A cold foggy morning
On Friday morning I was up at 6AM and got my post up. I got the kitchen cleaned up and started setting up for the day’s projects. My helper friend arrived at 8AM.
We were checking the ingredient list for parsnip chowder and I needed parsley and batata. So I sent him out to get those items. He was back in 5 minutes.
I had planted a whole row of parsley in the spring and over the course of the summer almost all had given up the ghost. There had been 1 pathetic one left. He had gone out to the garden to see what there was and came in with the bunch on the left.
As I cleaned it up, I realized that there was very little bug pressure. So it didn’t take long to wash up the bunch. I decided if it was in that good shape, I should harvest all of it and get it in the dehydrator. The photo on right was what was left of the plant after the first harvest.
I cut all the mature stalks off the plant and left a whole lot of small ones coming along. I only use the leaves but I filled the big plastic colander and had enough for 5 trays in the dehydrator plus a packed ¼ cup for the chowder.
He got started cooking the bacon when he got back and then sautéing the onions and parsley. I use batata in place of potato so he got that peeled and chopped.
My #1 intern arrived a bit late, at 10:30AM so that gave me time to finish the parsley and get ready. We were going to see how far we could get in the Big garden.
She finished the mulching up to the Swiss chard, then sat and pulled the creeping weed out of the fences on the west side. I had been cleaning up the volunteer mesclun greens in the walkway. I was saving them and once the broken bits and debris was out, I got them safely mulched.
Then I worked my way down the north of the Swiss chard, the south of the mesclun beds and along the row where the parsnips had been. Then we both started mulching and we managed to finish a third of the garden!
We’d used 25 of the 40 bales. With only 15 left, I will have to call the hay guy for another 20. My helper friend had finished the chowder and left it on the stove to cool before he left.
We finished just in time to go get gas, wash my car, and pick up my general helper who was coming in from Boston on the bus. We came back to the farm and found a white truck in the driveway.
It was the tech for the solar panels and I’d forgotten all about him in the excitement of seeing my general helper. I apologized profusely and he checked the new inverter. It was fine.
So he fought his way through the weeds to the one on the back of the barn and it was dead. But he said the type I had at the house now was readily available and should be installed relatively quickly. But that doesn’t build my credit for Christmas lights or grow lights in the spring. Sigh…
So I finally got back in the house and those 2 had filled up on parsnip chowder. I got a bowl and then we sat and visited, hearing about the events at school in Boston. Those 2 are planning to do the 21 mile run that my #1 intern wants to do before or on her birthday in November. That is supposed to happen this weekend some time. They might even run out here to the farm.
They left at 3PM and I was so tired. One of those tireds where you are too tired to fall asleep. I didn’t get to sleep until after 10PM.
I had to light the stove and the masonry heater, much to someone’s delight. My son got this photo of him in the night, all stretched out in the office.
On Saturday the window guy is coming back after noontime so I have to prep for that. I also have to clean the kitchen, empty the dehydrator and put it away, and a few other things before he comes.
So another busy day….