Day Dream of Harvest Time

Sitting in front of the computer with fat snowflakes floating outside the window and Tom Waits scratching out a soft ballad, I think of harvest time in the fall. These thoughts come to me often when the dusk arrives so early in the day and my hands itch to dig into the moist earth and pull up carrots, beets and parsnips. But alas, there is still winter in our near future so I will have to enjoy the bounty in our cupboard, freezer and basement and taste morsels of the savory summer.

This past spring through fall, Ian and I were in transition, spending the majority of our time in Minneapolis fixing up an old carriage house, situated behind my cousin's house, using salvaged wood, cement board, paint, and furniture. Were were even able to salvage a tomato red cast iron sink from a house scheduled to be demolished to make way for a larger one and a small electric stove from Craig's List.

Needless to say, we were very busy, but stole a few weekends to spend at Elm Glen farm and put in a good-sized garden. Between Ian's dad and our trips to the farm, we were able to weed, water and plant second crops in the rich soil. It was mainly nature and a little luck that kept if from being eaten by deer and other little veggie seeking critters or drying up in the heat of the sun. A large basswood tree shades much of the garden when the sun is strongest and the deer do not come into the yard due to the wide open space of crop fields that surround it. Even the rabbits seemed to have moved on before the spinach leaves pushed through the soil.

I was able to harvest and can whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, pickled beets, cucumbers and beans using old jars left in the basement from Ian's grandmother's past canning seasons. Our freezer is full of sweet peas, beans, sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini. Zucchini is in there because I didn't know what else to do with it. I have made some yummy soup broths with it by boiling venison bones with salt and pepper. Then when all the flavor is in the water, I boil the zucchini with more spices and blend it all together into a thick broth...then add more veggies for texture and goodness.
We also have bins full of clean dry sand protecting carrots, beets and potatoes. We have onions held in old stockings hanging in the kitchen. All and all, we have saved ourselves quite a bit of money in groceries and have enjoyed the benefits of organic food grown on our land. This past weekend, we started our list of seeds for the upcoming planting season.
Yum.