End of Season Preserving

2025 was not a good year for me in the garden or outside for that matter. The year started off rough. I never got any plants started indoors, which is unusual for me. I didn’t buy any seeds, just used what I had from past years. I couldn’t get into the mood. My gardening mojo was not there this year.

I find when things weigh heavy on me, I retreat into my phone. I’ll play games on it for hours, scroll social media, look at my email. Why does this happen? It’s almost like my creative drive has been snatched away, and the things I loved to do once are not interesting anymore. That’s frustrating. Blame it on my hormones? Maybe? Probably, yes…that’s what other women have told me. I think in general there is a lack of satisfaction in everyone’s lives right now. Again, another reason to get off our phones.

Right before a killing frost a few weeks ago I harvested everything I could in the garden. I got quite a haul too! Lunchbox peppers, bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and parsley. I immediately set to preserving them otherwise I would procrastinate and not get it done.

I used my dehydrator this year after not using it for a while. I preferred to hang my herbs but when I tried this year the parsley just bleached out and looked awful so I used the dehydrator instead and was very pleased with the result.

Then I dehydrated rings of lunchbox peppers. I have done this in years past and then run them through a coffee grinder to make powder, but I elected to dry and store them just as they were to use in soups and stews and sauces later. I like both methods. We ate the rest of the haul, fresh.

I NEED to be more organized and disciplined next year. I need to get my gardening mojo back. I am going to start tonight by getting my workbench cleaned off and all of my husband’s “stuff” out of my planting dresser. Then I am going to get a batch of microgreens started. :).

Here are some shots I took of the garden this year.

-MM