It’s that time of the year once again where we (actually/probably only me) count the days down to the 22nd of December; the day after the Winter Solstice. Until then light in each day diminishes in the Northern Hemisphere and then for the three day period 22-25th the daylight in each day is almost all of an equal length. From the 25th on our world becomes brighter and brighter each passing day!
The weather for the last couple of days has been pretty shitty, so to battle back the doldrums I’ve been locating and ordering the seeds I’ll need for next year. This was much more difficult this year than last, it seems seeds have become a high demand item. Guess folk are planning for the end of the world (or something). I’m not short on seeds, but I’ve heard that repeated planting of the same strain of a plant results in less and less yields over time. The solution is to mix in new strains occasionally to improve the genetic diversity in the garden.
I’m going to try a few new things this year: Brussels Sprouts, Artichokes, Cauliflower, Daikon Radish, and Asparagus. The radish is to improve my Kimchi, I tried making it with turnip (said to be a suitable replacement) this last year and it just doesn’t work quite right. I’ve also ordered some Soy Beans because I’d like to take a shot at making some Soy Sauce.
I mentioned earlier that my granddaughter bagged a nice buck a couple of weeks ago, she’s went back to the butcher a few days back and picked up her meat. She had everything possible cut into jerky strips, and what could not be cut that way packaged as hamburger and sausage. I’m the ‘jerky guy’ so yesterday I seasoned up and began marinading about 15 pounds of venison in three varieties (Chipotle, Mojito Lime, and Honey Sriracha). The Chipotle is in the dehydrator now: what a great smell!