Frost was predicted to come to the prairie Monday night. Not a touch of frost but the cold killing frost. With such a frost predicted, we get busy. We cut big armfuls of annuals to bring inside. Big bouquets are arranged on the dining room and breakfast room tables. Other vases are pressed into service and most of our rooms are "in bloom". We get to enjoy the annuals for another week this way.The mums, asters, saffron crocus and pansies don't mind the frost so we do nothing with them. We don't even cover them for they will still bloom their heart away in the warm days following that first frost.
We also harvest the basil. We cut a big bouquet to put in a glass of water on the windowsill -- the last fresh snippets we'll have until next summer. We make the rest into pesto for the freezer. We like a dollop of it on spaghetti or in a pot of vegetable soup in the winter. It truly brings the taste of summer to dreary winter days.Tuesday morning, we saw that the predicted frost had come. A lot of annuals in the back garden were withered and wilted and there was a light coating of ice on the birdbaths and fountain.
It's always sad to say goodbye to the summer garden but we have our reminders in the pesto in the freezer and the bouquets on the tabletops.
3 comments:
Oh winter is actually heading south, too. We had freeze warning. Not a killing frost, but did have to cover the herbs. Looks like you'll be busy making pesto!
That is a lot of basil --- enough to stock at least two green markets. My mint is like that, too. I do like the pop of energy that comes with that final gleaning. Enjoy!
Martha... love all that basil! I wish I would have planted more this year. Ah well... I can begin dreaming about next year's garden in January! Cold here in Indy too!
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