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Welcome to the Cottage.

The Tiny Canal Cottage is a resource for helping folks mindfully conceptualize, decorate and enjoy versatile + smaller home spaces. Founded by designer, consultant, stylist, creative director and author, Whitney Leigh Morris, this family-owned small business recently finished the construction of a new, compact cottage and greenhouse-office in the southeastern US, and are also restoring a little 1800s French farmhouse and its outbuildings with co-stewards. Morris’ focus is crafting flexible, sustainable, and more community-focused home spaces. Explore Whitney’s book, blog, and social channels for years of tips and tales from living and working in — and with — a smaller footprint.

Small Space Gardening: Our 2020 Grape Harvest

Small Space Gardening: Our 2020 Grape Harvest

This week, we harvested our first batch of this year’s concord grapes grown on the Cottage vine.

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Out of our 9 years here, 2020 has has yielded the most usable grapes for us.

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The increase is due to the post + cable system we installed in the back garden in 2019.

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We added the wires primarily to support the red trumpet vine and establish a living canopy for privacy and shade. I didn’t expect that the grapevine would reach so far along the cables and sprawl across the yard, but luckily it did.

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In previous seasons, the grapes grew primarily along the fence line, granting easy access to the summer raccoons, squirrels and mice. But the animals seem to have a hard to time reaching the hanging clusters, so the fruit has been allowed to ripen completely without interference.

Above: The grapevine in July 2014. Below: The grapevine in July 2020.

Above: The grapevine in July 2014.
Below: The grapevine in July 2020.

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Adam, West and I picked the first clusters off the vine together.

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Thankfully the StanLee and Sophee seem to instinctively know not to eat the grapes, which are toxic to dogs.

View my recent related post: Garden aprons for the family

View my recent related post: Garden aprons for the family

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Even after filling this basket entirely, it looked as though we’d barely made a dent in this year’s bounty.

Above: Wearing Eileen Fisher, which I’ve found to be particularly comfortable during my fertility journey.

Above: Wearing Eileen Fisher, which I’ve found to be particularly comfortable during my fertility journey.

After clipping the first round of concord grapes, Adam turned them into jam.

We’ve enjoyed jam, juice and sorbet from the cottage vine for years, but until now it was always thanks to our next door neighbors, Kevin and Donna, who harvested the grapes across both properties.

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Using Kevin and Donna’s recipe (and several of their kitchen tools), Adam kicked off our first canning experience.

A few hours later, we had our first batch of sweet, sticky cottage-made jam in-hand. The process is a bit messy for a tiny kitchen, but more importantly it’s satisfying and almost meditative. And despite turning a fair number of wooden kitchen tools purple, I’d say our first foray into canning was a delightful success.

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I’m interviewing Kevin & Donna about the grapevine’s history and their maintenance practices, and I’ll publish that follow up post soon…

Small Kitchen Storage

Small Kitchen Storage

100 Days Until the Election - Get Yourself and Others Ready to Vote

100 Days Until the Election - Get Yourself and Others Ready to Vote

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