February Garden

What it looks like outside today:

February is turning out to be an excellent month 

for growing salads in the cold greenhouse.

There's more light

and 

warmer days to promote growth.

We have a good dump of snow, but it's about 24 degree F,

so we are good.

I'm in awe of the beauty seen in these varied leaves and I couldn't stop taking pictures!

What it looks like inside the greenhouse:

Radishes growing like snowmen....

parsley

Frost patterns on the greenhouse plastic

Spinach

Onion seedlings

What it looks like In the HOUSE! Micro-greens.

 

Leggy looking lettuce

 Pea Shoots at the second stage

 The garden mascot wasn't into braving the elements today.
He was feeling mean, anyway.

January Garden

The absolute beautiful, warm sunny day inspired me to go work down 

in the greenhouse. The temps inside the plastic was a 

balmy 60 degrees

and on the outside a tolerable 36 degrees.

The sun is amazing. This winter is amazing!!

I could live here if every winter is this nice. . .

but considering I don't have any choice,

I'll take the lovely weather.

We are over the hump and everything is encouraging us towards spring.

I cleaned out some old plants to make rooms for early plantings

to be seeded in a couple weeks.

The cold hardy crops;

mizuna,

kale,

cilantro,

arugula, 

choi

have outdone the lettuces by far.

NO! Goosey! We don't plant for your benefit.

Mr. Gander has developed a misguided romantic attachment towards me.

Silly goose!

Cold House Greenhouse

December 29. 

The salad I picked for supper. 

And yes! I still had to pick the slugs out of it. : `/

Can you believe it?

{Sun} Dried Tomatoes

We love sun dried tomatoes.

Our tomatoes are not SUN dried, of course,

but, neither are the ones in the store.

That's just what they are called.

Fresh picked basil

with

parsley

Cloves of garlic and olive oil -

a great use for the over-abundance of cherry tomatoes found in the garden

a tray ready for the food dryer

The perfect job for little hands.

**PS. Because botulism is a remote possibility I freeze my jars after they have marinated for a little while.

I know that will thicken the oil, but the oil in my jar of Costco sun dried tomatoes is thick after I put it in the refrigerator too, so better safe than sorry.  It takes less oil than I thought it would to pack a jar of tomatoes and herbs and we'll use that herb infused oil to drizzle on our salads later.

Time to Pick the Beans

This is the first time we've ever grown these daddy-long-legs.

Garden Color

Yielding it's Fruit

I love having our own fruit trees!

A Day for Thinning

Keep that beak of yours out of MY business...

Some birds don't learn

I Proudly Introduce

from our garden.

YUM!