My favorite time of year is upon us. How I love Autumn. How did your garden grow this year? Despite wildfires, record breaking drought, and even an evacuation, my garden did phenomenal. Nature is so generous.
I take every year as an opportunity to try new things and give in to the fact that I have very little control over the outcome. This is my second season in this garden and every year it will grow bigger. This year, my wildlife water and bird feeders created an oasis for wildlife. The birds took out nearly all the grasshoppers. Squash bugs were a problem, but I will be more diligent hand picking next year! I had the corn and squash hiding in 15×5 dog kennel panels with a top so the raccoons couldn’t make popcorn, and in doing so, the foliage was so dense, I kept myself out too! And still, pumpkins fill the tables, heirloom corn fills the kitchen, and every day a basket of warm tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green beans, herbs, and other delights come through the backdoor. Such a joy to eat one’s own produce.
My gardens are limited to the dog kennel panels we bring in each year because I love deer. And deer love fresh produce too. My current space is 350 square feet plus some spaces along fences with puppy fencing up to cover perennials. Next year I hope to have a greenhouse and 30 foot beds of tomatoes to can.
I got quite a bit of produce put up, not like I used to when the kids were home, but around 200 jars of this and that. Little of this was from my own garden. You can put up produce even without a garden! We drive out to the Mesa east of Pueblo to stock up on boxes of produce every few weeks from an organic farm. Corn, tomatoes, and chilies most definitely. Local pumpkins will stay good around the house for months. You can even put up food from the grocery store!
If things are on sale, like peaches or apples, grab a bunch. Even if you just can a few things a week, that is something. I also like to freeze mirepoix. I never get through a whole bag of carrots or a bundle of celery before they start to turn, so I dice up a bunch of carrots, celery, and onion and freeze them on a cookie sheet before shoveling them into a big freezer bag. I pull out what I need, maybe 1/2 a cup, and sauté just like fresh. It saves time and tastes just the same as if you just cut it up. Mirepoix is the basis for most savory dishes and soups, so it is so nice having it on hand for busy nights.
What have you been putting up? Hey, thanks for sticking around! I haven’t written in awhile because it was kind of a crazy six months! I’ll put some coffee on and fill you in next time. Happy Autumn y’all!
