November gardening -- snug as a bug, all tucked in for the cold

The nights are becoming quite chilly. I put an extra layer on the bed today when I changed the linens. A vegetable garden doesn't like the chill much either.

Most of what remains in our garden is under cover, now. I put the plastic, tunnel row covers over the kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, green onions, mustard greens and watercress. (I have radish greens planted in another spot in the garden. If they survived last night, I'll try to get 1 more cover out there to protect them.) The plastic row cover will prevent loss to light frost for the next few weeks. If it looks like we're in for a heavy frost and freeze, I can add a layer, short term, right on top of the tunnel.

There won't be much growth, this late in the season, but I can continue harvesting up until a deep freeze.

Watercress adds such a bright flavor to egg salad sandwiches. I was able to pick a large handful for our lunch, yesterday.

And I picked enough kale yesterday for a couple of meals. I filled the kitchen sink with water and dumped an arm load of kale leaves into the sink for cleaning. Now I won't have to go out in the cold rain tomorrow, to harvest leaves for dinner.

In the Pacific Northwest, gardeners like to talk of year round gardening, with respect to growing vegetables. In truth, there is little actual gardening in winter, here. And virtually no growth in the garden. But a year round garden here simply means that you can harvest from your garden through winter, if you have enough area planted. It takes some sort of cover, to prevent frost damage. And only the very cold hardy plants will survive into the coldest months.

In past years, I've given up on my garden around the first of November. This year, I hope to continue harvesting the greens at least, up until early January. Take a break. Then greens will return in March. This is my attempt at an almost year round garden. 

I love what I use, and I use what I love

I think of this as luxurious frugality.

I own a few sets of dishware. I use each set for different seasons and occasions. Some pieces were handed down to me. I have part of my grandmother's first set of china, a set that she and her mother, together hand-painted. And I have what remains of my parents' china from the 1950s.

Some of the sets of dishware were gifts to me. One set, our everyday dishes for spring and summer, was given to me as gifts spanning a few occasions, by my mother before she passed away. Another set was given to my husband and me, by my father, as Christmas gifts, for many years.

These last two sets, given to me by my parents, have needed some "filling out" of missing pieces, and a couple of replacement pieces, over the years. We do use these dishes daily. I keep a watchful eye for them when haunting the second-hand shops.

How is this frugal, to own so many sets of dishware? I've been using one set of these dishes for 34 years. I have never tired of this pattern. And just as I feel a need for a change with our tableware, a new season falls upon us, and I switch out one set of dishes for another.

You see, I don't think frugality means having few possessions. I think frugality means having the right possessions for ourselves. I don't buy things just to own them. I only settle my money on the things that truly bring joy to my sight.

I love what I use. And I use what I love.

On Sunday, as the leftover chili was reheating for lunch, one dear daughter and I took 10 minutes to put the spring and summer dishware away, and retrieve the fall and winter dishware. This is our fall and winter set. It's called Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers. Each piece has a different scene, most of them winter scenes. As I set the plates, bowls, cups, saucers and mugs on the dish dresser, I took a moment to gaze on each scene, and a smile washed across my face.

Yes, it's luxurious. And yes, it's also frugal.