Indian Summer.

Oh, Seattle. How you've done me proud this year with your gorgeous weather- all the way through the 10th of October! We've been 80+ days without rain, and nearly all of them have seen the sun blazing. As fall began inching its way into our hearts, the days began and ended with a sweet crispness while the days were warm and sun filled. This is the kind of weather that I could get used to on a regular basis.

The garden is nearly ready for winter slumber, although there are a good deal of lettuces, kale and beets that I am hoping will thrive enough to harvest before it's too late. Overall, it was a pretty good season. A rough June wiped out a good deal of my tomatoes, but I was pulling a good half pint every 5 days of cherry tomatoes. And, over in Woodinville, the tomatoes took off like gangbusters, yielding somewhere close to 35 pounds. There are many containers of these beauties roasted in the freezer for winter.

Here's a round up of the season's preservation efforts:

Tomatillo salsa: 6 1/2 pints
Spiced peach jam: 4 pints
Cherry jam: 8 1/2 pints
Rhubarb jam: 8 1/2 pints
Tayberry + Cassis jam: 4 pints
Dill pickles: 6 pints
Pickled jalapenos: 6 1/2 pints
Roasted Tomatoes: 10 quart sized bags, frozen
Pickled Carrots: 2 pints
Pickled peppers: 2 pints, 4 1/2 pints
Tarragon vinegar: 1 pint
Chive blossom vinegar: 1 pint
Herb salt: 2 quart jars (to be given as holiday gifts)
Blackberry syrup: 1 quart (for Italian sodas)
Peaches, flash frozen: 4 quart bags
Blueberries, flash frozen: 1 gallon bag
Strawberry conserve: 3 1/4 pints, frozen
Pesto: 3 1/2 pints, frozen

It may be getting colder, and the days getting more grey, but at least I will have plenty of summer captured in bottles to get me through.

postcards:garden love

Cucumbers

Gorgeous "merlot" lettuce

First batch of Zucchini

Tomatoes- large fruit ripening on the vines

Has spring finally sprung?

Finally, temperatures hovering in the low 60's, even hitting 70 one fine day. With all of the rain and cool temperatures, none of the seeds that were sown in April germinated. Taking advantage of the slowly building warmth, everything got re-seeded this past week. Tomato plants were even put into the garden. Hopefully, the beans and squash will be next.
Despite the cool spring, the p-patch is coming to life. Full of flowers, the herbs are blooming, and everyone has been out to get their patch of land ready for the growing season. At our p-patch, there is a giving garden; gardeners each contribute seeds and maintenance to grow food for the local food bank. You can also 'grow a row' in your own space for the food bank. Pretty cool how community comes together, and gives back to one another. That's really what life is all about, isn't it? Being part of a community- be it family, friends, neighbors, work.. It's about being together, collectively participating and caring about others.

Fits & Starts

March and April are such a tease in Seattle.. one day we are graced with 60 degree temperatures, the next only to bring back the bone chilling rains that never seem to end. The last couple of weeks have brought both of these. On the weekend where the sun made a few appearances and the rain was kept at bay, I made my way over to the new pea patch to get some work done. The patch was cleaned free of weeds, and I worked in some new soil and compost. Definitely out of gardening shape, my body starting aching in the oddest of places by early evening.

I sowed seeds for lettuces, spinach, radish, carrots and beets. There's still a little more work to be done in the patch- my area is broken up by a chipped pathway so I have a small little chunk that still needs compost. I'm excited to see how the new piece of land produces, and just keep praying for one of our amazing Seattle summers. Earlier in the week, I attended the p-patch seaon kick off meeting. The p-patches are owned by the P-Patch trust and managed by the Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, so there is a city employee responsible for managing each site (I am sure they actually manage more than 1 site). There are 75 p-patch sites currently in Seattle! The meeting was a meet & greet opportunity, as well a planning session for the season. Every gardener is required to volunteer 8 hours per season, so we spent some time mapping out the work parties. Somehow, I also became a co-site coordinator- the person whom all information would funnel through so that our City Rep. (Nate) only has to deal with one person, as opposed to 25. I hope that it gives more of an opportunity to develop relationships with my fellow gardeners.

With April just around the corner and small glimpses of the sun, it makes me antsy for spring all the more. I wait for the farmers market in my neighborhood to open, wait to see the local abundance of spring to grace their tables. I've reached my limit of eating locally in season all of the time, and find myself buying asparagus and artichokes from California. One of my favorite spring foods is rhubarb- and I can buy it at the store from Washington, so I do.

Ruby red in color and a bit tart from the still cold ground, it is a sign of the season beginning to me, always. I love to have it stewed, with a tablespoon or two of cane sugar. It turns this wonderful shade of pink and a delicious addition to a bowl of European yogurt. It's only just beginning.

Anticipation

A small parcel of land a few blocks from my home, which was previously a parking lot, was transformed into Thomas Street Park in the late fall. Green patches of land, a pea patch, some picnic benches and grill; a place for us urban dwellers to get outside, maybe throw some food on the grill on a summer night and quite possibly make new friends. A small piece of land that's there to help build community.

The pea patch is small, and those who volunteered their time to construct the park got first dibs on plots. As they should. While getting coffee a week ago, I noticed that the gardeners are just as anxious for spring as I am. And another reason why I love Seattle so...