So I know I promised a post about apple picking, but they aren’t as ripe as we thought they were. So for now I’m going to brag about our wonderful no hands garden.
It’s been a bountiful year here at Gillis Gardens. So far we have pounds of green beans, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and zucchini in the freezer. We’ve canned tons of jam, pickles, relish and had a fantastic run at maple syrup. We enjoyed fresh salads and are looking forward to canning tomatoes, making sauce and salsa. We’ve had the best pepper season ever, and have dozens of assorted hot peppers drying. I’m making jalapeño poppers today- from peppers we grew!
We’ve had a long summer considering what a rough start we had this year. Winters are long and cold in Maine, but this last one seemed to hit us with a vengeance. As we turn the corner into autumn, we are reminding ourselves to enjoy the craziness of harvest- it’s already getting dark by 7:30… It really is only a hop skip and a jump til thanksgiving. Our zucchinis are coming in strong for nowFuture poppers – recipe to follow sometime this winter I promiseThese peppers are called Chocolate Bell Peppers, available thru Johnny’s Select Seeds
Another shot of our Chocolate Peppers- they turn brown as they ripenThis is one of our hot peppers- I think they look like little red lipsticksJust one of our Serrano Pepper plants.Oops! We really don’t like letting our zucchinis get this big, but what can you do?A few onions- we only planted a small bed of yellows this year.We only got the one watermelon to make it this year, but for no effort we’re happy.One of our three cantalopesA record year for our delicata honey boat squash.We use marigolds to deter pests like potato beetles. Plus they’re a pretty addition to the garden.Our days haul- peppers, squash, cucumbers, onionsThe tomatoes we’ve picked over the last couple days.These beauties will be the subject of a later post
Well I’ve got zucchini to shred and freeze, cucumbers to cut for more pickles, and a baby, house, chickens and kitty to care for.
Izzybug and Pepperkitty
My next post is all about apples! We’ll probably my next 4 posts, actually. Apples are a big deal in this house.
This is the official website for Gillis Gardens, LLC.
Gillis Gardens is a farm, run by myself and my wonderful husband. We believe in biodiversity, organic growing methods and doing things ourselves. I knit, crochet, make jewelry and sew. MrGillis builds, doing everything from our plumbing to our mechanical to our renovations. We are both active members of our little community. We both take care of the plants and animals. He weeds, I harvest. He spreads manure, I plant.
We raise multiple breeds of chickens for eggs and meat. We have a herd of Alpacas that we shear every year for their beautiful fiber, which we then have milled into ultra luxurious yarn. We make our own maple syrup, preserves and pickles. We raise bees for honey and herbs for medicine. We also raise pigs for meat and fun.
We are the parents of two young children, and consider that our most important job.
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Gillis Gardens, LLC 