After the snow, looking forward to Thanksgiving

The daughter in the garden, November 2024

Our first cold snap lasted almost a full week, with daytime temps just a few degrees above freezing, and snow still lingering until Saturday afternoon when it finally washed away in a rainstorm.  It looks as though most of my lettuce, cabbage, radishes, pak choi, komatsuna, cauliflower and fennel in the kitchen garden survived.  I had to rearrange the netting covering the cauliflower and komatsuna as it had been knocked down by the weight of the snow--also one piece of wire at the edge of the bed (chicken and duck deterrent) was also dragged down--but no lasting damage.  

Most things standing at the allotment were actually laying down when we visited on Sunday.  While the purple sprouting broccoli and leeks looked much the same, the leaves of beets, radishes, turnips and artichokes had all flopped over, looking a bit sad.  The son and daughter cleared away the last of the cherry tomatoes and achocha vines, then the remaining corn stalks;  these all went into our composters.  I, meanwhile, pulled some veg for the week:  beets (plus extra for a friend), radishes and a big leek.  The roots were undamaged by the frost and I was able to still salvage some of the radish greens for eating (chickens got the limp beet greens).

It's Thanksgiving this week!  What are we making?  The husband is in charge of the turkey and mashed potatoes (both bought this year), and our friends are bringing a vegetable dish (possibly including the beets I gave them earlier) and a dessert.  We are definitely serving something from the allotment/garden but I don't exactly know what--possibly some green beans out of the freezer, and maybe some squash puree as a vegetable dish too;  there is potential for a fresh (small) cabbage, some radishes or turnips.  The son is in charge of stuffing which will use some fresh thyme and sage, both still leafy.  I will also use some herbs in the gravy and I am in charge of my favorite pumpkin pie, using one of my beautiful squashes.