Hello there, Rural Sprout readers, This week, there has been a decidedly fall-like nip in the morning air. Each day has started foggy and cool enough to warrant a sweater. This makes me deliriously happy. At the same time, I’m not ready for the growing season to end. Anyone else feeling this? Normally, I’m ready for a break after a season of battling pests and weeds. I’ll be brutally honest, by the end of September, I’m usually praying for an early frost as I’m just done with the whole thing. But this year is different. I had to start from scratch. I had to build a garden before I could plant one. That meant putting down cardboard and wood chips, and assembling and filling new raised beds before I could tuck a single plant in the dirt. (By the way, thanks to my kids, the young and old, for helping out in this process!) With
rain, work, and travel, it wasn't until mid-July that I had a garden. I just ate my first yellow squash last week. I plucked the first ripe tomato from my vine on Thursday. Granted, that tomato precedes an avalanche of its fellows, following hotly on its tail. I’m not ready for the season to end. I’m seriously considering rigging up a cold frame or a tunnel with thick plastic over one of my
raised beds this winter. In the meantime, I’m already considering the expansion of my newly constructed raised bed paradise. How about you, my friends? How are you feeling with the end of the season coming into focus? Are you ready to throw in the trowel early, or are you looking for ways to eke out more from your season?
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Fall is one of the best times to plant perennial vegetables and fruits for a garden full of produce that keeps coming back year after year.
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When the tomatoes come rolling in, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But don't worry, there are so many great ways to preserve the bounty.
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This easy recipe is a great introduction to water bath canning, not to mention the tastiest way to use up a bumper crop of jalapenos!
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Watering raised beds can be tricky, but not with this setup. You can even automate your system to water hands-free!
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Many years ago, when I first discovered that a surefire way to get free houseplants was to bring some in from the garden, you would have thought I'd hit the jackpot. When you're a plant-obsessed
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Fall is here and it's time to harvest dandelion roots to make dandelion root coffee, dandelion root bitters and a digestive tincture.
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I love growing pumpkins. It's fun to watch them start as tiny little orbs beneath a yellow flower and grow into orange wheels for baking. I especially enjoy seeing the carving pumpkins double in size
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We're still dealing with the heat of summer, but chilly mornings promise fall is just around the corner. With so many stone fruits in season now, it's the ideal time to preserve them to enjoy
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Cut your cooking time by freezing onions - yellow, white, red, green, roasted, caramelized or raw. Freezing is a great way to store onions.
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While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to consume zucchini fresh, preserving them turns out to be a bit trickier. You see, zucchini is a low-acid food. And if you know that much
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to read a few for inspiration? Find past newsletters here. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers. |
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