Snow that had been lingering, lingering, lingering, finally went in the last day or so (though there’s still ice on the water), and it’s on to the Spring Browns. From the growing season perspective, that’s called Progress! :)
Checking in on the winter greens mini-experiment. These guys have been through six weeks of up and down weather, balmy days well above zero (reaching 60-70°F/15-20°C on a sunny day in the hoophouse) , and many extreme freezing nights. So, how did it all do? The Bloomsdale spinach, uncovered (above), is fine, although after all that freezing and thawing, the taste and texture changes (good to eat, but probably wouldn’t sell). It wasn’t the plan, but this spinach can be trimmed back to see how new growth does in spring. The other beds, all brassicas (tatsoi, mizuna, arugula, mustards), left half uncovered, are completely toasted. Meanwhile, under a single layer of medium-weight row cover, arugula (below) is good, perky and quite tasty. Not the most extensive and scientific testing plan, but combined with the experience of harvesting through December and in mid-January, it’s a solid starting point for next winter’s goal of full-on, unheated winter greens production!
Still snow. Been trudging rather than shoveling because I keep expecting it to be gone by the end of the day, but no. Instead, it’s been topped up a few times since the fairly major snowstorm two weeks ago. One sure thing, the days are getting longer!
This is about as simple as it gets this with a stove and a pot: turnips, simmering in water with a little salt. There’s a quite a bit, and I’m not sure what I’ll be doing with it afterwards, besides eating it—maybe freeze some. Possibilities, possibilities. They’re from Shannon‘s farm, harvested last fall—ironically, for local food, it made a 1500 km (930 mi) journey from field to table, but that was with me along for the ride. Anyhow, stretching the stored food while waiting for a new season’s fresh harvest!
Wintry-looking winter is hanging around for a bit, with a little more snow adding to the fairly massive fall a few days ago. It’s already clear that we can expect anything, any time, from the weather, still, I was hoping for a bit of a warm and summery winter, like last year! Oh, well. The main stacks of firewood split last spring have been pretty much burnt down to the ground in all the cold snaps. Now, snow everywhere but not so cold. It’s an in-between feeling month of February, waiting is in the air…
