Here we are! The start of another brand new year. Now is the time in the garden year to plan, order seeds and wax eternally hopeful. So far nothing has gone wrong. It’s just a matter of time. Soon the rabbits will chew around young tree trunks that, once again, I’ve neglected to tape. Deer will enjoy the bottoms of cedars and cypress. Voles will multiply and get all cozy in stone walls and under mulch.

I cannot decide if I’m fatalistic, a realist, or just plain accepting of life on its own terms.

Last week I forgot to mention our lovely Christmas goose. I purchased it from Jefferson at the Good Farm. I watched that batch of geese grow up in the field across from the Scottish Bakehouse. Let me briefly digress to my favorite palindrome — do geese see God!

At any rate, while said goose was thawing, I thumbed through the old Joy of Cooking. I found a recipe for sauerkraut stuffing. I was contemplating it when I received a phone call from Barbara Babcock who told me about stuffing a goose with sauerkraut.

I did not have all the ingredients so I substituted dried cranberries for prunes and pine nuts for water chestnuts. It was quite good. In fact, the goose was really delicious. I only had enough leftovers for one stir fry the next day and a nice rich soup stock.

I’ve made my own sauerkraut for years. It is ridiculously simple. Chop the cabbage, toss in salt, cram it into a crock, let it ferment for a couple of weeks and voila!

Sauerkraut is not only a great source of vitamin C, (remember its role in scurvy prevention on long ocean voyages?) it has boatloads of healthy bacteria and probiotics.

At the Christmas farmers’ market I bought a mini Chinese cabbage from Rusty at the Ghost Island stand. It was called Tokyo Bekana. I’d never heard of it. I hate when I don’t know everything.

I did a search of all my seed catalogs and only found it in Johnny’s. It is edible in 21 days and is full-sized in 45.

It was delicious raw. It had the texture of a firm lettuce with a slightly mild cabbage flavor. I used the leaves and stalks under a kale and brussels sprouts salad at Christmas dinner.

I admit I am a bit hesitant to try some of the Asian greens as my family is not fond of the spicy ones. Mustard greens get left on the side of the plate in our household.

My friend Lorna and I took a road trip on Monday. We went to the Star Pickling Corporation in Swansea. We loaded the pickup with 50 gallon pickle buckets. They sell them for $20 each. She plans to make rain barrels and composters out of hers. I am filling mine with water in the greenhouse to collect heat during the day and hopefully put it back into the house at night.

Life is always an adventure. We had to make a stop on the highway to tie them securely into the truck. They are heavy food-grade plastic still smelling of pickles.

I finally planted some field peas in the greenhouse. We love pea shoots added to salads. They do take a while to germinate so I’m not expecting anything edible until mid February. By then, the light will be noticeably better and they will be a welcome addition.

What a rude awakening on Tuesday morning — a real Arctic blast. The animals’ water needed busting. I hauled warm water out to hasten the process. They were all happy to see me. I put the grain bucket on the wood stove to warm it for them — the big sissies.

As the day progressed on Tuesday, we were delighted to see the ground covered in snow. It hides a multitude of sins, so to speak. Everything is tidy and pretty. I’m pretty sure it will be gone by week’s end as the weather people say it is warming by then.

I do not go off-Island much. On Monday we went from our pickle bucket stop to Norwood for a vehicle recall. Wow! The auto mile is really something. Every possible brand of car has its own showplace, with boatloads of brand new vehicles for sale. Do that many people actually buy new cars every year?

If I was a visitor from Mars, I’d hightail it off this planet in a nanosecond!