November!

If October is for scary, things that go "Bump" in the night, ghosts, and such, November is for preparing. Preparing for the cold winter to come. Barn repairs need to be finished, the wood is now stacked and ready, and the last of the giving from the garden. Traditionally, we must give thanks this month for the food on the table, because it will soon be more scarce. Indeed, not anymore, having fully transitioned from a society of growers to a society of consumers, we now just see Thanksgiving as "turkey day". I am guilty this year of falling into the ease of getting most of our food from the store. It lacks the taste and satisfaction of "real food". I knew it was bound to happen, the pace of our life has continued to accelerate, and then I accepted the challenge of working more frequently in the spring- planting season- and all of the sudden I was a Mom of three, with too many critters, living 40 miles from work and working like I meant it. The kids need what they need, the critters too.... but the garden cares little whether I show up. If I don't plant it, it won't grow (well, except for the volunteer tomatoes, unknown hybrid squashes and occasional tough bean from the icky bean crop of '08). I actually suggested to Huz we not plant the garden this year. "I don't have the time" was I believe my sentiment. His was "NOPE, we're planting." Which, largely meant he was planting. Now, when one gives up the reins, so to speak, one has to allow changes. I still ordered seeds and labeled stuff and got out the books where I keep records of what was planted, when, and how it performed, and rotation plans, prices, yield..... only no one filled them out. I think that was how the beets got planted directly over the beans, but.... changes. We have nothing recorded, but I think learned a few things anyhow.
 1) I was correct. I did not have time for a garden this year. It did not stay weeded or in any form of control, and we lost a LOT of produce because I wasn't picking it, or preserving it.
2) We still stink at caging our tomatoes. We still have no clue how to stake our tomatoes. Our dog is still happy to steal our tomatoes.
3) Onion sets are definitely the way to go. Normally we plant sets (small onions with shoots already on them) but they are relatively expensive, so with the garden facing certain neglect, I ordered the much less expensive seeds. They did not work well. At all.
4) We are having issues growing corn. Of all things. Need to rotate the corn next year.
5) Mutt squashes are not necessarily better than purebreds. (okay, I'm a fan of mutt dogs, but think maybe the crossbred squash is a curse)
6) We do have Irish blood, both sides of the family. Huz is a Mahoney two generations back. I'm several tree branches, way down the trunk...plus German, French, English, Swedish, Scots and surely many other European parts mixed in there- mutt through and through...but in any case, we are good at potatoes. White ones, purple ones, sweet ones, potatoes are our speed.
7) I love  having a garden, but a neglected one stresses me out, and this year ALL my gardens have suffered. I'm not working as much anymore- thanks be to finished maternity leave by another Doctor- but the pace of life is still fierce. Or maybe I'm just lazier. In any case, I'm hoping to do a better job of it again next year.

Middlest. I'd like to pretend she is weeding, but she is picking up a clue in a goosechase for her birthday present from her siblings. This was June. you can see the peas I planted are producing, and the spring lettuces in the foreground are bolting. And the lambs quarters are happily choking all.

So, there are not rows of tomato sauce and pasta sauce and paste and apple sauce and jams/jellies-blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, hot pepper, there is not a basement fridge full of corn off the cob, snapped green beans and peas, zucchini and squash, rhubarb and carrots. We do have a few bushels of potatoes, a few butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and some frozen beets. We will continue to have eggs, and we have a lot of a cow in the downstairs freezer (I'm not eating meat, so not too exciting for me, but the rest of the family will enjoy winter roasts). If we were better farmers, we'd be moving in on the lambs to put the wethers in the freezer too- but we're not lamb fans. November will see the end of all our veggies, save the potatoes which will last us through most of winter. So, I can be thankful, this November, not for the bounty we have harvested that will keep us fed through the winter, but for Grocery Stores.