Category Archives: the Farm

One Hour

The question for today, the first day of Daylight Savings Time, is “How will you use your extra hour?” I woke up somewhat more refreshed than usual, looked out the window at the garden, and wondered. I used my extra … Continue reading

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Pork, Pumpkin, Turnips, Together

Today I went out in the first snowfall of the season and cut kale for tonight’s dinner. It’s the second time I’m making this fine stew, which I found when I was looking for savory dishes with pumpkin. I couldn’t … Continue reading

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End of Summer

It was the fall equinox yesterday, and I spent most of it cooking pumpkin bread and pulling things out of the garden. For the first time, I had to wear a wool cap and sweater out there, and I was … Continue reading

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Signs of the (Political) Season

In 2000, I participated in a faculty exchange with a technical college instructor from the Netherlands. She visited me in Joliet, Illinois, and I’ll never forget her reaction to our political campaigning. Now this was Bush v. Gore and it was … Continue reading

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Mid-September Garden

Several people in my neighborhood have put their gardens to bed. One has even tilled her large plot and mulched it. You can almost feel the way her energy just kind of flagged given this season of drought and heat and she said … Continue reading

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Potato Surprise

Like so much this season in the garden, the potato harvest has been disappointing. I didn’t get many reds and even fewer Yukon Golds, so I put all my hope into the La Ratte fingerlings, which are the potatoes I … Continue reading

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Elementary Seed Saving

I’m taking some baby steps toward seed saving this year. Most of my plants are from heritage varieties, not hybrids, so I’m certain if I plant the seeds they will come up as the same plants I harvested them from. I … Continue reading

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Huckleberry Jam

I understand why people don’t grow huckleberries by the field and there aren’t U-Pick huckleberry farms all over Minnesota. It’s because you can’t tell they’re ripe by tasting them. I waited and waited and waited for mine. The birds tasted … Continue reading

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August

This morning I went out to the garden first thing to see what damage the storm that took us from July (hot summer) to August (beginning of autumn) had wrought. Even last night at dinner it was hard to believe … Continue reading

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Summer Bounty

It’s hard to choose from among the ingredients available for meals these days. Mostly I saute up a big mess of all sorts of things and then find a container to put them in. Last night I stuffed it all in … Continue reading

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