That's All Folks

Today, on what may well be the last warm day of November, Gael Glen Farm's food gardens closed up shop for the 2020 season.  It is hard to believe that our first seeds for this year's garden were planted way back on February 8th.  That is almost ten months ago!

Baby carrots

Kale

Cabbage

More kale

Broccoli and cauliflower greens

Parsley

I am delighted with the super long growing season we had this year.  We managed to grow three full crops in many places in our garden.  For example, in one of my raised planter boxes we got an early crop of spinach, a mid-summer carrot crop, and then a second late season spinach crop.  Three successive crops in a single Ottawa growing season is pretty incredible!

Baby spinach

With 15 cm of snow predicted for Sunday evening and near freezing temperatures from here on out, it was finally time to harvest the last remaining vegetables from our gardens: baby spinach leaves, green cabbages, parsley and baby carrots.  I plan to leave the cruciferous plants and kales in the garden to hopefully harvest from all winter.  I figure that the frozen leaves can be steamed or chopped and added to stews or curries as long as they are still accessible above the snow.

Spinach and broccoli florets

Ali wants to be just like his big brother.
Liam with his parsley harvest and
Ali with his "harvested" sticks from the walnut tree.

One of the things I love about our farm is that nothing is wasted.  Charlie and the sheep enjoyed crunching on the outer cabbage leaves and carrot tops.

The hens were ecstatic to finally be granted access to the chicken coop garden after being locked out for most of the growing season.  They feasted on the wilted lettuce leaves and leftover broccoli greens.  The garlic is planted deep enough this year that they should not disturb it with their scratching, they might even help it with their fertilizing!

While the end of gardening season is always bittersweet, I take solace in the fact that we have canned a mountain of our home grown food which we will be eating all through the winter months.  And really, it is time for a break.  I am looking forward to the comfort and quiet of long evenings and cold winter nights to reflect, relax and refresh.  Winter is coming and after such a long and gorgeous spring, summer and fall, I am ready to embrace it.