It’s that time of year when we are digging up, dividing and preparing our dahlia tubers for winter storage. With over 100 dahlia plants we have our work cut out for us, but we manage to work at it bit by bit. First we trim up a few outer branches on each dahlia so we may easily access and cut the main stem.

Trimming Up Dahlia Branches

We leave a 6-8 inch handle which will come in handy for transporting to the rinsing and cutting station.

Leaving A Handle

Completing The Cut Down Process

After all the dahlias have been cut down, each stem is then properly tagged with the dahlia name. We dig up to 12 inches away around the perimeter of the stem so as not to damage the tubers underground and then they are carted to our rinsing station to rid all excess soil and set aside to dry. Every step is done with care to avoid damaging the tubers.

Rinsed Tubers

After all the tubers are rinsed we are ready to divide each clump into individual tubers. Some dahlias can be challenging as in this example of Lupin Ben so having patience is a plus.

Lupin Ben

We start by looking for “eyes” on individual tubers and in this case the red arrow indicates one of many.

Tuber "eyes"

In this example A indicates where a tuber has been cut and B is next in line.

Dividing

The tuber is then cut, labeled, and treated with a fungicide before storing. We have two methods of storing our tubers. The larger ones are layered in pine shavings in a cardboard box and smaller tubers are wrapped in plastic wrap 5 to a pack without a single tuber touching one another and then stored in a plastic container.

Storing Dahlias

We grow over 100 dahlia’s and we cherish every one of them, however there are some that perform like work horses and we consider them must haves for our gardens and in floral arrangements. Each of these varieties are prolific with strong and long stems and ideal for cutting. Here are a few of our picks.

Ferncliff Copper

Ferncliff Copper has 5″ blooms and is especially gorgeous arranged in harvest bouquets.

Snoho Betty

Perfect purple Snoho Betty is continually remarked on by our guests.

Kenora Wildfire

This low bush beauty Kenora Wildfire pumps out volumes of huge bright red blooms and requires minimal support.

Scarborough Brilliant

And of course the intense colors of Scarborough Brilliant are stunning.

If you love beautiful flowers as we do and are interested in creating fresh dahlia floral arrangements also look into Bliss and Rosella, they are fantastic as fillers. All of our healthy dahlia tubers were purchased locally from endlesssummerflowerfarm in Camden, Maine.

We grow a lot of herbs and I will harvest and dry them throughout the season, but one of the ways I preserve the “fresh” taste of herbs is by preparing a number of pesto’s to freeze for later use. Cilantro, Mint, Basil and Parsley are the 4 that I always have on hand. They take only a few minutes to prepare and come in handy for swirling into soups soups,  adding to salad dressings, tossing into pasta’s, accompanying seafood or meat dishes and the list goes on.  One of my favorites is combining parsley with pistachios. 

Shelling Pistachio Nuts

In this recipe I used dry-roasted and salted pistachios but obviously you can use unsalted and adjust the salt addition to taste. 

Parsley and Pistachio Nut Pesto:

• 1 large bunch parsley leaves or 3 Cups packed
• 3/4 C good olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt-or to taste
• generous 1/2 C shelled dry-roasted and salted pistachios

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until evenly blended but still able to see tiny bits of nuts.

Parsley and Pistachio Pesto

If I was to serve this as a pasta pesto dish I incorporate fresh grated cheese and 1-2 Tbls softened butter to it just before serving.  All the nuts and dried fruits I use for cooking, baking or just plain eating are from Sunnyland Farms in Georgia, they are one of my favorite sources for high quality products.

There is a period of time each year when we practically live on tomatoes and it’s here. For three weeks now we have collected most of our semi ripe tomatoes so as to maximize on ripening as many as possible for current and future enjoyment. Every possible inch we can spare in our home is devoted to “tomato ripening space.”

These are just a few of our favorite indulgences that take full advantage of the intense tomato flavor and sweetness of our home grown.

Roma Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes are hollowed out and placed in baking dishes with olive oil, our own dried oregano, pinches of course salt and then slow roasted on a low oven temp.

Roasted Tomatoes

After they cool, they are dressed with chopped parsley and minced garlic from our garden.  We most enjoy these atop crusty bread with fresh goat cheese and a couple of drops of aged balsamic vinegar.

We grow two varieties of cherry tomatoes(Sun Sugar and Grape) and  I make numerous types of fresh salsas and tomato dishes throughout the summer.  

Beautifully Ripened Cherries

We savor this dish that brings out the true essence of these sweet cherry tomatoes and I make variations of it, but this remains a favorite.  It’s simplicity is divine and we love it on top of pasta with grated cheese.

Red And Yellow Cherry Tomato Salad

• 2 lbs yellow and red cherry tomatoes quartered
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp course salt
• 1 cup green “ripe” olives sliced 
• 12 basil leaves thinly sliced

It also makes for a tasty pizza topping.

Cherry Tomato And Parsley Pesto Pizza

We Savor Each Bite

In addition, huge pots of sauce are prepared and then stored (canned or frozen) for later enjoyment on pizza, in rich meat ragus, etc. I make enough to sustain us through our long Maine winter and most of the upcoming year.

From Gardens To Table

Keeping Up Appearances

The perennial gardens keep us on our toes all season long however when the summer fades away our maintenance increases to keep the gardens attractive, neat, and interesting for the Autumn season. Aside from the current flowering plants perennials have been either sheared, pruned, or simply left alone with seed heads intact.

Photos Taken October 1, 2009

Helenium and Boltonia

We Have Many Ornamental Grass Varieties

Colorful Zinnias

Dahlia Patch Going Strong

We concentrated in our Dahlia garden today deadheading Dahlias and removing tired sunflower plants.

Keeping Plants Tidy

The spent 6 Ft + sunflowers were growing in patches in the garden, we clipped them down and left a 2″ stem for location purposes of later removal. 

West Side Of Dahlia Patch

Each year at this time we ask each other with pure excitement the same question, “Is it ready yet?” There is nothing difficult to growing or harvesting garlic and sometimes the more information you read can only make the process seem involved when it is not. However, you do want to harvest your garlic at the proper time to ensure increased storage life. 

We currently grow a variety of 300 garlic plants that will last us for a glorious 9 months, originally we started with a few dozen. There are preferences to harvesting, curing and storing garlic (we’ve tried many) but here on the coast in Mid Coast Maine we have found the following techniques to prove successful for us each year. First in order; pick a dry day.

Our garlic patch

We wait for the bottom 2 or 3 fronds to die off before we harvest as shown above. Don’t wait any longer unless your garlic is for immediate use otherwise the cloves will expand, open up and force the protective skin to separate and expose the clove inside the bulb. This will result in a shorter shelf life.

Digging up garlic

“Treat them like tomatoes not potatoes” is what should come to mind at this point. We use a shovel and carefully dig under the roots to loosen the soil before removing the bulb. Be attentive and do not to bruise or nick the bulbs.

Occasionally we get twins

We harvest the garlic 10 at a time, carefully twist the roots to remove the bulk of the soil and then immediately bring them to a shaded area to be very quickly rinsed (bulb only DO NOT saturate). There is much debate over whether to rinse the garlic before curing. Our soil is rarely dry and as shown above the bulb comes up with too much earth. Even after we carefully remove the bulk, there is far too much left for curing and creates a ridiculous mess for storing and use. Grit in my cooking is not an option and we have yet to have an adverse affect to rinsing.

Drying rack

Here in the shade the garlic is left to dry. Normally we would leave them out overnight however the forecast was for possible evening showers so we transfered the drying racks into our shed.

Tying up garlic

The following day we tie up the garlic 10 to a bunch and prepare to hang them.

Curing the garlic

Here the garlic will cure for 3 to 4 weeks after which we will cut the stalks and leave a 1/2″ stem. The garlic will get transferred to onion bags and remain in our basement for use.

There is nothing like the taste and health benefits of your own fresh garlic and we encourage you to start a patch of your own. Our original garlic purchase was made from Johnny Seeds here in Maine, however there are countless resources available. We usually plant our garlic the last week in Oct. or the first week in Nov. and will be posting our methods then.