Winter is coming to the
Willamette Valley. Usually, it flows in softly on a bed of clouds but, because
we are so far north (equal to Calais, Maine, if you live on that side of the
country), when the cloud cover goes, it is cold! For the last two days, the sky
has been bright blue, brisk winds have blown, and there has been electricity in
the air. Now that the clouds are coming back, we are seeing “Wintery Mix” in
the forecast.
I spent Veteran’s Day snugging in plant communities. In
the morning, I headed out to Sunbow Farm, figuring I would spend a few hours in
the greenhouses, pulling up weeds and prepping for winter plantings. But,
because of the forecast—24 degrees overnight!—Harry and Nate had bigger
concerns. “Take this twine,” Nate asked, “and weave it across the entrances.”
The newer greenhouses were breathing heavy, in and out, in and out with the
wind, putting strain on the plastic covers. The twine could stabilize the
flapping. Using orange binder twine and a small ladder, I designed a series of
crossing strings that looked, from outside, like a pentagram. “Cool!” Nate
called. “I love this guerilla farming stuff!” He staked down sandbags. Then we
unzipped the front and back curtains in greenhouse five and replaced them.
Standing on a ladder, wrestling with the greenhouse zipper in the bright
breeze—it was a glorious way to spend the morning.
After lunch, I went to work in my
own backyard. First, the chicken coop needed to be wrapped in plastic film for
the winter. Because of the orientation of the garden beds, the coop is wide
open to the westerly winter winds. I found the pieces I used last year in the
shed and stapled them on. Once the Ladies were settled, I rigged a cold frame
out of large tomato cages, rested on the garlic and onion beds, and covered
them with more plastic. I repaired the sheet rigged over an experimental bed of
Winter Peas as cover crop, then moved quickly onto the leaf project. All of the
garden beds had piles of leaves dumped in the middle, but the mulch needed to
be spread across each bed and snugged down around the roots of the
overwintering plants. Collards, leeks, sprouting broccoli and the last of the
beets were all covered. Because I had
moved so quickly, I still had time to rake up the leaves that had spilled out,
tangled with day lily stems and some old amaranth that had sprouted in the
aisles. It was all dumped onto the beds as well. Compost In Place, I
thought. By this time, the air was
growing nippy and the sun was setting, so I went inside, glad we had already
hung the wooden storm windows.
This afternoon, I watched the sky
from my classroom. I could see heavy dark clouds on the horizon, but the
precipitation was holding off. I fled before all of the students had cleared
the building. Leaves, the beautiful red maple leaves down the street, had been
raked into the road and were waiting for me to rescue them. Quickly, I gathered
the rake and wheelbarrow. Rake, scoop, and dump…six barrow loads covered the
front garden in a lovely glowing blanket. My last act was to bring the scented
geraniums inside for the duration. I spread a small blanket for the cats on the
window bench and we are ready for the cold.
Chai Tea
2 cinnamon sticks
2 chunks of candied ginger
10 crushed cardamom pods
1t whole coriander seed
.5 t peppercorns
.5 t whole cloves
4 c of water—simmer the spices
for twenty minutes (cover the pan)
Add 3t of tea and 1 cup of milk.
Bring to a gentle boil, then steep for about five minutes. Strain and add
honey.