Garden Photos from December 2nd

So I'm spending one more night holed up in a hotel room. I get to go home tomorrow, then start seeing patients in the area I live in on Monday. Can't wait to get home and stretch my legs and go for a walk again in the country. It has been getting dark as soon as we are out of class. I am reluctant to go for a walk outside in the dark in a city I am not familiar with. There is a mall close by and I thought about going for a walk there, but I think that might defeat the purpose of walking--at least for me. When I walk it is to renew my energy by being alone and outside. Walking in a mall this time of year would be a big energy drainer for an introvert like me. So hopefully I'll get outside tomorrow evening when I get home and will have some fresh nature photos to share this weekend.

In the meantime, let me share some photos of my garden that I took last Sunday. Once all that snow melted, there were still some green plants. And  while I was taking photos I harvested some vegetables to cook and take with me to eat during this week while I am away from home.

The broccoli raab is still going strong. I picked all the mature buds on Sunday and there are plenty of small buds still forming. If only we get a few more warm days, I might be able to get one more harvest in. I've noticed that the flower buds are getting more and more mild in taste as the weather has gotten colder. This year was my first time growing this vegetable. The spring and summer plantings were complete failures (the plants went to seed while they were still small), but the fall crop has been both tasty and prolific. I will be growing this again next year.

The caraflex cabbage plants are still pumping out miniature cabbage heads.  I've lost count of how many little heads I've harvested off these plants, but they have kept us well supplied with tender, sweet cabbage through the fall, and if the weather holds up until I get home, there are still a few more to pick. Caraflex is definitely on my list of vegetables to grow next year. I have been impressed in every way by this sturdy and productive summer cabbage.

Red Russian Kale has long been a standby in my garden. It is easy to grow and the red tint to the leaves and veins is very pretty. In my opinion, it is one of the tenderest and tastiest of all the kales. It is very hardy and I usually harvest it through December, then the plants bounce back in the early spring for fresh greens as soon as the weather warms up.  

And then there are Brussels sprouts. I try growing Brussels sprouts each year, because they are one of my husbands favorite vegetables, but I can never quite get them to mature. The plants grow strong and beautiful and healthy, but the sprouts never get any bigger than a marble. They hold up well in freezing temps, though and I will harvest some when I get home, but  I am always disappointed that they never get plump and large like the ones you see in the grocery store.

I can't remember the name of the Brussels sprouts I planted this spring. ( I will have to look that up when I get home). I always buy seeds for the ones with the shortest days to maturity, though. If any one has any ideas on what I can do in the future to encourage my Brussels sprouts to mature, I would love to hear from you.

Be sure to check out this giveaway hosted by Millie, the matriarch nanny goat at Eden Hills Farm. You have until Saturday December 10th at noon to enter to win your choice of handmade goats milk soap or other skin care products from the newly opened Eden Hills Market. (Go to the tabs directly under the title to see handmade products and the popcorn grown on Eden Hills Farm.) To enter the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment. It couldn't be easier, so go on over and enter!

Linked to Farmgirl Friday. and Garden Life.