Fall clean up

It is time to clean out the garden. On the one hand, it’s sad to give up the fresh produce. On the other hand, I look forward to planning menus around what I want to eat rather than what needs to be used up before it rots. I can’t look at another cucumber. Terry picked all that remained when he pulled the vines a few days ago. I will give the runts to Jane’s box turtle—for the third “last time.” I have been thinking that the cucumbers were spent for two or three weeks now. I’m not sure what the fate of the larger last cucumbers will be. Terry is tired of them too. Most probably scenario is that they will sit in the refrigerator until they get slimy, and I will then put them in the compost bin.

The tomatoes looked very sad.

Sad, sad tomatoes

One overly optimistic tomato plant was still flowering in spite of the shorter days and cooler mornings.

One tomato plant was still flowering

As much as I looked forward to the first tomato, I’m ready to give them up for another year. Like the cucumbers, they have overstayed their welcome. I felt relieved when I had my last tomato on toast with cream cheese, a favorite summer breakfast. And damned if Hilda didn’t give me another tomato the next day. But now we are really, truly done. We cleaned the last remnants from the garden yesterday. It broke my heart just a little to throw a beautiful large green tomato into the heap, but the reality is that they just aren’t as good as summer tomatoes. It takes longer for them to ripen, and in the process, they get mealy and bland.

The Brussels sprouts are finally getting big. Conventional wisdom suggests that they are bitter until they’ve been hit with frost. In my impatience, I steamed some for supper, only to verify that it is better to wait.

The Brussels sprouts finally getting big

Another task I crossed off my list is drying herbs—thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano. I always think that I will do that early when the plants are in their prime, but don’t get around to it until I’m under the gun with the threat of frost.

In addition to tearing out the tomatoes yesterday, we took up the drip irrigation and got the landscape cloth rolled and in storage. Both of these tasks are a pain to lay down and a pain to pull up, but well worth the effort when the rain doesn’t come when you need it, and the weeds grow like, well, weeds.

Buckets full of garden waste for the compost heap. The landscape cloth is the black woven plastic between the rows.

Most of my garden work lately has been standing at the sink. Actual harvesting is the shortest step in making produce suitable for winter storage. Thus, my gardening muscles were unused to bending. When I stood up after a brief rest in the afternoon, my heels were sore. I expected the back pain, but heels? Who knew that could even happen? I’m pleased to report that even at 60, most of the soreness faded overnight.

Just as we were thinking that the canning and freezing were under control, the apples and raspberries start coming in. I’ve made one batch of raspberry jam and frozen enough crushed raspberries for two more. One box of apples is now about 6 quarts of frozen applesauce, one apple crisp, and one apple cake. Three boxes of apples remain. More applesauce, certainly, and apple muffins. Perhaps an apple pie if I feel really ambitious. I can finish the jam at my leisure. The sauerkraut has finished fermenting, but that too will hold indefinitely until I have time to can it.

Today is Jane’s birthday, and I’m taking it off to have a little adventure in Wisconsin.