My 2nd post in #samsaturday by @bluemoon will be about another passion of mine. I am very conscious about what I put into my body. As I have gotten older I have realized that my diet is all the more important. With the way our food is now produced, my enthusiasm for gardening has become a bigger part of my life. Since retiring two years ago, I have been able to grow enough vegetables to take me from one growing season to the next.
The raised beds were constructed for two reasons, the soil where I live is rich, but filled with rocks, and as I get older, bending can be kept to a minimum.
Compost has been breaking down for a year now and is ready to put into the raised boxes. The compost is a mixture of vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves from Sugar Maple trees, horse manure, egg shells, coffee grinds, and other organic material.
Planting starts as soon as the ground has defrosted. Vegetables like spinach, cabbage, peas, potatoes, and onions can be planted early. The other vegetables we wait for a while longer until the threat of frost is gone. Potato eyes are ready to be planted as the bed has been prepared.
Planting the garden in the upright position is already paying dividends!
Beets being a favorite, are planted is abundance.
By the middle of the growing season the vegetable plants are thriving.
With many of the vegetables mature, we will start to consume, with plenty to put into storage .
Blanching and vacuum sealing keeps the vegetables good for a year.
Beets being prepared for the deep freeze.
Corn is cut off of the cob for nib-lets, corn on the cob is left whole and vacuum sealed. Eating corn on the cob through the winter warms the soul.
Besides the vegetables we grow, there is a bounty of fruits and vegetables that need no tending as they grow wild in this area.
Raspberries and blackberries are made into syrups. The sauces are great for salads, ice cream, and for marinating.
This year we vacuum packed over 40 pounds of organic Blueberries.
Fields of wild leeks
Leeks are great to add to all different dishes. they have a flavor between an onion and garlic.
By the time the growing season has departed we have filled the freezer with enough produce to keep us away from pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides for another year.
Hope you enjoyed! thebigsweed