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Click to view this email in a browserGuilt-free gardening....Harvest recipes....Compost crops to feed the soil....Ice-proof greens for winter meals....Fall has its own mellow pleasures.This time of year, it's easy to feel that the garden has gotten ahead of you. Perhaps some crops failed. Or you didn't plant in time. Or with the close of the summer season, you feel the garden is over for the year. We'd like to share this perspective from Eliot Coleman, who gardens year-round in Maine:"This is no longer the old 'I had only one chance to plant and I goofed' situation you may dread. In the four-season garden, you have many chances and many seasons to come. If some other important aspect of your life calls you away and weeds dominate the beans, erase the problem and start again. Look on the weeds as the soil savers that they are....Their roots have aerated the soil, and their tops will add to the bounty of the compost heap. Take a hoe and rake, clean off the area, and replant it with whatever comes next in the sequence. Move ahead, get out the seed packets, and plant something new. This process has no penalties, only rewards."

Feeding the SoilWhen you plant compost crops, you are growing your own fertilizer and covering the bare soil. For that reason, they are also called green manures or cover crops. They prevent erosion and compaction from winter rain and snow, smother weeds, and provide plenty of material for the spring compost pile. Some produce edible greens, beans, or leaves as well. Not to mention flowers. (Pictured above: Bell/Fava Beans, Crimson Clover, Rye. Center photo credit: Chuck Ingels). Compost/cover crops are an integral part of our research mini-farm in Willits, and an essential part of the sustainable growing cycle anywhere. There are crops for many situations: some for very warm or very cold climates, "nurse" crops for sheltering vegetables, nitrogen-fixing legumes that convey nutrients from the air into the soil, grains for food and carbon, deep-rooted crops to break up hardpan, and some that fight pests or attract beneficial insects. If you do nothing else in the garden this fall, rake in the seed for a compost crop on any bed that will not be in active use over the winter. (It's okay to "overseed" a compost crop in a bed that has hot-season vegetables in it now). You will have less weeding in the spring, and your garden will be improving all by itself!

Click here to go to our compost crop listings.

How-to Compost Crop DVDFor years we have recommended compost cropping, but it has been hard to find a good guide to help you decide which crop to plant, when to plant, and how to manage your plot. We've finally found it--a great new DVD by Cindy Conner, a Grow Biointensive teacher in Virginia. Hands-on, practical, and highly recommended by John Jeavons, the DVD helps you decide what to plant and then walks you through the growing season. Cindy presents clear pictures and instructions on: preparing the beds, growth stages the plants go through, crop rotations and mulching. It is far easier to see the process than to read about it! She explains clearly which crops are right for which purposes, and she has lots of helpful tips. She even explains how to grow, harvest, and store your own grains. We particularly like the way this DVD tells you the "whys", so you can adapt your new knowledge to your own particular garden. (66 minute DVD)

Click here to buy Compost Crop DVD.

Feed the Gardener--a Recipe for Summer's HarvestSQUASH A LA MEXICANAPreheat oven to 400 degrees F.6 cups diced winter squash - Delicata is wonderful; great withbutternut and acorn squash as well!2 Tablespoons chili powder½ Tablespoon cumin powder1 Teaspoon cumin seedBlack pepper, dash of salt1 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds¼ Cup olive oil1 whole head of garlic, dicedPlace olive oil in a bowl and whisk in spices, salt and garlic. Placediced squash in a bowl and toss it in the olive oil mixture. Place in abaking dish and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 45 minutes.Delicious!!!© Christine Blake 2004

Click here to go to books on cooking and storing the harvest.

Fresh Garden Vegetables in WinterEliot Coleman has been providing fresh salads, cooking greens, carrots, and many more fresh vegetables for himself and his customers all through the Maine winter for many years. He uses no artificial heat, and no fancy gadgets-- just a simple unheated plastic tunnel, cold frames made from old windows, and fabric row covers, This inspiring book tells how he does it-- without heroic labor, fancy equipment, or stressful lists of things to do. (The quote at the top of the page is an example of his joyful, no-nonsense approach). Coleman realized that while most plants need heat to germinate and grow, many don't need warmth to stay alive--so he plants in the fall for harvest in the winter. The secret is in what to grow and when to plant: European gardeners have a lively tradition of growing local vegetables all year, and many delicious crop varieties bred for the purpose. Rediscovering seasonal eating is one of the many pleasures that await the four-season gardener.

Click here to buy The Four-season Harvest

Seeds for Four-Season GardeningNow's the time to plant fall crops of lettuce, spinach, corn salad, arugula, kale, miner's lettuce, minutina, mizuna, carrots......the possibilities are many. We have assembled a collection of seeds for fall planting, based on the recommendations in The Four-Season Harvest. There are 10 packets of seed and an information sheet inside a large decorative envelope.

Click here to buy the Winter Vegetable Collection

No Time...No Space...No Coldframe....How to take a step toward food independence and local eating when you don't have time to read books or build structures? Here's a simple place to start: Two kinds of greens--one for cooking, one for salad-- that are so hardy they can live outdoors almost anywhere in the US. They will need a chance to get established before frost.Corn Salad or Mache is becoming more available in markets because of its mild, sweet flavor and tender texture in salads. But in spite of its sweet, tender taste, it is the hardiest salad green of all--it will survive zero degrees, and can be dug out of snow to grace your winter table. Individual plants form small rosettes of leaves that are cut and served whole, so you will want to plant quite a bit.

Click here to buy Corn Salad/Mache Seed

Kale is equally cold-hardy and makes a tall, ruffled handsome plant--some varieties are even purple. This is a good choice for container growing, as the individual plants are large and leaves can be picked again and again. In the garden, it will survive sub-zero temperatures if covered in snow, and temperatures in the 0-10 range uncovered, depending on wind conditions. Highest in nutrients of any common vegetable, kale's leaves are great in stir-fries, soups, pasta, mashed with potatoes (an Irish dish called colcannon) or simply steamed. After frost, kale's flavor becomes mild and sweet.

Click here to buy Kale seed.

Ask Emmer: " What can I do to save my homegrown vegetables for the winter? " Nothing is as satisfying as bringing out a home-cooked and home-grown meal in the middle of winter! Just as with succession-sowing in gardening, it's a good idea to preserve small batches as your crops mature--that way your food will be in prime condition, you won't be overwhelmed, and you will gain expertise as you go. There are many options for preserving your harvest, depending on your tastes, what you grew, and what time, space, and equipment you have. For example, root cellaring requires no special equipment but you need to make an underground pit or have a cool cellar, and be willing to check your food weekly. Canning takes time and equipment initially, but the jars store for years with no further effort. Freezing is fast and easy, but takes constant electricity. Drying takes time but stores easily....A good general book on preserving can help you decide which method to use and how to go about it. For general reference, and clear directions on canning, freezing, and other techniques, we recommend Preserving Summer's Bounty, from the Rodale Press. We also carry more detailed books on low-tech methods like root cellaring, drying, salting and fermentation. Of course, books won't keep your food safe from mice. For that, I recommend getting a cat.

Click here to go to food storage and processing books and products.As the seasons turn, new possibilities abound--opportunities for feeding ourselves, building the soil, and making our neighborhoods more sustainable. Have fun gardening!If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Un" in the subject line or simply click on the following link:

UnBountiful Gardens18001 Shafer Ranch RdWillits, California 95490