Making a bed and planting it

Carrie, Steve, and Lee hard at work in the garden.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

I'm sore tonight. Spent many hours in the garden today.

Our morning began with some of Norma's homemade granola. Really fills you up and is super-tasty. Served with raw Jersey milk. I could get used to this. Then Carrie and I washed and turned a bunch of aging Providence. Not too much cheese work today. The rest of the day we spent in the garden planting seedlings and seeds.

We knocked out a large bed of leeks fairly fast. Then we planted a raised bed full of purple and yellow onions. Steve planted a bed of cabbage. Everything got covered with wire cages. An ounce of protection in order to keep the dogs and humans from treading on tender plants. A white cloth barrier went over the cabbages to prevent cabbage moths from laying eggs on the plants.

Sara the dog oversees our work.

I can't remember the last time I was on my hands and knees with my hands in dirt. Sometimes I would squat and plant, then I would stoop and plant, then I would kneel. In the end, I was covered with dirt. My hands, jeans, shirt, and shoes all had rich soil imbedded in them. It is quite rewarding to look out over the garden and see how much work we got done today. The upper garden is getting in shape. Don't know when things will ripen, but it looks good now and will look even better in a few weeks.

Lunch was amazing today. Ginnie loves to cook and every meal is a reflection of her passion. Today's menu featured pork goulash with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. Larry, a local organic veggie farmer showed up with a delivery of fresh molasses. He joined us for lunch. Steve and Larry talked about the politics of the farmer's market and we all devoured our goulash. Every meal that Ginnie prepares as a "secret ingredient" that we are supposed to guess. Today's secret ingredient was smoked paprika. I loved the dish.

Some new faces joined us today. Three young cows appeared in a field next to the garden. They looked very happy to be joining the family. Life isn't bad for these guys around here.