Sunday, October 13, 2013

Beautiful Fall

Although most would say the fall color season is past its peak in our neck o' the woods, there is still gorgeous scenery to be seen. 


Fall colors may be a little muted now, but still enough to make me stop and stare no matter where I look.  Some of it without ever stepping off our deck.

The day time temperatures haven't been rising much above 60° and the overnight lows are only in the low 50s and high 40s.  Can you believe this is northern Minnesota in the middle of October?

Jack Frost has yet to visit us.  He must have gotten waylaid in the awful snowstorm in South Dakota.  The devastating livestock losses for the farmers there are terrible.  You just can't expect or plan for happenings such as that.


The time of year tells me I should have my garden stripped bare and be tucking it in for the winter.  But, unbelievably, it's still green and growing and keeps bearing.  Above is my harvest of late yesterday afternoon.  Thirteen green peppers . . . a double batch of Stuffed Green Peppers for the freezer coming up.  Enough Brussels sprouts for three or four meals.  (We do love our Brussels sprouts!)  And a bowl of cherry tomatoes that will be more than we can eat in a couple of days.

Nope, there's hardly been a way to figure out this year's gardening season . . . or our extended, lovely fall weather.  I'm just happy as a lark to be getting so much from the garden and having the beautiful fall weather.

14 comments:

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Our garden died off, and it was pretty depressing this year. I have to hope we'll have a prosperous year next season.

Leigh said...

Your fall color is amazing, especially compared to here!

I always have a hard time picking the summer garden clean in autumn. I'm always hoping for just a little more! I need to go harvest our field corn, however, because the squirrels are having a "field day" helping themselves!

Tombstone Livestock said...

Amazing your garden is still producing so much with the cooler weather.

Sue said...

Gosh, mine's been put to sleep for weeks already. Are you stealing all the warmth?
We've had so many frosts I've lost count. But yes, it's weird around here too. My Dahlia's are still in full bloom. They hate cold. Go figure........

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Sorry to hear you lost the garden this year. It sure would be nice if all of us could count on a "normal" weather season for gardening next year.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Cleaning up the garden in fall is almost as much work as getting it in in the spring . . . but done with much less enthusiasm!!

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I think our crops up here just know they have to mature in cooler weather to make it!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Our forecast is for a real dip in our temps this coming week. 30° for a couple of nights so that means a killing frost can't be long now.

Kelly said...

Your harvest looks yummy! I'm looking forward to our fall colors ☺

I just planted some more seeds! I can see me in a few months freezing cold trying to cover up the garden LOL!

Mama Pea said...

Kelly - Can't quite imagine living in a climate where you could be planting this time of year! But I know if I did, I'd be doing it just as you are! You'll have to keep all of us readers updated on how your fall garden does during the next months.

Susan said...

I do love this time of year, but we - even being so far south - are way ahead of you! And how I envy your Brussels sprouts - they are my favorite fall vege and I haven't been able to grow even a puny crop of them! Enjoy the bounty - after your 'spring', you deserve it!

Myrna said...

When we lived in Northern Minnesota, you could always count on snow for Halloween. What Fun!
Iowa seems like a southern state next to that. We are having some colder days now though, lows in the thirties this week.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - I sure can't figure out this gardening thing. I talked with a local gal today who says she has so many Brussels sprouts in her freezer she's not sure she and her husband will be able to eat all of them this winter. I managed to get enough for us to eat fresh, but nothing for the freezer. What the . . . ?

Mama Pea said...

Myrna - Iowa IS a southern state . . . at least to us way up here! Yep, our forecast is for some temps down in the 30s at night this week, too.