25 Comments
Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Very nice. Thank you for sharing. Wished in had a cellar. On the carrots ~ I've left them in the ground and have gone out in the snow and pulled them. Just like autumn harvest condition. I'd suggest covering them though because critters will eat the tops off.

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Chipmunks chewed on the tops of a few of them.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Always impressed with your gardening snd love the pics.

My property here in WV is under constant attack by moles, squirrels, chipmunks and deer. I want to plant an outside garden without going chemical or gunpowder next year. I’m searching for methodologies but am fearful of associated costs.

Any thoughts?

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Thanks!

Moles are actually insectivores, so rather good to have around. Voles on the other hand are like big mice and are strict vegetarians. The only thing that worked for chipmunks (which were a serious problem] were jaw traps - live traps were useless. For deer, a seven ft fence or a 5-6ft fence with another 3-4 ft fence about 3-4 ft out from that. I used 5ft steel fence, with a line wrapped between poles at 7ft with flagging material attached, which simulated a tall fence. Though the nylon masons line did not last one season. Cats and dogs help too, if they have a hunting instinct, but the cats will kill birds too, which are mostly helpful to a garden.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Thanks for the insights!

My brave chihuahua used to chase the heck out of deer in the yard. It was hilarious. But they eventually got wise and now the biggest deer will put head down and get the dog retreating in a hurry, howling like she got stabbed.

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Oct 29, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Beautiful work and fabulous harvest, my friend! I am duly impressed.

Ron and I are in Michigan after his father passed last Thursday. Long story but suffice to say that esophagus cancer is awful and therefore I recommend eating mostly vegetables and fruits -- such as the ones you have grown -- and more like cherries, berries, oranges -- plus lots of mushrooms, nuts, and seeds to create a healthy body!

Much love to you, and encouragement for next gardening stages and more.

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Thank you.

Tell Ron I am thinking of him. Much love to both of you too. I imagine he was able to spend some time with his Dad on your journey this summer?

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Oct 29, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Thank you. Ron and I spent the week of Papa's 89th birthday here in early August, celebrating with family and friends. He had already pre-arranged his funeral, cremation, and burial, and had buttoned up his financial and other affairs. I figured it would be the last time I saw Papa alive. Him getting esophageal cancer not just once but having it return a second time within in one year was a blinking neon sign.

Papa made it abundantly clear that he was very fond of me, and our time together was always very special. And although Ron and his dad were at odds about Ron's musicianship and his life choices in the early years, that changed when Ron and I got married. Over the past decade or so, he became very appreciative of Ron's talent and us playing/singing together. We did a big concert this summer for Papa and family and friends, and he cried and told us that he was very proud of us.

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Oct 27, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

https://youtu.be/TPKENjJAuvE?si=ry6yJTRREcCjJDTl

Hola WHD! ...just watched this video comparing three salts; Redmond, Himalayan Pink, and Celtic Sea Salts. And the mineral contents of these salts. (I use all three actually!)

This woman focuses on fermentation and fermented veggie recipes. You might want to check out her channel for what do do with some of your cabbage and carrots!

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Thanks! I have a copy of one of Sandor Katz's books too. I don't really know how well this cellar will perform, and I don't want to waste anything, so any info about preserving is welcome.

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Oct 27, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

I especially loved that last photo. The autumn sweet light is really special.

Are you going to make kraut?

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We made about 40qts with fresh summer kraut, though these storage cabbages are much heavier so I am tempted to make more to see about the difference. If the remaining look to be going bad at some point I will ferment a lot of it.

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Actually, pints.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Roasted Brussels with a Balsamic Glaze! 😋

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I like them too with butter and fresh garlic, broiled the last ten minutes.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Roasting them or broiling them to ‘finish’ them brings out the natural ‘sugars’ in them. Gives BS a ‘sweeter’ flavor than the ‘cabbagey’ flavor., which I don’t care for in BS.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Now I see that your garden is a year-round event. What isn't actually producing at any point is just resting for the next season. This is a new concept for me.

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About the only thing that will overwinter will be the artichoke, but I don't know if that will work. Otherwise I might scour the town for seeds this weekend, and maybe order some too - just in case of shortages next spring.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

I wish I could walk in your garden. Looking at the photos, it seems a bit wild to me, which I absolutely love. Wildness and food at the same time is ideal for me.

I live in a housing development, which is not at all wild. This was my fourth year gardening, and I'm no where near the level you are. I'm just so amazed and hopeful seeing that this sort of thing is possible.

I'm going to keep gardening, though I'm hoping at some point to do this sort of thing with other people. It seems like you did it basically by yourself? That is incredibly amazing, and unfortunately not something I am capable of realistically.

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Thank you. My mother kept a one acre garden with several other women when I was a kid. There are no doubt plenty people around who would like to do that, if the land can be found. The Hmong in Minnepolis/St Paul are renowned for it.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

Many disparate Ethnic groups from Asia and Africa (around San Diego where I live), have small plots in various neighborhood ‘community’ gardens. They grow their local foodstuffs from their countries...they are amazing.

And fortunately our ‘growing season’ is pretty near year round here in SoCA. We have our ‘winter crops’ (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, root vegetables, herbs and leafy greens) and our ‘summer crops’ (squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, ‘warm weather herbs’). And of course all the citrus that can grow here. I have access to a Mexican Lime and Meyer Lemon trees next door to me!

And we can grow potatoes pretty much year round.

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I lived in San Diego in 1995 I think. No offense, but the growing season would be about the only thing that could keep me there.

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Oct 26, 2023Liked by William Hunter Duncan

I totally agree with you on the San Diego issue...I did not grow up here (though I am a native So Californian. I grew up in a small farming community out in the Imperial Valley, which is located in the far SE corner of CA, bordering AZ and Mexico), I have lived here in San Diego for over 37 years...back in the day I lived very close to the beach in La Jolla then move inland a few miles, but still close to the beach. It was bearable around here until 5 -10 years ago...now in the past three years, it has become almost as bad as LA County, in the density of housing and the amount of cars on the road.

Then throw in ALL the brain fogged, mentally and physically ‘challenged’ folks who are still wearing masks in their cars, outdoors or in stores, are out and about, who got ‘The Jabs’, and the all the bad JU JU that exists around their ‘energy, it’s becoming untenable. I’m either going to move out to a more remote part of Eastern San Diego County, or leave CA. Or maybe head south into Mexico for a bit while I figure out a more “permanent” place to settle into.

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I’m sure you’ve said this somewhere but how much land do you have under cultivation? Here in the south of England my cabbages and sprouts get ravaged by cabbage white butterflies even when netted they seem to get in. I’m guessing they’re not native to the US?

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Oct 26, 2023·edited Oct 26, 2023Author

They were a major problem this year, though not as devastating to the cabbage as the Kale. The garden is approximately a third acre, though the whole thing is not under cultivation.

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