Well, the calendar has flipped over to November and the days are still warm enough to work outside! There’s still a lot on my to do list, and things are slowly getting done.
The main garden here has been emptied of all the old plants, leaves, and dropped fruit. That was a task – especially the okra stumps! It’s sad to see the garden so empty, but there are a couple of small patches of carrots, half a row of beets, and some herbs left outdoors. The small hoop house has broccoli and a small patch of lettuce growing! This is the time of year that I start sleeping in just a little later, work at a slower pace, and recharge my batteries.
There are still weeds to pull, raspberry canes to cut back, a couple of new beds to set in place, and outdoor furniture to put away. There are 6 new beds assembled for 2025, and one already has the garlic planted in it. Seed varieties have been on my mind, and I’ve made some notes about a few plants. By this time next month, seed orders will probably be completed. I’ve got a few notes about how to streamline things a little for next year, including dropping some things from the growing list. Here are some of my notes:
No bucket pepper plants. No okra. More peas. More slicing tomatoes (a few late planted). Less peppers.
Now is also the time when making body products kicks into high gear. I have a display at Rescued in Silvis, and items can be ordered directly from me. Today, restocked pillow sprays, room sprays, sugar scrubs, foot scrubs, and rollerballs. Coming up are healing sticks, more sugar scrubs and hemp hand cream. Some small gift bundles will be made and bagged in cellophane bags with ribbon ties, too. From now through December, this “make list” is updated frequently. If you’d like any of these things for yourself or as gifts, just get in touch!
For 2025, the mantra will be “Grow more in the space I already have”. That means being creative, planting intensively, and being realistic about what I can really manage. This might get interesting!
For now, there are some carrots, beets, broccoli, and a little bit of lettuce still coming. There are jams, pickled banana pepper rings, hot pickled peppers, pickled green tomatoes & peppers (hot), and jams on the shelf and dried herbs packaged up. There’s fresh sage, and a couple other sturdy herbs growing, too.
Our good friend, Jeff Lauber, came up to visit this week and we traded some things. I now have a pile of butternut squash available!! He grew these without any chemicals, and they look great! Let me know if you want anything, and we can coordinate. Wondering how you can store butternuts? You can keep them in a cool, dry place as they are right now, or you can prep them for freezing by cooking (or par cooking halfway) and freeze for later. This is another good one for roasting small cubes with savory herbs.
I may try to set aside a few days this month for baking, so let me know if you have any requests.
Happy November to you all!