Thursday, November 20, 2008

In the Gardens

Things are finally beginning to come to a close in the gardens due to the frosts we've had every night this week. The plants are drooping and it's time to pull them up and mulch the beds over for their long winters sleep.
As I had taken the following pictures a week ago, I think it's fitting to share with you the fruit that we were able to harvest from the fall garden.

"Cilantro"
Did you know that the herb Coriander is the seed from Cilantro plants? We love fresh Cilantro in salsas as it adds a little "something" which enhances the flavor. The nice thing about Cilantro is that it self seeds and you just need a few plants to get you started!

"Brussel Sprouts"
Daddy is a fan of brussel sprouts, something that Momma kept in mind when planning the fall garden, so these little sprouts will find their way to the table before to much longer! He like them boiled and served with butter on top.

"The Cauliflower"
We have been amazed at the size and delicious taste of our homegrown cauliflower! They are bigger than the cauliflower that you can buy at the store which has astounded those who we have given our surplus of cauliflower to.

"The Broccoli"
After producing a first big harvest of broccoli the plants went back into production but this time, the fruit was smaller. It was still delicious!


Things in my garden have been at a stand still for the past several weeks. Then the frost hit...


...and made a mess for me to clean up! The large pecan tree (pronounced peh-kahn, not p-can!) dropped all of its' small branches and leaves when it got below freezing and caused my garden to look like something had exploded in it! Sayre had just gotten all of the leaves out of the yard when the pecan trees decided to drop everything! It looks like it snowed leaves over night!


"Can I Cut, Ashey?"
Since my garden was overdue for some attention, I decided to dedicate part of my morning to cleaning and tending to it. Sawyer was outside with me and loved using "the scissors" to trim my Amaranth plant!


"Gathering Nutrients"
As I raked, trimmed iris', cut back the plants affected by the cold, mulched, and did a general straightening up, I kept noticing these greens stems sprouting up along the rocks edges. They are most likely daffodils who are coming up to take a peek around and gather the nutrients from the sunlight for next springs show. How exciting to see!
There is still much to be done in my garden; pruning, planting, and weeding are among a few of the tasks that are on my weekend "to do" list!

4 comments:

Sarah said...

I loved all the photos, Ashley! It looks (and sounds!) like your fall gardens did very well for you. That cauliflower is almost too beautiful to eat!

How sweet that Sawyer wanted to help you in the garden! Do you harvest the nuts from your Pecan tree?

Updated by Lila Huggins (grandmother) said...

Good Evening Ashley,

Your brother is too cute. I know you must enjoy having him around. Have a lovely evening.

Miss Lila in Atlanta

Anonymous said...

No, Ashley, it is "p-can". You know better than that. Southern birth but Yankee genetics. Dad

Ashley said...

Sarah- We have been harvesting the pecans when they drop. They are really good and we're going to be making a pecan pie as soon as we get them all cracked! :o)
We were very pleased with how well the gardens did this year! It's given us the desire to try new things next year!
~Ashley

Miss Lila- I absolutely love spending time with Sawyer! He's quite entertaining and is even handy at running and getting things for me! He will drive you nuts with his non-stop talk about deer, guns, and Bull Run, but he is truly a joy to have around!
I'm sure you have some wonderful times with your grandchildren! :o)
~Ashey

Daddy- I "know" better than what?! I'm just pronoucing it how everyone around me does!!!
I'll admit that I'm half Yankee half Reb.... :o)
~Ashley