Where has this month gone?! Am I the only one who felt like I went to sleep October 31st, and woke up November 29th (mind you, with extremely vivid dreams of turkey, and cranberry sauce!) as if coming out of a NyQuil coma? Or maybe it was that I was too busy enjoying it to count the days as they passed, and didn't realize just how late in the year it was getting until I woke up this weekend to frosty 28º mornings ... a rather sharp realization to drag me out of my harvest haze, if you ask me! |
| Illustration: John Rae |
Here I am nonetheless, staring into the face of December elbow deep in drying herbs, flowers, and garden seeds cleaning, organizing, and preparing for the next planting season already. Thanks for the heads-up Aesop, baby! You won't catch me out in the cold with nothing to gnaw on but a frozen fiddle (barring unavoidable disaster, of course). At any rate, it won't be because I spent all summer singing, and dancing ... although, that doesn't sound like an entirely bad way to spend a summer ... balance in all things, yes?
One of the things I'm living for right now is the Glass Gem Corn I grew from seed thanks to Garden Hoard -- a two person, organic, heirloom seed, Midwestern enterprise -- that I'm in LOVE with! Katie, the owner, is an awesome woman with a wealth of knowledge to share, and a love for plants who wants to feed the world ... what's not to like? Besides, I love smart chicks, and I'll take any opportunity to support her "fempire" when I can. Anyway, back to the corn, it's decorative, it's edible, it's grind-able, it's poppable, and it's GORGEOUS! Each ear is a complete surprise, even when plucking from the same stalk ... which totally tickled my colorholic tendencies. Keep in mind when growing, these are not the ears you get from a packet of hybrid seeds or what you find plumped up at the supermarket, Glass Gem Corn ears are much more elegantly sized. Heirloom produce is typically not what our supersized-society (with exceptions, of course) is used to seeing or eating, however you do get the added bonus of unparalleled flavor, and a pretty high guarantee that any seeds collected will perform in your garden next season, and thus, you can create your own seed home-library without having to run to the store every year to replenish your seed stash. If you're looking for new-to-you or unusual varieties of fruits and veggies to add to your garden, or you're brand new to this garden-gig, and just starting out pop over, and check out Katie & Christian's operation. For a two person show, they've got a good selection, surprisingly great customer service and availability (I honestly don't know how they have the time!), and they hook their customers up with extra goodies every order.
Happy planning & planting!
xoxo
