December 14 – 27, 2020
Mount Washington — On mild days between snowfalls, deep freezes and hailstorms, I wind along garden paths to scattered, ever-diminishing edibles while winter-hardy cover crops that feed the soil flourish. Seen from afar, there is a soft, furry beauty to the expanse of green fabric that, up close, reveals a world of exquisitely painted blades of winter wheat and rye grasses. Nearby beds of lighter green, plush, round-leaved crimson clover plants overflow their allotted ground, augmenting the green fabric.
On the verge of winter, with planning for spring in mind, I note the seasonal responses of annual and perennial plants. Yields of unprotected annual arugula and leeks, biennial parsley and perennial green onions, French sorrel and savory herbs are prized but dwindling. Lacinato kale, collards and leeks are least affected by temperatures in the teens. The leaves of Red Russian kale have wilted in windstorms and at about 20 degrees, but the wilted leaves are good to eat and the growing tips remain vital.
As alluded to last month, the presence of voles, voracious predators of plant roots, would make it impossible to overwinter root crops in the ground. A week after I noticed whole beets reamed to a thin fragment of circular rind, their tops still standing, I spotted a pair of large voles. For finishing off my beets, their days were numbered. Their choice crop eaten to extinction, the pair settled for peanut butter as their next best meal. One was caught in a snap trap and the other in a Havahart.
With mature Turga parsnips and Scarlet Nantes and Atomic Red carrots safe in the garden for the winter, I added more insulating mulch. Piles of raked leaves, chopped by running through with a lawn mower, make premium mulch that, along with grass clippings, is easy to snug around plants and between rows.
For a full-flavored, seasonal potato-leek soup consisting of three or four ingredients, I dig leeks from the garden and pull stored potatoes out of paper bags or boxes that are kept at about 45 degrees. My recipe: Sauté 2 cups sliced leeks until limp; add 5 cups diced potatoes and 4 cups broth. After simmering until potatoes are tender, cool, then run through a hand-operated food mill or puree in a blender or food processor. If desired, add milk, cream or yogurt. For more nutritious and beautiful potato recipes, grow and cook with deeply pigmented potatoes. Shown below: Adirondack Blue or Magic Molly, Adirondack Red and German Butterball or Yukon Gold.
Resources
Local biodynamic seeds: extraordinary carrot varieties, butternut squash, etc.
Turtle Tree Seed, Camphill Village, Copake, New York – https://turtletreeseed.org/
Janet Ballantyne, “Joy of Gardening Cookbook,” Garden Way Publishing, Troy, New York 1994
https://www.thespruce.com/vole-control-getting-rid-of-voles-2131148
https://morningchores.com/winter-vegetables/
Berkshire Botanical Garden: crafts, garden tools
https://berkshire-botanical-garden.square.site/shop/garden-shop/35
