Well, the leaves have fallen, the days have gotten shorter and the nights, so much colder. It was time, last weekend, to put my gardens to bed at last.
It doesn’t matter though how much I plan and try to be ready for that time, I often end up working under threat of rain or flurries. Mr. Griffin happily hung out with me that morning and he didn’t mind the cold or wet one little bit. There wasn’t much to do, admittedly – Michael and I had done most of the work together earlier in the month, but I still had some tidying up to do.
I cleaned up the last of the hostas and peonies. I lovingly trimmed my rose. I cut down the sage, rosemary and thyme from the garden and tied them into bundles to bring inside. I also dug out their mother plants and moved them to a side garden, up against the house wall, where they will hopefully be protected from the worst winter will have to offer. I dug them in well and packed the earth around them as I offered up a little prayer that they make it.
I brought the herb bundles into the kitchen to hang. They are so fragrant – I wish you could smell them. Yes, I did that thing. I buried my nose in them. So good. Evergreen and earthy and fresh. The scent evokes warmth and love to me. I hung them over my sink to use in cooking, but also because they look so pretty.
Actually, one way I really like to use the big beautiful sage leaves is as a garnish on soup. I roast squash, sweet potatoes and apples until they are all fork tender, add them to a pot of chicken stock, season and then puree. When ready to serve, I melt some butter in a pan and lightly fry the sage leaves. Then just place one on top of each bowl of soup. Simply divine!
I also have my Herbed Salt to use throughout the cold winter. I shared how I made that with herbs from the garden a few weeks ago here. I love that I can reach for it and be reminded of the glory days of summer during the coming cold months.
After a full chilly morning outside, I was more than happy to come into my warm home and make myself a hot drink with some Crabapple Cordial and to just sit with a book and my dog at my feet.
And then, this week, the temperature started to rise … should have waited a few more days!