Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

Hydrangea, drying and changing to blush. A little tomatillo, never quite developed, skeleton-ing itself. The other day I walked to gather what was left of my tomatillos before the frost set in. Along the way I saw many reminders of the summer; flowers preserving themselves: hydrangea drying, transforming from a creamy white to a blush; leggier flowers dropping petals and leaving seed pods to hang precariously, a promise of later heirs. Then there were those too small to make it, shocked by the cold, caught in a gasp; plants like the tomatillos, those not picked in time now dry, skeletal reminders--a ribcage with a heart still remaining. Looking at these things, I wondered at the beauty that is hidden in everything. What is special about us that we don't always notice?

Today was one of those ridiculously gorgeous fall days: blustery, wind sending leaves skittering across roads; a blue sky with wisps of cloud, a background to a warm sun; a just-cool-enough-for-sweaters-and jeans kind of day. And things are finally drying out after all the rain...and yet I found (and chose to walk) one of the soppiest cow paths through the woods, to my gardens. The path was glorious in its filthy, muckiness and solitary shade. We seem to think of fall as the dying season, where things are packed up and put away, set aside to be rationed out in the winter; and yet today's walk was proof of all that is still thriving and present. While the gardens are sad shells of their former glory, I focused instead on the mossy hill, the scent of wild mountain thyme, crushed and almost palatable in the very aroma rising from under my feet. I snuffed at handfuls of it, interspersing the smell with deep draughts of the fresh farm fall air. I walked the hill--where months before b...

I was supposed to sit in bed all day and read, but nagging at me were the three flats of tomatillos, the pounds of tomatoes, the 4 (LAME!) squash and the bag of beets. Don't even get me started on the buckets upon buckets of Farm apples in our walk-in fridge (that is Sunday's project). So I: hunched over the sink and scrubbed tomatoes in cold water for what seemed like hours; roasted tomatoes with garlic, chipotle, chili pepper, green peppers, cumin and chili powder; cooled; blended with red onions, lemon juice, salt and red wine vinegar; canned salsa peeled and scrubbed tomatillos; pureed and drained off excess juices; mixed with garlic, chipotle, chili  cumin and chili powder, tons of red onions, lemon juice, salt and red wine vinegar; canned salsa washed, halved, oiled, salted, roasted, gutted seeds and salvaged stringy strands of spaghetti squash, bagged and froze boiled, cooled, skinned, sliced and pickled beets Then I pondered the one green tomato I left on the count...

I love my morning walk up the hill to the Kitchen, the moments which belong to only me. We've replaced sweating in the Kitchen's heat with sweaters in the morning. The summer is ending. All the signs are there and obvious, if you're watching for them as eagerly as I am. First the trees, the weaker ones are already dropping off their leaves, or losing some to all of the rain. A blush of color has appeared in the mountains, so slight that I wondered that it hadn't been there all summer. Next the garden with this seasons' delayed tomatoes now fat and ripe and pungent and delicious in everything. A fridge stocked with purple peppers, cucumbers, the last of the deliciously sweet carrots, summer squash and zucchini, basil, broccoli boxes taking over everything, cauliflower, kale, chard, scallions, shallots, eggplants upon eggplants upon eggplants until I can't think of eating more eggplant parmesan! Falls' squashes are fattening themselves daily; delicata'...

Sesame Street - News Flash - Piper's Pickled Peppers I pickled Farm jalapeno peppers today--doing this made me remember this video which cracked me up as a kid. I pickled 6 quarts of Farm peppers, and my research though it may be wrong, suggested that a peck is about 8 quarts, which means I ALMOST pickled a peck of peppers--LOOK OUT PETER PIPER!

Last night I had another great summer dinner (the menu similar to the best summer dinner #1), something I looked forward to all afternoon while I was working at the library. In what seemed like no time Jay was firing up the grill; I was snipping Swiss rainbow chard and picking tomatoes; RugbyGirl was stopping by to drop off beer; Sierra was pouring drinks as I chopped chard, onions and garlic; TSO and Brett were arriving. It's these simplest of simple moments that I cling to; pray that these are the moments I remember years from now; hope that when most things fade, I will have these nights. I want to remember how we didn't even notice the warmth from the stove-top as I par-cooked the potatoes --theses summer nights are getting cooler; remember the feather-like weight of the chard in my hand, how the stems fought against my old, dull knives; remember the smell of the grill, the sound of the cicadas; remember that familiar feeling of being comfortable with the people you are...

A butterfly on my neighbors' zinnias. I still can't believe I took this picture!                            "Miracle" Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of    the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night    with any one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with the rest, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer    forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so    quiet and bright, Or the exquis...

The HUGE rock that my neighbor Rick and I planted sunflowers around. My first batch of sunflowers. Gorgeous! A sea of cosmos (in front of the sunflowers). And because the Beatles are my favorite and sometimes looking at sunflowers makes me start humming this tune: THE BEATLES- HERE COMES THE SUN

Fruits of our labors Yesterday Sierra, Jay and I all wound up at the garden at the same time. We ate Farm raspberries, fat in their seedy clusters; admired and picked Jay's peppers and tomatoes; brushed dirt off of carrots and bit into their crunchy, sweet meat. Then we moved on to potatoes. Diggings up whites, reds and fingerlings Everyone should dig up potatoes at least once in their life. And I mean dig up by hand. There is nothing so satisfying as turning your two arms into excavating equipment; digging down deep past the surface, sun warmed soil, down into the cool, bug filled earth. As your hands drag back up towards the surface, like a swimmer coming up for air, you realize that without even knowing it, you've stumbled upon potatoes. Potatoes no bigger than a marble, huge ones, in-betweens, worm-bored ones. I dug up all of these fingerling potaotes! And as you dig you begin to salivate, turning into a Forrest Gump of sorts, now listing off every w...

I promise I am going to write about my vacation and post some more pictures, but until I actually have time (I am back to work in the Kitchen and also working 20 extra hours at the library this week!) I just wanted to share what's cooking in our Kitchen. The walk-in refrigerator at work is stuffed stuffed stuffed (things sound more fun when repeated, no?) to the gills with Farm veggies; sometimes we are even able to eat veggies which are still warm from the sun, picked minutes before brought to us! Life is good! Right now the gardeners are bringing us: chard kale broccoli cauliflower scallions cucumbers (green and yellow) summer squash zucchini lettuce greens basil a variety of herbs (coming to us from our Kitchen garden) I have also been donating tomatoes from my garden, my neighbor Jay's garden (while he's away on vacation) and Farmer MacDonanld's garden (because he doesn't like tomatoes! HOW!?) until the Farm tomatoes ripen. I wandered thro...

Today at tea snack we had our very own Farm cucumbers for the first time! I was in HEAVEN!! I am bumming that I may miss the first batch of Farm tomatoes while I am vacation, but rest assured that there will be millions for consumption when I get back! Also, in MY garden news: my cucumbers and tomatoes arrived in time for me to pick some, eat some and lament all the ones that will come to readiness while I am away; thankful for my small army of friends who is tending to things while I am away! Pictures soon! PROMISE! 

We are in the garden season here at the Farm, but for whatever reason, we don't seem to be getting as many vegetables in the Kitchen this year as we did last. To say that I am bummed out about that is an understatement. Long gone and terribly missed are the asparagus of May and June--these days we are enjoying lettuce and mustard greens, kale, Swiss chard and bok choi, mung bean sprouts; carrots and turnips look and taste amazing this year; broccoli, cabbage, sugar snap peas and snow peas have all begun to make an appearance in the Kitchen, and taste so fresh and green that I am in complete ecstasy with every bite. Eating things that were picked just hours before is such an amazing gift. I am always absolutely astounded by the difference in taste between a fresh vegetable and a store bought one. People who "hate" veggies have never tried farm grown, hand picked, fresh veggies. There is no way that you can hate foods which taste so good! The greens taste as leafy ...

I was daydreaming today, back to THIS day in May. I sat on a lichen covered rock watching as strong May winds whipped and bent the barley making it waves in a sea of browns and greens. It was gorgeous. This video definitely doesn't do it justice, but I am glad I made it anyway; captured was something...maybe nothing more than my poor quality camera's take on the clouds changing the shadows over the barley. Will write again soon. Real entries. Not just videos. Tomatoes are just controlling my life these days.

Life feels so busy right now. I am almost there. I see the finish line. In just a few days I will be looking at the ocean, hanging with my family, drinking rum, and BE IN JAMAICA! I can't wait. So excited I can only wheeze out short sentences! Only a few more days of work. SO much weeding in my gardens to do before I leave. I need to pack! I have to clean my cabin for Ian , who will be staying there and using the space re-retreatishly while I am gone. Agh. I am so in vacation mode already that I don't feel like blogging. Hmm... Garden: Cosmos are up and fern-looking, no flowers, not even indicators that they are flowers yet. I am sad that the thought that the flowers may have their first blooms while I am away. Sunflowers (multiple varieties) are up and getting big! Tomato plants are behind where I thought they would be--due to weird cool, hot/humid, tons of rain, cool, repeat weather we've had lately? Praying the tomatoes and tomatillos don't fruit until I ...

The view of our gardens from the road Renegade spinach, gathered and now going to seed Broccoli, peppers and tomatoes--lots and lots My cucumber netting! The Farm's blueberries and raspberries The view into the woods behind our gardens A lovely blue skied May day The last of the lilacs before the flowers died off These are pics of my garden (area), which I took in May. I need to post newer pics as things are getting sun and rain and HUGE!

"Spring is the mischief in me..." --Robert Frost After most of the snow melting in the last weeks of March, and grass becoming visible again, the first of April brought us snow--a bad April Fools Day joke. However, I feel hopeful. It is warmish today, though there are still traces of Friday's snow on the ground; I began my planting already (two weeks ago potting some flowers) and planting always makes me feel hopeful. I'm experimenting with sun flowers started in a green house--I am still not sure why this seemed like a good idea, as they are already 2 inches high and I am not transplanting them for at least another month. I also planted pansies which I hope to use as decorations on cakes and maybe in the house. Yesterday I began the next batch of planting, putting into seed planters my first (only?) batch of tomatoes: Romas, Rosso Sicilians and Gold Medals and Tomatillos--all seeds which I purchased from the wonderful Seed Savers Exchange . Isn't there somet...

I realized that I haven't written much of Farm life lately, so: Well, Kitchen life is far less exciting these days due to our lessening fresh Farm produce. I feel like lately I haven't the energy or patience to step outside my cooking box with our routine fall bounty. From the Farm gardens we are getting: kale (dino and curly), chard (Swiss), cabbage, parsnips, turnips, leeks and this week we still had some broccoli. We are now breaking into freezer stores to utilize some things which the garden processed and froze this summer, and are also using store bought produce more and more (insert HUGE sad face here).  Nothing tastes as good as fresh AND recently (like that morning!!) picked produce. Much to our delight we had a few calves born in the last couple of weeks, taking us to a grand total of 5 heifer (girl) calves, which is exactly what we wanted. Hooray! After Jasmine (you may remember her from here ) calved we lost her to milk fever . (Will have to post pictures of the...

So, I return. After two frustrating trips to Best Buy for a new hard drive I did what I should have done in the first place, and ordered the damn thing online. With help from my friends--N, who put in my new hard drive; roomie RugbyGirl, who helped me install a Linnux operating system; and TSO, who patiently helped show me where the internet connect/disconnect button is on this new operating system--I now have my computer up and running again. My silence in the blog world was mostly due to the fact that it is bloody ridiculous trying to post a blog from an iTouch. So much has happened since last I wrote. But what? Errmmm...hmm...not really sure what, now that I think of it. Well, I guess, in a nutshell:  Farm food has changed. Mostly gone are the summer crops. Our fresh veggies coming from our garden include: kale (curly and dino), chard (rainbow, Swiss), leeks, Brussels sprouts (Thank God! I love Brussels sprouts!) cabbage (purple and green), fall squash (delicata, pink banan...

Thought to be poisonous at one point. The fruit of the Americas (native of South America). An Italians dream since the 1500s. A North American joy since the late 1700s. Referred to by the French as, "love apples." I give you the tomato. Tomatoes are something, like asparagus and watermelon, that mean summer to me. All year long I look forward to that first bite into the fleshy fruits; the seed seeping chomp into a cherry tomato; the very smell of tomatoes in the garden--the smell of the green tomato vine spines supporting fat, reaching orbs. We just started getting crates upon crates of tomatoes in the Kitchen and it looks like the garden team grew some similar varieties as me: green zebras and Cherokee purples. They have other varieties of big beefsteaky looking tomatoes and perfect, perfect, PERFECT cherry tomatoes. Our favorite way to use the tomatoes these days is simple enough: slices of Farm tomatoes, interspersed with slices of Farm mozzarella, sprinkled...

A while back I promised I would post some more photos of the garden TSO and I have been working on around our home. Here is what the Avalon gardens have come to look like this summer. 1. View of the sunflowers and the railing where the morning glories and moon flowers are growing. 2. Ditto #1. In this picture you can also see our lovely seedum plant and some of the lily or iris (can't remember which?) stalks. 3. Our first GORGEOUS red sunflower. Can't remember what variety this is? 4. Glorious sunflowers. 5. A v iew through the railing, purple morning glories. 6. A close-up of the trumpeting morning glories. 7. The garden along the side of the house. Here we planted strawberries, triteleias (which never took), gladiolus and some other plants which I can't remember. There are also peonies and irises here. Recently Neighbors P and R gave me a huge mass of red day lillies for transplanting; was able to separate the lillies and spread them out around our garden beds and now ...