Vegetables in Winter?

So I've just ordered this book:

And I'm not sure I can adequately express how excited I am.  (I know, I know.  Vegetables.  In winter.  That's what the grocery store is supposed to be for.)  But I've been seriously uncomfortable with getting all of our food from mostly unknown sources, exposed to who knows what (pollution, unwashed hands, the treatments allowed under the "organic" label), and harvested long, long ago.  A Safeway produce lady told me they warehouse their produce for two weeks before it gets to the store.  I was astounded.  Not only does that mean it doesn't keep (good for them, I guess), but the nutritional value is pretty much gone by then.  Safeway successfully changes fresh, reasonably healthy produce into empty calories.  With fiber.

Since most of our diet is now fruits and vegetables (along with sprouted nuts & seeds, and fermented foods), the idea of providing our own, even in winter, is wildly attractive.  (Have you SEEN the prices of organic produce lately?  Ay yi yi.)  And as our growing season here is between 4-5 months, knowing how to continue to provide for ourselves gives me this great, warm feeling inside.

So, I'll let you know what I think of this book.  It seems to be the small-scale farm version of his Four Season Harvest, which I really really love.  Elliot Coleman has a respect for, and understanding of, the earth, its seasons, plants, and their needs.  The kind of understanding that I'm eager to gain; first through study, and then through faith*.

(You know, I really should probably post a few book reviews of books I actually ready lately . . . like Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Thy Gold to Refine, 12 Steps to Raw Foods, Signature Family Dishes, Kabul Beauty School, La Hacienda, or any of the fourteen Georgette Heyer novels I devoured during the first half of the year.  Requests on which goes first welcome.)


*My definition of Faith: a belief which moves one to action, or the application of knowledge gained by teaching (as opposed to the knowledge gained by experience).  Faith is work--the application of principles learned and the true test of a principles truthfulness or validity.

Monday Morning

The light only held for a minute . . . just long enough to snap this.

Getting up early does have some perks, after all . . .

My Gardening Trinity

In commenting at a friend's blog tonight, I realized I had written an entire blog post, and thought I'd widen my audience a bit.  (I'm all for efficiency, especially with blogging time so scarce right now.)  I've been spending a lot of my precious "project" time outside this last week, and am this week scurrying around getting ready for family visits and various schtuff.

Here are my top three favorite gardening how-to books, in ascending order:

Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman.  Honestly my favorite book on not only extending your season, but making it possible to eat from it year round, in the north, without supplemental heat.  I love Coleman's approach to gardening, and to solving the problem of how to have nourishing, nutrient-rich food even in the dead of Maine's winter.

The Garden Primer: Second Edition by Barbara Damrosch has a wealth of good general information on gardening practices, planning, and care.  I'm going to plant a shrub border like the ones she details in here some day . . .  Barbara shares her experience of years in landscape work, while keeping away from the toxic chemical fertilizers, et al, that are proving to be so unhealthy for both plants and people.  (I grew up on a modern farm--complete with herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers galore.  I know that of which I speak.)

And my favorite book ever on vegetable gardening is Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Jean Cunningham. (I saved the best for last.) She talks a lot about the needs for edible plants, what keeps them happy, and how to keep your garden as a whole healthy. (And, since she keeps chemical-free gardening at the forefront, it's highly self-reliant, as well.)  Beautiful photography, open and accessible format, and to the point.  There are garden plans, troubleshooting guides, and loads more.  I <3>

So what are your favorite gardening books and websites?  Do tell!

Tonight

I've decided that instead of blogging, I'm going to actually go knit on my MS3.

So, here are some fun things to look at while you're dealing with the disappointment. ;o)

Pansies at sunset . . .

Coral bells and Aquilegia . . .

And Home Depot's contribution to my daily recommended allowance of gaiety. :o)

Have a great night!

Sing with me now . . .

One of these socks is not like the other one,
not like the other one,
not like the other one.
One of these socks is not like the other one . . .

(And at this point my memory fails me, and I trail off into silence.)

Now . . . can anyone tell me what's different between sock #1 on the right and sock #2 on the left?



In case it's still hard to tell, you may take another look.



For those of you like me, here's one more chance:




Yes, that's right. Sock #1's heel is turned properly. Sock #2's heel does not have any decreases worked at the end of the heel flap.

Today, class, we will be discussing the importance of humility in knitting.

So, I'm trucking along on these socks for Vern, and it's only after I fininsh grafting and weaving in ends that I notice something is a little different in how this second sock is constructed. (Note to self: do periodic quality checks on WIP's. Being blindsided at the end of a project by something that could have been easily detected is just plain stupid.)

The odd thing is, Vern is actually happier with the fit of the misshapen sock than he is with its properly knitted first mate. Who knew? It's entirely possible that I'll be ripping back the first sock to take the decreases out of the heel flap.

So, to take my mind off of that rather idiotic and prideful fall (I was feeling so pleased with myself for remembering how to turn a heel without referring to the pattern), here are a few pictures of my yard. It's really starting to wake up. :o)

Bergenia cordifolia "Winterglow"



Ostritch plume Astilbe (Which I thought died midsummer last year. I'm so glad it made it!)



Dicentra spectibilis (The plain, old-fashioned Bleeding Heart.)



A "surprise" perennial I don't remember planting last year. Of course, I have a number of these. Between playful cats and hungry deer, most of my plant markers were spread hither and yon over the winter.



And, at last, a weeding gardener's-eye view of the front perennial bed:



Have a great Wednesday!

Pretty Daisies

I spent most of my day today at my Mom's place, helping with spring yardwork. It was great. Rarely am I happier than when I'm outside . . . and having my Mom and SIL there to talk to as I weeded and gathered up last year's hosta leaves was so much fun. Mom has been married 32 years, I've been married for nine, and my SIL is coming up on the big First Anniversary. Our conversation was a hoot. :o)

While I was thus employed, the kids gathered some of the Spring bounty in Mom's lawn. I came into the kitchen for water and found this waiting for me.



I had to borrow Mom's camera, since I managed to misplace the lens cap for mine after the water incident, and haven't yet found it. (And I don't take my camera ANYWHERE without the lens cap.) I love lawn daisies and dandelions.


Have a great evening!