Snow has arrived in North Idaho

Winter Harvest

The greenhouse is unheated and still needs a ridge cap installed,  it get's pretty cold in there. The only winter goody growing inside the greenhouse at this time, is a handful of  tattered American Flag leeks. 

The dirt is still soft, making  it easy to harvest. 

Let me tell you, nothing compares to the smell of  pulling up a fresh veggie out of the crisp, sweet, earth in the middle of winter. 

This fragrant Leek will be added into our dinner tonight....Yum!

Garden view in December in my North Idaho Garden

A Christmas Surprise

I came home from work yesterday, pulled in the driveway and noticed my Greenhouse was glowing with a magical surprise. The guys had spent the day rummaging through the shed piecing together old odd and end Christmas decorations to pull off  the ultimate Christmas surprise!

My camera doesn't pick up how beautiful this truly is at night....you will just have to take my word!

Inside the Cold frames in December

This past week has been unusually warm for December.What little snow we had, has melted.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining!!!!

The mild weather has allowed me easy access to take a peek inside the cold frames, and see what  is actually growing on in there.

While everything is still small...it is still slowly, but surely growing!

Note to myself : Looks like you need to plant just a little bit earlier next year Jennifer, you could be harvesting in December.

Although, the herb garden is looking a little sad this time of year... the Sage is looking like a Rock Star! 

I love this prolific, cold hardy, perennial!

I forgot to harvest it in the Fall...

Looks like it waited for me!!

Projects

Not much to report on the garden this time of year...

So we have been busy with the other side of our lives at the soap shop. One of our recent projects was rescuing a little childs hutch.

It was found and rescued in this condition....

Complete with magnet stove top burners, Batman stickers and flower stencils.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

Because this is what I seen in her the entire time! 

She makes a great little display piece in the shop,until she finds her forever home!

Downright cold

The Polar Vortex has arrived and with it, temperatures in the single digits... 

It's just downright cold!

Sadly, my little greenhouse is unheated, everything in it has now come to a freezing halt!

We were lucky enough to harvest 5 lbs of green peppers from the greenhouse, the night before the cold snap arrived.

Time has come to let the garden and the greenhouse rest...

In the meantime, we will bundle up, throw another log on the fire and dream of Spring!

In the Ground....Finally!

Garden was tilled days ago....

The rains came....

Then, according to the Farmers Almanac, the moon wasn't right...

This morning, a hard frost with a Polar Vortex on the way!

Time to get that Garlic in!!!

Bulbs were separated....

Planted....

and mulched with a blanket of grass clippings and leaves.

Good night..Sleep tight..sweet garden!

I will be seeing you in the Spring!

When life gives you lemons...

After spending a relaxing Summer vacation in the greenhouse, it's time to move my little Meyer Lemon tree back indoors, under Fake &  Bake lights. 

Currently, my sweet little tree is in full bloom...and is proudly sporting 5 lemons.

I did notice a cluster of  aphids around one of the blossoms....

I removed that blossom and disposed of it in the fire. I  will be on the lookout  for more icky bugs from now on and an organic spray may be in order!

Calypso

This years Calypso Beans were harvested a while ago..... we just finally got around to getting them shelled!

Harvest total was 5 lbs.

This Heirloom Calypso Bean has always been an All Star in our garden, we look forward to growing this bean, for years to come!

Our beans were sourced from Seed Savers Exchange

Looking at the price per pound now.... I am thankful to have started saving my seeds years ago ;-)

Crazy Carrot

Fall is most definitely in the air, and I have been slowly harvesting carrots as the Earth is still willing to give up it's bounty before the frost.

Today in the garden, we found this crazy six fingered carrot. 

You just never know what will come up... when you tug on those green frilly tops!

Simple Apple Salad

I really wish I could remember what variety of apples we planted, way back when....

At the time, I was a sleep deprived, busy Mom with two little ones in diapers....Remembering the apple names were the least of my worries at the time..

It sure would be nice to know them now!

The red variety, is a dense apple with a tart flavor and a blushing pink flesh. 

This apple is one of my favorites to add to a simple dinner salad. Just cut, toss in lemon juice to retain color and keep apples from turning brown. Then sprinkle them on your salad and pair it with your favorite dressing.

We really like the tart apples paired with locally  made Bleu Cheese Dressing from Lighthouse!

Simple, yet......Fantastic!

Hey girl.....nice "Melons"

This was my very first attempt at growing melons...I started the seeds a little late, and wondered if they would even have enough time to grow.

I had room for one vine in the greenhouse....So the cantaloupe start got thrown in there.  

The impressive results....4 itty, bitty, little melons that weighed in at meager 4 lbs.

I know, you're impressed! 

I was too ;-)

When these were harvested, they were not vine ripe, and were quite hard! 

To be honest, I didn't think they would even ripen up! 

After harvest, they spent 2 weeks in the fruit bowl on the counter, doing nothing. 

A stray ripe banana got thrown in the bowl to keep the melons company. After adding the banana to the fruit bowl, the melons ripened within 2 days.

Thanks Banana.....I think, I may just have to try that trick again!

Poop & Bones !

Great title, huh!

With Halloween just around the corner....I figured it was fitting ;-)

Sunday afternoon was spent amending the garden with aged Chicken "POOP" and Bone Meal...

We are getting ready to plant the Garlic before the ground freezes....

Apple pickin' time

So much for relaxing Sundays...

A trip into Sandpoint for shopping that needed to be done, clean the chicken coop, chop firewood, work in the garden and harvest apples.....All in a days work!

Harvesting 116 lbs. of Apples...and very Thankful for my helpers!!!

and of course...Tilly, the apple chaser....

Who needs tennis balls, when you have a tree full of apples!

Still Harvesting

 Although the greenhouse isn't heated, it still allowing us to harvest vegetables much later in the season than we normally would. At this time, we are still able to harvest Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes and have Yolo Sweet Peppers and Banana Peppers still on.

In comparison, the peppers in the garden have been done at least 3 weeks earlier.

I am enjoying the fact that we can extend the harvest to some extent!

Fall Chicks

New Fall additions....Picked these little cuties up on Saturday,  fresh from the incubator....Love having little peeps around again!

Tomato Harvest

It was high time to harvest all the tomatoes off the vines...

I have been so busy and just haven't had the time to really keep an eye on the tomatoes. Feels like I have been playing a game of roulette and needed to deal with them, before a heavy frost took care of them for me!

I pulled a total of 58 lbs.of Tomatoes off the vines today and decided to try out the Vintage Squeezo Strainer I picked up at an Estate Sale last year.

The Squeezo Strainer is AMAZING!!!!! 

It made dealing with hundreds of little cherry tomatoes a snap and short work of the big ones too!

There is no need to peel them....The strainer does all that... for you! 

The seeds and peels are separated from the juice and pulp...making it easier to save heirloom seeds if you are ever so inclined. 

The Squeezo Strainer is still being manufactured today and can be found at squeezostrainer.com 

I highly recomend this strainer....... 

If you are lucky, you can still find a deal on ebay...or keep your eyes peeled at Estate and Yard sales for a bargain.

With plenty of green tomatoes still waiting to ripen up....I am Thankful to have this strainer on hand to make my life a whole lot easier.