Clean.

Garlic!

There are - of course - more important things to discuss than my garden these days. My heart has been so heavy that it's hard to talk about normal life without it feeling shallow and without substance. So yes, at the moment I am working on a post of a different sort. One to help us open our hearts and our minds a bit, to seek understanding and connection in this difficult times. But that's a post I can't hurry. 

So we'll talk about garlic today instead and let it be a warm sliver of normalcy. 

 

Last fall Pete took the initiative to prep a brand new garlic bed. Our old garden was so thick with weeds (mostly thistle, bindweed, smartweed, and pigweed) that it was hard futile to try to keep on top of it. Last summer we literally crawled through weeds to harvest the garlic. It was ridiculous. 

But this year, with a new bed, some attentive weeding and deep mulch, Pete rocked out the garlic. Yesterday was harvest day and so we all set to work.

For anyone who hates gardening I'd like to announce that harvesting a gorgeous crop from a well maintained bed is a pleasure.

Who knew? We didn't even have to crawl. The heads pulled easily from the ground, there were zero weeds, and the satisfaction of that impressive mountain of garlic was like none other.

So much garlic! Unlike last year almost every head survived. (All 350 heads to be exact.) Approximately 125 of those we will replant for next year, leaving 225 heads for canning, sriracha and pickle making, live ferments, and cooking with throughout the year. That's just over 4 heads per week, minus those we use for canning and food preservation.

Have I mentioned that I didn't plant a garden this year? Despite having starts; despite all the seeds I bought. I planted a few rows, yes, but they were so quickly overtaken by the aforementioned weeds that I threw in the towel. It's knee- to shoulder-high carpet of thistle with some kale and spinach peeking out. It's true, ya'll. I'm a homesteading failure. We decided instead to pour our energy into a new location for our garden (one that is not directly on top of a thistle patch, perhaps) and prepping raised and hugel beds for next year. 

And now? Well as it turns out after pulling the garlic we have one gorgeous, weed-free, deep-mulched garden bed, just waiting to be planted. I think I'll take that challenge. Who knows - if I pull this off I might even get my homesteader's card back (at least on probation).

Fall veggies here we come.

 

Just two

After Sage and I enjoyed our long weekend of blacksmithing, it was Lupine's turn to slip away with me for a spell. 

We've never offered our kids any sort of camp or "summer enrichment" before this season. As homeschoolers it just never occurred to any of us. But Sage did enjoy our blacksmithing weekend, and Lupine was eager for her solo-week as well. Just the two of us. For a whole week!

She chose a trip to one of my favorite places on earth - the North Shore of Lake Superior - and a day camp program at a place I worked ages ago. She would go to camp during the day, then join me back at our camper in the park in the evenings. We shared a campsite with another mother-daughter pair from Viroqua, a lifelong friend of mine and her little one.

While Lupine was at camp I hiked, knitted a few rows, visited, and wrote. After camp we'd visit with our North Shore friends, hike, our just curl in our bunk with a book for the night, exhausted by the unusually busy days. 

It was lovely, albeit disorienting, to have these uninterrupted hours, one after another, day after day. I've never had five days to myself before. And when I wasn't missing my family I did manage to enjoy the space it created. 

When we arrived on the north shore we found a wash of wild lupines blooming alongside every road. In full, glorious, delicious bloom. I joked to Lupine that it would be the first time in her life that no one forgot - or mispronounced - her name for a whole week! (It's loo-pin, not loo-pine, if anyone was wondering.)  

And now? We're home again, albeit briefly. This summer is unprecedentedly busy for our crew. We're managing, but I'm certain there will be less on our plate next season and next summer. Because honestly, there is nothing nicer than a string of open days with my family, right here on the farm. 

 Although next summer? I'm sure the north shore will call us back once more.  Perhaps sooner.

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Many of you emailed or commented with question on my Instagram photos from the shore that you want details! Here they are.

Where do you suggest we visit on the North Shore?

The shore is stunning from Duluth well past the Canadian border. You really can't go wrong. We camped in Tettegouche State Park and the trails, waterfalls, and campsites were all top notch. Their campsites do fill quickly, so you'll want reservations.

What's the best time of year to visit?

I lived on the North Shore for most of a year and can honestly say that the North Shore doesn't have a bad season. Peak fall color is my top pick, but anytime it's not swarming with other visitors seems like a good time to go. Bring your cross country skis if you come in winter and your canoe and hiking boots during the rest of the year. 

What camp did you attend?

Lupine attended a program at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. They offer day camps, overnight camp, and adventure programs (along with school programs). I worked at Wolf Ridge as a part of their naturalist training and graduate studies program back in the mid 1990's. (Made my first batch of soap in the Wolf Ridge dorms!)

Wolf Ridge is good people doing good work. They even have an onsite organic farm providing food for the kitchen that is run by some of our old friends. 

Where is that amazing waterfall?

The waterfall pictured above (and in my Instagram feed) is Caribou falls. It was a short 1/2 mile walk in off of the highway. The water is crystal clear and shallow enough that Lupine could swim right up to the falls.

Are there more waterfalls? 

So many! This website gives you the step by step as you drive north from Duluth. I have yet to find one that isn't worth the hike.  

 

Live-fermented Dilly Beans

I am traveling all week, but brining you some favorite recipes for summer. We've been making these live-fermented dilly beans for years. My kids honestly can't get enough! 

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We have a love of live fermented foods around here. Kimchi. Sauerkraut. Kombucha. Kefir. Yogurt. Sourdough. The list varies by season, but these make regular appearances on the "live food" shelf in our fridge (yes, an entire devoted shelf).

This summer our bean tower was threatening to topple from the weight of the green and purple pods dangling from it, so Lupine and I harvested great baskets full and spent some time making live-fermented dilly beans.

Live-ferments vs. Grandma's Pickles: what is the difference?
The pickles my grandma made were pickled in vinegar and then canned. They were cooked and sterile by the end of the process. The pickles and beans that my grandma's grandma made (and theat we make) were a live fermented food. They are never cooked, simply brined in a solution of 3T salt to 4C water. They retain loads of the nutrients from the living vegetable, plus the benefit of the probiotics from lactofermentation (natural fermentation of the veggies in the brin).

The flavor is different and they are not shelf-stable, but they are delicious beyond words and great for intestinal health. This year we have experimented with lactofermenting all sorts of vegetable bounty. (Beans and radishes are two of our favorites.)

Live-fermented Dilly Beans

Harvest (or buy) fresh beans. Wash and trim off stem end.

Dissolves 3T salt in 4 C water (warm some of the water to make this step easier).

Arrange beans in clean mason jars. Add garlic and dill, and pour brine over beans.

Set a clean drinking glass (or scrubbed rock!) in the top of the jar to hold the beans beneath the brine solution (that's the bright green object in the center jar below).

Cover tops of jars with cheesecloth or other thin fabric and let the magic happen! Set on your counter in an out-of-the-way place, and over the next several days your fresh beans will become delicious dilly beans. (Note: the brine should be salty-tasting, but not disturbingly so. If it is too salty, drain off a bit of brine and mix in some fresh water.)

Check daily and when they taste just the way you like 'em (normally within 2-5 days), remove the glass or rock, cap, and fridge. They'll continue to fermet a bit move as they live (literally) in your fridge, but they are unlikely to spoil.

Two amazing books to learn more about this deliciousness are Nourishing Traditions and Wild Fermentation. (I had the delight of seeing the Wild Fermentation author, Sandor Katz speak at our local Country Fair last month and got to ask him some questions that have been nagging me. It was fabulous!) Another great resource is the Weston A. Price Foundation.

If you have questions for me, bring 'em on. I love this stuff and am happy to help.

Happy fermenting!