It is November in the Village Wise Woman Garden. Samhain, the final harvest, has come and
gone. Yet, some inhabitants of the
garden apparently did not receive the memo.
The tomato plants are still in flower and new fruit emerges every
day. The nasturtiums and calendulas
continue to unfurl bright green leaves and to send out a flower here and there. A lone coneflower plant has suddenly appeared
with three buds of purple unfurling as we speak. All of the herbs - catmint, thyme, sage, and basil
among them – are still abundant and fragrant.
But it is time to set my mind to the tasks ahead to prepare the garden
and my magical household for Winter.
November is my time to dry and store the herbs from my
garden. I cut all of my herbs back, most
by two-thirds, and tote them indoors in large wicker baskets. My kitchen then becomes a processing
center. The herbs are all trimmed,
bundled, and placed upside down in labeled paper lunch bags. The bags are then tied off at the top with a
rubber band, have holes poked into them to allow for some air circulation and
to prevent molding, and then hung from my kitchen ceiling. The kitchen becomes a fragrant haven over the
next few weeks. A cool November breeze
through an open window carries the various herbal scents through the house.
After about three weeks, the herbs are prepared for their
assorted uses. Smudge sticks of sage,
lavender, and rosemary are made for use throughout the year. The leaves and/or flowers of many herbs for
use in teas, cooking and magical workings for the coming year are stored in
jars or bags and placed on shelves in my kitchen in a colorful crowded
display. I will make candles and soaps
with some of these herbs come February.
Some will be ground down and used in holiday meals while others will be
used to help overcome Winter chills or colds.
Any seeds are stored in small jars in the refrigerator for blessing at
Ostara and later plantings.
There are some herb plants that I just cannot live without
through the Winter months. Some basil
from the garden is transplanted into a pot or two for indoors. My rosemary plants, more like shrubs now, are
dug up, potted up and put on my enclosed sun porch to protect them from Winter storms. Both of these plants scent the air
beautifully and uplift the spirits of all in the house. My geraniums are also brought in and continue
to blossom through the darkest coldest days of the year, reminding me that soon
the days will grow longer again and the garden will once again burst with life.
And the last of the tomatoes? Many
are not ripe yet. There are many recipes
for green tomatoes so, most likely, that is where they are headed. I am thinking a green tomato relish could
work well and be used through the Winter.
So it looks like I will be branching out into the world of canning in
the next week or so. The ripened
tomatoes will be used immediately for salads or tomato sauce, adding a little
love magic to dinner.
The rest of the garden will be allowed to die back, the
withered leaves and branches falling back to the soil to insulate what lies
beneath to be reborn in Spring. A layer
of compost followed by a layer of mulched Autumn leaves will be placed over every
garden bed for extra protection. The
coneflower seed heads will be left right where they are to reseed for Spring or
for the birds to feast upon when the feeders are in need of replenishing. Watching my feathered friends from the kitchen
window will bring me joy when the Winter weather keeps me indoors. The flowering shrubs and bushes will go
dormant to await pruning right after Imbolc.
I have much to do out there in the garden and here, where I
sit right now, in my kitchen in the coming days of November. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, the Village
Wise Woman Garden will be protected and ready for the Winter’s onslaught of
elements and I will leave an offering of thanks to the garden spirits and to
Mother Earth. My garden has given me an
entire year of gifts – delicious flavors, heady scents, breathtaking colorful
sights, and bountiful magic.
♥
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