The Last Harvest Basket

This is it...the very last harvest basket from this years garden...

...a few more beans, 1 squash bloom and 2 dozen carrots with greens.

But it's not the end of the garden...we harvested all the remaining green been vines (frost and maybe even snow flurries where we are) to hang them in the basement and allow the remaining beans to mature so we can use the seeds next year.

We've never done this before, but what we've learned is if you pull up by the roots and hang them upside down, the beans will continue to get nutrients for a while...

...we have to wait to harvest the pods until they are brown and we can hear the beans shake inside.  You may be wondering why we didn't harvest those 2 green beans to eat now...because the vines are now "old" the beans are a little tough and not as sweet as they used to be...and because we had such a great harvest with these varieties this year, we want to be sure we can grow them again next year.  It's possible some of the green beans will not mature to the point that the seeds mature, but we're OK with taking the chance.  We've also left a few small bean plants that have no beans in the ground so we can see what frost and freezing temperatures will do to them. 

In fact, there are still a few blooms left on a few plants to enjoy...when I think about these little blooms turning into delicious beans I'm filled with awe at the wonders of nature...amazingly beautiful and perfect!

I have to admit, it was a hard walk back to the cabin from the garden today...Johny and I hugged as we congratulated ourselves on our awesome garden this year and all the great preserved produce we will continue to enjoy throughout the winter...the fun we will have planting next year's garden with the seeds we have and will be saving...the work still to be done in cleaning up the stubborn weeds and preparing the garden for winter's rest...and still I gulped as a few tears formed (it felt a little like saying goodbye to something I've given my heart and soul to for a while)...I can say woo hoo for no more weeding for a while (ha ha, maybe that's one of the reasons I enjoy winter so much!).

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise