Cleanup and Plant Garlic

“To dream a garden and then to plant it is an act of independence and even defiance to the greater world.” - Stanley Crawford

Cleaning up one of the spots where garlic will be planted for next year, trying to get it in the ground as soon as possible before the ground freezes.

Freezing temperatures have come, your garden has been destroyed and you successfully cleaned up the garden by cutting the plants at the base and leaving the top part of the plant on the soil and the roots in the ground for them both to follow the natural process of decomposition which will improve your soil health for next year, now what?

Freeze Time

"It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over." - Paulo Coelho

First freeze of the year, mid-October 2021

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  If we're being real, all things come to an end at some point regardless of if they're good or not, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.  As far as your garden is concerned a good freeze will surely bring it's productivity to a sudden end.  Depending on where you're at you may have already experienced a freeze, it may be just around the corner or you may be in a location that doesn't have freezes.  In the front range of good old Colorado, we're just in the midst of a freeze with the temperatures flirting with freezing.  Even if the temperatures are forecast to get down to 31 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit, it's a fun game of will the ground be warm enough from the daytime sun to keep the plants slightly warmer than the actual temperature.  I've certainly been surprised before and I'll surely be surprised again.

Kimchi Making

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Mark Twain

First batch of 2021 homemade kimchi

Kimchi...Kimchi...Kimchi...  That is all I have to say, goodbye...

I'm kidding of course, I have much more to say than that.  But now you're wondering, what is this Kimchi?  How do I Kimchi?  Is it what all the cool kids are doing?  I'm so glad you asked...

Kimchi is a delicious fermented food that can largely be found in Korean cuisine.  The main ingredient is normally cabbage with a whole bunch of other vegetables and spices thrown in, the flavors of which all mingle together in a hot and steamy dance party while a disco ball spinning above spews spiciness all over the ingredients giving everything a healthy, spicy, kick.  The cabbage juice (along with some salt) preserves all of this naturally, giving you an extremely delicious condiment that you can add to any (and all) dishes that you make.  Maybe I've been inside too long and need to get out to a dance party or maybe I just really need some homemade kimchi, or perhaps I need both.  Time will tell.