The trash needs to go. I can’t see it anymore. I don’t care that, technically, someone promised to deal with the trash. It doesn’t seem to be happening on any kind of timeline I can work with, so, I’ve filled the car with the first load of trash, and I’m now going to drive it off and just deal with it myself.

Catch-up days often turn into catch-up weekends. My car broke down three weeks ago. School took up a lot of time. Things didn’t get done. So, I set out to finally make some progress. A million thing at a time, of course.

Earlier this year, I started a balcony garden. That spiraled into two plots of land to restore and grow on. It’s high time I give you a tour of the land I am restoring, both the growing garden and the overgrown neglected land.

When I adopted the garden, I dreamed of growing food. I had little illusion, I’d get anything done this year. But I did! I prepared the first bed, and got to planting. For now, I’ve planted some garlic, some onions, and a whole lot of alfalfa.

I set out to make kombucha. And then I got distracted. A few people have wondered just how much work kombucha brewing actually is. So, this time, I show the entire process with you–well, and a lot of the distractions.

I have a compost problem. Or rather, I have a lack of compost problem. A pile has been growing in a corner but it doesn’t even keep my dog out, so it’s time to come up with a better solution. Or, at the very least, a temporarily better one.

Three months ago, when I adopted this neglected piece of land, I had no idea what I was in for. It was covered in brambles and trash, but all I could see was the potential.

In July, I adopted a neglected piece of land filled with trash, brambles, and a lot of potential. Three months later, winter is settling in, and I am thinking back on the season behind me, thinking ahead to the necessary preparations for spring.

On the last day of my four month’s off, I had some projects open. It was a day of firsts and seconds. I made cheese for the first time. I made candles for the second time (if you count my first pretty failed attempt). And then, I made a very special pizza.

There is a part of my land I’ve been ignoring completely. Hidden between the hazelnuts, there is a second structure on my land. A shed? A hut? When I got here, this thing was filled with cracked rain barrels, and a whole lot of trash.

I removed and inspected the rain barrels, managed to fix two, and then ignored the hut completely. I’d had a roof to fix after all. Out of sight, out of mind.

It was time to change that.

There is something special about meals made from scratch. Meals made from ingredients collected on our land give me this warm, cozy feeling. With the seasons changing, what we eat is changing, as well. It’s time for some cold-weather meals.