Today, we harvested a sizeable squash crop and we’re wondering where to store them. Last year, they went on a couple of shelves in the larder, but they won’t all fit. We’ll find homes for the surplus. I cooked one for dinner.
Yesterday, I went over to a brick depot and found some bricks that I’m reasonably happy with, to build the two pillars by the drive. I can’t remember if I’ve told you all about that – the Ups and Downs, the very uneven field on the right as you come down towards the house from the road, that is probably mostly undisturbed since Saxon times, has three brick pillars and a concrete pillar and a wooden gate post, with several strands of wire between each. The wire needs to be replaced, after 40-something years and we’ve had difficulty getting sufficient tension since I had a new gate and gate posts. So, having discussed it with Jonny the farmer, it was decided that I’d have two more brick pillars and he’d put in a new fence next spring before the cattle go on the field.
It didn’t turn out to be easy to find suitable bricks, but our mutual friend and former blogger Dave has kindly volunteered to build the pillars. And now we’re all set. All we need is some fine weather before the frosts set in…
Frost, exactly, that was popping up in my head. I have no clue why it is forbidden to built when there is frost, but I know that is a rule.
I have no idea about the weather in your area, but here already frost did happen, at the end of September.
Hope the bricks will fit in.
The frost breaks down the mortar, if it hasn’t yet set hard. A very light frost doesn’t matter too much, but if it penetrates. Up until the end of October, we should be okay. The bricks are due to be delivered tomorrow, the borrowed cement mixer and sand on Thursday, and Dave is – weather permitting – due on Friday.
How long will the squash keep?
When I lived on Maui, people with banana trees would bring in fully loaded stalks of bananas to give away before it was too late.
The butternut squash keeps for several months, but I found one of the others, a variety called Festival (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=G%2fZ48JNV&id=991F0D52A0FBA456B40013E731D4529E4E7CFB56&thid=OIP.G_Z48JNVimhw6F70iCttaQEsEB&q=festival+squash&simid=608000429826639328&selectedIndex=2&qpvt=festival+squash&ajaxhist=0) on the larder half from a year ago and it was still perfectly sound. With several dozen of this year’s crop, I decided to feed it to the chickens – they’ll eat the seeds, at least.