Sunday, November 2, 2008

Weekend recap

After the big night on the town Friday we were all pretty beat. As much as I would have loved to stay up and cozy on the couch with a good book, well, I simply could not keep my eyes open. Add this to the fact that I knew I needed to get an early start in the morning so that I could hit the Farmer's Market...my bed was calling my name.

G and I headed out to the market Sat morning in hopes of getting some garlic. To plant and to eat. What? You didn't think I was gonna let my friends, Angie and Danni have all the fun planting garlic did you? C'mon. After that great post of Danni's I bet everyone was running out to get garlic to plant. And if you already had, well, I wouldn't be surprised if you went to get more just so that you could make beautiful garlic braids with her next summer. I know I did. I mean, I know that's what I wanted to do. Little did I know that when I got to the market there was going to be a fight over the last few garlic bulbs left in the basket. Luckily I was prepared for this kind of thing. All I had to do was send G up to the table....they practically offered it to him for free. Awww....look how cute....hes got his little bag and everything. Ha! Yep, I know how to play this game.

After that we made our way around the market. Just looking and ta
lking...me looking, G talking. To everyone. The boy will talk to anyone, I tell you. Hi, he says. How are you? I'm good. Thanks for asking. Are you doing well today? That's good to hear, he says. As I am prodding him along....we are gonna be here ALL day at this rate. I remind him what it is that we are looking for and sure enough shortly after that we spot the table that has just what we need.



And things we don't need. But they were certainly pretty.



Back at home after lunches and naps(not mine, by the way) we head outside to get our garlic planted. This is clearly a job that requires more than one person. And as we get into the thick of it all its pretty clear just who is in charge. And its not me!

I mean, I had to wait my turn for the shovel. He had it all under control he said.


See here how he places his foot down. This, mama. This is the row that we are doing now. We already finished the other one, he says. Yes, son. I see that. I only stepped in for a minute. When I come back out....hes giving out orders!



So, as you can see he managed it all just fine. We made our rows and placed the garlic in about 3 inches deep with the little, pointy part facing up. Covered them back up with soil and kept this up until all our cloves were gone.


Easy does it big guy....you cant see the end result here, but after I shot this picture he ended up with a face full of dirt. Planting garlic can do that to a person. Gets you all worked up.



Aside from that we also processed our pie pumpkins. I cut them in half and scooped out all the seeds. Then I placed them face down on a cookie sheet and baked them for about 45 min at 350 degrees. I let them cool and then I scooped out all the cooked pumpkin and then pureed it in my food processor until it was smooth. I then transfer it into 2 cup containers and I place it in the freezer. Now all winter long I can enjoy fresh pumpkin in bread, muffins, and pies.



And, I saved out some seeds to dry so that I can plant some of my own next season.



What did you do this weekend?

9 comments:

Farmer Jen said...

Lovely post! G is so cute and so active! Your garlic planting looks great.

You asked me over on my blog how to save pumpkin seeds for planting next summer, but you have already figured it out. Scoop them out, rinse them and lay them to air dry on a flat tray. When fully dry I like to store them in a paper envelope labeled with the date and the type of seed it contains. Store in a cool and dry place.

I use paper envelopes to avoid any moisture build up and resulting mold that might occur if stored in plastic or another airtight container. Plant the pumpkin seeds about 1 inch deep in warm soil next spring or early summer. Pie pumpkins are the best! I am glad you found some.

GreyWolf said...

Martha: I see you made the little guy do all of the work again! Gee Whiz, the least you could do is get him a kid sized shovel. ;)
PS. A kid size rake and hoe would be a good idea too if you expect him to do all of the gardening...LOL

Anonymous said...

HA! Great post Maude! And what a way to snag yourself that last bit of garlic! ;) Ethan is the same way around people. We call him our little politician. He's always out there shaking hands, making friends, kissing babies.....could you imagine these two together?! I'm not sure the world is ready!! :)

Lori Stewart Weidert said...

Did G get to see The Music Man?!! I'm waiting for pix of him with TMM!

I went to St. Louis this weekend, took engagement pix of Clint's daughter & fiance. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous leaves. Great time.

Country Girl said...

I was suppose to plant garlic but never got to it. This week I swear. I only have 3 kinds compared to Danni's impressive collection. I also want to do the pumpkin thing like you all have done. I'll get er' done this week, I HOPE! Have a nice week ~Kim

Danni said...

Ok, wait. You mean there's such a thing as a "pie pumpkin"? Seriously? I can't just buy up all those (really cheap) ex-Halloween pumpkins now and make a bunch o' pumpkin mush for cooking with? Why is everything so dang complicated??

And good thing G. was there to help or you totally would have gone home garlic-less. That boy, I tell you, has more charm that you and me combined!
How much did you wind up getting?

Anonymous said...

What a great post! Especially love the little guy planting garlic. Kids are so much fun to garden with. Enjoy your pumpkin!

sugarcreekstuff said...

I need you two to come over and plant garlic for me. The weather is right, I just have no time.

This is for farmgirl, you can pretty much use any pumpkin (not sure on the strange ones) for pie, some just have more liquid and less flesh than the pie ones.

frugalmom said...

farmer jen: G IS active. The little guy wears me out on most days! I followed your advice on the seeds. I stuck them in an envelope and there they will stay till next season! Thanks for the great info.

greywolf(or is it gregor now): Ill keep the kid size tools in mind...but then he may think its play time...and we cant have that. Gardening is serious business.

Agnes: The two of them together? Hey, I know....lets leave them with the dads and we'll take off and do something on our own....they can handle it. S will cook and Eric can do the laundry.

gnightgirl: Can you believe the music man was NOT there? He was not. Can you believe it? What Im saying is that he was not there. Did you hear me?

country girl: Did you get your garlic done? The pumpkins are super easy. But I did realize that I should have gotten more....I need more, I say! The ones I got will not last me very long at all.

Dorothy: Sure you can get the field pumpkins...but then your pie wont be as good as mine. Seriously tho, the field (carving) ones just tend to be more watery and less tasty. Not as sweet, in my opinion.
I know, right? Good thing I have G with me to get all this stuff done. I only managed to get a few heads after all that anyway...so, Ill see what happens this summer. I may end up having you send me some of your 92 heads that you will be harvesting.

inadvertentfarmer: I love gardening with the kids! Not only do they have fun, but its a great learning experience for them. Not to mention I can make them do all the backbreaking bending!

sugarcreekstuff: Sure, we will come help. Is it done hailing now? Or do I need to bring our hard hats to work in?