it, now; the big switch from summer garden to winter garden. Our days have become cooler, and our nights starting to really dip down, and while I don’t expect that to last, it still is a signal to us to get moving on the change. So, squash and melons harvested. Cover crops cut down and put in the compost. Two inches of compost added (I used a different product this year - Organic Bumper Crop from Coast of Maine products, a family owned company that has a west coast location - I got this at Orchard Nursery in Lafayette). Seeds sown, or transplants firmed in. PVC pipes up and row cover on.

We’re working on getting about 80% of the garden done this weekend, and leaving the peppers and cherry tomatoes in for one more week - we’ll transition those next weekend. I got kale, chard, and snap pea beds done last week (in between marathon homework sessions), so those are already starting to come up.

Tomorrow I’ll work on the beds where the remaining beefsteak tomatoes are (as well as some potatoes I have to dig out) and I’ll get the garlic and shallots in. Take a look at these beautiful Inchelium Red garlic bulbs from Filaree Farms. So fat!

The last of the basil is being made into pesto this evening for dinner, and I planted arugula in its place. I also sowed more lettuces. Tomorrow I also must get the beets and kohlrabi in. Carrots, leeks, and more peas will go in next weekend. Peas: my winter goal this year is to grow enough to freeze for next summer.

The chickens are molting and feathers are everywhere. Not an egg in sight which is normal but depressing. We need more (and younger) chickens! This is next on my to-do list.

The light is certainly different, slanting sideways through the trees. A snuggly quilt feels quite good at night, pulled up to the chin. It’s almost soup weather. California tricks us though and October can be as hot as July, some years. We’ll enjoy this coolness while we can.

I imagine many of you are also going through this same stage in the garden. I’d love to hear all about what you’re planting!

First Day of Autumn

Join me on a morning stroll in the garden, today, the first day of Autumn 2019.

September cooking: Delicata Sausage Casserole

Ok, it’s not quite casserole season yet, but this sure tasted good anyway on a rainy (rainy?!) and cool (cool?!) September day. The original recipe, from a website called KalynsKitchen, called this a ‘gratin.’ But it wasn’t really a gratin. A gratin has a sort of creamy sauce. That would taste good here, too, but that’s not what the recipe called for. I would like to take this recipe and make it a true gratin, but as is it’s pretty delicious. It reminded me of a gluten-free pizza casserole, or gluten-free lasagna sort of thing.

I love when delicata squash starts coming on. It’s such a beautiful fruit (a berry, actually, as are all squashes and melons) and so easy to prepare, as you don’t have to remove the skin. It tastes great just roasted with olive oil and salt, but it’s nice to find new recipes that become ‘keepers.’ And this is one. Enjoy!

P/S this recipe says it feeds 6-8. I’d say 6 is more realistic, especially if you have a teenaged boy around.

“Delicata Squash and Sausage Gratin (or, as I am calling it, a simple casserole)

- 3 delicata squash, about 8 inches long (or however many you want/have, really is there such as thing as too much?)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp Italian Herb Blend, divided (I just used some oregano and basil that I had drying/hanging on the rack)
- salt and pepper
- 1 to 1-1/2 lb sweet or hot Italian bulk sausage (we used a pound and I think that was the perfect amount)
- 1 medium onion (or large shallot or two smaller shallots), chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped (or a sweet red, or several sweet red, whatever you’ve got in the garden)
- 2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded (I wish I had used a combo of two cheeses, or maybe used ricotta in the casserole with only a sprinkling of parm on top)

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut ends off delicata, then slice longways in half and scoop out the seeds and give to your chickens, then slice into half-moons. Put ‘em on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, put on half the herbs, and roast ‘em for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute your sausage. Once browned and crumbly, remove to a plate and saute the onions/peppers in the remaining fat along with the rest of the herbs.
Grease a casserole dish (9x12 ish). Layer the roasted squash on the bottom, cover with the sausage, onions, and peppers, then sprinkle on the cheese. Cook in oven for another 20 minutes or so.”

— adapted from KalynsKitchen

Climate Strike

I’ve been letting everyone know that I am unavailable next Friday the 20th, as my daughter and I are attending the climate strike in San Francisco. What surprises me is how many people say, “What strike?”

Young people around the world have been striking from school every Friday for the past year. This movement was started in August of 2018 by a teenager from Sweden named Greta Thunberg. More and more youth have been joining every week, and Greta asked that adults join the movement on September 20, as a huge global movement, three days before the UN climate summit in NY. San Francisco has a big march planned, as does Oakland. You can find a march/protest/strike near you at 350.org.

I haven’t talked about climate here on this website in a while because I’ve been trying hard to maintain positivity in the face of what I consider to be the greatest issue of our time. Positivity is important, but so is civic engagement and working for measurable change. I really appreciate these young people standing up and making themselves heard. If you agree with me, you too might be interested in taking the day to show your support for our youth.