I’m a naïve gardener who thought harvesting was a summer thing
but last week’s blanket kept a few things from freezing, all melted yesterday, and today, December 26th, I gathered
spinach, tiny turnips with edible greens, parsley, and carrots.
Last week, I made scones for the first time, with handfuls of summer Juneberries from the freezer. Not too sweet, whole wheat but not too heavy, they were pretty fabulous.
I’ve been anxious the last few weeks to take the final photos and see what a year looks like here.
See the "Kitchen Window" link, upper right. The light and the cropping aren’t entirely consistent, but the pictures serve their purpose, and a few things surprised me.
The length of seasons seems to be about right in north central Ohio. Just when I’m certain I can’t bear another week of brown, Spring begins. And when I’m about to go mad from all the green, along comes Fall. (I never tire of Winter’s white.) I was tickled to look over these pictures, count the green ones, and see that the trees are in leaf just about half the year, 26 weeks.
Although I’ve lived through a few decades in this region, if you had asked me when my world goes green, or when autumn colors peak, I probably would have been off by a few weeks. It will be nice to have this record to refer to. Looking over the year, I’m surprised at how quickly the big changes take place, the canopy closing in and then later falling away within a couple of weeks.
I lived far to the north for a few years, where Winter lasted many months, Spring progressed with alarming speed, Summer was sweet due to its shortness, and Autumn was just an agonizing prelude to Winter. It would be interesting to see a year in other parts of the world.
18 comments:
I've often thought of that same benefit of blogging Jain...a journal of changing seasons, so easy to go back and compare one year's to another.
Wanda, yes! Some people have a great gift for knowing exactly when the mayapples bloomed in 1987, or which year the mourning doves nested by the back window... but I couldn't tell you what happened last week if I didn't mark it, somehow!
Janet,
I love this! I have always wanted to pick a place and take a photo at the same time every day for a year. In Fairbanks the time would have to be noon as it might be dark otherwise. I tried taking a picture from the bridge a mile from our house every day, I think I need to try somewhere closer to home.
Hope you are having a great winter. It is quickly becoming my favorite season here.
warm wishes,
Nicole
Wow!! Very, very cool......I just visited your Through the Kitchen Window photos. What a great idea...a perfect way to mark the progression of the seasons. I too never tire of the winter whites... I loved your winter wonderland photos from the previous post (and yeah! for the winter harvest of veggies!).
Don't you just love finding garden treasures this time of year?! It makes the winter feel less lifeless.
I hope you had a fabulous Christmas Jain!
Also, those scones look tasty. I've been trying to add more whole wheat and bran to our baking. Maybe I'll give whole wheat scones a try.
Oh, thanks, Nicole! You take beautiful pictures, it would be great to see a year of Fairbanks!
Enjoy your winter and happy new year!
Hi, Kelly, I thought about nature journaling for so many years, but it just didn't happen until digital cameras and free blogs became accessible. It was fun and very satisfying to shoot the year!
Thomas, it was a gift to find ~food~ in December! You must be so proud of your winter garden.
The scones came together in just a few minutes, I recommend them!
What a treat to find some goodies under the blanket of snow! I would have been as surprised as you were. How delightful to find a tasty winter salad ready to be harvested when the snow melted away. (And that's a learning experience for me as well: I wouldn't have guessed anything survived.)
You know, Jain, your idea of seeing the year in a scene is a great one. I was enthralled to go through your photos and see the seasons come and go. I think I'll take up that idea and do a similar series in 2010. Now I just need to find the right scene and make sure I'm as faithful as you when it comes to taking regular pictures...
Jain - Your food photos always make me hungry. I've still got a few potatos in the garden waiting to be dug. Some years they stay good until spring.
The year through the kitchen window was wonderful. Leaf off looked to be a fairly rapid event.
Jason, Texas is a foreign place to me and I'd love to see a year there.
For me, weekly sufficed, daily might have been interesting, but monthly could convey the most important points... and so only a basic level of faithfulness would be necessary. ;o)
Steve, I have a friend up north who harvests throughout the winter and into spring. I really need to study up on coldframes and hoop houses and get busy to extend the season.
Leaf off seemed to happen especially fast this year. Every year is so different!
Those photos from your kitchen window... that is an excellent idea! It's really neat to watch the progression of the seasons. And congrats on your winter harvest. Those scones look yuuuummmy!
The "Through the Kitchen Window" series is great. A colleague of mine many years ago stopped on a bridge over a creek every day on his way to work and took a picture. He assembled a slide program of his best images, too. The one advantage he had was that the streamside red maples gave some great color to his images in the autumn. I thought about doing this for a beautiful meadow near me, but could never seem to get disciplined enough to carry it off. Bravo!
Heather, thank you, on all counts!
Scott, if I had thought of it as "discipline", I would have freaked out. It was more like a commitment, which is somewhat softer. :o) A year of meadow would be nice! If not you, who?
Amazing! I can't even get a decent harvest from my garden at the peak of summer.
Thanks for all of your comments- Hope you had a very happy holiday! :)
Thanks, Hannah! Cheers!
Nice photos. My seed catalogs are coming and they seem nicer this year.
Your photos are very nice.
I have found some nice photos from 2007 and 2008 that I would like to use in my blogs but last night was a bad night for me and I didn't get much rest. Most of the time I had one coughing fit after another. I thought I would try to just say, "thanks" to those who stopped today. I appreciate the comments, visits and prayers. I hope things will get back to normal soon.
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