Garden on Corliss Homestead Journal

We hit critical mass for the amount of tomatoes sitting around in the kitchen so today was destined to be a tomato processing day.

First step, a little soak in the sink with some vinegar as an initial treatment.



They would then be washed by hand and any bad spots cut out of them. A pot of boiling water would be the next destination for the tomatoes before being hopped into a food mill.



I have this terrible habit of filling pots to the brim. Somehow it didn't bubble over...



A few more hours of simmering and then it will be reduced enough for the freezer.

Lots and lots and lots of simmering later, we achieved a really nice consistency.



While most of the effort was hands off, it still feels rewarding to be able to put away some of the years harvest for future use.

Yummy!

Recently, I received an order of a thousand tulips (rainbow mix) that I ordered earlier in the year.

Shipment of Tulip Bulbs

Conceptually, I thought I would plant a thousand tulips at a faster rate than I have already done. I have about half-ish in the ground now. Using an auger bit on a battery-powered drill makes quick work as long as there are not many stones in the soil. I might work on putting more a little later today but I need to figure out where to put them.

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Multiple flowers in the gardens are setting seed. My wife and I gathered a good amount of seed pods/seed heads and spent some time sorting through them. We gathered calendula, cosmos and balsam seeds this time around for the next year.

Calendula, Balsam, Cosmos (left to right)

After much contemplation, I decided on purchasing a broadfork from Meadow Creature. I settled on the 14" tine Tall Broadfork model with metal handles knowing that I am going to be putting this thing through some trials. My soil is rich with rocks and stones of many sizes. I expect to be levering on some real big suckers so we will see how this broadfork functions as a pry bar.



Once I get some hours under my belt with it, I plan on writing a review for the review grid. It cost some coin so we will see if it lives up to the hype.

we have one, not the tall one though.
I think they are pretty indistructable.

I use the old one from Johnnies mostly because it's not as heavy and works great where beds have already been forked once.
Steve uses the meadow creature exclusively and really likes it.,
We do not have rocks, but deep dense clay.

I think I see a cross piece in your photo that seems like a good addition instead of pulling just on the handles.

Judith Browning wrote: I think I see a cross piece in your photo that seems like a good addition instead of pulling just on the handles.

The aluminum pieces appear to be some kind of additional support for the broad fork for shipping. It is rather thin but it does make me think that some kind of pull support for the handles may be beneficial. After I get some initial work in, I might decide to cob up something a little more hand-friendly to try.

I unfortunately think I will be waiting for spring to try out this new tool. Maybe I will be inspired to break some new ground this autumn and make a new garden?

October is a busy month for my household.

Weddings, birthdays, holidays and more seem to pack every week. It is fun, but tiring.

This years garden is pretty much wrapped up. Near frost conditions are popping up at night and the plants are showing it. I have a half dozen pumpkins finalizing their ripening in the field, of course they are the big ones! I am allowing the hens to scour the garden for delicious snacks while I wait for fall leaves to drop to use as mulch. The chicken coop's deep bedding has been emptied and fresh litter replaced. Seeds for next year have been ordered and now my thoughts are for how I will start next years earliest growies.

I have dug out my motorcycle that had been living in a barn for a few years and now am working on getting it up-to-snuff for next year. The battery was dead, tires flat, and probably will need to change some fluids but I'm hopeful it won't be too much of a bear to do. I believe this will be my project through the fall when I want something to fiddle with.

The house's boiler has been serviced pre-heating season but the cost to operate it is astronomical this year. I'm thankful for being able to be okay financially to get through the winter but it makes me that much more motivated to look into alternative heating sources. The house is OLD (1850's for the original structure) so I'm sure there are gaps and breezes that can be tackled. The basement needs the old insulation removed and better/newer stuff installed for one.

Lots to do!

Ladies, gentlemen and other ne'er-do-wells... I am pleased to present my first ever home grown ripe watermelon!

Yes, it may of taken until the middle of October BUT we still got a harvest!

I'm beaming with pride over this one. Sixteen and a half pounds of refreshing melon to enjoy.

Another first, I grew my very own figs!

Okay, it was just two figs from an indoor potted fig tree but I'm still proud.

It tasted like... a fig! My only experience prior was eating a fig newton cookie so my expectations were limited. I liked it.