Harvest Season On An Urban Homestead
A peek inside life during harvest season on an urban homestead
Greetings!
This is the time of year that gets most people into gardening. It’s the time where you see the evidence of all your hard work, the blessed fruits of your labor.
For a moment, you may be so awed that you forget about the aphids that nearly broke your spirit, the unexpected cold snap in April, and the weeds you spent most your summer combatting.
You are lured into a dreamy state of wonder as your tomatoes turn plump and red, your peppers stand tall with pride, and your calendulas beam orange and yellow back towards a bright blue sky.
Abundance
This is abundance. What you’ve been working for. Sometimes when we finally get what we’ve wanted for so long, it can actually be a bit overwhelming. And sometimes, especially in our gardens, we can stress ourselves out with what to do with all of it.
Try not to sit in that overwhelm very long. Harvest season on an urban homestead is one of the best parts.
In the words of the great Willy Wonka, “Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wanted….he lived happily ever after.”
Here are a few tips:
- Stop and enjoy it for a little while. Bask in your splendor, and take it all in.
- Have a plan for your harvests: what will you eat fresh, what will you cook, what will you preserve
- Get some help: It’s more fun with friends, and they can really help with your workload!
Here are a few things I’m doing in the harvest season right now:
- Canning tomatoes
- Drying goji berries
- Picking pears
- Cooking recipes with all the peppers: jalapeño honey rolls, creamy poblanos with mushrooms, tacos, salsa, and soup
- Drying cayenne peppers to turn into cayenne powder
- Drying calendulas to use for tea
- Picking apples to turn to cider (more on that next week!)
- Cooking green beans
- Cooking with fresh herbs
- Juicing cucumbers
- Hoping my butternut squash gets enough sun to ripen
- Harvesting my first round of fall beets
- Filling my whole house with sunflower bouquets, as the recent winds and smoky skies have taken most of them to the ground
All this harvesting also produces waste. You can give those ends and bits to your animals, your compost bin, or (my favorite) use them to make something you won’t have to buy anymore at the grocery store.
How to use your leftover harvest bits & pieces
To learn how to take your scraps and turn them into delicious, medicinal, free stock, click the button below.
Wishing you all a wonderful harvest season!
Looking for more ideas? Check out these posts.
- Plan your new vegetable garden
- A gardener’s guide to winter
- Gardening in small spaces
- How to harvest & dry your own herbs
- How to make your own garlic powder
Just getting started? Grab our free guide, The Beginner’s Guide To Urban Homesteading
Are you ready to hit the ground running? Try this, our favorite exclusive opportunity!
