This Season and the Next...

Not a single post from me all season, and not a picture to be seen! In part, this is because I'm fairly convinced that I no longer have any active readers (if you're out there, please comment and let me know that you're still checking in), but more to the point it's because my writing energy has been so taken elsewhere all year. But it has been an absolutely incredible year for the garden, in part because my busy lifestyle in spring during planting time made me let go of some of my former garden control issues, and much of the garden therefore got to plant itself. I had volunteer cucumbers, radishes, carrots, beets, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, tomatillos, onions, and potatoes, all of which seeded themselves from last year's crop and came up where they pleased (I did transplant more than a few of them into better locations, though). I planted beans (green and scarlett runner), corn, pumpkins, more strawberries, greens, peppers, basil, onions, gourds (loofa and birdhouse) and six incredibly productive and wonderfully producing heirloom tomato plants (the Brandywine are the champs again, second year running). In addition, I let purslang, dandelion, and amaranth have some space in the garden this year (none of these were things that I sowed, they all just found their way into our patch of soil of their own accord), and I've extended my cooking vocabulary quite a bit as a result. My girlfriend Kim and I have been making amaranth soups and quiches and spanikopita with amaranth and dandelion greens. It's incredibly tasty, and it's so nutritious. I'd say that this year, the garden has given us easily one third to one half of our total food intake -- we've eaten far less flesh and carbs, we've saved money, and it has been incredibly rewarding to grow and eat our own food. Kim has goats and chickens as well, and so we've been getting eggs and goat milk and cheese (which is surprisingly creamy and sweet -- and non-stinky -- when it's fresh). It's nice to live from the land to such an extended degree even while being in town. This, coupled with an increased meditation practice, has helped me to feel so connected to my place and the earth this year. It's a great feeling.

We're planning our winter gardens now, with seeds on order from Bountiful Gardens up in Willits. We're going to grow lentils, fava, mustard greens, radishes, carrots, beets, snow peas, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, bok choy, leeks, onions, garlic, and chicory. One of the best things about living in expensive, crowded California is that we have the ability to grow so much of our own food year round. It's pretty amazing.

If I still have readers, I would love to hear about your garden season and your plans for either extending the growing season or wintering over. Happy Harvesting!