Rutabaga

Hi mom,
Well, as mentioned on the phone today, I planted some rutabagas in the garden. I also planted some carrots and beets though, which I don't think I mentioned. I had to take out the big okra plant that I had been saving in order to keep the seed, but I just came to the conclusion that, realistically, I was anxious to plant the rutabagas and there wasn't any room in the garden to plant them unless I took something out. As it is, I planted the beets where I had previously planted some carrots and lettuce, which had shown an unsatisfactory germination rate.

The flower patch that I mentioned in the last posting has had a second wave of germination! I am pretty sure the seeds I thought were poppies last week were actually the flax, and that this second wave is the poppies, as well as some other flowers mixed in that I don't recognize. It's always fun to try growing new things, as it is a chance to learn some new thing about the world.

A few weeks ago, I saw a giant earthworm crawling around in my cucumber patch. It was, by leaps and bounds, the largest earthworm I had ever seen. It was about the diameter of my pinkie finger, and probably 12 inches long. Well, while moving the banana tree to the corner of the yard (oh yeah, I moved the banana tree to the corner of the yard), I accidentally cut in half another giant worm! I was really sad, but also excited because it meant that there were (probably) multiple giant worms in the garden. Amazingly, I found another one later that day (though this one was dried up in a sunny spot by the corn). So, two amazing dead worms. I really hope that there are more around, as it was one of the highlights of my month.

Today's harvest was another highlight. After two months of okra okra okra okra okra, I today harvested cucumbers, eggplant, Malabar spinach, green beans, and okra. It's such a wonderful feeling to bring a big shirt full of vegetables into the kitchen and make dinner. Which, tonight, was roasted eggplant on freshly made rosemary bread (hurray bread machine!) with white bean sauce and parmesan cheese, pan grilled okra on the side. mmmmmm

let's see.... what else.... Oh, this weekend was our friends' baby shower, which we hosted. Sarah made some squash bars with a few of the Hubbard squash I grew out at 'the land' this summer. Oh boy they were good. And, on an unrelated note, I brought home a bunch of Johnson grass and made hay! The goats go nuts for this stuff, but when freshly cut, it can have dangerously high levels of cyanide. When you dry it, the cyanide 'goes away' (I don't know where, but everything I've read says it's safe...and anyways, even when green it's safe except under specific circumstances). So, I thought I had hay averse goats, but actually, I have discerning goats. And, of course, those are the only kind worth having.


Sorry...No pictures today.
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