Last Harvest

The garden looks barren these days. Since we mulched the asparagus several weeks ago, I have hardly even walked out to the garden.

But there was still one spot of green - the last of our carrot crop.

Our carrots did better than they have in several years. In fact, the past two years, I had not even been able to get any carrots to sprout. But this year they did very well. We have been eating off this row of carrots since summer, just pulling the amount we needed. 

Yesterday I decided it was time to finish the harvest. I know that some gardeners cover their carrots with straw and store them right in the garden. But I know that on a bitter, cold day, I'm not going to feel like hacking at half frozen ground for a carrot to add to my soup.



I dug the carrots out, broke off the tops, washed them, and stored them in the fridge. They should last a few more weeks. I could have pressure canned the carrots, but my family does not prefer canned carrots.

I enjoy gardening, but right now I'm thrilled to be done for the year. The garden seed catalogs are arriving already. Probably by the end of January I'll be eagerly placing seed orders and dreaming of the best garden yet.

But for now, I'll enjoy the winter sabbatical.