November Harvest Totals

November was naturally slower than the summer months, but we did have more produce than usual due to the very late frost date.  I harvested parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme at will (and I can actually still harvest these herbs from the herb gardens outside), as well as basil, dill, and mint.  We also had a good amount of cherry tomatoes for the first half of the month, plus:
211 eggs
1 Bulgarian pepper
1.5 pounds of tomatillos
1 tomato
1 carrot
and a handful of raspberries and snap peas.

I do still have peas growing, as well as carrots, lettuce, and radishes in the playroom and outdoors.

I have been planning and plotting next year's gardens, as well as working on growing some cool season crops in the playroom.  I've also toyed with the idea of raising turkeys next year, but I baked another of our home-grown chickens last night and it may have changed my mind.  Turkeys are more expensive and take longer to raise, whereas the chickens taste fantastic (and I've never been a fan of chicken) and finish out quickly and relatively cheaply.  Plus, turkeys take up a lot more space in the freezer.  So now I'm thinking that I may just raise 2 batches of meat birds, in spring and late summer.  Chicken is a very popular meat around here with all of the kids, and I like raising chickens.  They really are so easy.  I've also toyed with the idea of raising non-flying ducks (like Peking), but I would definitely need to do some more research on that.  Right now, more meat chickens are winning the debate.

My biggest garden plan, literally, is to make a tall hugelkulture bed.  That will be interesting, and as I get closer to actually building it, I will take pictures and have updates.  I'm not sure yet which plants I would plant in that bed.  Also, I am building a square foot garden, with 16 squares, for the kids to each have 4 squares to grow the veggies/fruits of their choice.  They are all quite excited about this plan, and I think having their own plots will make them more eager to garden.  There will be a trellis on one end, so they will each get one space for vining plants.  Malachi has already picked out that he will grow crescent beans, green onions (this one surprised me!), cabbage and maybe carrots.  The crops I'd like to plant next year (but am not sure where I will fit them all!) include: tomatoes (30-40 plants), cherry tomatoes (3-5 plants), Bulgarian peppers (10-12), green and red cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, snap peas, crescent beans, white cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, cantaloupe, pumpkins, sunflowers, corn, zucchini, other squash?, kale, radishes, onions, kholrabi, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sunberries, tomatillos (5-6), arugula, calypso beans, swiss chard, and the usual herbs.  Turnips and beets are also possibilities.  And although I'm not devoting my garden space to broccoli, I think Gyunay will grow a square of it, and maybe Elijah as well.  I think I'll have to talk some of the kids into growing some of the produce I want to grow in their squares!