Although it is only August with several more weeks of warm weather for gardening, I am thinking ahead to winter when local and home-grown fresh produce are no longer available. One of the hardest things to do without in winter is fresh salad. In a previous year, I have grown Salad Bowl lettuce in my kitchen window. This winter I am planning to grow pots of fresh herbs. I started them in peat pots. They are a couple of weeks away from being large enough to be transplanted into flower pots. These were started from seeds that I received as a gift: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Fresh herbs greatly improve winter salads of store-bought greens and other vegetables.
I am now reading a book about the seasons on a community supported organic farm on Long Island. It is very inspiring, and even my own small-scale organic gardening experience will be enhanced next year from its lessons about coping with weeds and insects, and crop rotation. This book is highly recommended to anyone who manages a garden without chemicals: This Common Ground - Seasons on an Organic Farm by Scott Chaskey.
Some additional recently read books on hobby farming and subsistence farming:
The Rural Life by Verlyn Klinkenborg, essays from NY Times writer on his experiences in upstate NY and also out west and midwest country life.
Loving and Leaving the Good Life by Helen Nearing, a memoir of her unusual life and the 50 years she spent with Scott Nearing on their self-sufficient teaching homesteads in New England.
No comments:
Post a Comment