Seattle readers won’t be surprised to learn that this is the week our food bank harvests came to a screeching, sliding, Bambi-on-the-ice, wintery end.
Frosty Broccoli in the Hoop House
The ground is frozen and so are my winter crops. Even the added protection of hoop houses hasn’t kept chard, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, arugula, lettuce and beets from shriveling their leaves in the cold. Our greenhouse isn’t heated, so even the crops in it are a bit worse for wear — though I will say there’s still a bit of hope for the lacinato kale and lettuce inside it. Still, it’s not enough to harvest for the food bank. And, ironically, the tough red winter kale is having a harder time in the greenhouse than the lacinato kale — good to know.
Earlier in the year I had hopes of growing hundreds of pounds of potatoes that I would share through the winter with the food bank. Alas, our harvests were much more meager than this. Despite sharing this harvest over past weeks, our stock is getting low. So, the pantry donations from the garden aren’t as hardy as I’d hoped.
I suppose I could harvest a large batch of sage and thyme to share, but for now, our weekly donations will come from what we can afford to pick up at the market — hearty dried beans and pasta can go a long way toward feeding the hungry.
Tags: edible garden, Food, food bank, Greenhouse, hoop house, hungry, winter
Robin – I’m sorry to hear that all your hard work was not effective against this week’s insane cold. It’s sad that your crops have frozen, but you are good to keep donating in spite of this. That reminds me that I need to find a Northwest Harvest bin somewhere, I know food banks are having a really tough time at the moment with donations down and record need. Thanks for the reminder!
Karen, thanks for the note. I’ve learned that December and January are going to be months when our garden produces barely enough for us, let alone donations. I’ve worked out my calender for 2010 and intend to rotate in my fall crops earlier than I did in 2009 in hopes I can grow on more ahead of the freezing temps. Wish me luck!