Last dregs of the autumn garden

The autumn weather in New England can be kind of hit or miss. We had snow at Halloween, but the past few days have been in the mid 50's. This weekend was down right glorious, and much needed, as we had been kind of slow to do the final clean up of patio furniture and the last little bits of the gardening in preparation for the coming winter months. 

We're still enjoying a few last bits of harvest. The Boy isn't as happy that the last of the beans and peas have gone, but he'll still help me harvest a handful or two of arugula to top a steak or a risotto. 

We still have a number of the heartier herbs available. Rosemary and thyme and oregeno. I'll be out in the garden picking fresh herbs as long as possible. Not much of this will go to waste. I was really happy with these couple of pots right at the entrance to the bigger of our garden plots - a perfect way to grow the herbs we wanted.

I don't know why I didn't plant sage this year, though - definitely going on the list next year. 

I didn't harvest nearly as much of the collard greens as I had in past years, but we still put several quarts worth in the freezer. It'll be perfect come early spring, when I'm really craving some fresh green something. 

In the meantime, I'll put The Boy to work hauling these out of the ground for the chickens. They'll definitely enjoy a bit of the garden leftovers.

My kale, though, will be fine in the ground for some time yet. A good hard frost makes this black tuscan kale even sweeter.

This was definitely one of our favorite new crops this year, and will be on the list from here on out. I'll keep coming out to the garden for a bowl full whenever we're making soup or pasta this winter, as long as it lasts.

Surprisingly, we have a bit of mint still growing under the fallen leaves. No more fresh peas to go with it (that'll have to wait for spring again), but there should be enough left for a few more mojitos, and memories of summer days. 

When I turned aroung to look for him again, the Boy had disappeared. He was supposed to be pulling up collards. I guess it all got to be too much for him, and he needed a break.

There was one other surprise left in the garden. Two whole rows of onions that I had thought a lost cause had sprung to new life in the last few weeks. I'm not sure if these will be productive or worth having or not, but I'll let them keep going until things get a bit colder for a last minute harvest. Leeks are harvested after the snow falls, after all... maybe we'll get lucky with these.

The Critter wasn't quite so productive as the Boy and I had been. But she still managed to get a little bit of fresh air in on this last, sun-drenched autumn day.