Gardening in the Mountains
/I was fortunate this year to have a space for a garden for the first time in many years. This had proven to be a real boon to Paula and I as we have eaten almost exclusively from that patch all summer long. The mountain region, while not having the longest of hot summer days, does lend itself to a lot of crops that can be grown not only successfully but to over abundance.
In the pictures found below, you can see the variety of vegetables that I was able to grow and in fact, I just planted some more of the cold season crops today. They will be a tad tight on making it before the frost but most like lettuce and kale and others are frost hardy and I will probably cover some of them each night as the weather cools later in September.
I had been fortunate enough to get some wire fencing from my friend Phillip Craig and the RV park had some t-posts lying around so a deer and rabbit proof soon came together. I learned the hard way as the first night I had my flowers out, a deer got them all.
Growing crops here you will find that lettuce, kale, peas, beans, squash and even bush tomato will produce well with enough sunlight. Be sure to plant in direct sun and keep watered well. I did notice that gardening here requires.
I always had a great garden when I was working but never really harvested it like we are now. That is all due to Paula and her use of the produce and her herb garden. I have never had this good of tasting food ever. Its spiced and flavored to perfection and I would suggest you find someone to show you how to cook like this if you don't already know how. I watch the preparation and of course I do all the cooking on the grill mostly and the prep time isn't that much different than how I always ate.
Simple herbs like Rosemary on meat makes a huge difference. And a herb garden and other is so easy to raise. YES it takes a little time to water and weed and plant but the rewards are immense and the savings huge.
My grandparents spent every evening in the garden when I was growing up. Canning and freezing food ahead, they never bought a lot of vegetables. BUT they didn't sit down and watch television in the evenings and let their minds rot. Instead they worked outside or sat on the porch and enjoyed the night slowly sinking around them. Those evenings, on the porch swing with my grandmother are some of the best memories I have and yes, many evenings I had to help work in the garden pulling off the nasty beetles from the tomato vines. Their entire back yard was a garden actually in Western Kansas so I know you can raise a garden about anywhere if you have the desire.
Below, find a recipe from Paula that you can try yourself.
Fresh Kale and Cherry Salad
Ingredients:
Kale
Handful of pecans (toasted)
Handful of cherries (pitted and halved)
A shake of feta cheese
Wash your kale and dry the leaves. Cut all the ribs from the leaves. Massage the kale with the dressing:
Dressing:
Olive Oil
Dijon Mustard (or French’s if you don’t have)
Dollop of honey (about 1tsp)
Some balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar if you don’t have balsamic)
Salt and Black pepper to taste
In a food processor, shake it up. I sometimes throw a few extra cherries into the dressing to sweeten it up
After massaging the kale with dressing, throw in the rest of the salad ingredients (Pecans, cherries and feta)
Serve. Easy and delicious! The key is to cut the ribs out of the kale and to massage it so that the leaves are super tender and flavorful with each bite.
AND, she is making some lovely salad tonight from the same garden. I don't believe I have ever eaten this well in my lifetime and the flavors are unbelievable. The key to successful gardening is thinking small. Two rows of lettuce about 6 feet long will keep a family of four in greens all summer long. And add to that a row of Kale, Spinach, Collards and two rows of bush beans and you will be harvesting a bounty. The shorter the rows, the easier to weed and keep care of too.
I work nor more than 10 minutes at a time now in the garden as I got the weeds early and now just have maintenance. Watering is a snap with a sprinkler and the localized rains I am getting add to that watering. The herb garden is all in containers so if you can put some good potting soil in a pot, buy some rosemary, chives, endives, and other herbs and plant them, you too can have a readily available source for cooking.
It doesn't take anymore time to flavor and cook food well than not. I can see that from Paula's cooking. She has it down pat and should be giving lessons on whipping up something economical, yet wondrous.
its not too late for a fall garden if you get out there right now and till up a small spot and try it. All of the cold crops will prob make it at least for some harvesting and so get down to the store and get some seeds and try it. At least get some lettuce and scratch out a place in the dirt and keep it watered. you will be amazed at the results in about 3 weeks. kk
Lettuce was just cut in foreground so not as big as normal. Kale on the right and bush beans the tallest backed by collard.