Nov. 13th, 2011 09:46 pm
Harvest moon
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muckefuckToday I shut down the garden for the winter. We got lucky last week and the couple nights below freezing did no real damage, but low temps are in the forecast again and we could get a real frost this time. Moreover, it beggars belief that we might have another weekend as temperate as this one so I set to work pulling out what I could and tidying up what was left.
I made simple syrup with the verbena, but it was a mild brew. Though I'd hoped for more from it, there's nothing bad about having simple syrup with a delicate hint of citrus. The sage I washed and bagged for freezing. One of my books suggests wrapping rosemary sprigs in foil before putting them in the freezer; we'll see how well that preserves freshness. I've collected the fennel umbels and later we'll figure out how best to separate them from their seeds.
My old pall Alge has impressed upon me the necessity of mulching so I pulled some organic matter from the bottom of the composter and spread it over the rosemary and verbena. Hopefully this will spare us having to buy new plants next spring. I also made a stab at cutting back the autumn clematis, but it's grown so huge it was hard to know where to stop. Mobot recommends a "hard prune" in spring, so I guess I'll worry about it then.
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monshu was busy making food for the week. We now have a great pot of ham lentil soup that (if experience is any guide) we may begin to tire of before we reach the bottom. He also made up parsnip mash and brussels sprouts to accompany leftover chicken for dinner and I'm wondering if together they might make a nice nontraditional champ.
I made simple syrup with the verbena, but it was a mild brew. Though I'd hoped for more from it, there's nothing bad about having simple syrup with a delicate hint of citrus. The sage I washed and bagged for freezing. One of my books suggests wrapping rosemary sprigs in foil before putting them in the freezer; we'll see how well that preserves freshness. I've collected the fennel umbels and later we'll figure out how best to separate them from their seeds.
My old pall Alge has impressed upon me the necessity of mulching so I pulled some organic matter from the bottom of the composter and spread it over the rosemary and verbena. Hopefully this will spare us having to buy new plants next spring. I also made a stab at cutting back the autumn clematis, but it's grown so huge it was hard to know where to stop. Mobot recommends a "hard prune" in spring, so I guess I'll worry about it then.
Meanwhile,
monshu was busy making food for the week. We now have a great pot of ham lentil soup that (if experience is any guide) we may begin to tire of before we reach the bottom. He also made up parsnip mash and brussels sprouts to accompany leftover chicken for dinner and I'm wondering if together they might make a nice nontraditional champ.