Potato Harvest

Potato Harvest    

It was a beautiful coolish, sunny day (still drought-y out there).  Perfect for potato harvest.  Potato harvest feels a little bit like Christmas.  You can watch the potato plants growing - sometimes they yellow, sometimes they flower, sometimes they are green and lush and you just know that there is magic happening.  That's what happened this year.  The potato plants just kept growing and growing despite 115 degree temperatures and drought.  My expectations were high and my excitement was that of opening a long-anticipated gift.  

It's always fun and somewhat magical to dig up potatoes. This year it was slightly less fun as the soil took more "busting" than usual due to dryness. I try to work methodically so that I don't accidentally pierce the potatoes or lose any of the small ones.  Large potatoes go into storage.  Small potatoes go back to the garden shed for re-planting.  

Potato skin is somewhat delicate when first emerging from the soil.  I accidentally scraped a few when trying to remove dirt clods.  The skin will toughen as the potato cures.  Potatoes prefer to cure in the cool and shade.  I usually give them a quick bath to remove most of the dirt but try to resist any sort of scrubbing.  They will need to cure for about 2 weeks in a well-ventilated area.  A garage or a basement works nicely if you have one. 

After curing, you can store in a cool, dry place (not your refrigerator) for winter.  As with all stored produce, check regularly for any signs of rot.  It is quite unpleasant to find a box of liquified potatoes.  I used to store potatoes and onions on the floor of my pantry and then I read that that is not a good combo.  Onions will actually cause them to begin sprouting.  Instead, I read to store them with an apple.  I have not yet tried this trick out as my potatoes seem to store just fine on their own in the garage.  

To check out a picture of my suburban potato harvest for 2021, click on the link below. 

Potatoes on Instagram 

To finish out my day in the garden, I added compost to the spot the potatoes came out and planted cabbage and peas. 

Candy or Fruit?

 

Candy or Fruit?

My big kiddos are 9 and 11 so this year for Lent we let them think about what they might like to fast from.  Dad and I usually fast from semi-difficult things… screens… soda… snacks and desserts... so I was interested to hear what they might suggest. 

First suggestion – sleep.  Well…  that’s not gonna work.  Next – school, chores, homework – you get the picture.

We asked them to think about what would really be meaningful to them to mark the season.  The purpose of a fast is to draw attention away from the ho-hum-drum of life and bring attention to the bigger, spiritual picture happening (usually in the background) of our lives.

Finally, they landed on … candy… and fruit.

Fruit?!?  “That’s a goofy thing to give up,” their aunt said.

But is it?

It was incredibly interesting (and awe-inspiring) to see these two navigate their Lenten season – sticking to their chosen fast through daily life and special events.

My daughter chose candy.  Now candy is not usually an everyday thing – it’s meant to be a special treat.  She could still have candy on Sundays (typically a rest-day from Lent) but she politely and determinedly passed-over candy during birthday parties, sleep – overs, even in school when the teacher handed out lollipops for the kids to suck on while they took their standardized tests.  For two days she brought home cotton candy flavored dumdums (her favorite!) and asked me to keep them safe for her until Sunday. She was very stalwart.

My son chose fruit.  At first, I think he may have been trying to get out of eating a portion of his daily fruit and veggies.  But, that’s the thing – he chose to fast from something that would affect him DAILY!  So while his aunt scoffed, he soldiered on…  not eating the “fun” fruit that we get at birthday parties (kiwis and raspberries and pineapple) …  eating red peppers and lettuce with breakfast instead of oranges and apples.  I can save candy for sister to eat on Sunday but saving kiwi and raspberries is a different story; their shelf life is less predictable.

So, who made the better choice?

I am super-proud of both of them.  For the most part, it was left up to them to keep their commitment.  There was no badgering or loop-holing on my part. I would help them explain their dietary restrictions when we ate at a new place but then I left it up to them to monitor what went in their mouths.  Often, they remembered better than I did, “mom, I can’t have that.”  I don’t think they broke their fast once!  Pretty impressive.  And, even more importantly, I think it made a spiritual impact on them as well.  Choosing to abstain, especially in tempting situations and away from mom’s eye, showed them the meaning of commitment and follow-through.  I pray that God blesses them for their courageous faithfulness.  

January - Time for a Frog Party!

 

Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla)

 

You may not have heard them last night because of the gusty wind-storm but the frog were having their annual party.  They did not care that a storm was blowing – it’s nearly mid-January and the night was warm enough to socialize. 

 

We have a wetland behind our house, man-made but effective at attracting various amphibians.  One of the most-easily attracted is the Pacific treefrog.  This frog doesn’t hibernate, it finds a sheltered place to hunker down and wait for warm nights to emerge and sing.  I have found these guys in flowerpots, between deck boards and under grill covers.  One time, deciding to be brave and grab an out-of-place object in my dark shed, I surprised us both when the object turned out to be a squishy tree frog (thankfully I had grabbed gently). 

These frogs congregate in wet places on warm nights and begin their annual chorus to attract mates.  From a distance, they sound like lovely crickets.  If you are ever fortunate to be amongst the chorus, the sound is a deafening cacophony.  The males are singing to attract mates and defend territory.  Females will lay eggs in wet areas (even if these areas are dry by summer) and males will fertilize them.

What can you do to help these little guys?

Unfortunately, amphibians are one of our most sensitive land-animals.  Their skin is especially susceptible to poisons and toxins and they are prey to cats, dogs, and invasive turtles, frogs and fish!  The first thing you can do is protect areas that are wet this time of year.  Keep them un-mowed and preferably fenced to reduce predation by house-pets.  If a wet area is on your property, you can even enhance the habitat by leaving fallen leaves and adding stumps and sticks.  One of the biggest things you can do, however, is to be mindful of what you are adding to your lawn, flowerbeds or streets that have storm drains.  Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and things leaking from cars will enter waterways via storm drains and affect amphibian habitat.  Especially during Oregon’s rainy season (when it is cold and plant growth is slow) avoid adding fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as these will not be taken into plant tissue very quickly and will mostly end up in our local waterways. 

You can find out more info at these websites:

Department of Fish and Wildlife (Oregon)

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/docs/LWW_Pacific_Treefrog_final.pdf     

https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/frogs-and-toads