Can you believe we're still gardening (sort of)? I've been amazed at what our tiny garden has produced; what a generous spot of earth!
Sam and I recently dug up the last of the beets and a good portion of the carrots. I had to employ the help of a butter knife to pop the carrots out of the cold ground.
I left quite a few and am going to try Elliot Coleman's trick of leaving them in the ground over the winter and harvesting in the spring. He calls these "candy carrots" and says they become so sweet and tasty because of the cold.
I was sad to pull up the last of our beets. Next year it's triple the beets and triple the kale! Especially as you can harvest these guys long after the rest of the garden has withered and browned. Isn't Mother Nature so clever? Even in some of the coldest months we can still have fresh, leafy greens and deep, red beets full of all sorts of healthy stuff.
The colors we were pulling out of the ground were so festive; fiery oranges and deep reds, even purple tinges here and there.
There's something so satisfying about harvesting your own dinner, especially when the air has turned chilly. My inner bear starts to emerge and I think about stocking up on winter storage and staying cozy and warm. We steamed the beets and ate them with sea salt and made candied carrots in the oven. Such different ways to eat them than our fresh summer salads and juices, but perfect for the season.
