Fall = Harvest

Well, Fall has come to us here in Siberia. Actually, it is almost over...but I am still going to tell you about it. So, since I have a garden, Fall means HARVEST TIME! Yes, a.k.a. a whole lot of work! Seeing as Fall around here doesn't last very long, there is a lot to get done in a short period of time. The past two years, including this one, we have actually had just the right temperatures for the leaves to have time to change before they fall to the ground and the snow begins to blow. I love Autumn and have really enjoyed the beautifully colored landscapes. So much that I wanted to share them with you, before we get back to the work of bringing in the harvest. Enjoy the view!

Those white things to the left are potato bags left over from the day's work of harvesting.

Okay, so now that we have enjoyed the weather a bit on our walk through the village, let's get back to the subject at hand- harvest! It goes something like this...

First we get my husband to dig up all the potatoes, sorting them as we go between seed and larger potatoes to eat as we need them. We also pile up all the plants to burn later.

Ryan helping to pile up the old plants.

Then we take all the potatoes up to our house to dry out a bit before bagging them and storing for the winter.

Beka sorting the potatoes further after they have had a few days to dry.

Bags of potatoes ready for storage.

Inside most Russian homes there are sometimes several "podvalls" or underground storage areas in which people keep their potatoes and other vegetables for winter storage. Our house has two of these. This one pictured below is in a smaller room attached to our house; the other one is in our living room floor. So, before we put our potatoes down in this storage area, we must be sure it is clean, dry, and ready for this year's crop of potatoes.

Rebekah and Ryan down inside the "podvall".

We also bring up our other vegetables before the first freeze of the year.

Having a little fun while gathering corn. 

A beautiful harvest of sweet corn - even in Siberia!

Someone once said,"Plant zucchini only if you have lots of friends."

I agree! This is not even close to half of this year's squash and zucchini crop.

Whew! We are glad to have this year's gardening season over and the fruits of our labor stored away for the winter.  It always feels like such an accomplishment when the last bag of potatoes are safe and sound in the "podvall".  Next post I promise to give you a great recipe that we enjoy, using our fresh supply of potatoes.