Dwindling Garden

We are moving more toward winter with each passing day and the garden is showing a definite slow down. I just harvested the very last red cabbage that I had planted in the spring. The outer leaves had been frozen and thawed several times so they were mostly slime. I peeled away the ick and found the inside half of the cabbage sound, crisp and quite delicious.

The onions have been protected by the soil around them and are still firm although I will need to harvest the last half of row that is left in the garden before the ground gets muddy and stays muddy. The moisture can rot the bulbs if left in the ground.

The row of carrots are down to the last five feet or so, I have been using them as fast as I can in recipes, roasted in the oven for carrot fries, making carrot/raisin salad and for fresh eating. I have only about another week worth before they are all gone.

Kale has slowed considerably but I use the most tender leaves to make baked kale chips, a big hit for a snack or appetizer. Most of the apple trees are completely done for the year, only a few left from the very late HoneyCrisp and yellow delicious varieties. The cows are down to the last wheelbarrow loads of fruit for the year as we cut and dole them out a few at a time. Since the apples are not as crispy as we like for fresh eating my meager supply will be used for Less Pie/More Crust, a recipe that my family goes goofy over.

Less Pie/More Crust

I use my oil pie crust recipe and double it so that I can make this recipe in a cookie sheet. Roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper, only half of the bottom crust or top crust can be rolled out at any one time, but this recipe is easily patched and melds together forming a solid seal simply by pressing it together. The same principle works for the top crust.

I make the filling with peeled, sliced apples. I make the slices small so they fit compactly into the cookie sheet and use the amounts I would normally fill a 10 inch pie pan. Once the Less Pie is assembled I place into pre-warmed oven with two flat cookie sheets under the filled cookie sheet because this dish WILL bubble over and it is best to plan ahead rather than have a burnt-on oven mess.

I have only four of the twenty four tires left in the potato row and they will be finished for the season. Most years I am able to put a few aside when I dig the last tire/mound, but we have been enjoying hashbrowns and potato soup a little more than normal and we are nearly out.

But never fear, I still have BEETS! I  continue give them away to anyone that pulls into the driveway (I sure surprised the lost traveler asking for directions and the mail person when delivering a package) or when I go to meetings. I have made beet fries, beet salad (both cooked and raw), I mix them in with every pot of soup and dice them into casseroles. Pickled beets with carrots have been eaten freshly made with lots of jars canned and stored. Still I have more beets available.

Looking back at the beginning of this story, I had mentioned that the garden is dwindling which is true, but we are still getting a good amount of produce out of the relatively small space.

You can support my stories by clicking on the affiliate link below or one of the links on the about page to do your shopping. By clicking, I get credit for directing customers to their site, you can shop as you normally do, Prime and codes work with the link. I may make a small commission without a cost to you! You do not have to purchase any item that I promote. Thank you for your support of this site