Seed Savers Exchange Catalog

Last night, sitting in front of the ticking woodstove, I sat amidst a semicircle of seed packets spread around me. John and I inventoried what we had left to use, what to toss, and what we needed to order for the coming year. Snow flurries whispered around the windows, Callie curled up  in a dot by woodstove, and the two of us, planning and visualizing this years gardens--it still seems a long ways off, but the planning happens now.

John is once again, entranced by the pretty pictures, and like a kid, wants one of everything! He joined Seed Savers Exchange last year, and I have to admit, their catalog entices gardeners by sheer beauty alone. Half the fun is reading the descriptions of early heirloom varieties and their history.

I'll also put in an order to High Mowing Seeds for other stock we can't get from Seed Savers. And of course, in support of my Maine brethren, I'll order my seed potatoes from "The Maine Potato Lady" up in Guilford. Her simple black and white catalog may not look as mouth watering, but her descriptions go into great detail about which spuds are best suited for what type of preparation, and most importantly, storage qualities.

Last beets harvested

Monday we dug the last of the beets and sampled some very sweet carrots. I worried that the beets would be frozen with the open winter we've had thus far. Even though we had mulched with leaves, it's been so cold I feared the frost would go too deep. I was pleasantly surprised, both the beets and the carrots were delicious!

Callie's wintertime location

Toasty warm by the woodstove

First Snow

Saturday, November 27th, the first snow fell in South Berwick. I found an old childhood calendar I'd kept from the 70's. Noted on November 11th--first snow. Yes folks, there is such a thing as global warming!

Snugging up for winter

The gardens are tucked in for the winter at last. We mulched the empty beds and the remaining crops; Swiss chard, beets, carrots, and overwintering garlic. The hoop house protects our hardy spinach and Asian greens. The boardwalks have been pulled up and stored in the garage. We're all ready for the cold blasts of winter.
My bird feeders are emptied almost every day as the birds feast on fatty oil-rich sunflower seeds. The suet blocks, pecked away to nearly nothing in a week need replacing already. Last night, a mouse scurried among the leaves along the house foundation, looking for a cranny to sneak into as Callie gave chase. She's not the hunter Ruby was and came away empty-jawed. Nothing like have a good Rottweiler mouser on the premises!
With the forecast calling for wet stormy weather ahead, like the squirrels gathering food, I cache dry wood inside the house at the garage--a good supply to get us through the dank, dark days ahead.

Potato harvest

The potato harvest is in, a multi-hued palette of red, violet, and creamy tan. Since we only had one garden this year, it was a much smaller harvest than last year, despite the late blight. We had such a busy summer what with the new horse and me having surgery in the spring, that we never got our second garden in. John has vowed that next year we will plant in the Eliot garden, no matter what. I suggested we keep it a garden for fall crops, those that don't need constant maintenance throughout the summer--just a couple of weedings. If we plant potatoes, winter squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, surrounded by a deer-proof fence, we should make out just fine.

We've begun putting the garden to bed, leaving a few late veggies such as carrots, beets, and Swiss chard. The chard may overwinter again if we give it a nice blanket of leaves. A few tomatoes remain, stubbornly staying green, and some bell peppers that are finally turning chocolate brown (a new variety I tried) and red. The Kentucky Wonders got away from me, so I'm letting them dry on the vine and we'll shell them for soups and stews. The carrots need a good mulching, then once we get that first layer of snow, I'll pick them for the winter.

Once the garden is done, it's on to the woodpile. Some of the stumps still need splitting and I need to move the really old stuff to the front so the pieces don't get too punky. These chilly nights have me bringing in wood, staving off the cold the creeps in but never leaves. The sun doesn't arc high enough into the sky and is gone too soon by day's end. But I love this time of year--winter is sneaking closer.

Mr. Pockets searching my pockets

Out in the woods

Harley's Labor Day weekend was another breakthrough. Sunday, John (mounted on his bike) and Callie joined me for a hack in the woods. We unexpectedly hooked up with some folks from North Point on their horses. It became a joint ride, but one that Harley was a bit fractious on. He didn't want to be last in group! Must have been his former racing career coming out in him. He jigged quite a bit, and really wanted to run a couple of times. We had only one minor incident; Harley backed into the branches, knocking my hunt cap off, and bruising my forehead. Needless to say, we went shopping that afternoon for one of those newfangled helmets with a harness! Callie was beat. I don't think she's gone that far ever with us. Once she hit her bed, she was down for the count.
Yesterday, co-boarder Michelle and I rode again with the North Point gang. This time I put Harley out front and he was a dream! He just wanted his spot, with his gang nearby. We roamed the woods for two hours and had a blast.
This week, I need to get him back out by the fake deer, and to get in a good long canter to release that energy (I sound like Cesar Millan). He does like stretching his legs.

Time for sauce and salads!

Yikes! It's a fake deer!

Poor Harley, he was doing so well on our trail ride; past the scary house, past the guys shooting guns, through the water, past the scary gate and the wild turkeys. But it all came apart when he saw the deer target in a back yard. Spinning left, then right, lunging up the trail, I came unglued. Thankfully, I held onto the reins and didn't lose my horse! After dusting off the trail debris and pine needles, I led him past the scary deer, past the scary camper, the scary wood splitter, back to the safety of his barn. Whew!