Bedding Out and Boiling Down

Today was full of bulbs: red russian garlic, our special Gael Glen Farm garlic variety, hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, daffodils, and walla walla onions.

The ducks' pond was frozen over this morning!

With the start of freezing overnight temperatures we were running out of time to get our bulbs in the ground.  Ian rototilled the vegetable garden and I bedded out 435 bulbs of garlic.  As I smoothed soil over the top, our first flurries of the season drifted down from the sky.  At least we got them in the ground!

Knowing that we are facing many months of cold and dark, Liam and I decided to do some advance preparation to ensure that we have a burst of spring early in the new year.  We planted several different types of spring flower bulbs in a large planter.  These bulbs need a period of cold before they will sprout so we will keep them in the garage for the next 12-16 weeks, and then a slightly warmer part of the basement for another few weeks.  After that, we will bring them upstairs into the warmth of the kitchen to see the March sunshine.  I am looking forward to having beautiful spring blossoms before the snow outside even begins to melt.

Another sign that winter is almost here is that the last of our summer bulbs have reached their expiry date.  We cleaned our remaining dozen onions this afternoon, chopped them up, and are currently boiling them down.  We are planning to caramelize them to make a batch of french onion soup for tomorrow night's supper.  

Closing out one year's harvest, while preparing for the next.  I love the cyclic nature of life on our farmstead.