Winter Squash, Melons, Liqueurs, Preserved Limes and Planting Garlic

Purple tomatillo plant displaying its fall color

Weather this week has been an unsettled mess, typical of late October. We swung from highs in the mid 40's and pervasive pea soup fog to cold rains to sunshine and temps in the low 60's. The woodstove was kept going all day at the beginning of the week, and by the end we had to open windows to cool the house down.

Here is the garden this week 

The rest of the unknown varieties of winter squash passed the fingernail test this week. The other squashes were still a little tender but the vines were completely dead so I brought them in too. All the squash are now sitting on the south facing windowsills to cure before being stored in the pantry.

I picked the remaining melons that were in the bed. I had a small taste of each one but they were all still slightly under ripe. The chickens didn't care though and devoured them all

After four long months my golden raspberry liqueur was ready to strain. It will be a lovely treat to sip over the cold months ahead

Citrus season is starting so I bought a bag of meyer lemons and started a batch of limoncello. It only takes about a month from start to finish so we can enjoy it much sooner than the other liqueurs I make

Salt and limes are one of my favorite treats. I also adore fermented foods, so combining those flavors in one food makes me sooo happy! Limes are on sale at 5/$1 at my local produce stand so I bought some, sliced and salted them and they are now slow fermenting in my fridge. Any that don't get eaten straight from the jar, can be diced up to add a punch of flavor to a variety of dishes

I planted a total of 207 cloves of garlic this week. After planting, I laid down a layer of comfrey leaves to feed the growing garlic. As soon as I have enough dry leaves from my big maple trees, I'll shred them and put a layer on the bed, topping them with a bit of aged chicken manure to weigh them down

Weekly Harvest: 

1 pound 3 ounces peppers 

14 ounces tomatillos 

44 pounds 12 ounces squash
6 ounces peas
6 ounces kale
4 pounds melons

Yearly Total:

1090 pounds 10 ounces