Thanksgiving - the aftermath. From the 25llb turkey, the roasted vegetables, the sweet potato with marshmallows on top (new experience for me) to the huge selection of pie - this has been a fantastic first Thanksgiving experience for me. I love the fact that the guys are watching football in the background of this photo.
It was nice to sit with family around one huge table. We each got to say what we were thankful for and of course there were tears. But wait, those are some serious bottles of wine!
And then came the pie; Banana Cream pie, Pumpkin pie, Pecan pie or Key Lime pie? Would it be rude to have a bit of everything?
I ask that question like everyone ‘must’ have a Winter hobby! But recently, I’ve been wondering what you all do in the Winter? Gardening is a fantastic hobby but there’s no doubt that it’s a seasonal activity. There’s masses to do in Spring and Summer but then it starts to wind down and by the time you hit the Winter months (December and January are the leanest) there’s very little to do in the garden except harvest your Winter veg and do a bit of pruning. But mostly I’m taking photos of frosted seed-heads and reading seed catelogues in front of the fire.
I’ve noticed that I often take up my ‘other’ hobbies during Winter. Other hobbies I hear you say - is there such a thing? Well, yes. I like to sew but I only ever have time to do it when the garden isn’t taking up all of my time. Hence in the Winter, friends get handmade Christmas decorations and birthday presents and the house usually gets a new pair of curtains at some point and a few cushions here and there. I even made Under Gardener some camouflaged bags for his Geocaching boxes! (pay back for all the muck-carting he’s done for me).
Recently, I’ve gotten back into painting (A-Level Art really not a waste of time after all, who would have known). And I’m enjoying it. Infact, I’m working on a wee project that some of you might like - more info soon.
So I’m eager to know, what do you fill your Winter months with (assuming all garden duties are done, seeds ordered, pruning, harvesting, clearing done). Do you cook, sew, remodel your house, skydive, paraglide or just collapse into a heap after your busy, busy summer?
Usually, my view is a little less err… dramatic than this. But since I’m visiting family in Colorado for Thanksgiving I have exchanged my somewhat tiny landscape for this, huge, snow-capped, sunshiney affair.
I hate to tell you but this is the view from Under Gardener’s mum’s house. Not bad as views go. We could do with a smidge more snow though. Honestly, I can never have enough snow!
If I find any evidence of vegetable growing here I’ll report back soon. There must be someone growing Sprouts here, right?
I’m not one to shout from the hills about my birthday (she says, creating a whole post dedicated to that very subject!) but today was nice. Nothing special, just nice. I got lots of cards from family and friends which always makes you feel special.
My amazing husband brought me a piece of original art from San Francisco ‘and’ a T-shirt that says “Reality is for People Who Can’t Handle Science Fiction” - what’s not to like?
I got these beautiful flowers (including the essential ornamental cabbages) from my bestest friend. Plus a spa voucher from the guys at the office!
And…this beautifully handmade garden centre voucher. This one intrigues me. I love the fact that I have developed ginger hair and I’m carrying a pitchfork for some reason. Lovely!
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get my overwintering Onion sets in. No luck, it’s a quagmire out there.
I don’t usually do overwintering Onions. I normally put them in around end of Feb/March depending on the weather. But I’ve decided that I’ll be so bored over the Winter that I need something to keep me going! I’m attempting Peas and Broadbeans too.
It’s looking hopeful for tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get some other things done from my ‘rain-challenged’ list of things to do in November.
Anyone else overwintering? Whatcha growing?
What else can be done on a damp and rainy Saturday but go the Farmer’s Market, buy some nice food, come home and cook it. I don’t grow Mushrooms (maybe I should) so having a guy at the market who grows nothing but Mushrooms is very handy. The Mushrooms he sells are always amazing he cooks some on his stall, so you can eat while you browse. Mmmmm…
So I bought some large Portabello, a handful of Oyster and some Shiitake Mushrooms chopped them and put them in a pan with some butter.
The recipe I used was ameded from the one in Jamie Oliver’s book, At Home. I think he calls it Mushroom Bruschetta. But you basically fry up the Mushrooms with some chopped Garlic, Parsley, Thyme and Chilli Pepper. Then add some Lemon juice and a tablespoon of water to make a sauce. It’s super easy.
But tastes amazing. Saturday lunch done. Now I can get on with some more leaf clearing!
My Tiny Plot is surrounded by leaves. On one side there are evergreen Laurel bushes. The south-facing wall is topped by deciduous Ivy, then half our house is covered in Wisteria that sheds its leaves too.
Consequently, at this time of year the ground is thick with Autumnal leaves - even the Laurel seems to shed the odd one or two. So, it’s high time that I stopped filling the council’s leaf mould pile and started my own.
When I first moved into the house the garden was a wreck. Apparently, the previous owner were not ‘into’ gardening. You don’t say? There was a five inch thick layer of something thick and black and crumbly on the roof of the outhouse. Part of the roof had caved in under the weight there was that much of it. What was it? - leaf mould. The leaves had been falling for so many years, untouched that the good stuff had just built up and up.
I tried to salvage as much of it as I could and dug it into my new garden. But that’s the last time mtp has seen any leaf mould (two years ago). But this year I’m determined to bring it back. So, using my Love Em’ and Leave Em’ leaf sack, I’ve started to collect the fallen leaves and I’m hopeful for some blackstuff come next year.
Here’s a few things I’ve discovered about making leaf mould.
- The leaves that can be easily turned into leaf mould are Oak, Alder and Hornbeam. They will soon rot down, but Sycamore, Beech and Horse chestnut might take a little longer.
- Some people will suggest that you don’t use conifers and evergreen plants. You can but it will take between two and three years for them to decompose. They’re best added in small quantities, shredding them first will help to speed up the process.
Anyone else have experience producing leaf mould. I’ve heard you can use a black plastic bag with holes in in the same way.
