The long anticipated first killing frost finally paid a visit to the holler followed last night by a killing freeze. In a way I am sad about the end of vegetable gardening for the year. But in a way it is also a welcome relief from the day to day work of weeding and caring for the garden, mowing and almost daily canning that comes along with those regular harvests. It gives my body a chance to rest and my mind a welcome retreat from the hard work. Though there is still plenty to do in the house with the preparations for the holidays and I always have my beloved quilting, crocheting and sewing to fill my days. And I have an entire list of books I want to read this winter.
Some people get out and cover their crops with coverings and plant in hoop houses to extend their harvests but once winter gets here I just let what remains freeze. From November to March I rest. I have enough canned in my pantry and in my freezer to last me far longer than that 5 months and am just too old to get out and fight that snow and ice to try to garden. I grow enough vegetables and I buy an occasional head of lettuce from the grocer for that 5 months and enjoy the citrus when it comes in season and always purchase that. Other than that I live out of my pantry and freezer for the winter.
But for a few weeks I will still have some fresh vegetables that were salvaged there at the end. Yesterday we ate fresh peas and new potatoes creamed. The last peas of the season. O Wise One has fed all the vines to the goats and rabbits.
And those green tomatoes I salvaged became oven fried green tomatoes.
I still have a drawer full of bell peppers int he bottom of my refrigerator and simply stuffed some peppers last night with a stuffing of ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, onions and diced peppers. (think meatloaf) I spooned a topping of ketchup and A1 Sauce over the top covered them with foil and baked them for about an hour in a medium oven.
I sprinkled some cheese over the top and served hot.
Baked an old fashioned gingerbread for dessert. Homemade with lots of butter, farm eggs, buttermilk, ground ginger and molasses. Dark, moist and sweet just like Baby O likes it.
And for breakfast this morning apple muffins.
See I won't miss gardening at all! I'll just cook all winter : )
(Recipes to follow)
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
I would love to see a post about how you organize your freezers so you can find everything. No matter what I do, my chest freezer always just feels like a bottomless pit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all of your wisdom!
Get you some crates like the old bread crates or milk crates and stack them in your freezer. One for beef one for pork one for veggies etc etc etc.
DeleteAmazing! Can't wait for the recipes.
ReplyDelete...now for sewing. You may have time now.
ReplyDeleteStill another month to killing frost here, but the lack of daylight means not much vegetable growth, just hardy weeds!
ReplyDeleteLord have mercy, Girl.. You deserve 5 months of rest after that whirlwind of canning & blogging you do. It amazes me that you still blog day in & day out as busy are you are. I do believe you're my idol. ;) You really are simply amazing. I know its all really about what you place value and importance on.. I just read a good quote a few days ago about time..
ReplyDelete“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr.
I very obviously squander my time away... I need to improve in this area of my life...
We got sleet for the last 2 days and I did run out & throw a tarp over my cherry tomato plants... I need to get out there & pull off the last of them.. they'll redden up here in the house but we werent ready for sleet & snow yet.. I guess its just time. ;)
I'm with you. I believe God created the seasons for a reason--and some of them are not just for the earth to rest but for US to rest as well. So why should we try to extend them, and ourselves! Time to kick back a little and enjoy the warmth and "ease" of the indoors.
ReplyDeleteSame thing here. We received our first frost, I have a drawer full of peppers and I couldn't wait to fry green tomatoes. :) We left the beets and carrots in the ground with a straw cover so we can continue the harvest for another few weeks. I love the seasonal changes. I always look forward to what's next!
ReplyDeleteI so love the bowl you have the peas sitting in. I've never seen one like that before. It's just so cute :O)
ReplyDeleteNo, with good lookin food like that you need not worry. Relax and enjoy!
ReplyDelete