Willamette Valley's Allison Inn & Spa

We are on located in the Pacific Northwest in the heart of Oregon's Wine Country. You can find us on Twitter and Facebook, Flickr, & Youtube. You can also read reviews on Yelp or Tripadvisor!

[allisoninnandspa]

Snow Day!

Crocuses persist through snow and frost and continue blooming.

Freezing temperatures create extra challenges from the garden team.

Harvesting needs to wait until the temperature is above 32 degrees, which often translates into afternoon harvesting. However, you receive a better product than if we harvested while it was still frozen.

The hose is frozen. Fortunately, we have several frost-free faucets, but the wash is not quite up to our usual standards. Some things, like the wheelbarrow tire, are very difficult to wash from just the faucet.

We have one leek that is determined to stand out in the crowd. We will harvest leeks soon. (Hmm, I think I said that last week as well, but last week turned  unusual.)

We still have dragons tongue mustard, but we have harvested all the larger leaves.

In the greenhouse we have a good supply of the frills mustards, which we harvest as they reach size.

The kale has re-grown to the point that we could do some light harvesting. The leaves will be on the small side.

As you know, we harvested the last of the sunchokes on Friday.

We are also getting down to the end of winter squash.

We still have chard, but as you can see, the leaves are small. That seems to be a repeated theme this week, small leaves. That is what happens this time of year right before the explosive spring growth spurt.

The final frosty photo is the saffron leaves. We will divide them this spring.

See you in the garden soon.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings

Surprise-January flowers that remind us that spring will soon be here. Days are slowly lengthening. But we still have January and February to get through before we declare spring is here!

Another January surprise is this lettuce which we harvested from the outside garden. It was covered with a frost blanket but still! When we uncovered it, we found lots of vole runways. Since last fall, we have noticed a predator bird around the garden, either on the power line or the fence. After getting a good look at it, Sarah did a little research and learned that it is an American kestrel whose diet is mostly grasshoppers and small rodents. Consequently, we are happy to have it around to help reduce the vole population.

We should be able to harvest some sprouting broccoli this week, but it can also wait another week without losing quality.

We have just a few celeriacs left in the ground. We will harvest them when needed.

Let us know if you would like any of the broccoli greens or kalette greens harvested. Because we need to let the kale re-grow before harvesting more of it.

This is garden laundry. This is what happens when we remove the frost blankets, we have to drape it over tables in the greenhouse until it dries.

We had an odd occurrence happen this week. Sarah walked into the garden shed and smelled smoke. Gloves that were drying on the counter were smoking. The angle of the sun coming through the window was just right to melt a hole in the cuff of this glove. Now that would be hard to explain; that our gloves just spontaneously combusted and caused the shed to burn down! It is never dull in the garden.

So come on out to see what is new in the Garden.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

The Chef’s Garden - Review of 2018!

We started 2018 with some snow. All in all last winter was quite mild. So far our current winter has also been mild. We will see what January and February send our way.

We had a bumper crop of sprouting broccoli last winter/spring. We expect to have another bumper crop starting this coming week.

The bees survived last winter. We have taken steps to ensure that they will also survive the current winter. We are looking forward to the next honey harvest.

We will have a new raspberry planting in 2019. It was time to replace the old plants with new and vigorous varieties.

This time of year, we are making our seed list and checking it, not twice, but several times, to make sure we have included all our notes from last season, which includes new squash varieties.

Last summer we saw our first goat yoga class next to the garden. What new activities will we see in 2019?

I expect the new patio will become even busier. It is a lovely event space, but the best part is that it is in the Chef’s Garden!

I will finish off this meandering through 2018 with a classic December sunrise.

 I am looking forward to 2019.

See you in the Garden.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Winter Sunrises!

I never tire of winter sunrises. They are a cheerful way to start the day.

You know, we still have not had a hard freeze. Consequently, we have lettuce growing outside. The leaves are sturdier than they are in summer and the flavor is outstanding.

On a warm day last week, the bees made an appearance. They are healthy and doing well. I expect that we will have a busy time keeping one step ahead of them in spring. We are looking forward to another productive honey harvest.

Recently, I was excited to find more violas at a local nursery. Usually we have plenty that self-seeded. However, this year, we have been diligent in our weeding efforts, which means those baby plants were weeded out. We planted the new purchases into larger pots intending to leave them in the greenhouse for more blooming. However, we found fungus gnats flying around them. They all went outside immediately. We have a no tolerance policy for fungus gnats. They have caused us too much grief for us to ignore their appearing.

The kale is looking good.

Chard is also looking great.

We need to wait a few more weeks for the kalettes. The leaves are a lovely intense purple.

You have to look closely to see the sprouting broccoli heads starting to form. You will need to wait a few more weeks. I will keep you posted.

We have celeriac available when you need it.

The sunchokes may be dug at any time that you want to add them to your list.

Mustard greens are plentiful.

We have started planning for next season’s crops. The first step is soil sampling. The results allow us to customize our fertilizer mix, correct any deficiencies, and maximize plant health and nutrition.

We also plan out the crop rotation. Rotating crops reduces the pest and disease pressure and makes the best use of the soil fertility.

The next step entails sitting down with seed catalogs and choosing what to plant. The gardeners have a list which we will mesh with the chef’s list. It is easy to go a bit overboard.

In the meantime, come on out to the garden to see what is happening.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

A Tale From The Chef’s Garden

Yes, it is December, but the borage keeps blooming. When there is a sun break, a few hardy, or perhaps foolhardy, bees are out foraging for nectar from these flowers.

Winter gardens involve a lot of produce from the brassica family. The mustard greens look great. We are harvesting them as requested.

You need patience with the sprouting broccoli; it is still perking along under the tightly wrapped leaves.

Winter months are kale months. Like all members of the brassica family, kale thrives in cooler weather. You will find it sweeter compared to the same varieties grown in summer. We are growing four varieties this winter and harvesting when requested.

The turnips are growing under row covers. We will tend to forget about them, so ask us to check their size once in awhile. I think they might be ready by the end of the month.

This is what the kalettes look like when they are on the stalk. I think you might want them a bit larger, but let me know if you think otherwise. We could also supply a sample if that will help. They are doing just fine in the field and should hold for awhile.

Here’s a close up of one of the “flower heads” of the kalettes.

We will be harvesting spinach from the greenhouse and replanting with more lettuce.

We are harvesting baby frills mustards and arugula as needed.

We still have lettuce in the ground! Let us know when you run low inside and we will make a harvest run.

We have winter squash in two sizes, large and annoyingly small. Ask me about the squash butchery secrets that I learned this weekend. It will relieve some of your stress in dealing with the squash monsters.

See you in the garden or greenhouse where we just might have the heaters on!  

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings!

The warm long fall brought us many colorful leaves that in a typical year just drop off a dull brown. We make it a point to enjoy the brightness against the evergreens and gray skies.

Look at this beautiful lettuce growing under a row cover. We harvested some last week, but still have quite a bit to go. It is covered, so we’ll see how it fares the upcoming cold temperatures.

In case you missed them, we harvested the remaining cauliflowers. At this point in their development, they would not improve with freezing. We learned this the hard way a few years ago.

We harvested half of the celeriac then covered the rest of the crop.

The remaining kohlrabi is covered.

We harvested the rest of the cabbages.

The first variety of purple sprouting broccoli has tiny heads wrapped tightly in leaves. Perhaps we will have broccoli by year end.

Micro-greens continue to grow well. Keep using with abandon.

Both parsley and par-cel are covered in preparation for freezing. We will harvest them as needed.

The winter squash stored in the greenhouse is plentiful. Yes, you have used some, but there is quite a bit more to go.

On one of our many treks between garden and hotel, we came across this curious beetle. It little research told us that it is a male rain beetle. The adults typically emerge from underground and fly after autumn rains have started. After mating, the female burrows deeper into the soil and in mid- spring starts laying eggs. The larvae stay in the larval stage for nine to thirteen years! They are pests only in fruit orchards where the larvae eat tree roots.

Keep a look out on your way to the garden for something new and unusual like rain beetles!  

See you in the Garden. Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Chef’s Garden Update

We still have a good supply of winter squash stored in the greenhouse. This includes red Kuri, blue Hubbard, sweet meat, Delicata, butternut, acorn, Georgia candy roaster, and Cinderella. We will attempt to keep a bin filled in the kitchen.

The spinach is looking good right now. It likes living in the greenhouse at this time of the year. We are harvesting it as needed or when we think it is large enough.

The kohlrabi is waiting patiently for harvesting. It surprising that they are holding so well. They are still solid and not woody. It has been the year of the great kohlrabi!

We are harvesting scallions as needed. It is interesting to see the difference between the three varieties. I like to have more than one variety as each one has its strengths. Some of the varieties are sturdier, some floppy, and some them are pencil slim. They all seem to do well in cooler weather. There are no insects to bother them.

The turnips are making an appearance. They are still fairly small so put them on your list of produce that will be ready sometime in December. This year we have planted all the root crops in the stock tanks and have been pleased with the results. In the ground we were visited by gophers, voles, and wire worms. None of these were welcomed visitors. The stock tanks have effectively removed the welcome mat.

This is a picture from a year ago to remind us that cold weather is coming and that we have cabbage ready. Cabbage is so hardy; one can understand why it is a staple winter crop for so many cultures.

We have micro-greens growing like crazy. So use a lot of them. After the seeds germinate, we are transferring the flats to a non-heated table in an effort to slow their growth. They are still growing really well in the cooler location.

We might have some Romanesco cauliflower ready this week. We will try to hold off as long as possible.

In the meantime, dodge rain showers and come on out to see what else is going on in the Garden.     

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings From The Chef’s Garden!

Here are sunflower heads on a misty, moisty, foggy morning last week. As you can see, spiders have been busy spinning webs to catch any remaining stray insects that flit about. There are a few bumblebees still around and the honey bees fly when it is warmer, but for the most part the insects, (except aphids), are gone for the year. The seasons are changing.

So what can you expect from the garden in November? You can expect multi-hued cauliflowers! Our white cauliflower is finished, the purples, greens, and orange are being harvested. The Romanesco cauliflower is yet to come.

You can also expect mustards! This is the Garnet Giant. It thinks that it experienced a very short summer and must now put out seeds. We keep picking the flowering heads and talking to them, but they are not listening. We also are growing Dragons Tongue mustard. It was not fooled by our warm September and October and has sensibly settled down for the long haul of winter production.

Yes, we have more cabbage still to be harvested. Though, we do try to eliminate the complimentary slugs.

Remember the lowly beets patiently waiting to be harvested.

We are also harvesting carrots, radishes and giant kohlrabi.

We still have good parsley and par-cel crops which we will harvest as needed.

Up and coming crops would include horse radish, sunchokes, and purple sprouting broccoli.

You are welcome to use any of the winter squashes currently stored in the greenhouse.

See you in the Garden on a sunny day!

Anna   (All photos this time by Sarah.)

[allisoninnandspa]

A Tale From The Chef’s Garden

We found this tiny pumpkin, (the size of a tennis ball), when harvesting the gourds. I thought it would be appropriate for the final October State of the Garden. It is a reminder of those long, hot summer days.

The rains have arrived. Since last Sunday, I have recorded 1.81 inches of rain. We may now remove the irrigation lines with confidence of not needing them again this season.

Turn your thoughts to more fall and winter types of vegetables and greens.

We are experimenting with growing frills mustard as a cut and come again crop in the greenhouse. As you can see it will soon be ready. Let us know how big you want it before harvesting.

We also have arugula planted the same way in a stock tank at about the same stage of growth. We could probably start harvesting it within the next seven to ten days.

We did start harvesting the earliest cauliflower, which is a white variety. However, we did find one precocious orange head that we also planted. I will be glad to harvest the cauliflower before freezing.

We will have radishes coming your way this week, if we can find them among all the chamomile seedlings!

Remember the kohlrabi, it is only growing larger.

The hearty greens, kales, mustards and chard, are all looking great. We harvest them as requested.

Anytime, you want to start using the horseradish, let us know. It is finished growing for the year.

We will take the lemongrass into the greenhouse before it gets too much colder. It will be available for harvest all winter.

It turns out that winter squash get tan lines.

The Delicata, acorn, and butternut squash are all ready for use. The larger squashes are still curing and not quite ready yet.

Come on out to the garden this coming week during breaks in the rain to see what else is new.

See you in the Garden.   Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings..

You know autumn is here when we harvest winter squash. The larger varieties will need two weeks to cure, but the Delicata and acorn are ready to be eaten.

We harvest the lettuce as needed. It has continued to grow well during this warm month.

The parsley and par-cel are looking good. We attempt to keep the walk-in stocked with parsley. We will harvest par-cel on request.

This bumblebee is gathering pollen from saffron. We continue to harvest the saffron threads. But leave the rest of the flower intact so the bees can benefit from the late season pollen.

I would be surprised if there were very many more viable ripe tomatoes. It is getting chilly at night. However, the plants are still in the ground, so if any more do ripen, we will pick them.

We have more golden sweet peppers to harvest. We harvested most, but not all, of the red peppers last week.

There are still a lot of gypsy peppers to be harvested. We had such troubles with the gypsy seedlings last spring that we planted extra. They all pulled through combined with an extra long warm summer equals an enormous harvest.

There is some eggplant left. We will harvest as requested.

This is false advertising! The varied colors of cauliflowers are not yet ready. However, the white cauliflowers, (of which I forgot to take a photo), will be ready in the next week or so.

The cabbage heads are looking great. We are just waiting for them to get larger.

The broccolini harvest continues.

Kale and chard are looking good. We harvest as requested.

Quince are here! These odd looking fall fruits are native to Iran and Turkey.

See you in the Garden. Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Summer weather in October!

The summer of the abundant supply of Gypsy peppers has not yet ended! There are  enough still on the plants for another two weeks of harvesting.

We have finally made a dent in the red and golden roaster peppers. We probably have one more large harvest left before they are finished.

This coming week promises to be dry, so we’ll be removing spent plants to make room for planting the winter cover crop. Last week we pulled the zucchini and some of the winter squash vines.

These glorious autumn days have been kind to all of the fall/winter crops. We will soon have broccoli raab. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo.

As you have noticed, the kohlrabi is growing very well. Each year is a balancing act of planting sufficient plants early enough that they will almost reach maturity before growth is shut down by lack of daylight and warmth. This year there has been an abundant amount of both so all the crops are growing like there is no end in sight.

Lettuce is doing great. We are harvesting as requested.

Our friends, The Slugs are back in town! They are making their presence noticed in the strawberries and in the cabbage.

Speaking of cabbage, if you would like to start using some smaller heads of cabbage, it is ready. We will either bring in a sample or get a photo.

We have a drying or curing table set up. Here you can see scented geranium leaves, shelled scarlet runner beans, acorn, and Delicata squash, with gourds in the background. The squashes should cure for a week to reach optimum flavor before we start bringing them to the kitchen.

We are still harvesting strawberries! We have at least one more good harvest coming this week.

We are harvesting carrots, leeks, and chard as needed.

You might want to start thinking about using horseradish. We can start digging it any time.

Come on out to the garden to see what else is happening and to enjoy the saffron.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Morning Musings

The sun greeted us with this fabulous display against the clouds one morning last week. It was all the more appreciated because we knew rain was coming.

Some of the herbs need a rest for the winter. Please order the following from outside: thyme, bay and sage. The parsley, rosemary, oregano, and tarragon are still good from the garden. The basil is nearing the end of its life. We will keep harvesting as long as it still looks good.

We have more corn to harvest from the second planting. We will give you a status update this week.

The strawberries have been amazing the past two weeks because of the unseasonably warm weather. We should have them another two weeks before they just turn to mush from the rain and cool temperatures.

The first of the broccolini or broccoli raab, whichever you want to call it, will be ready within the next ten days or so.

Also the kohlrabi is ready for harvesting.

 Here’s a tub of some of the bountiful fall veggies. Yes, eggplant is not a fall crop but the weather has been so conducive to eggplant this year that we were able to harvest some great specimens last week. We still have eggplant to harvest and peppers to harvest and beets to harvest. The beets should be fine in the ground until Thanksgiving. We will just keep an eye out for freezing temperatures.

We should have another harvest and maybe two, of the Padron and Shishito peppers. The later part of this coming week is supposed to be dry and warm which will help.

It is saffron time! We will dry the “threads” for you. So you will need to let us know if you need any of the fresh flowers.

We are slowly preparing the greenhouse for winter months. The shade cloth is off, the sides down, and the doors closed, ready for winter storms.

Come on out to the garden between rain showers.   

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Chef’s Garden Update..

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is the Harvest Moon, meaning that it gives enough light to allow night harvesting. I’m glad that we do not need to resort to night harvesting, but can simply enjoy the sight of the moon setting over the Chef’s Garden.

Last week brought the end of cucumbers, Romano beans, and melons. They will return next summer.

The Gypsy peppers, red and golden Italian peppers and hot peppers are still ripening. We will be picking them for another two to three weeks. It all depends on what weather comes our way.

We still have a few Padron and Shishito peppers, but as you know they are decreasing.

We are nearing the end of tomato time. We will harvest until there rain and cool temperatures end the season.

All is not lost; the new lettuce planting is looking great, although they grumbled last week from the excessively hot temperatures.

As soon as you can get them on your menu, consider the unassuming kohlrabi. They are perfect right now.

The new kale plants are taking off. We will harvest as you request them.

Don’t forget Swiss chard. It is going quite strong into autumn.

Here’s a sneak peak at the Scarlet Runner Beans. We harvest then shell the pods as they turn brown. Inside are hiding the most amazing bean seeds. We will not bring them inside until probably November.

Remember that cool phone mounted microscope from last spring? Sarah found these spined soldier bug nymphs on a lemon verbena leaf and was able to get a great close-up shot of them.

Come on out to the Garden to see what else is new.       

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings..

It is almost time to bid tomatoes goodbye for the season. No doubt you have noticed that each harvest session produces fewer and fewer tomatoes. They have had a good run this year. We will have tomatoes probably another two weeks then it is time to move on to…

Winter squash! And Kohlrabi!  And sweet red peppers!

Yes the summer fruits that we love are ending, but we have a garden full of other exciting veggies. Embrace the change of the

seasons by not clinging to the faithful summer varieties. Explore the different flavors that the fall and winter garden bring your way.

Unless we get a severe frost, we should have gypsy peppers as well as red and gold sweet peppers for two to three more weeks. That will put us solidly into October.

We continue to harvest padron and Shishito peppers, but they are few and far between. Their season is ending.

We have fall corn ripening for the next couple of weeks.

When you need a break, come on out to the Garden to see all that I have forgotten to mention in this note!

See you in the Garden.

 Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Chef’s Garden Update

Well, here we are in mid-September. That time of year combined with rain and cool temperatures, brought some very definite changes to the garden.

The bush beans or haricot verts, abruptly quit producing. We removed them and will be planting a winter crop in that space this coming week. The Romano pole beans still produced, but far fewer beans. This might be their final week.

The Padron and Shishito peppers have slowed down.

We are harvesting red and gold sweet peppers as they change color.

The gypsy peppers are finally slowing down. We will have a smaller harvest this week but still enough to keep you busy.

The tomato harvest is also decreasing. We picked about half the amount that we had the previous week. We still have more to come but the end is in sight. You might consider using more green tomatoes.

The melons are almost finished. There are a few melons still to ripen. Whether or not they actually do ripen depends on weather.

We will be harvesting carrots and beets this week. We need the space for winter crops.

Leeks are ready for harvesting when you need them.

If you need par-cel, it is ready for harvesting. As you know, it will grow all winter.

We are harvesting the corn experiment. Some of the ears are small and some not well pollinated. However, they still taste amazing. To improve corn pollination next year, we will grow it in a wider bed.

It’s tomatillo time! We have a bountiful harvest coming your way.

There is still some eggplant waiting to be harvested, but not an overwhelming amount.

Micro-greens are growing well.

Garden greens will be back in business this coming week.

Hope to see you in the Garden during the non-rainy period this coming week.  Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Monday Musings...Fall is around the corner!

Yes, that scale is sitting at two pounds! This is a Jory tomato. It is a variety that was widely grown in the Willamette Valley in the 1920s. We are enjoying some of their huge fruit ninety years later. It seems that there is a slight tapering off in the tomato harvest. However, there we will still be bringing in plenty to keep you busy.

We also noticed a welcome decrease in bean production last week. We are ready to be done picking the bush beans.

The tomatillos are finally ripening. Let us know if you run out. We will strive to harvest them weekly until they quit producing.

As you are aware, the peppers are in peak production. We have started harvesting red and gold peppers in addition to sweet cayenne peppers.

The exception to the tons of peppers rule is the padron and Shishito peppers. They slow down each year about this time, so next year we will simply plant more. We are harvesting them as they reach the optimum size.

Cucumbers and summer squash have also slowed down. The harvest amounts should drop to a more reasonable level.

We will be reaching the end of the melon harvest in the next week or so. This has been an amazing year for melons. Even the mice were able to enjoy a few before we sent them packing.

The micro-greens are growing very well. Keep using them.

The winter broccolis, cauliflowers, cabbages, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts are looking very good. They will be harvest ready in a few more months.

Swiss chard is ready for harvest any time you need it.

Still no lettuce to grace the harvest buckets. We chose not to plant it last week because of the heat. We wanted to give it a fighting chance at survival.

Come on out to the garden when you need a break. There is always something new or something I have forgotten to mention.

See you soon.

Anna

[allisoninnandspa]

Chef Garden Update

We had another dragonfly spotting last week. They must be finding plenty of insects to eat allowing them to continue garden habitation. Since the great fungus gnat infestation last spring, we have had few problems with insects this year. Perhaps the dragonflies are part of the reason.

Even though the days have been cooler, we are still watering diligently. The areas that are not watered are very dry. Consequently, we are on a constant lookout for gophers seeking to cash in on our damp soil full of healthy vegetable roots!

Well hang on for the next month. We have a bumper crop of both tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes are at peak production, peppers are just now starting to turn gold and red. Each week we will harvest more of them.

Melons are marvelous. This is a Minnesota Midget melon from a sample packet of seeds. We still have another two or three weeks of harvest to come.

When we remember, we are harvesting leeks. That seems to be the story of leeks in the Garden, we overlook them.

We will start harvesting corn this week. We should have corn for the next several weeks.

We have a good winter squash crop this year. You can expect them towards the end of September and into October.

On the other hand, our giant pumpkin is not-not giant that is! We have a pallet ready to slip under our potentially too big pumpkin, but I think it will not be necessary.

Good cucumber crop. Volunteer melons are growing behind the compost piles.

Come on out to the Garden to see all that I have forgotten to mention. (All photos by Sarah.)

Anna