| Important Message | ||
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Frost advisory in effect from 2 AM to 8 AM edt Monday. | |
Now, if I just weren’t SO tired, I’d be out there trying to figure out what I could save. It was 38 this morning when I got up. When my neighbor came by at noon to drop of the NY Times (he drives 30 miles round trip to get his and then drops one off for me on his way home, nice huh?) he mentioned that he’d had his wood stove going this morning to take the chill off. I hate to see the summer go, it means moving the TV from the top of the centrally located wood stove back to a table in the dining area. We roll it around when we want to sit on the sofa and watch. It’s a small place. Today was the day. It’s that or light the heater that uses propane and who wants to pay for that. Woods free, sort of… there’s more than a bit of work involved. But, back to the food / garden thing, I went out and picked EVERY black, ripe elderberry, all the ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and (not that a frost would do any real damage) all of the dropped apples. I pared gazillions of apples and packed them up into pie sized packages for the freezer, then cooked up a batch of applesauce and baked a pie. Not six hours later, it’s long gone and I have the indigestion to show for it. One batch of elderberry liquor is in the bottle where it will remain for the next few weeks. The rest of the berries are waiting for me to take them off the stems and do whatever I’m going to do. More juice, freeze and more liquor. The tomatoes, well they are waiting in the barn. I probably should head back down in the dark, but for some reason, this year the garden has been so lousy that I just don’t care much anymore. Oh sh*t! I’ve forgotten the basil. That IS worth going out with a flashlight for. Ermm.. night harvest, accomplished while holding the flashlight in your (um, my) mouth. Guess I’ll shorten this post in favor of the basil. As for the rest…. the broccoli won’t care.
Saturday, I went to the Vermont Sheep & Wool. I will write about it, promise. I had a good time, bought stuff, met up with friends, ate terrible fair food ( I can’t wait for the chocolate wagon at Rhinebeck) .. and you’ll have to wait for the rest. Or, you can pop over to read Norma’s review of the day. She’s got it pretty well covered, except about the clothes part. Remember, on MY side of the state, it WAS cold when I got up. Dressing in long pants, layers for the top, a change of shoes from sandals to rubber clogs (it rained) was just plain easy.
Comments
7 responses to “weekend notes”
Whole pie, eh? Glad to see I’m not the only one with no superego controls when it comes to food. That especially includes the Taste Budds. Oh yes.
I know what you mean about the garden. The weeds currently have sole dominion out there, and I am doing nothing about it. Nothing. Well, something. I’m sitting inside knitting and spinning and paying bills.
Yep, the basil is definitely worth the trek back out and the blackberry liquor sounds absolutely yummy. You will have to tell me more about how you make that at Rhinebeck 🙂
Holy Mole! We won’t get frost here for months. I am waiting for it to warm up. We have very cool summers, but nice springs and falls. The downside is that I don’t have enough heat or chill for most fruit trees.
The waning garden just makes me cry. I really should get out there and take some photos of the sad state — or maybe not. We didn’t get frost, thankfully, but it’s really close enough for things like the tomatoes. And somehow or another this year it’s the beans that make me the saddest. I canned five pints of ‘maters yesterday, and that might be the end for the year. That pie sounds wonderful, and I’m laughing in a very happy way that I am not the only glutton around. I just don’t picture you doing that…I wonder if you picture me doing it…but believe me, it happens! We had a few beets that grew on their own on a pile of lovely Intervale soil that never got around to spreading where it was intended. Apparently I dropped the seeds there. They were the most gorgeous beets I have EVER grown. The leaves were huge and tender. We ate them last night and I just had some of the leftover greens in my morning omelet.
My garden is pathetic at this point. The borers got all the squash, although I did get some into the freezer yesterday. I’m thinking fried green tomatoes by the end of the week.
And, ummm, chocolate wagon? Please elaborate for the Rhinebeck Virgin.
Our mountains have had below freezing temps but the valleys are still comfortable and the toes remain uncovered. Not to long, however before the socks will feel good. Your havest sounds so good. Too bad I wasn’t there to help you with the pie;-)
Chocolate wagon? There’s a chocolate wagon?! I am so intrigued.