Leaves

I continued on my quest to be known as the weird neighbor this week.  At the top of the street is the bus stop.  The yard is a big corner lot and has been covered in the most gorgeous carpet of leaves for a few weeks.  I've been coveting those leaves.  I've spent actual time sitting and thinking about how to get them for myself.  It's a disease.

Then a miracle happened.  The landscapers mowed up those leaves and placed them in 35 large composting bags.  I made Hubby stop the car on Tuesday and ask if I could have them.  They of course looked at me like I was nuts.  Then he said he just needed the bags back.  Hubby and I made plans to get the leaves on Thursday.  Then yesterday another miracle!  The landscaper came down and said he needed the bags sooner than he thought.  So, he and his helper hauled them all down in his truck and helped me dump them on the garden!  All free!  All for me!  Yes, I realize I need help.  We even made plans to do the same thing next year.

While talking to him, I realized we really weren't all that different.  He was working hard to try to buy a place to do the same things.  He had rented a place that he thought he would be able to buy.  He had chickens, both hens and meat birds.  He wants a big garden as well.  I felt a kinship to this wonderful man.  It also turns out that he's a friend of the homeowner up the street.  I now have a leaf dealer!  He can feed the need for leaves!

I'm connecting with Simple lives Thursday blog hop.  Hop on over and check out how else people are living simply.

Brrr

Harvest Monday Nov 1, 2010

Brrr!  It is certainly November here in New England.  It was 25 degrees when I woke up this morning.  The kids were bundled up in winter coats and the heat was turned on.  The living room was 58 degrees, so there was no messing around today.  As a result, I decided to harvest a few things that I was unsure of.  Tonight is supposed to be just as cold.

There was quite a bit of broccoli and a few beets that were big enough to harvest.  I left the broccoli in to see how well it does.  There are a few more heads started and some side shoots that may develop.  Since I've never had anything planted this late, I'm not sure how well they'll do.  The beets are not sizing up as well as I would like, so I thinned them and we'll see what happens.  I know both broccoli and beets are ok with some cold, but I'm not sure when they'll be destroyed.

The rest of the greens, cabbage and carrots are looking good, so they'll stay in the ground.  My Pac Choi has gotten far too big, so the chickens have been enjoying it instead.  The cabbage is still forming heads, I'm curious to see what will happen with them.  It would be great if the cabbage, beets and carrots would continue to size up, the light is getting scarce though.

This post is part of Daphne's Dandelions, head on over and see what everyone is harvesting this week.

Vegetable beef soup

I hate to waste anything, so the other night when we had a bone in chuck steak, I vowed not to waste any of it.  Today I took the rest of the steak and bones and threw them in a pot with a bunch of veggies, a jar of canned tomatoes and a jar of the beef stock I made when we got the cow.  The result is rather delicious. 

This is what is left after I took some to Hubby at the Fire Station and the kids and I had some.  The recipe was made up, but I'll do my best.

Vegetable beef soup

Leftover bones and meat from a chuck steak, maybe a cup of meat.
1qt tomatoes
1qt beef stock
3 potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
2-3 carrots cut up
1 qt of beans
1 can of corn
1 small onion diced
1 large clove garlic
water to cover and salt and pepper to taste. 

I basically just threw it together and let it simmer.  After a while, I pulled the meat out and cut it up into small pieces.  It's very yummy and comforting on this cool, fall day.

Potato Onions

After my unfortunate accident with the scissors last week, I was finally able to get out and plant the garlic.  I'm also trying a new thing this year.  They're potato onions.  Apparently these are what people planted for years.  They are a multiplying onion, that appears to work somewhat like shallots.

I got these when we were in Virginia at the Harvest Festival at Monticello.  They are simply labeled 'white', I got yellow as well.  They were planted just like the garlic.  At the moment, they're covered with a small amount of straw, but will get another covering of grass and chopped leaves this weekend. 

I'm anxious to see how they do.  Years ago, everyone had their own set of onions that they kept planting every year.  Similar to how we now do garlic.  They are rumored to be great storage onions with a great taste as well.  It would be wonderful if that was the case.  I hate growing onions from seed.  They need to be babied for far too long and seem quite susceptible to fungus and other yucky things.  This lazy gardener would love to have something that I planted in the fall and forgot about until July. 

Pretty fall day

The weather here has been quite warm lately.  Today was a nice return to the cool, crisp Autumn that we all love here in New England.

Burning bushes next to the shed.

The garden beds with their cozy manure blankets.

Dogwoods turning behind the clothesline.

Broccoli waiting to be harvested.

The chickens are molting and getting ready for winter.

Toby playing with his best friend, Brutus. 

I hope you're all out enjoying the beautiful weather.

PSA Don't do this at home

Yesterday I decided to get off my butt and get my garlic planted.  Hubby was home from work sneezing and coughing all over the place and generally driving me crazy.  I pulled 2 bunches of garlic down from the basement, grabbed my poultry shears and went out to cut the tops off the garlic.  Apparently my finger got in the way.  What a dingbat I am.  I ended up with a tetanus shot and 6 stitches.  No pictures of the stitches, because I'm sure that is not what you want to see.  The garlic is going to have to wait awhile now. 

On a bright note, the nurse is a big gardener herself.  We chatted about gardening and canning while the doctor worked.  It was quite pleasant actually, considering what was happening with my hand. 

I'm finding it difficult to do much of anything right now.  Toby is mad that he didn't get his walk today.  It is hard to control a 85lb dog with one hand.  He's pretty good, but not that good.