Hello there, Rural Sprout readers,  It’s another rainy fall Sunday here in Pennsylvania. The wind has pulled most of the leaves down from the trees, and it’s the perfect day to stay indoors, sip a cup of tea, and curl up with a good book.  And take a nap. I’m a big fan of naps.  We’ve had several light frosts in the past week, which means most of the garden has been leveled. The kale is still going strong, of course. I’m pretty sure this Dazzling Blue would keep growing after a nuclear blast.  But now that it’s over, I’ve been reflecting on this gardening
season.   At least for us. There’s just no getting around it. We had freakishly late frosts, immediately followed by hot weather and a drought. Smoke-filled days from the Canadian wildfires kept us indoors for a week. We had a larger than normal pest load because of all the insects that wintered over in our soil.   Sometime around midsummer, my sweetie and I kind of gave up. There was very little to show for our efforts, so we stopped making the effort.  And you know what? That’s okay.   Today’s newsletter is for everyone who walked away from this garden season licking their wounds.  When it comes to gardening, there are always setbacks or issues that pop up during the season. Most you can live with or overcome. But every now and then, you have one of those years where it seems your garden is doomed from the get-go; nothing goes right all season long.  But isn’t that the great thing about winter?  We get a break. We get a chance to rest, get perspective, and come up with new ways of doing things. And when next spring rolls around, we’re usually ready to give it another go. So, if you’ve had a rough season, dust yourself off and take a break.  Can you imagine if we applied this kind of thinking to other areas of our
lives? Can you imagine what a difference it would make if we gave ourselves the time to rest, recuperate and reflect before having another go?   It boggles the mind to think of what we could accomplish.  It’s amazing, all the life lessons gardening has to offer, good season or bad. Â
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I winced a bit as I watched my partner lower the spinning tines into the soil in our garden. Dark,…
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Winterizing your garden can be an enjoyable endeavor. Despite the sadness of bidding farewell to the…
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Many years ago, when I first discovered that a surefire way to get free houseplants was to bring some…
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I wrote this post after many, many years of failing at making sourdough bread and maintaining a…
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For many people, fridges and freezers are an important element of the kitchen. They are food-saving…
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The key to a low maintenance and low cost garden is to grow a variety of plants that readily…
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You can make fire cider at home with seven pantry staples. This traditional health tonic can be…
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When it comes to superfoods, the elderberry stands out among its peers, offering an impressive array…
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Think your vacuum sealer is just for keeping foods fresh in the freezer? Think again. Here's 20…
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Sweet and loaded with spicy ginger flavor, honey-fermented ginger is an easy to make fermented food.…
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link. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates.  That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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