Transformations

As much as I like the new green of Spring, there is much to be said for the golden, orange and red shades of Fall. The trees around here are glowing with color, and the wild rose hips and wild rose leaves are flaming red in the late afternoon sunlight. Even my poor little frost-stunted pumpkin is turning orange just a little bit.

It's a time of transformation.

The Big Garden has gone through its growing season and now is winding down. I've harvested all but the last of the late crop of greens, and soon those will be gone too. Harvesting the potatoes was my favorite part, I think. Just reaching into the soil and plucking out the potatoes there was kind of amazing. I had potatoes big and potatoes small! One of the potatoes was as tiny as half of my pinky finger, and another was as wide as my palm and longer than my hand! Can you see the big potato there in the picture, covering up my glove completely? The tiny potato is on top of it, that little light spot you can barely see. I've decided that potatoes are very cool.

The Little Garden has been completely dismantled and in its place we have stacked quite a bit of wood. The plan is to make a woodshed in this spot, out of free pallets (that Gord gets from businesses that want to get rid of them), but this Winter the wood will just be stacked on the pallets and covered with a tarp or two. Still, we are miles ahead of last year in terms of wood for the woodstove. That's a good feeling.

I'm looking forward to the quieter time of Fall and Winter, and I'm trying to take the time to enjoy all the signs of seasonal transformation.

What are you noticing in your neck of the woods?

New Year in September...

I have always thought of September as being the start of a New Year, much more so than January. Years of going to university probably ingrained in me the idea that September is all about beginnings. All those new loose-leaf binders, day planners, back packs, and pens, oh the beautiful pens! And sweaters - I can wear sweaters again.

So this past Labor Day weekend really brought me the sense that Summer is winding down. It's been a good Summer, with many gardening lessons learned. I tried my hand at canning for the first time, bought a freezer and even dried some chard and tea herbs, as I try and get a handle on this whole food security thing. We joined a local organic CSA farm, and I learned a bit about how to cook based on what's in season, rather than what's in the grocery store.

I made a start on a small herb garden, and even tried growing some different types of grains, just to see if it would work. We put in a vegetable garden, and planted a variety of trees. I planted edible plants instead of decorative annuals in my flower pots, and dined on local salad greens. We bought a rain barrel. I tried cooking in my homemade solar oven. I learned more about the plants that grow in my own back yard, and enjoyed many a cup of herb tea from the leaves I picked within 50 feet of my front door. Planting garlic and marigolds around the perimeter of the garden seems to have kept the deer out. It was a good Summer.

And now Fall approaches - quickly. We've had our first frost already and it has spurred us on to split and stack firewood. This weekend we dismantled the Little Garden entirely, and have turned that part of the acreage into a wood storage area. I've moved the compost bin over to the Big Garden area. We're arranging to have the chimney cleaned, and we'll (hopefully) learn from the chimney sweep person how to do it ourselves. We tested out the hand pump for the cistern, and it works! Now we can pump water if our electricity goes out.

And, I picked the first of the corn. I'd forgotten I'd planted a blue corn variety until I shucked the two small ears and saw that one was all decorative-looking. Upon cooking the two ears, the blue corn turned out to be much more tender and tasty than the regular yellow corn. I think I left it too long on the stalk, and I'll probably harvest the rest of the corn right away, even though the ears seem quite small.

The biggest lesson of all seems to be to "Stop, and pay attention." Become attuned to natural cycles. Watch and see which plants like which conditions. Slow down and notice the two beans that look like they're embracing on the vine, or the fuzzy seed pods on the chick peas. The opulent beauty of squash blossoms, and the perfection of a new potato just under the surface of the soil. The resilience of leeks and carrots, despite all the weeds and the days I forgot to water them.

So Happy New Year everyone! May we all experience the vigor and zest that comes with a crisp Fall day, and the cozy contentment of a warm cup of tea on a chilly Fall evening.

Mmmm...apples....

When I am not overcome with apocalyptic angst, I'm often trying out new things to cook or bake, using ingredients that will grow in my Alberta climate. Today I tried a recipe for 'apple chips.' I had a whole bunch of apples that we were given by family living on Vancouver Island when we visited there last month, and a lot of the apples were going soft. I didn't want to waste them, and I wanted to try something other than applesauce to use them up. So I looked into drying them, and found a recipe to make apple chips. This recipe used the heat of the oven to crisp the apple slices into chips, but it could also be done in a solar oven or just by leaving the apples out in the open air.

I sliced the apples horizontally, and then placed the slices on cookie sheets that had been covered in parchment paper and dusted with icing sugar. Half of the slices I dusted further with a cinnamon/sugar mix and half I left plain. After about 2 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F, the apple slices looked delicious! They weren't quite crisp yet, probably because I cut some of the slices a bit too thickly. A 1/8th inch slice seems to work just right. So I'm letting the thicker ones air dry, and they'll be just fine.

Apple chips: I bet I can't eat just one!

LIghting the Woodstove...

I love fire. My most favorite thing to do when camping (which doesn't happen often) is to make, light and tend the fire. My second favorite thing is to boil water over the campfire to make camping tea, which is for some reason distinctly better than every day tea.

So today was a good day for me: I got to light the woodstove for the first time this year. I've been popping downstairs every half hour or so to make sure it's still burning and/or to throw on another piece of wood. Adjust the damper, put more water in the cast iron kettle, adjust the eco-fan to the most productive angle, and on and on it goes. Tending a fire makes me feel productive and relaxed at the same time, and it just doesn't get any better than that.

Last year I missed out on woodstove season because Winter came so fast we had no wood cut at all. This year we are fortunate to have a virtually unlimited supply of firewood, thanks to our neighbors who have cut down many trees on their property in preparation for building their house. They've been preparing for about three or four years now, so there's quite a supply of seasoned wood available. They have been giving the wood away and offered some to us as well this year. I wish they wouldn't have cut down so many trees, but we can't stop them so at least they are helping keep down our heating and electricity bills with the wood. And of course this helps us greatly as we participate in the "Freeze Yer Buns" Challenge.

Gotta go! I'm sure it's time to throw another log on the fire...

The Mighty Pansy

I'd like to propose a change to the connotative meaning of the word "pansy." If the little pansies I seeded this Spring are any indication, they are pretty tough little plants! This is a picture I took of a small pot of pansies today, October 20th. They are sitting outside on the staircase going down from the front porch, about 10 feet from the house in any direction. As you can see, they are going strong, with buds still forming! Let me say again, it's October 20th, in the northern half of Alberta, Canada. These little guys have already been through several frosts of -5 C (23 F), and at least one of -10 C (14F). I'll be saving the seed from the most hardy of the bunch, if they ever stop flowering to form seeds, and I'm definitely planting these again next year.

So the next time I get called a pansy, I'm taking it as a compliment!

Thanksgiving and the One Hundred Things

Back in the Summer, Pea at the Mustard Seed Journal wrote a post about what many of the people at the Riot for Austerity 90% Reduction group were doing as part of their efforts to reduce life's excesses. To really examine which possessions are necessary ones. The idea was to come up with a list of 100 versatile belongings, considered essential by that person to live one's life. One of the Rioters proposed some guidelines, and online discussion ensued.

I didn't partake in the discussion (I'm still more of a lurker in the 90% Reduction group, even though I'm also working on the 90% reduction goals), but after reading Pea's article the idea has been in the back of my mind. As Canadian Thanksgiving approaches, it's been much more in the front of my mind. I find myself looking at things here at home and asking myself, "Would that [insert doodad here] be on my list?" Most of the time I can quickly answer, "No."

I have so much stuff. We have so much stuff. Most of this stuff I/we do not need. I have over 100 books, let alone all the other stuff. I have a cozy home, food to eat, clothes to wear, a good job, and a family to love and love me back. For these things I am truly thankful. What do I need with all this other stuff?

As I looked around and saw all the things that wouldn't be on my list, my perspective shifted and suddenly I felt lighter, even relieved somehow. I like these things I have around me, but I don't need them. I became more detached from them, right then, in that moment. I need to find at least some of these things a better home.

I'll ask the same question Pea asked: What would be on your list? And my own question: what wouldn't be?

Chapter 48

Pursue knowledge, daily gain
Pursue Tao, daily loss

Loss and more loss
Until one reaches unattached action
With unattached action, there is nothing one cannot do

Take the world by constantly applying non-interference
The one who interferes is not qualified to take the world

Tao Te Ching, translated by Derek Lin

Image courtesy this flickr site