So You Want to Grow Your Own Quinoa…

And Other Merry Tales.

Yep, I grew quinoa this year. Last year it was sweet potatoes. The year before I don’t remember, but I’m sure it was something. I try to grow something bizarre each year. Have yet to find anything great, but it’s something to do.

I didn’t take many pictures this year — but I’ve got a few things worth sharing.

To the best of my recollection, summer 2017 was wet and humid. I didn’t have to water much. While it wasn’t hot-hot (that’s Jenniese for really-hot), I do know I ran the AC more than usual. Maybe I’m just getting old and less apt to suffer the indignities of a sweaty face all day. Don’t know. All I do know is: I have air and why they hell am I so stingy about using it so we can sleep without knifing someone?

Anyway.

This year, I mulched tomatoes with black plastic and they hung in much there better than the last few years. I actually had enough to make salsa and put some away for winter. They got pretty bad by early fall, due — I think — to all the rain, but we just cut the bad spots off and devoured anyway. We just ate the last tomato and I am in deep, deep mourning. RIP tomatoes.

Yes, I have no bananas apples

Severe late season pruning and early hail combined to kill my apple crop this year. I knew even before the start of the season that I would have a very small crop. However, I had literally only five apples still on the tree when I went out to pick them last week. Days later I’m still wondering WTH happened to them? Seriously — did someone come over and pick them in the cover of night? While disappointing, like most things in life, I tend to look at it in terms of pros vs cons.

Pros:

• don’t have to pick
• don’t have to sort
• don’t have to scrub black spots off
• don’t have to find a cool place to store them
• don’t have to peel, cut, cook
• don’t have to make jelly
• don’t have to make apple sauce

Cons:

• no apple jelly or apple sauce.

Conclusion: oh well.

Current State of Garden Affairs

My kale, brussels sprouts, some cilantro and arugula are still mostly standing in the garden after Thursday’s all-day snow. I also forgot to dig the carrots. Hopefully the ground won’t freeze and…

 

OH MY GOSH

I just realized I have not yet planted my garlic for next year. Dammit! Now I REALLY hope the ground doesn’t freeze. Good grief. Looking at the forecast… yuk.

The Great Rosemary Migration

I dug up and moved the rosemary and sage plants just in time before the snow. I was feeling pretty good about everything until literally five minutes ago. The carrots and garlic. Crap.

 

[Update 11/3: Garlic is now planted, and carrots are now dug, thank goodness because the ground is FROZEN.]

And this morning, I spent about 18 hours threshing the quinoa. Do you thresh quinoa? I have no idea. I spent all damn morning getting the tiny quinoa seeds off the black, brackish stems and then sifting them about a hundred times to get the sticks and leaves out and then rubbing them hard to get the chafe off.

I have about 2 cups of quinoa to show for it.

So. How stupid does that sound to you?

Really stupid? Yes. Cuz that how I feel right now. Really stupid.

And I wonder why I don’t blog anymore… This is convicting stuff. It’s like bad therapy.