Well friends,

[elleng]

due to circumstances beyond my control I missed the entire season (as I understand it) in Maryland (DC suburbs.) Have been in Florida with family since April, and hope to get home mid-November.

Will read up on what y'all have been doing.

[NCarolinawoman]

1. Nice to see you, elleng...

I'm growing cabbages, and broccoli in containers on my deck here in NC. I also planted collard greens by mistake (the seedlings were not identified correctly by the grower).
:silly:

I'm still getting green peppers. I planted them in containers so I can bring them inside for winter. I did that last year and it worked out really well. :)


A bird apparently planted a strawberry seed in my window box:wow:. The seed grew into a healthy looking plant so I dug it up and brought it inside. We'll see how that goes.:P

[awoke_in_2003]

4. "I also planted collard greens by mistake"

If you don't like them, I will gladly take them off your hands :)

[Blue Gardener]

2. Our first freeze in the forecast tonight

I guess this is the official end of the growing season. Time to plan for next year!

[noamnety]

3. I just dug a bunch of tubers yesterday

yacon, which we tried raw dressed in lemon juice and honey.

sunchokes, which seem to be the happiest of my root crops this year, I'm so lost on whether or not to keep them contained in their little barrel next year or let them take over the meadow. Part of me wants the food security, the knowledge that we will always have that supply of roots to gnaw on (along with other permacrops, fruit trees and bushes, asparagus in the back meadow). And part of me is afraid they will take over the entire lawn, I just don't know what to expect. I know they are surprisingly delicious and melty inside when roasted in olive oil and salt.

Sweet potatoes, sad little crop, not sure that I harvested much more than I planted, but those also are tasty so it's hard to resent them.

Otherwise, I've been drying persimmons and have a freezer full of persimmon oatmeal cookies. I've tried beet bread for the first time ever. I canned my first food ever this year, I am afraid to keep the jars at room temp because dang no matter what I did, after pressure canning I see air bubbles on the sides of the jar, so the fridge is filled with applesauce, tomatillo salsa, rhubarb jam and cherry preserves.

The husband announced he will no longer be eating sandwiches with lunchmeat, as he has done every workday since 1989. Now he would like crunchy peanut butter and the cherry preserves every day. They are like crack, those sour cherries.