Crisp days, cool nights, color galore and no bugs. (Well, except for those nasty ticks that one has to take precautions to avoid.)
I'm always energized this time of year (good thing). It enables me to (puff, puff) get the last of the garden harvest in and processed. Even though the garden itself looks terrible now, it's still giving all it can to make the last of the harvest worthwhile.
I was thinking of making potato pancakes for dinner last night so went out to dig up a couple of potatoes.
One would think I got carried away, but I found these spuds under just two plants. What a haul. Six and one-half pounds. (No, we didn't eat them all last night.) Methinks our potato harvest this year is going to be a bonanza.
Most of our pumpkins still look like the above.
But a few of them do show signs of coloring up properly.
We've had a too-long period of wet, damp, dewy, drippy weather. Mowing the grass for the last time this season has been put off and put off which has resulted in thick, matted, green stuff that is impossible to get through with the lawn mower. Papa Pea has had to "knock down" most of it with the rotary mower on the old Gravely garden tractor which leaves a lawn that would definitely not measure up to Martha's standards, but it was all we could do.
The grass between the raised beds always grows extremely well because of the fertility of the raised bed soil which "leaks" out to the surrounding area. My dear husband will have to take his heavy-duty weed whip to these areas (the Gravely mower is too big to fit) because when I try to do it with the regular lawn mower, everything clogs up and the motor dies over and over.
The weather has put the baking bee in my bonnet. Yesterday I made a pan of brownies and early this morning a batch of Gingersnap cookies magically appeared from the oven. Gingersnaps are a family favorite, and I personally think they go perfectly with autumnal weather.
Yesterday I made a batch of Stuffed Green Peppers for the freezer. Ended up with sixteen servings for us which provide a quick and easy meal all winter long for the cook in the house.
This week we're planning our annual hike to a favorite spot which allows a gorgeous overlook of surrounding territory and the fall colors. I told the troops I want to go as early in the day as we can get it together because it's such a popular hike that as the day goes on, the trail gets close to being downright crowded. It may make me seem antisocial, but I don't think it's any fun hiking when there is a string of people in front and in back of you.
Isn't my new blog header photo stunning? Another great photograph by our daughter. Not taken this year but rather a few years ago as the colors aren't quite as full-blown yet as the photo shows.
16 comments:
Lovely potatoes! How do you store them for the months to come? I have yet to find the perfect way. Beautiful header picture, too! - Jenn
Those are some seriously beautiful spuds. The garden is winding down, pulled the cuc vines off the fence yesterday, and waiting for things to dry up, as our grass is getting too long as well. There are some chill, almost frost, nights in the immediate future, once the clouds clear off.
I'll have a handful of those gingersnaps, please. Hope you get out and have a great hike. If that road in the header pic wasn't paved, and a little more abrupt in it's down direction...I'd think your daughter had been at the top of our hill with her camera!
I just love red potatoes – and gingersnaps (brownies even more!) – and fall colors....
MMMmm Gingersnaps. I always keep a bag of store bought ones in the garden shed for snacking emergencies. They settle my stomach. I am currently dealing with apple harvest. Our lawn has been so thick all year. My husband mows ever five days and only twice have we gotten away with not having to rake some clippings out of somewhere. It is just too thick! Even the areas where we try to only mow once a year have been mowed two or three times already.
Potatoes are my favorite vegetable, unfortunately they go straight to my thighs so I have to limit my intake. Beautiful header photo. For some reason it reminds me of New England.
I love your new header photo!
I wish we had some of your rain. We are in drought conditions here in northern Virginia. We got a little bit this past weekend but need more. The garden is winding down. Today I want to yank the tomatoes. There are still a few green ones but I’ll let those ripen on the counter. The birds keep getting the last good ones. We finally got over a dozen bell peppers this year but their shapes were not conducive to stuffing. I finally found a good stuffing recipe on the Budget Bytes blog though I changes the meat to half spicy poultry sausage and half ground turkey. I used it to stuff cabbage 😋 I cleaned the peppers and froze them in strips. Jalapeños too.
Have you been canning? I just did some salsa verde from our own tomatillos which I use in enchiladas and some apple butter from store bought apples which is for Christmas gifts.
Well, it’s time to get moving. Enjoy your day, Katie C.
Big spud crop out here on Oakdale Farm, too! Big - huge taters; big - lots and lots of 'em.
My favorite time of year, too. Cheers
Jenn - Storing our potatoes continues to be an ongoing problem. Our root cellar doesn't get "cold" enough until way into winter time. We leave them in the ground until close to freezing time, then put them in 5-gallon buckets in the unheated part of the garage. Then transfer them down to the root cellar a month or so later. Not ideal but seems to work the best for us for now.
Rosalea - We haven't had any night time temps close to freezing yet, but we know it's coming. You must have a beautiful drive to your place this time of year. We don't have any maples near us (except for one we planted) so we don't get the reds in autumn as other places around here do. We're planning on getting out for that color hike this Thursday. Fingers crossed the chance of rain forecast changes!
Michelle - I'm putting two gingersnaps and a small square of the brownies in an envelope in the mail for you tomorrow! ;o)
SmartAlex - Ginger is supposed to be good for our digestion (and settling upset tummies) so maybe we all should eat more gingersnap cookies, huh? ;o) If we had to mow our grass every 5 days I think my husband would gravel the whole yard. It's not his favorite thing to do. :o\
DFW - I've read that potatoes contain Vitamin C (surprisingly) so that's what I remind myself of when indulging! Thanks for the nice words regarding the blog header photo.
Katie C. - I think I'm all done with my canning for this season. Feels good to have it all tucked away for the coming winter months, doesn't it. funny you should mention your oddly shaped peppers. I have a bowl of them in my spare refridge right now that in no way could be used for stuffed green peppers. I'll chop them up and use them when I need a green pepper this winter instead of having to buy one. Here's hoping Mother Nature brings you the rain you need soon.
Tim - Looks as though our tater crop will keep us from starving this winter, eh? ;o)
I forgot to ask, recipe for ginger snaps?
Katie C. - If you don't mind, send me your e-mail address and I'll send you the gingersnap recipe. (You can use my Contact box so it doesn't go out all over the Internet.) :o)
Nice header and even nicer to hear the old Mama Pea back at it!
Thanks, Goatldi! Some of the pressure I've felt this summer is off and I'm truly enjoying this fall season. Still a bunch to be done before the snow flies but things are falling into place. Phew! :o)
Mama Pea - I tried to send you an email message through the message window on your main page but it never sends. It just sits in the "sending" mode and eventually times out. I tried using my iPad and the desktop computer too.
Katie C. - Well, shoot. I'll have my computer guru daughter check that out next time she pops in. I'll be glad to do a short post right away so you'll have the gingersnap recipe. It's an easy one and has always been very popular with all who taste them.
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