Harvest Monday 1/23/12

This time last year as Belle and I read garden bloggers (really for the first time) we were completely amazed that they could grow veggies in the snow! It was bewildering, but also motivating! We had to know more. We looked into it and we did some work in the garden. Lo and Behold, we have veggies in the snow. Lettuce to be exact, and we're very excited!

After culling and washing, we harvested exactly 1 pound of baby salad greens. It was a combination of Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch, and Prizehead. The Black Seeded Simpson and Prizehead were the more prolific of the 3 varieties. They were direct sown in late November. If you look closely at the front of the cold frame you can see a light in the bed. We've been running it for 3 hours in the morning before just before sunrise. We also lay heavy rubber mats over the frames at night time to insulate the beds.

Belle made that great greek salad (pictured) out of it this weekend. She's visiting her family now in Washington, while I stay home with the boys. Hmmmm? I'm looking at the rest of the greens, and the best I can come up with is a little grated cheese and oil. I know the boys will be glad to see mama when mom gets home next week!

Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard

Lately Belle has been using freezer and pantry items for most of the ingredients in our meals.  We've had lots of soup, crock pot dishes, casseroles and more. Here's a small sampling of what we're eating around here this winter.

100% grass fed beef on a wheat roll (not homemade) with canned pickles, fresh lettuce from the cold frame and sweet potato fries from the pantry.

Belle made homemade whole wheat pumpkin bread with the volunteer pumpkins that grew near the compost bin last season. The recipe can be found at Cookie and Kate. We especially like the addition of millet to the recipe for a crunchy textured experience.

Thanks Dave for recommending this great little miller!

We've also enjoyed plain cantaloupe pieces from the freezer. They lose their firmness when thawed but not their flavor!

Homemade ice cream made with strawberries from the garden is always a big hit with the boys too.

 

Stop by The Gardener of Eden to see what other gardeners are canning, cooking and bringing to the table from their gardens.

Our first Cold Frame

We finally did it. We've been planning to do it for a long time, and we still have more to do, but we at least have one box built. Our next step it to prepare the soil. We're going to make the soil extra hot, hoping the veggies we have will stay warm and grow this winter. They're under lights in the basement right now, and we'll transfer them to the cold frame as soon as we get the hot soil ready. The cold frame is an old 4x5 cabinet with glass doors. We reenforced the cabinet and turned it on its back.

It's an old cabinet, but not useless by any means. C. James and his safety goggles!

Q. James helped with every screw!

Q. James set the screws and I drilled them. I'm not kidding. Do you see the drill on the right?

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The cold frame's permanent home. Its close to the kitchen (great for winter) with lots of sun.