The Beauty of Summer

Summer for those of us who live in a house, more than likely in a village, means it is time to work long hours each day in order to start and finish at least most of the projects and dreams you planned during the winter months. 

I can tend to dread summer; until I think about how truly long the winters are once you experience that first week of -30 degree Celsius temperatures.

Then, I have no desire to complain about...

 the warm sun on my face,

the sweat on my brow as I work in the garden,

the fact that none of us have to worry about when the next truckload of coal should be ordered,

or if we have enough to get through the next few weeks when the weather forecasts -40 degrees,

there is no need to "tuck the truck in" at night with its blanket and heater,

no snow drifts as tall as your children to shovel somewhere else even though there is snow all around,

there is no worry for frozen fingers or toes as we walk to and from the store to buy bread,

no problem wondering if the boys are going to be worn out enough before bed since it was too cold to play outside,

no danger in driving the car without enough fuel or survival gear, just in case.

Just blue skies,

the sounds of our children laughing,

the sight of my husband wearing his tool belt again with a pencil behind his ear,

and me watching it all take place from my garden;

 basking in God's goodness and blessings.

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.

Summer = Gardening

You don't have to live in Russia for very long before you realize that gardening here is more than just a chance to dig in some dirt and watch something grow from a seed. It is a way of life. For those who live in a village, gardening is a necessity. It provides not only food for the family through the winter months, but some extra income when the fruits and vegetables are in season and they can be sold on the street corners or outdoor bazaars.

Most of you already know that my hubby and I live in one such village where gardening is so vital. But, there is also another aspect of gardening in Russia. IF you don't do it, you are considered lazy! That is about the easiest way to say it! You see, Russians are very resourceful and use whatever they have to do whatever job they need to get done. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it can be a bad thing. I am simply amazed at the creativity we see in our neighbors who have so little but make the best use of what they do have! That philosophy, along with living on a piece of land to use in whatever way you want or need, explains the reason why everyone has a garden.  What is a better use for land than growing vegetables on it, right? For us Americans we can think of a lot of things! However, we live in a Russian village among people who labor in their gardens to make the best use of what they have. So, I am a gardener too! Not too great of one mind you, but I am learning. We have had a garden as long as we have lived here in the village which means for almost six years. We literally have the largest property on our street! We have planted the whole garden with potatoes and a few other combinations through the years which has provided our family as well as many others with fresh vegetables. Thankfully, several years ago, my hubby bought some grass seed to help "shrink" my garden.  We didn't need to plant THAT many potatoes every year. We also wanted to make a good size yard for the kids to play in.  

Now, we maintain the bottom of our land for planting corn and potatoes. 

But, we still have a great yard for the kids to play in - with NO weeds! (Well, nothing that a lawn mower can't keep down.)

This year, at the top of our garden my wonderful hubby built me some boxes for separate planting of all of the other vegetables we grow in smaller amounts. This is a very popular way to garden here.

In these boxes we planted beets, carrots, white and green onions, green beans, strawberries, lettuce, cauliflower, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes. 

Strawberries

To the side of the upper garden area we left some land free for larger vegetable plants such as squash, zucchini, and pumpkins.

Zucchini and squash plants.

Although I really can't say I "enjoy" gardening all that much, and it takes up way too much of my Summer; I am glad to be able to learn new things and have more in common with the people we are trying to reach for Christ!