Hello to all my veggie loving friends,

We are having ourselves a good old fashioned winter, aren’t we?  Maybe with this abundant indoor time you’re able to get some good reading done or at least advance a few levels on Candy Crush.  Either way, I hope everyone is in good spirits and good health.

Asha Gala,Nutritional Education Trainer

Asha Gala is a Nutritional Education Trainer based here in Lebanon Township, NJ.  She is also a longtime Stone’s Throw Garden member and supporter. She has been Mark and I’s friend and Coach in teaching us the wonders of whole plant base foods on our health. She is a fantastic and fascinating person.

Asha is having an open house on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 2 to 4pm at her lovely and large home at 15 Windy Heights Rd, Califon, NJ 07830. She promises to include a free health/nutrition education class and a chance to sample foods.   For more info and directions: http://ashagala.com. ” No commitments or fees, just tasty, healthy, whole plant-based foods!”

Mark and I will be there and we hope you will be too. I have an abundance of exciting garden news coming very soon.

It’s time to put the garden to rest for the winter.  Today and tomorrow are my final open days.  I am open today until 6pm. and on Saturday from 10am. – 3pm.

The greens are still lovely and worth one last trip to the garden.

If I don’t get a chance to say goodbye in person, let me wish you all a cozy, healthy winter .  It’s been a real treat to meet so many new people this year and share the bounty of the garden with you.  To all of my old friends who have been so supportive for so many years, I can’t thank you enough.

I’d love your comments on this season.  Did this new way work for you, or do you prefer the CSA  model I used previously?  Did you have any favorite veggies?  Any areas that need improvement?  All comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

I’ll send a post now and again this winter to let you know how next year’s season is shaping up.

With much gratitude,

Nora

We’ll have condensed Fall hours starting this week to reflect the changing garden conditions.

I’ll be open on Thursday and Friday from 10am to 6pm, and Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

End of season garden

More seasonal weather is finally working it’s way toward us.  The days are getting cooler and the nights are becoming downright cold.  It was bound to happen.  It’s hard to say how much longer the garden will keep producing, possibly a few more weeks, but things can change very quickly out there once the temperature dips down.  I am expecting to have a good amount of assorted salad and cooking greens this week with the possibility of a few other things too.

On Wednesday I will send out my post on what will be available this week.

It’s time to start thinking about soup.

As the end of the season draws near, I would like to give a big shout out to the flowers in the garden, especially the zinnias. They’ve been tirelessly producing beautiful blooms from July onward. The little darlings are growing tired now and I didn’t want them to fade away without acknowledging how their brilliant colors and delightful forms have graced our homes this season.

The greens are still going strong .  I’ll have a few Chinese cabbages this week along with all the other greens

Here’s what to expect this week:

Arugula

Beets

Bok choy

Carrots- just a few

Chinese cabbage

Chard, Kale, Collards

Escarole – amazing giant heads

Green beans – lots of them and they are delicious

Leeks

Lettuce

Peppers- red, green, and hot

Radishes

Salad mix

Scallions

Spinach – very limited

Tomatillos

Tomatoes – maybe a few pints of cherry tomatoes

Turnips – salad type for fresh eating

Zucchini/squash- they are looking great for this time of year

Cilantro/Dill/Parsley

Flowers – bouquets or cut your own

Hours – Tue. – Fri. 10am-7pm / Sat. 10am-3pm

I lost a fair amount of the fall spinach to the rains when they were tiny seedlings, but those that survived are ready to eat.  I’ll start bagging some up today.   The same is true for the bok choy.   Get em’ while they last!

These cherry tomatoes liked a little sunshine this week!

Here’s a panoramic photo of the spring house today.

Hi Friends,

Thanks for all the well wishes.  I’m feeling better and will open up tomorrow morning.  It appears that a fuzzy black caterpillar might have been the culprit, but I’m not positive about that.   After searching around a bit on the internet, I discovered that many fuzzy caterpillars are venomous.  Who knew?  Anyway, an anaphylactic reaction is no fun.  I do not recommend it.  I’ll be wearing my gardening gloves a lot more often now and will keep an epi-pen handy.  A big thank you to my dear friend Joy who rushed to my aid when called.  The Lebanon Township Police, the  Rescue Squad and the paramedics did a great job.  I am grateful to all of them.

Tomorrow looks like a beautiful day.  I’m looking forward to being in the garden.  I hope you’ll get a chance to be outside too.  And remember, be careful out there!

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve seeded or planted all the fall crops. Everything is doing nicely and we should have some radishes and head lettuce in another week or two. If all goes well, we can look forward to arugula, salad mix, spinach, broccoli, escarole, and those adorable white salad turnips. Cool temperatures will work in our favor as the greens love it nice and cool. The enemy this year has been wet soil. It’s stayed wet most of the season, drying out for only a few days here and there. The goal has been to stay one step ahead of the disease that the wet soil brings. I’ve been successful with many of the crops. With other crops, not so much. Most of the home gardeners out there know exactly what I mean. It’s been a tough season overall, but it’s not over yet. Let’s see what the fall brings.
Right now, the flowers are stunning.  Here are some  bouquets I cut this morning.

It’s a beautiful day to visit the garden. The sun is shinning warmly and the sunflowers are blowing in the breeze. Along with all the great vegetables available this week, the sunflowers are in full bloom. Come and cut a bouquet. They are guaranteed to brighten any room in the house. Pre-cut stems are also available.
Hours Tue-Fri 10am-7pm / Sat 10am-3pm

The crazy heat with 3 days in the 90’s has been chased away by an inch of rain and a few tense minutes of hail. The clever shade covers will stay up for now.

The spoils beneath have survived and will be on your table next week.