First Frost

The first frost of the season is imminent.

Sweet Bounty
Photo: Annie Lopez

Living in an area with a short growing season can be somewhat heartbreaking as the brief season draws to a close. The plants in the garden, lovingly nourished since before germination, are only just beginning to get tall and bushy; plentiful pink and purple, white and yellow blossoms peer from beneath healthy greenery while simultaneously offering full, ripe, well-formed fruit. It is an abundant time in a plant's life cycle,  celebrated with feasts and offerings during Autumn and Octoberfest festivals worldwide. 

Yet, when my plants are destined to freeze with the coming rain and snow, I can't help but feel a bit of sadness for the end of our lovely, long sunny days. Predictions of more than a foot of snow overnight in some parts of Colorado herald  a new Season. 

The plants in the garden have roots that are set deep and secure, embedded in soil that proffers the nutrients of the family midden. The roots may make it through this freeze, but when the plant's life giving leaves freeze overnight, the roots will soon follow. 

“Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We’ll smell smoke then,

and feel and enexpected sharpness,

a thrill of nervousness,

swift elation,

a sense of sadness and departure.” 

                  
                      --Thomas Wolfe

Despite the somewhat melancholy hue of the first frost of the season, we truly are thrilled that the plants we have nurtured from seedlings have provided us with some delightful treasures, and I spent some time making last-minute harvests before the cold inevitably sets in. 

“I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.”

                            --Nathaniel Hawthorne 

I especially love harvesting our multi-hued corn and unwrapping it to discover what myriad and beautiful colors it has produced. This is our second generation crop from this strain, and it will provide seed for next year's planting as well as its slightly sweet, nutty flavor as an addition to soups and stews this winter.

Smoke Signals
Photo: Annie Lopez

Corn is an excellent grain crop that preserves very well, as long as it is not too sweet and filled with sugar. Modern Monsanto genetically modified monocultures, which are distilled into starches,  syrups and fuel, have given corn, overall, a bad name these days. While the modern corn plant has certainly been shamelessly engineered and exploited, it has its historical roots deep in the heart of Native American culture. Corn is an amazing giant grass plant  that is native to the North Americas and has long been grown for its nutritious and delicious, easy to harvest, easy to store grain.

When we do choose to grow a sweet corn variety,  or when we pick up seasonal sweet corn from a local farmer's market, we like to soak the ears of grain in water, wrapped in their own fragrant husk, and then grill or broil them while still in their saturated leaves. The grass leaves surrounding the ear are very good at soaking up water, so this method steams the corn while roasting the husk, leaving behind a delicious, grassy infusion as well as the smoky flavor of the open flame. Turn the corn frequently to turn the outside husk a golden brown. A simple dressing of Irish butter (made from grass fed cows--a must for butter lovers!), salt and pepper is all that is needed to finish the perfect ear of locally grown, sweet corn-on-the-cob. And the still intact husk serves as a handle to keep your hands butter free! 

The corn we are currently growing is from a Native American strain called Smoke Signals. We received our original seed stock from The Seed Saver's Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds. We have preserved the hardiest seeds to ensure a crop that thrives at our altitude in our semi-arid climate. Corn is a sun-loving plant and does well on the sun-drenched, Colorado high prairie.

Red Flame Seedless
Photo: Annie Lopez

Grapes and huckleberries were particularly plentiful this year. Our unusually wet summer provided our grapes with the deep draughts of water they need to form full, fragrant, juicy fruit. Netting the grapes was key to preserving the ripening fruit and preventing flocks of birds from feasting on our harvest. Our grape harvest was so successful, in fact, that we are considering growing wine grapes as well as table grapes next year. Always up for a new adventure!

Garden Huckleberries
Photo: Annie Lopez

Fortunately, the birds weren't particularly interested in our plentiful harvest of garden huckleberries. Huckleberries are a large, firm, juicy, purple berry that can only be  found in the wild or in a home garden, since they are not commercially grown. Another North American native, huckleberries have been an important food source for many Native American cultures. Its deep purple color signals the presence of important phytonutrients and antioxidants, both essential for proper nutrition and for fighting off illness and disease.

For the most part, the berry is largely flavorless, but they blend very well with other berries and make lovely pies and cobblers and delicious, deep purple jellies and jams. In Colorado mountain towns, it is not uncommon to find huckleberry candies, confections and taffies in gift shops and specialty stores. The compact plants are prolific and produce continually from the time they are practically seedlings up until the first frost of the season. The firm fruits freeze very well and most recipes call for either fresh or frozen berries. It is a hearty, easy plant to grow, and after perusing huckleberry pie recipes, we are poised to add this versatile berry to our winter pie repertoire.

“In seed time learn,

in harvest teach,

in winter enjoy.”

                                       

                                   --William Blake