Fall is an exciting time of year here at Stowe Farm Community.
In mid- Sept before the first frost came, we harvested beets, potatoes and winter squash and stored them in our root cellar. We harvested all the beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cukes, husk cherries, cabbages, and onions that were ripe before frosts and heavy rains started to ruin our summer gardens.
We busily canned and froze and gave away produce to our extended family and friends who have tiny gardens or none at all.
In October we have been pressing cider, harvesting late peaches and pears, cleaning up our gardens, and planting cover crops and garlic. The leaves have been colorful for several weeks and the cool weather makes the work enjoyable but we also make time to hike and bike and socialize to fully enjoy this beautiful and bountiful season.
We still have kale, Chinese cabbage, leeks, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots to harvest because we have only had light frosts so far.
Inside the greenhouse we have our new lettuces and greens planted where the ginger and summer crops once grew. These plants will give us fresh greens until December or whenever we get weather below about 20ยบ F which usually does not come until January. We do not heat the greenhouse. Instead we replant more greens and start seedlings there when we get longer days and warmer temperature in the greenhouse in March.
Here at Stowe Farm Community we are creating a sustainable seasonal food supply of fruits and veggies along with eggs, milk and cheese from our chickens, ducks, and dairy goats without the use of any chemicals or fossil fuels.
Each year we try growing different things and nature surprises us. This year our bumper crop of paw paws was our biggest surprise.
