Planning Ahead

The arrival of the "Territorial Seed" catalog for Fall planting 

reminded me that it is time to plan our Fall/Winter garden.

The garden is just entering its prime for Summer,

making it difficult to imagine all of these wonderful vegetables over and done.

But, the months pass by so quickly and it's good to be prepared!

So, I will be ordering seeds to start in July for Fall transplanting...

Curly Kale...

Rainbow chard...

Beets and carrots...

Cauliflower....

Broccoli...

and my new favorite, Kohlrabi!

This is the kohlrabi that is presently growing in my garden.

Last evening I harvested two of these, chopped the bulbs into inch sized chunks,

rubbed them with olive oil and added salt and pepper,

and roasted them with carrots cut into like-sized pieces.

Yum!

Have you tried kohlrabi? (Try it!!)

It tastes like the stem of the broccoli plant.

All of the above vegetables will last into the early winter,

with some, like kale, making it through almost the entire winter.

How nice it will be to have fresh produce in those months!

I will also plant garlic that will overwinter and sprout in the Spring,

as well as saffron crocus bulbs.

Have you tried to purchase saffron lately?

Insanely expensive.

So, I will try growing my own.

(it's a Fall blooming crocus...and the saffron is the red stigma)

I had a few questions about yesterday's post....

The solar fly traps...
I keep them far enough away from the house that the smell doesn't waft towards the house...
so if you are considering placing one in your yard,
place it away from the house.
Seriously.... they work!...just keep the bait fresh.

And as for the garlic supplement.... I have seen no insects on the horses' faces yet this summer.

And lastly, here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Jam....

2 quarts strawberries, crushed
8 stalks of rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar
2 packs of powdered fruit pectin

Combine above ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil,
reduce heat and simmer until it begins to really thicken...
skimming foam off the top.
Pour into canning jars and leave 1/4 inch headspace.
Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Cool.

This jam is yummy... one of our favorites due to its rich strawberry flavor,
with a bit of tang!

And of course I can't leave you without at least one picture from our critters!!

PS.... I am back at raking the hay once again.
We have several days of sunshine coming our way,
so I am trying to save our hay harvest.
Wish me luck!