Clearing the Garden
Clearing the garden can mean many things to many people, I have learned. Humbly, I will press on with my tale.
October is well under way and autumn has settled into her gorgeous but chilling routine. For my purposes, it is time to tear down the garden as much as possible.
I slipped on the tall rubber boots of my dreams, donned my rubber palmed gardening gloves and headed to the back yard. First, I trimmed back the low crawlers. Pumpkin vines and squash had wiggled their way over the railroad ties and well into the yard. Though we had encouraged them back towards the garden a number of times over recent months, their path was something we struggled to control (tips on this for next year would be very much welcomed!).
Next, the tomatoes and remaining cornstalks needed to be torn down. I brought a few stalks up to the front porch for autumn décor. (not too shabby) I am told that the tomatoes can wreak havoc in the compost if they are not given the proper opportunity to decompose. I chopped the puppies down and laid them to rest on one of the garden mounds for another week or so. After shoveling a few scoops of dirt over the stalks, I am hoping the decomposition will accelerate a bit. Will keep you posted on that one.
After the vines, tomatoes and corn, I took on the beans. What a wonderful surprise was here for me to find! The bush beans and peas were, of-course, long gone and the vines crumbled at my touch. The black-eyed peas, to my amazement, had continued to thrive over the last few weeks. We had new growth and a few hardened pods, as well. I picked the little beggars and shelled them for drying.
Unfortunately, I had not maintained the lettuce plants as I should have and they were pretty much done for the season. I have read that there are many ways to preserve the greens until Thanksgiving or even Christmas, but I missed the boat on that with the lettuce. The kale (God bless the kale!) is a different story. The kale is thriving like no other!!! I snipped some off for the house and another bundle for a friend. Hopefully, I can keep my kale going for the weeks to come!
Enough gardening for one day. After heading in, I decided to make a ‘What’s Left in the Garden + Some’ soup.
What’s Left in the Garden + Some Soup
1 Bunch of Kale
1 Cup of black-eyed peas
1 teaspoon of tarragon
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 white onion
pinch of chive
1 box of Trader Joe’s Chicken broth
Pinch of pepper
1 Cup of Quinoa
Pinch of Penzy’s Cajun seasoning
Finely chop the kale. Next, steam to soften the black-eyed peas. Chop up the chives, tarragon, parsley and onion. Toss the pile of goodness into the slow cooker. I always cook the quinoa before adding it to the slow cooker, as well. Pour in the Trader Joe’s Chicken Broth and you are in business. Add seasonings to your taste.
Now, I had the good fortune of cooking for three on the day that I first made the soup. (I hate cooking for two and rarely succeed at proper portions—three is MUCH easier!) We all loved the soup so much that we went for it a second day in a row (rarity at our house). I added some sage seasoned sausage for a twist… much appreciated by the husband and brother! So I would certainly recommend.
Enjoy-- the soup and the season!
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