Freezing, Failing and Understanding

'Tis the season - and the most wonderful time of the year has brought bone chilling weather. Last week I woke to frost more than once. Tonight is supposed to get into the 20's. I don't even think I know what that feels like except for when I'm snowboarding. Actually, that is the only time that I'm OK with it!

I could really use Demeter right now but I know the myth says that she's now punishing us all and let me tell you, the garden looks very sad. The cover crops are coming up but they are only about 2-3 inches tall. I still have some tomato plants in the ground and to be honest, it's either been raining or too cold for my constitution. I so applaud all of you out there that deal with snow on a daily basis this time of year. Things look half dead and yucky and the crops that I did plant are very tiny. I'm wondering if it's too cold for them to grow much. One positive thing about the cold is that it's probably killing the bugs that were eating the tender shoots of lettuce and broccoli.

So if you wonder what I've been up to, it's pretty simple. I've been thinking a lot about the early spring garden. I've been researching asparagus and I'm trying to find the best source to purchase my crowns. I'm included to purchase them from Peaceful Valley because they have organic crowns and they are located out of Grass Valley which is semi-local to me. I purchased my garlic and shallots from them (oops, I never planted my shallots!) and it was a seamless transaction. I've also been inside cooking a lot. I've been doing my winter activities like knitting and making jewelry - and I have customers now! I'm making a quilt for my nephew. I've taught myself to can and I've canned several things. For some reason, storing food is always a nice fulfilling feeling...it reminds me of a story from my childhood.

It's a quick story so I'll tell it here. I think I was about five or six years old - to make us quiet while she was cooking dinner, my mom used to make air popped popcorn and give us slices of oranges and maybe a few slices of cheese and some sliced apples with peanut butter for a snack. I remember I used to take the snacks and put them under the comforter on my bed (yes, even the slices of oranges and cheese). On laundry day, my mom found a trail of ants going under my covers and saw my stash. When she asked me why I did that I simply said that I was worried that I'd be hungry in the middle of the night. She asked if I ever had been hungry in the middle of the night and I said no. She gave me a hug and said that if I ever do get hungry in the middle of the night to come and get her and she would be happy to make me a snack. Well, that solved that but I'm wondering if my need to store food is in my Irish DNA - maybe my subconscious is telling me that famish is a possibility. Whatever it is, I think it's the same thing that drives us all to gardening. It's a very satisfying feeling to produce your own food. Maybe it's because you are working toward self-reliance.

This year was the first year that I have had my very own food garden and it's lead me down other paths that I never thought I would try. Beekeeping, canning, clothes-making, winter gardening, seed-saving ... and next year, raising chickens. I hoped to do some olive curing but the weekends when the olives were ready for picking were too cold for me - yes, I wimped out. I don't know where each new activity will lead but I find it all so therapeutic and I'm thankful for that.

Daphne